Today, we’re thrilled to premiere ‘Every Body Work My Body (Live),’ a standout track from the EP. This track encapsulates SAYTEK’s distinctive approach to live performance, with playful samples weaving seamlessly into acid-tinged rhythms. The result is a hypnotic and infectious groove that demands movement, embodying the raw energy that defines his sound.

The ‘RAW & Live’ EP captures SAYTEK’s live essence with a collection of tracks straight from his performances, showcasing his mastery of crafting peak-time techno experiences. The EP opens with ‘Never Lost (Live),’ a slick, vocal-laced journey, followed by the thunderous, industrial energy of ‘Check 125 (Live).’ Other highlights include the dark and twisted tones of ‘DET88 (Live)’ and the mysterious depths of ‘Get That (Live).’

SAYTEK’s dedication to his underground sound and penchant for experimentation have earned him recognition from some of the biggest names in electronic music. His impressive discography includes releases on labels like Laurent Garnier’s Cod3QR and Kevin Saunderson’s KMS, alongside an album on Awesome Soundwave. His relentless touring schedule has taken him to iconic events like Rave The Planet and underground venues across the globe, with audiences in India, the USA, Mexico, and Canada embracing his sound.

Stream ‘Every Body Work My Body (Live)’ now on Data Transmission and experience the raw, unfiltered energy that only SAYTEK can deliver.

The ‘RAW & Live’ EP drops via Raw Industries and showcases the grit and depth of Saytek’s finest work to date – grab it on Beatport

The post SAYTEK drops his ‘RAW & Live’ EP on Raw Industries appeared first on Data Transmission.

His “Crisis For Change” EP is his second outing on the label, with his return being eagerly awaited. The innovative live performer and producer crams the EP full with his distinctive techno, acid house and electro energy, melding the boundaries between the genres as he goes. Live and direct action from two constant forces in the world of electronic dance music. 

“It’s a great honour to be back on Trax records again with three live tracks”

Saytek

Title track “Crisis For Change (Live)” explores mysterious textures as squelchy acid tones manoeuvre their way around a chugging body. Electro nostalgia at its finest with retro synths breathing life into the track, adding depth and drawing emotion. “One Four Five (Live)” is built upon an enormous kick and shimmering hi-hats, nodding towards a more techno direction; characteristic chords continue to evolve throughout the almost six minute trip.

Animated acid heat in the final track of the EP “In My Mind (Live)”, the tripped-out vocal sample echoes through your mind whilst being sucked down a path of curiosity with the crisp drum work, and spiralling acid arrangements. 

A lifetime dedication to music is paying off for Saytek as he finds himself touring heavily during 2022 touching down in DC10, an India tour, Berlin and several other hotspots for discerning techno over the coming months; in addition to a slew of stellar releases already signed off which will compliment this versatile release on TRAX. Timeless sounds on a timeless label. 

We premiere Saytek ‘In My Mind (Live)’ on Data Transmission, check it out here and grab it on Beatport.

The post Saytek Turns Out ‘Crisis For Change’ EP on the famous TRAX Records appeared first on Data Transmission.

His tour schedule has seen him grace some of the best club and festival stages in the world. These include Carl Cox’s Intec Arena at Creamfields, Danny Rampling’s Shoom 30th anniversary party; Awakenings ADE; the legendary Terrace of Space Ibiza (RIP); Printworks; Mysteryland; and fabric London. He is also a regular on the Berlin scene performing at the cities most prestigious venues including Tresor, Watergate, Sisyphos’s Hammerhalle and last year played Love Parade founder, Dr Motte’s Birthday at Suicide Circus.

After the cancellation of Carl Cox’s Megatructure at Resistance, Miami because of the Coronavirus outbreak, Carl invited Saytek to perform live at the Awesome Soundwave Online Festival last weekend.

As a recording artist, Saytek has released 8 live albums, Live Jam tracks, EPs and 12” singles, on his own Cubism imprint as well labels such as Awesome Soundwave (Carl Cox’s new home for live artists) KMS, Superfreq, Liebe*Detail, Soma, Bedrock, fabric, My Favorite Robot Records, Wiggle and My Favourite Freaks, to name a few. His brand new release hails the launch his ‘Live On Tour’ EP series, with the first edition including a selection of fresh jams recorded live at Awakenings (ADE), The Hammahalle of Sisyphos (Berlin) and the Basement Of Chapue Rogue (Prague) on Cubism.

Today we welcome Saytek to our 5 Facts, 5 Tracks feature, where we find out a bit more about him and what tracks have influenced his career.

5 Facts:

1. Although I have loved electronic music since the age of 11, when I discovered ambient and slightly later house, techno and rave, I was obsessed with the workings of sound at a much younger age, using cassettes and a commodore computer to do rudimentary sound design. When I was 6 I tried to make a speaker from an earbud and a frisbee using the plastic to amplify the bass frequencies.

2. I am a recovering drug addict. From a very young age I started taking drugs and was quickly addicted. I lived a crazy lifestyle, putting on squat raves and working as a sound engineer in clubs, but eventually the drugs completely took over my life! I have now been clean (and sober) for 11 years.

3. I am a bit special! My exact diagnosis is Autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. I was a very bright kid, but also found some things very difficult! My mental health was very bad for many years as I self-medicated with drugs, but I have since done a lot of work on myself. I am now very proud to be the way I am and see it as a gift. I believe its part of the reason I am such a geek when it comes to performing live electronic music. 

4. I almost died from eating kiwi fruit once! I suffered severe anaphylaxis to kiwi fruit and it was pretty touch and go for a while! It was one of those times I thought about “getting healthy” in the height of my drug days. It was a great excuse to get back on it after all I told myself “ The drugs haven’t killed me, but a healthy fruit nearly did”, so I gave up the thought of getting healthy for quite some time!

5. A hot air balloon nearly crashed into my house once while I was tripping on acid! When I was a teenager, my mum and dad, were out and me and my mates were tripping when we heard a noise that turned out to be a hot air balloon. We thought people were waving at us, but they were shouting for help! I was on the floor laughing hysterically, but the most scared I have ever been at the same time! The next thing we knew the balloon crash-landed in the field of a school near my house and the balloon itself flopped into my garden! Next thing there where Police and ambulances all over the place! My mate hid in my bedroom for 4 hours, he was so paranoid the Police where coming! Luckily no one got hurt and its a story I have told for many years. 

5. Tracks

1. Tangerine Dream “Love On A Real Train”

A moving ambient track from the film Risky Business from 1983! I love the emotions and simplicity of this kind of ambient music and many ways when I am writing more melodic and melancholy music, my inspiration comes from tracks like this!

2. AFX – Arched Maid Via RDJ

Aphex Twin’s AFX pseudonym! Aphex is one of my favourite all time artists and here he is showing what he does best – strong emotional melodies presented in ways that have never been heard before, love it!

3. Illum Sphere – ‘Ritual’

A more up to date example of the kind of simple ambient music I like, really rich in harmonies. its emotive without being cheesy.

4. Aphex Twin – Analogue Bubblebath

More FX! It wasn’t long after discovering ambient music as a very young boy that I found Aphex Twin to be one of my biggest inspirations, There are so many of his tracks that I could list here, but I chose this one because it has some really nice Housey chords and melodies.

5. Bicep – Kites

Another simple emotive piece of electronic music! Classic Electro breakbeats and glorious melodies!

Saytek ‘Live On Tour Volume 1′ will be released on Traxsource promo on May 1st / Full release May 15th 2020 On Cubism – GRAB IT HERE.

The post 5 facts / 5 Tracks with Saytek appeared first on Data Transmission.

UK artist, Saytek (aka Joseph Keevill) has gathered some serious momentum over the last few years, becoming one of the electronic music scene’s most in-demand live acts. His musical output is prolific and includes no less than seven esteemed live albums, Live Jam tracks, EPs and 12” singles.

“He really is an amazing live artist. I felt compelled to have him on the label. I really like the idea that he doesn’t waver on commerciality with his sound in any way, shape or form if anything he goes deeper into his sound. I really like him and what he is doing.” – Carl Cox

“‘Improvisations’ is arranged live with loads of improvised parts and I really feel I went deeper into musicality and sound design with this project, embracing both analog and digital creation techniques. Its techno and house from my heart and mind performed live”. – Saytek 

Saytek has gathered some serious momentum over the last few years, becoming one of the electronic music scene’s most sought after live acts. Here he walks us through each track on his new ‘Improvisations’ album, telling us how he created this phenomenal music…

Spherical (live)

Inspired by the concept of the music of the Spheres and poking a little bit of fun at Flat Earthers. This jam was created mainly on the Elektron Analog Rtym with analog drums and imported samples for the chord which I programmed chromatically and used an LFO on the filter cut off to create movement. The chord progression was programmed on one of the Synths from Arturia’s V collection (on this album I used lots of 7ths, 9ths, suspended chords and more complex and unconventional chords) the sound effects were designed in Ableton. The track was all jammed out live by muting and unmuting on the AR and triggering sound effects from my Novation Impulse 25.

Soul Machines (live)

This is the housiest track I have made for a while. I had just bought the Arturia V Collection so all bassline and synths were created using these. I am a huge fan of real analog synths but I’ve got to say the V collection synths sound beautiful. The drums come from Elektron Analog Rtym and the D16 Drumazon but the kick comes from Maschine I love the sound of the built-in compressor and overdrive it’s got and quite often use it above more complex compressors and overdrives! Loads of the drums build (crashes, snares, sidesticks, and claps) on this recording were programmed live using the Pioneer RMX1000 which I have put my own samples in!

Back On The Circuit. (live)

The title refers to the main bit of kit used on this track the “Novation Circuit”. I have been using it for a couple of years and always love what I get out of it, the bleeps, main growly bass synth, and snares are all coming from this unit! It’s great for jamming live on. As with most of the album, a lot of the FX synths and crazy delays come from the Korg KP3 alongside the Pioneer RMX1000. This was the track Carl chose for the single from the album!

Acid Jam Seven (live)

This is a classic acid track. Once again I heavily use the D16 Drumazon but also the Phoscyon from them as well! It’s a great 303 emulator and actually the only soft synth I run live in Ableton, it’s got a very authentic sound! It’s a simple track, 909 drums + acid + chopped up vox + 1 Complex chord that is pitch-shifted in places and a load of intense sound effects. This track always gets the crowd going crazy!

No Effective Control (live)

Considering how much I use the Elektron Analog Four, it’s strange that this is the first track on the album where I really use it for the main parts! The main synth stabs and LFO effects all come from this box, it’s really a great synth with a very powerful sequencer I really love the Elektron stuff for live performance.

Move This (live)

Getting into tougher techno territory now! This is one of those jams where pretty much all my equipment is in use, drums coming from The Analog Rytm, Synths coming from the Analog four, Pads and Chords from the V collection and the glitched-out vocal coming from Ableton. Jams like this are really like juggling all the elements and it can get quite hectic! Described by DJ Mag as “Sledge Hammer & Wavy Synths” for me it’s a nice mixture of toughness and melodies!

Broken Process (live)

Once again using pretty much everything on this! Had some fun on the main synths on this some interesting suspended chords and synth part coming from the Analog Four where I set the LFO to the attack of the envelope making it sound like its being reversed at points!

Feel It Raw (Live)

Another one that comes mainly of the Analog Rytm with some heavy drums which can take a while to design on this box but when you spend the time you can get some really powerful kicks, claps, and hats from it! Also, the main chord stab also comes from this machine with a scene set to switch on and off the loop points on the chord. The ravey vocal and stabs come from Ableton, I have stretched around the warp markers to make the timing odd and loose, kind of like it’s being triggered on an old sampler without being edited properly all for old school effect!

Fixed Interval (Live)

This track is named after the kind of chord used a lot in techno. When you sample a chord it has a fixed interval, whereas chords in a scale have different intervals, so when you play it across the keyboard it can go in and out of key with the rest of the track depending on which note you are playing! I love this effect so quite often sample chords I make to create this! It can be heard on the pads in this track. Other than that the Novation Circuit is a key fixture on this track with the bleepy syren synth and a lot of the drums coming from this unit!

Hard Chord (Live)

Does exactly what it says on the tin! A single chord that has been processed with overdrive and compression to make it “Hard”, lol. This track is pretty hard and simple and always effective on the dancefloor when I perform it. I use quite a long silence in this track, it’s pretty brave to do that when performing live, but it’s a powerful tool for the dance floor and always gets some whoops and cheers when you drop to zero and then bring it back in hard!

The Future Then (Live)

I sampled the word future from a “Pronunciation” program and chopped it and warped it. The main synths come from the Analog Four and the title comes from it being quite an old school track, but in the Nineties, if I heard something like this I would think “This is the sound of the future”, hence the name “The Future Then”!

‘Improvisations’ is out now on Awesome Soundwave. Listen to it below and grab it from here

The post Saytek walks us through his ‘Improvisations’ album appeared first on Data Transmission.

UK artist, Saytek (aka Joseph Keevill) has gathered some serious momentum over the last few years, becoming one of the electronic music scene’s most in-demand live acts. His musical output is prolific and includes no less than seven esteemed live albums, Live Jam tracks, EPs and 12” singles.

“He really is an amazing live artist. I felt compelled to have him on the label. I really like the idea that he doesn’t waver on commerciality with his sound in any way, shape or form if anything he goes deeper into his sound. I really like him and what he is doing.” – Carl Cox

“‘Improvisations’ is arranged live with loads of improvised parts and I really feel I went deeper into musicality and sound design with this project, embracing both analog and digital creation techniques. Its techno and house from my heart and mind performed live”. – Saytek 

We premiere ‘Back on the Circuit (Live)’ below, grab a copy here.

Track Listing
1 Spherical (Live)
2 Soul Machines (Live)
3 Back on the Circuit (Live)
4 Acid Jam Seven (Live)
5 No Effective Control (Live)
6 Move This (Live)
7 Broken Process (Live)
8 Feel It Raw (Live)
9 Fixed Interval (Live)
10 Hard Chord (Live)
11 The Future Then (Live)

‘Improvisations’ will be released on August 23rd 2019 on Awesome Soundwave.

The post Saytek announces his ‘Improvisations’ via Awesome Soundwave appeared first on Data Transmission.

UK Live artist Saytek (aka Joseph Keevill) has sky rocketed to become one of the electronic music scene’s most in-demand live acts.

From multiple shows in Ibiza at The Terrace of Space (RIP) & The Zoo Project and fabric London; a player on Berlin’s underground scene performing regularly at Tresor, Golden Gate, Salon – Zur wilder Renate, Chalet, Sisyphos, Kosmonaut, Ipse, recently making his debut at Watergate Club, to performing live at Danny Rampling’s prestigious Shoom 30 year celebrations; Saytek upholds a relentless tour schedule performing at some of the best parties and festivals around the world.

A master of musical technology with a fresh energy and an ear for melody, Saytek has received acclaim from far and wide for his unique style of improvised live shows, using a plethora of kit to perform a unique blend of deep techno and tough house grooves with dubby acidic hues. Saytek’s music output is prolific and includes Live Jams, EPs and live albums on his own Cubism label, along with releases on labels such as KMS, Superfreq, Liebe*Detail, Soma, Bedrock, fabric (London Club), My Favorite Robot, Wiggle, My Favourite Freaks, Detone, Emerald City, Freakin 303, Constant Circles and Hike Recordings, to name a few!

Saytek’s ‘Easily Influenced EP’ is out now on Awesome Soundwave, so we asked him to give us his musical influences to give a bit of background to what makes him up. 

Saytek says “I have a varied taste in music, but for this, I have decided to focus on the dance floor tracks that I would say still have the biggest influence on my live shows. These are the tracks that made me want to make Techno and House music to make people dance and lose themselves, as that’s what they do for me! I am totally in love with all these tracks, they are not obscure or B sides, but all huge underground hits of there time!”

Plastikman – Spastik
Such a simple track, but very clever for its time using a minimalistic drums, a wall of snares filters, FX and an arrangement that creates tension and pay off at all the right times to create devastation on the dance-floor.

Jeff Mills – Captivate

In fact, the whole Purpose Maker series was pretty revolutionary for me and Techno in general I think! This track is builder and huge inspiration. The chords are perfect and I love the way they filter to reveal through the track. Once again an exercise in Techno simplicity with purpose!

Dj Rolando – Jaguar (Original mix)

This tune! Melodic Techno that moved my mind, body and soul on so many dance floors. I love it!

Laurent Garnier – The Man With The Red Face (Original Mix)

Still one of my all-time Techno faves! Beautiful sax meets Techno done properly! It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stick up every time!

Underworld – Rez

I remember hearing this for the first time and just thinking how on earth did they get this sound? It was the beginning of a lifelong quest of electronic sound design!

Hardfloor – “Acperience 1”

Probably the most famous acid techno track ever, pounding drums and acid… what else could you want from a track?

Nathan Fake – The Sky Was Pink (James Holden remix)

Deep, melodic and trippy! It sends the whole club into a dream state, a lovely tune!

Joey Beltram – Energy Flash

An absolute banger! Everyone sings along to “wob wob wob wob, bow bow bow bow” and the “ecstasy, ecstasy” when it comes on in the club! A Game changer!

Aphex Twin – Ptolemy

‘Ambient Works’ is one of my favourite albums of all time, but I remember hearing this at an illegal warehouse party in East London back in the 90’s at 9am of summer’s day. The combination of this track, people dancing and the sun shining through the windows was a life-changing experience for me!

Future Sound Of London – Papua New Guinea
The only track on here which isn’t four to the floor, but such an amazing and influential track! Love it!

Saytek ‘Easily Influenced EP’ will be released on October 26th 2018 on Awesome Soundwave.

The post My Music Influences by Saytek appeared first on Data Transmission.

Saytek’s live output has been hugely prolific with highlights including multiple E.Ps on Superfreq, Kevin Saunderson’s KMS and Darren Emerson’s Detone label. Now the live Techno pioneer is back with another colossal album on Detone, titled ‘Live Stories’.

The UK artist Saytek (aka Joseph Keevill) has skyrocketed to become one of the electronic music scene’s most in-demand live acts. A master of musical technology with a fresh energy and an ear for melody, Saytek has received acclaim from far and wide for his unique style of improvised live shows, using a plethora of kit to perform a unique blend of deep techno and tough house grooves with dubby acidic hues.

For ‘Live Stories’ he has crafted 12 new cutting edge live jams created on the fly using a hybrid of analog and digital gear, he explores fresh sounds and push sonic boundaries from the menacing to the melodic through his inquisitive love of technology, whilst embracing the panoramic musical spectrum of Techno, Acid and House Music.

“This album was created in the moment and captures the vibe of my recent tour dates, Its about creating music on machines as individual patterns and loops and arranging them live as well as creating new elements on the fly” – Saytek

Check them out below and grab a copy here.

Track Listing
1 Forgive (live)
2 Homage (live)
3 Holding Back (live)
4 Marimba (live)
5 Transposition (live)
6 Why’s That? (Live)
7 Dreaming In Digital (live)
8 Analog Being (live)
9 Sparse (live)
10 Fire Chord (live)
11 After (live)
12 Implication (live)

‘Live Stories’ will be releases on July 27th 2018 on Detone Records.

The post Saytek announces new Live Jams LP ‘Live Stories’ appeared first on Data Transmission.

This week Grahame Farmer asks Paul Nolan the BIG QUESTION “What are you tips for collaborating with other DJ/Producers?”

Paul Nolan’s not too bad in the studio, having engineered, mixed, mastered and produced with the likes of Sasha, Junkie XL, Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation, TILT, Saytek, Spencer Parker, Arthur Baker, The Martinez Brothers, ThermalBear, Darren Emerson, John Digweed, Henry Saiz, Paco Osuna, Andrew Weatherall, Dave Clarke and many, many others…

With Paul Nolan Sound he also helps develop the next generation of talent, and has mentored alongside the likes of Cassius, Arthur Baker, Sasha, Ritchie Hawtin, the GOMMA Records crew, Jason Bentley (KCRW), Mike Huckaby, Kevin Saunderson, Joris Voorn, Oliver Koletski, and had a helping hand in the careers of many of the new generation of artists currently enjoying success in the industry, including Daniel Avery, Bontan, POSSO and Jay Cosmic…

For more useful tips head to our Youtube channel.

The post Paul Nolan gives tips on Collaborating in production appeared first on Data Transmission.

Is there a piece of equipment out there that’s had as much of an impact on modern music as Roland’s classic TR-808 drum machine? Or do you think other Roland units like the 303 or the 909 deserve the top spot? Whatever you think, spend a couple of hours listening to the latest hip-hop from the states or club sounds anywhere in Europe and you can’t miss the 808’s signature boom.

The original module ceased production in 1983 and will set you back upwards of £3,000 on eBay or similar, although digitised samples have been available for decades. It wasn’t until 2014 that Roland released the TR-8, an updated piece of hardware that threw in painstakingly accurate samples of the 808 and 909 for good measure. Now four years on, an upgrade has arrived in the form of the TR-8S, adding the ability to load your own samples and many more features besides. Point Blank managed to get their hands on the unit for this first look video with live performer and Point Blank expert instructor Saytek, who teaches Electronic Music Performance as part of their BA (Hons) Degree programme.

Though it’s now synonymous with huge bottom-ended kicks and trap music, the Roland TR-808 was everywhere long before Kanye’s masterful eulogy in 2008. Pretty much since it was released, it’s been ever-present in music across the board. It’s on Soft Cell’s ‘Non Stop Erotic Cabaret‘, it’s on Afrika Bambaataa’s ‘Planet Rock‘ – it’s even on ‘Sexual Healing‘ by Marvin Gaye.

Saytek’s demo starts off by showing some of the effects and live performance elements using a pattern he put together during his brief testing time with the unit. We learn that each sound now has its own fader now which opens up some exciting new performance possibilities, and you can drop effects at a local and global level. The SD card slot also means that importing sounds and samples are now a possibility for the first time, whilst extra outputs mean you can send different channels to different third-party units such as the SH-01 Boutique. Saytek is all about the live performance, so it’s no surprise that he’s really into these new features – but the unit has also sacrificed none of its suitability for studio work, which is perhaps the biggest draw of all.

You can learn all about live performance on Point Blank’s degree programmes, as well several other music production courses. They also offer production tuition online, though live performance is less of a focus for logistical reasons. Check out courses in DJ, radio and songwriting too if any of those take your fancy, and you can contact a course advisor on +44 20 7729 4884 if you have any questions.

The post Get a First Look at the New Roland TR-8S with Saytek appeared first on Data Transmission.

When it comes to making tunes, the biggest step is always the first. With so many tools available, jargon and acronyms to make the Pentagon blush and millions of hours of tutorials and tracks being released, getting started can feel overwhelming. The truth is that developments are such that making music has never been simpler, and all you need is a starting point from a reliable source. Point Blank Music School are just such a source, and they teamed up with Australian blogger DJ Ravine to bring you the simplest entry reference possible. Note that this video consists of the very basics, and students at Point Blank schools like the one in London or online, can expect complete tuition into the complexities of making electronic music.

In the video, Saytek, who teaches music production and live performance and Point Blank, only uses tools that are freely available to demonstrate the rudiments of making a track. He starts with the kick, which you can think of as the foundation for the kind of house track made here, using one of the aforementioned sample packs and some editing tricks to make it his own. Hi-hats and claps are added from the built-in core instruments on Ableton, as well as a bassline. From there he completes his basic loop with a synth lead, and we learn some basic elements of creating tension by dropping sections in and out of the track. To follow along or have a go yourself, all you need to do is download the free trial of Ableton Live, and download some free sounds to help you get started.

This is just the very tip of the iceberg. If you want to learn production back to front, then look no further than PB’s BA (Hons) in Music Production and Sound Engineering, also available online. They have shorter courses available in London, as well as production courses at their school in LA. For more information, call +44 20 7729 4884 or use their enquiry form.

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