Monday, August 29, 2011

[News] Things Have Changed


As you can probably tell by the title of this post... things have changed. Don't worry though, its not like they raised the drinking age, or did they? Frankly I've been too busy to notice! Anywhore ''JNS headquarters'' as we like to call it has moved to Glasgow now, yeah moving up in the world. Nah, basically myself and Euan have now moved to Glasgow to study HND Sound Production becuase the North apparently hasn't developed an eductional purpose past farming and plumbing yet. So this will change how much we can report and film in Inverness, which I honestly am gutted by because I love going out in Inverness and everyone at the likes of Cake and Ironworks have been great in giving us access to artists and just generally appreciating what we do. On the other hand we are now in the place where big names play every week. Its going to take us a while to get some good material down here though, not only do I have to start all over again and look for DJ and production work down here but on top of living on my own and studying (also talks of a PT Job are circleing) theres just not enough time anymore to update this site as much as I would want to. So I would like to make an informal search for new writers for the blog, especially those in Inverness as a massive part of our intention is to help the scene up north whether thats booking acts or reporting on them.
So if your a massive local music enthusiast and you think you can write up posts at least once or twice a week then let us know! (You can find my email or facebook link on the link page)

In other news, we can finally confirm our first very own club night! Its in two weeks!!! (10th September) And where else but Cake. This is where it begins so make sure you don't miss it. You can find all the details about it here, and when it comes closer I will do a write up here just to make sure you don't miss it.

Oh and before I forget, there is loads of new stuff in the pipeline including a new website. This new one is a Flash website so it moves and shit! It is taking me ages to get it up and working because of the amount of work involved and time I have plus we won't launch it until we feel its the right time i.e when we have a larger team. Other thing is we are currently looking into T-shirts, the only thing holding us back is that we have a lack of good designers and me and Euans taste in fashion differs by a long shot so agreeing on a design has been hell, but when there ready we will be looking for casual models and DJs to wear them!

Also I would like to thank everyone who has shared this website, read it, complimented it, understood it and supported it for the last 6 months. Views have shot up since we started and I think it shows the area has been desperately needing a local blog mainly focusing on dance music. Seriously, you make us a shit load happier when yous do the simple thing of liking a post or sharing the word, so don't stop and hopefully on our first birthday in another 6 months we can afford a cheap bottle of bubbly and party like its 1974.

Thank You!
Mark Mackenzie


Sunday, August 21, 2011

[Introducing] Interview with Liam Macleod




Liam is a fifteen year old upcoming DJ from Inverness. He came to me a while back to help him learn to produce beats and mix, and since then he's come on a lot! Infact he already has his first gig at Ironworks this week as part of the summer showcase and in true JNS style we'r hitting him up with a post and interview so you lot know about him.


If someone came to see you DJ, what should they expect to hear?
 A lot of electro and popular electro remixes and mashups. I try to play as many genre’s as possible but usually my sets revolve around electro and house

What was the first track that got you into electronic music?
The Metros – Talk About it (Mark Mackenzie remix)

What is your setup?
Reloop RMP-2 cdj’s, behringer ddm 4000 mixer, beats by dr dre studio headphones with my laptop and novation launchpad for samples.

What has been your impression of people in the music scene here? Have they been helpful?
The people up here have been very helpful especially mark Mackenzie and Jamie macdonald aswell as guys like Steve Robertson for letting me get the chance to play a gig at the Ironworks

You’re still too young to go out in town, but what change would you like to see happen to Inverness nightlife before you hit 18?
Hopefully by the time i’m old enough to be out in the pubs and clubs the curfew will be extended.


You’ve just started out producing, so what sound are you aiming for?
Im aiming for a sound like porter robinson or Skrillex but with my own spin on it.

What do you hope to be doing this year? 
This year I plan on getting as many gigs as possible and also work heavily on my production as that is something i really fancy getting involved in.

Whats your favourite milkshake? 
vanilla!

You can catch Liam at the Ironworks on the 25th this week, he'l be playing along with Count Clockwork and The L.E.D.

And heres a free download of mine and Liams track 'The Bomb'

  Mark Mackenzie & Liam Macleod - The Bomb (Original Mix) by Mark Mackenzie

Thursday, August 18, 2011

[Tracks] Serving Up Some Justice 5.0


Finally, a tracks post! And fuck me sideways have I got some tunes for you! First I would like to announce some good news. Next month we are hosting our first club night at Cake with a selection of local DJ's that are renowned for their justice skills... yeah, save your pennies up boys and girls because its going to be LEGEN... wait for it... DARY! LEGENDARY! Its just a start for what is hopefully going to become a lot more parties and since we are looking to book some big artists for the next one, would really like everyone's suggestions for acts i.e someone affordable! not Deadmau5 or Skrillex you nutjob.
Anyslut, here are your must have bangers for this post!

Coming in at number.. no I won't do that. These guys have making some of the sickest tracks lately and to be honest I like to stay away from there moombahton or dubstep ones but when they make electro it makes me want to stop eating anything but raw meat. We can all relate to this track, I mean everyone has a stalker bitch they blocked on facebook and now she's hunting you down like a wild banshee. Turn up your speakers, grab a knife and start dancing because this shit is off the hook insane!


Continuing the theme here I've found this raw bastard. I can't wait until the next time I play a messy gig to put this on. Thrash electro at its best. 


This one I found courtesy of our friends on the other side of the water, Where'sMyElectro. Whether your a DJ or just got an awesome taste in music, play this far too loud! Just make sure you don't far-t too loud when you shit yourself to this one. Chuckle Chuckle!


Calming things down slighlty, I bring you Amtrac's 'Where You Go'. Starts fairly pleasant then slowly brings in some nice smooth wobbles. About half way through it kicks off though stepping up the bass a little. Its like spooning with electros beautiful sister then finding shes managed to tie you up in your sleep. I won't go into further detail but you can make the rest up when you listen to it.


Going even deeper into the chill this track has been by far my favorite all week. I have to say first time I listened to it, I wasn't feeling it that much but after a couple of good listens I'm really liking it. Iv'e always known Louis La Roche has been a favorite amongst many people for a while for some great productions but this puts his name back on my list of acts to keep an eye on.


Now i'm going to do that annoying thing which is putting my own track in my post. Sorry but I'm needing some listens before I release my first E.P and I genuinely think this remix isn't that bad otherwise I wouldn't be shoving it in your face like some obsessed Skrillex fan... yeah thats a dig at Skrillex listeners.. big woop wanna fight about it?! Anybitch heres my remix of Mord Fustangs 'Magic Trooper'. P.S if you have a soundcloud account please leave a comment letting me know what you think because I seem to have a lot of people downloading and just pissing off, it really helps to get feedback on these things!



Also just finished this remix of the track Knife Party made posted above, its also free to Download




[Event] Ness Fest & We Love Bass


This weekend is going to be a busy one. One of the most unlikely dance venues will be hosting the most part of a widely anticipated Ness Fest. This is a event setup in aid of the Archies Appeal with some of Inverness's most popular groups including Audiolife, Filth DJ's, Safehouse, Bounce and Get with It. Not only do you get to hear some beasting tunage from 12pm - 10pm but you can also chow down some BBQ while your at it! And if 10pm is a little too early for you then you'l be glad to know the party doesn't stop there, instead it carries on at Cake. Im going to be honest here and say I don't know whats on main room, frankly I've been too busy with the stresses of being awesome this week to bother my ass to look it up... anywhore! If you head to room 2 by 10pm you can catch myself playing as part of the We Love Bass night from Soundclash, including JNS friends the Boomshake DJ's and residents Kaos Theory and Teknique. Bring some wipes, because it is going to get filthy!

As an apology for not posting enough music lately I will leave you with some mixes from the before mentioned. And at some point I will be sharing some nasty ass music with you all, because after all, we'r buddies... right?






Monday, August 15, 2011

[Super Rare Exclusive Interview] HeadOnArt - Kyle Maclennan

So moving city is is a stressful thing! I start in 2 weeks, and haven't got a flat yet.... so forgive me the lack of posts, but enough bout me. Here's Kyle who is HeadOn Art, an innovative art company based in Inverness. I first saw his work at "Mark II" at Cake! where a impressive showcase occupied the upstairs of Cake, I managed to get a few snaps of them (although photography is not my strong point....). Anyway, we like to think of Kyle as a friend of "Justice Never Sleeps" so here's a short little interview I got with him!

Q: When did You decide that you wanted to do Art professionally and why?


A: I have always into the painting but just recently felt it was time to do it properly (i'm

getting on a bit and can't fuck about forever!)

Q: Who has been your biggest influence in the art world any why?


A: Andy Warhol, why: The Factory Dream


Q: How would you describe your art?


A: Unpretentious, i create paintings with subject matter people i know can relate to and if I

wouldn't put it on my own wall i wouldn't have it on anyone elses (quality control, pride in

your work, OCD?)


Q: Where do you see your art going?


A: Hopefully higher and higher like Ghostbusters 2, the sky's the limit but really I

just create paintings people want (the customers always right) whilst also maintaining

artistic integrity(sound a bit pretentious there eh, (laughs) but you've got to do you're own

projects as well!)


Q: Would you think of branching out into other media's like T-shirt design etc?

A: of course, done it before quite successfully and always open to new suggestions,

feedback,teamwork, ie bouncing ideas of one an other!



Final Note

actually...your Justice Never Sleeps statement

sums up my whole lifestyle and way of working!

Head over to his Facebook to check out more!



Saturday, August 13, 2011

[NEW] Deadmau5 - Professional Griefers


Deadmau5 - Professional Griefers from POSSIBLE on Vimeo.


Yeah thats right, Deadmau5 is sporting a new track and visuals already and whether you love him or hate him its always exciting to hear new material from someone as big as the Mau5. I'm going to be honest here and say that its not really stretching far from a lot of the tracks on his latest 4x4=12 album... infact its pretty disappointingly the same. However it is a banger! And because your such an awesome person reading JNS... You get to download it before most people! Don't ask about the name of the track, I'm guessing its another Mine craft joke of some sort.

Download: Deadmau5 - Professional Griefers


Friday, August 12, 2011

[Video] Mark Mackenzie & Connor Byrne @ Belladrum



So edited a video of both myself and Connor Byrnes sets at The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. Co-writer Euan features heavily! (In the zebra morph suit) More videos to come soon!


Monday, August 1, 2011

[Exclusive Interview] Debukas @ Cake



This Saturday was a great impression of the people involved in the scene up here. After being informed of a little musical heads get together hours before kick off at Cake, me and Euan both got our asses in gear and brought along our cameras in order to make the best of a rare situation. Although some of the local DJ's seemed to be absent due to over seshing or because other reasonable excuses, there was still a great amount of familiar faces as well as some that myself and Euan had never met. Among these was a friendly man by the name John a.k.a Debukas (pronounced De-boo-kas). Hours before having seen his name on the poster supporting ex Altern 8 star Mark II for the night, I had ventured into the web to listen to some of his music and I'm very glad I did. Debukas is one of the very few 'Live' club artists available and after listening to his very finely produced work it was hard to believe he could play it back live. As if it stopped there, I also went on to find out that the smooth vocals over his tracks were also done by him. This all makes for a solid sound that Debukas greatly put as 'a soup'. You can see him making this soup here.

So we sat down for a beer and a chat and interrogated him J.N.S style. Here is what he had to say.

So for tonight's set we should we expect from you?


Well, its only my second live set so I'm still trying to sculpt it in to something...cool (laughs) usually when I make something I would be like all over the shop. It will mainly be a representation of my recording material... So whats basically happening is I'l be using Ableton to kick up some drums, basslines and stuff like that and I've got the Moog synth and a mic, so a combination of those elements. Its a sort of half jam half moving tune that I've made, I don't want to be just like playing all my tunes.


So do you plan most of your set?


Well, aye kind of. I don't really have too much time to do that, 'just sort of go with the impulse of the crowd?'... yeah I like to do that.


If you could describe your sound without calling it a genre, what would you describe it as?


Eh.. I'd say... its sort of like a.....if it was a soup, (laughs*) then it would be like a Detroit-y kind of Chicago-y eh base. Not too heavy, like you can still move after it, it doesn't weigh a lot because its got air inside it. No heavy lentils or anything. (best answer to this question ever!)


So have you got anything coming out soon that we should know about?

Yeah, iv'e just had my first EP come out on 2020Vision, so we'r looking at a second release which is going to be .. well we'r sort of deciding over how many tracks at the moment so you know, working on an album basically which would come out around the start of next year. Ehm another single coming out in September or somewhere around that. And whereas the first EP was four original tracks this one is going to be one track and a remix, because I havn't really done the remix thing yet, so I've got a few people in mind you know.. its jus picking the right track its a nightmare. Because all my stuff is quite different so whats the track for the moment you know.


Ok, so the most difficult question of the night... whats your favourite milkshake?


... Im going to be controversial and say Banana.


Debukas left  and me looking like a twat right

So there you go, a man of few words yet so powerful. So you can listen to Debukas on his Soundcloud or his Facebook Band Page. I really do recommend listening to his stuff and if you get the chance to go see him live then go. His set the other night went brilliantly and it really adds to the show when you can watch him producing the music right in front of you. You can also check out his website which gives you all of the latest from new songs to videos of him jamming. Another thing, John is also a member of the band the Amphetameanies who are playing Belladrum this week, had a listen to their music on their Myspace and its definitely worth a listen!

You can download 'I am Machinery' here for free

  I Am Machinery by Debukas

And Iv'e been told that his podcast is also a great listen

  Debukas 2020Vision Podcast by Debukas

[Article] Love and Revolution



Well Saturday was a busy one! Mark II, one half of ex Altern 8 rave superstars was in town to slap back the old yellow smileys on everyone's dull faces! Although I was born 1992, the same year Altern 8's 'Evapor 8' hit number 3 in the UK charts... I still felt the days of raving out listening to Judge Jules in my brothers Nova creeping back in. It was a great experience to see people letting go and just letting there bodies do the work... like a day release patient on acid dancing to Voodoo Ray. And don't get this mistaken, contrary to popular belief this night was not filled with old codgers trying to re-live the days of their adolescent drug fueled past. No, instead there was a swarm of new faces amongst them trying to create theirs... and from what I saw, without the extensive use of drugs.

I think this brings up a very important point... rave is not dead but its making way for something better. Yes, its nothing like the ecstasy drove days of the late 80s and early 90s and yes, its no swinging 60's either. Instead something has effected our influence on music in a completely different way, just like the cheap guitar or the 808 sampler, the internet has made music more universal than ever and to become a famous producer requires a lot more work and devotion and so the result is some of the best produced music the world will have ever heard... sounds ridiculous, well this is the problem.

Right now our music is like a film soundtrack with no film. In this sense the film relates to the way in which we spend our youthful days whether that is rebelling, shagging or getting smashed. Right now we as a whole, we are neither here nor there, in other words our age can be summed up by simply saying ... 'meh'. If you are like me and you were brought up between the age of the internet and the days where a ball and a cup could keep you interested for days then you'l know that ironically the days of ball and a cup were the times we will remember most! Not just because we were kids but because every song you'l hear on the radio from that time will automatically place you in a moment of nostalgia.. now picture this... 5 years from now you switch on your radio and hear that song you've been listening to for a couple of days on Youtube... do you think you'l be hit with the same nostalgia, dreaming of days when you stared at your facebook home page reading about what some moron had for breakfast. No. But for those who go out every weekend and live life like there is no tomorrow well maybe when they're favorite artist gets a little older and comes back to play some old classics then maybe we'l see the next generation dying to have there moment. Im not saying, sell your belongings, forget your education or job and shag everything that moves. Im just saying have a little pride in your generation and next time you think of saying that old cliche 'music was so much better back then' think of what your doing to yourself. Its fine for people of past generations to say that because THEY WERE THERE! but they didnt make there own memories by conforming to the people before them.

The music is there. The electronic ability of music is hitting its peek, we have more genres than ever, we can't even switch on our computers without escaping the fact you could produce an album full of your own music for almost nothing and call that music whatever the hell you wanted. Hey, you could even name the genre after your dog and within the year you'l have several other artists labeling their music as rexstep. All that is missing is the ability to come away from our computer screens for one day, drop your dancing conscience and lose your shit to some of YOUR generations music. With a little love and revolution there is no stopping us.

Mark Mackenzie