Issue #1

Elba – From folk to electronica
Posted on May 6, 2022
Written by Irene Mogollón

Elba consists of poet, vocalist, songwriter, and experimental sound artist Amber Sawicki and Metadata Records label head, producer, engineer, and motion graphics designer Jon Bierman.

Born in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, Amber grew up listening to her father’s music collection, country, folk, pop, and reggae. Singing and writing are an integral part of Amber’s life. After releasing her first album in 2011, Amber decided to enroll in Berklee College’s songwriting program and has a BFA from Emily Carr University with a minor in writing. Born in the United Kingdom, Jon is a raver at heart. Jon attended Drum n Bass parties during his university days in Durham and toured the UK with Keiretsu, a multi-genre dance music orchestra. Jon has produced jazz, rock, hip-hop, classic, and acoustic-singer songwriters. He cites 80s pop and 90s British dance music as influences.

So, how did Jon and Amber get together and form Elba? Amber’s roommate Michael was the key figure in connecting them.

Amber liked the electronic music her roommate Michael was listening to and wanted to make an electronic music album, a departure from the acoustic folk music she was used to. Michael suggested she contact Jon to produce her new material. The fruit of their collaboration is their 8-track debut Elba EP.

The album tackles themes like romance and breakups, the importance of mental health, and consumerism. Jon is a master knob-twiddler offering a good dose of trip-hop infused tempo, bouncy and moody melodies, breakbeat, and shimmering synths. Amber’s voice and lyrical rhythm drive the album’s visual landscape.

Elba spoke to The DJ Cookbook about their musical influences, favorite childhood meals, and recording process.

Tags: dance, dark, darkarps, deep, elbamusic, electronicmusic, electronicmusicduo, folkmusic, folktronica, metarecords, newmusic, newwave, nujazz, pop, soul, thedjcookbookinterview, triphop, vancouver, vancouverduo, vocal
Gregor Tresher – Life’s Full Circle
Posted on April 12, 2022
Written by Irene Mogollón

In a delightful conversation with The DJ Cookbook, Gregor told us about his favorite Synth-pop bands and the album he listens to regularly. His grandmother’s secret to slicing knödels. His go-to restaurants in Frankfurt and why Frankfurt is not a clubbing hot spot.

Tags: #breaknewsoil, #catharsis, #cocoon, #frankfurt, #gregortresher, #petardundov, #piganddan, #producer, #svenväth, #truesoulrecords, DJ
Leandro Fresco – Ambient from the Edge of Patagonia
Posted on February 10, 2022
Written by Irene Mogollón

“My idea is to make the most artificial and emotional music possible”, says Leandro Fresco from his home in San Martín de Los Andes, a town in northwest Patagonia, Argentina. It is summertime in Argentina and in the background, you can hear birds chirping, Leandro’s voice is warm and calm, he immediately makes you feel at ease as if you were sitting next to him drinking mate while enjoying the Andean breeze and scenery.

The Ambient producer, DJ, film score composer, rock and roller, pop star, and now music festival producer spoke eloquently to The DJ Cookbook about his musical journey, music influences, finding his voice in ambient music, and Argentine food.

Tags: #ambient, #argentina, #buenosaires, #danielmelero, #gustavocerati, #kompaktrecords, #leandrofresco, #michaelmayer, #patagonia, #popambient, #sanmartindelosandes, #sodastereo, #theorb, #walüng, DJ
Siphe Tebeka – Empowering South Africa and its Youth One DAW At A Time
Posted on January 28, 2022
Written by Irene Mogollón

By playing video games and watching his friends produce music on FL Studio (Fruity Loops) 31-year-old, South African producer, Siphe Tebeka began his electronic music career. In 2007, Siphe got a copy of Fruity Loops from a friend. He became obsessed with learning the software to the point of driving his mother crazy because he played every sound non-stop. His obsession led to teaching music production for the non-profit organization Bridges for Music and lecturing at SAE Institute.

His work for Bridges for Music led to the opportunity of a lifetime, to play Belgium’s famed festival Tomorrowland. 2014 was a year of firsts for Siphe. It was the first time he applied for a passport, a visa, it was the first time he traveled on an airplane, and it was the first time he played in front of thousands of people at a festival. After Tomorrowland, Siphe began touring the world regularly as DJ/live act. Today, Siphe is part of South Africa’s new generation of Afro House and Afro Tech ambassadors bringing new energy and sounds to electronic music.

Tags: #afrohouse, #afrotech, #bridgesformusic, #flstudio, #ndiyekeni, #saeinstitutecapetown, #siphetebeka, #southafrica, #southafricandj, #southafricanproducer, #stiffpap, #umgqusho, #vetkoek
Noemi Black’s Oregano Baked Salmon & Vegetables
Posted on June 24, 2021
Written by Noemi Black

This week The DJCB has a fresh and super easy recipe from Polish DJ / Producer Noemi Black. It has been one of her favorites during the pandemic, a time she’s taken to be more serious about healthy eating, taking care of herself, and enjoying more vegetables and fruits.

Tags: #producer, DJ, Enigma, noemiblack, poland, prospectrecords, techno
Marina Trench – Arts & Culture are the Food of the Soul
Posted on May 21, 2021
Written by Irene Mogollón

Paris-based producer and DJ, Marina Trench has been steadily making her mark on the contemporary house scene over the past few years. Racking up releases on esteemed imprints such as DJ Deep’s Deeply Rooted (where she debuted alongside a remix from the legendary Kerri Chandler) and WOLF Music amongst others. Although having only released a […]

Tags: #femaleproducer, #frenchdj, #heistrecords, #housemusic, #marinatrenchmusic, deeplyrooted, heistrecordings, onboardmusic, paris, sabrinabellaouel, wolfmusic
Simina Grigoriu: Home is Where the Heart Is
Posted on April 30, 2021
Written by Irene Mogollón

Simina Grigoriu spoke candidly to The DJ Cookbook about motherhood, the importance of maintaining and passing down family traditions as well as creating your own. She gave us a checklist of her favorite Romanian dishes, what and where to eat when in Toronto, and what to expect from a Simina dinner party!

Tags: #adambeyer, #bucharest, #canada, #djmom, #ericbandrakim, #Extrawelt #Germany, #gza, #jeffmills, #kuukourecords, #maplesyrup, #mobbdeep, #mother, #nas, #panpot, #paulkalkbrenner, #producer, #roberthood, #romania, #romaniancuisine, #siminagrigoriu #labelboss, #sonymdr7506, #spiralizer #spiralizer, #technomusic, #thermomix, #toronto, Berlin, DJ, techno, VictorRuiz, wutangclan
Feiertag: a local’s guide to Utrecht
Posted on April 23, 2021
Written by Feiertag

To celebrate the release of his single Follow (Feat. Tessa Rose Jackson) on @sonarkollectiv, @feiertag_music takes us on a tour of his beloved Utrecht. Known as the fastest-growing city and most healthy city in The Netherlands, Utrecht is rich in medieval history and 21st-century innovation. Born and raised in Utrecht, Feiertag shares places close to his heart such as @dbs_utrecht, a rehearsal space/bar, and club, @tivolivredenburg, a unique contemporary music complex for all kinds of music. Grab a bite or a drink @cafeaverechts where the staff are all volunteers or enjoy a cozy meal next to the fireplace @leclochardutrecht. Get your vinyl, cd, and DVD needs @platorecordstore.

Tags: #cafeaverechts, #dbsutrecht, #drummer, #froglegs, #leclochardutrecht #djcbguide, #medieval, #platorecordstore, #sonarkollectiv, #thenetherlands, #tivolivredenburg, #utrecht, djcb
Thandi Draai: Transcending Chaos in a Beautiful World
Posted on April 9, 2021
Written by Irene Mogollón

The DJCB spoke to Thandi Draai at length about the healing effects music has had on her life. A survivor of child abuse, Thandi found comfort in music at an early age. Her journey began at a children’s home in Port Shepstone, where she was eventually adopted by a teacher who cared for her and supported her music dreams. Thandi told us how she found the inspiration to sing in Zulu and how the risk paid off. She also talked about her love of food, gave us a run down to some of South Africa’s most popular dishes, and her favorite South African DJs and producers.

Tags: #AbracadabraTV, #afrohouse, #afrotech, #andrewlloydwebber, #atchar, #atmosblaq, #biltong, #blankamazimela, #braai, #bunnychow, #capetownwines, #ceeelassaad, #chakalaka, #culoedesong, #getphysicalmusic, #housemusic, #irisep, #karyendasoul, #kota, #kwazulunatal, #lemonnherb, #malvapudding, #micasa, #opera, #pap, #portshepstone, #randb, #realblackcoffee, #southafrica, #stereomcsmusic, #thandidraai, #ukhozi, #vetkoek, connected, Johannesburg
Disgonuts’s Japanese Pad Thai with Chinese Noodles
Posted on March 26, 2021
Written by DISGONUTS

This week we’re featuring a recipe and exclusive mix by the one and only Disgonuts aka Joe Bronson aka Jared Cohen from the epic Funky Seshwa parties in NYC, and the label manager at Razor-n-tape. We hope you enjoy it!

Tags: chinese noodles, disgonuts, DJCBrecipe, funkyseshwa, joebronson, nyc, pad thai, razorntape