8/29

Daniel Mnookin (Siteholder | Chicago)

Since purchasing his first pair of turntables nearly seven years ago, 30 year-old Daniel Mnookin (pronounced ?Muh-new-kin?) has gone from being just another kid learning to match beats, to one of America's hottest rising DJs. Daniel's musical experience began well over a decade ago, teaching himself guitar and going on to play in a variety of bands throughout high school and part of college. It wasn't until 1999 that he would develop an appreciation and love for all forms of electronic music. "While I bought various electronic oriented albums throughout high school," Daniel notes, "it wasn't until my junior year of college when I studied abroad and then lived in London - that I really began to listen to DJs, to really appreciate what they were doing."

Upon returning back to the states, Daniel immediately began fidgeting with various pieces of electronic equipment ranging from drum machines and sequencers to samplers and synthesizers. He then went on to perform as a live act. "Playing live was always fun, but I found it hard to get booked in big cities as no one had the room or the willingness to accommodate an up and coming live act," says Daniel, "so I eventually decided it was time to go out and purchase a pair of decks and a mixer." Since catching the DJ bug, Daniel has gone on to play at every major club in Chicago. He has also played outside of his hometown in cities as isolated as Columbia, Missouri, Los Angeles, New York, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Frankfurt, Paris, and Aruba.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Daniel has joined with Brian Ffar and world renowned techno producer Billy Dalessandro to form Siteholder Records - a Chicago based techno label. Since its inception, Siteholder has done extremely well, finding its releases in the record boxes of Adam Beyer, Laurent Garnier, Sven Vath, and thousands of others. The label has currently branched off into a variety of sister labels - Siteholder UnCut, UnCut Ltd., and the soon to be announced Facet. In terms of production, Daniel's first record came out in 2004 and featured a track he did with longtime collaborator Brian Ffar entitled "Plinko". He released his first solo EP, entitled "Spotted Cow", in 2007 on Siteholder UnCut. He also continues to release highly praised originals and remixes under the Slutbox alias (alongside Billy Dalessandro). Outside of DJing, Daniel keeps busy freelancing for Time Out Chicago magazine as well as various other renowned publications.

9/05

Jeff Samuel (Trapez, Spectral, Poker Flat | Berlin)

Jeff Samuel first caught our attention when he appeared at Magda's Gel and Weave party at Openair in 2002, and then again with an amazing set at the Mutek picnic in 2004. He completely stole the show when we caught him in his hometown of Seattle at the Decibel Festival (the night after he played The Bunker) on his US tour last year. He's released over 20 singles in the past 7 years, on labels like Dan Bell's 7th City, Karloff, Spectral, Pokerflat, Morris/Audio, Tektite, Frankie, and many more. He has a long-standing relationship with Triple R's Trapez label that has resulted in eight 12"s. He has been remixed by Akufen and Ricardo Villalobos, and gets his tracks charted by practically every big DJ in the techno world (Hawtin, Bug, Wink, Tejada, Mayer, and Vath, just to name a few). Tonight is his second performance at the Bunker.

9/12

MightyKat (Montreal)

Some creatures have a sixth sense about rhythm and MightyKat is one of them. Dominique Thibault, a resident of Montreal, began djing in 1998 and within three years she released her first mix cd and made her first international appearances in London, Paris and Luxemburg. Previously labelled as one to watch in Montreal’s continuously growing electronic music and club scene, she has successfully made a solid name for herself as she tears up dance floors and illuminates the hearts of her fans. Uniquely bridging eclectic house and the funkier side of techno, her sophisticated style and refined track selection, as well as her precise mixing skills result in a signature MightyKat sound. Her love for the dance floor vibe drives her musical intuition whether in a large club or at a small and friendly loft party.

MightyKat’s CD titled "Confidence", released in 2001 on Canadian record label Haute Couture/Hautec, has earned an abundance of praise at home and internationally. Capable, driven and filled with energy, Dominique has earned much respect as a loft party organizer and event coordinator. After three years of co-founding and running the wildly successful night "Dizzy", at Salon Daomé, and holding a residency at Circus Afterhours, in Montreal, she has refocuesed to concentrate on the international scene. Now part of the Spanish based agency, Dskonnect, run out of Valencia, she is regularly playing in Europe. She held a monthly residency at Rome’s club “Hulala” in 2005-2006 and also plays regulary at the “Santanera” in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. She continues to DJ regularly within Canada, in Europe and Mexico. Tonight is her third Bunker appearance.

9/19

Insideout (Clink | NYC)

Grant Aaron aka Insideout is co-owner and producer for Brooklyn's Clink Recordings. Grant began DJing in 1997, mainly influenced by the striped down minimal sounds of Daniel Bell, Plastikman and Mike Ink. It didn't take long for those influences to persuade him to move from behind the decks to the studio. His first original sounds came in the form of less 4/4-based music and more Ambient and Experimental. Together with several producers from his hometown of Atlanta, he co-created Lifeform Project, a netlabel and production entity whose releases and multimedia events gained international attention.

In 2005 Grant relocated to Brooklyn, NY and teamed up with close friend and producer Camea. Later that year Clink Recordings was born and has since released 8 very successful solo and collaborative EP's from NY artists Afternoon Coffee Boys (Tim Xavier & Tony Rohr), Tony Rohr, Camea, Insideout, Ambivalent, Elon and Heartthrob. Grant's production combines the influences of modern minimal techno: intricate rhythmic percussive programming and dark atmospherics. His live and DJ performances host an array of these influences, making deep connections with the audience and keeping the floor moving from start to finish. In 2006 Grant played Detroit's Electronic Music Festival (DEMF), NY's BAPLAB, and Seattle's Decibel Festival, performing live with Camea. After a few years in New York, Grant is packing his bags and moving to Berlin to join the rest of the Clink posse.

9/26

Shed (Ostgut Ton, Soloaction, Delsin | Berlin)

You simply cannot pinpoint the moment in history when Techno established itself as a new genre in dance music. Not anymore, anyway. Go ahead and try telling the story "the migration of the bassdrum". You'll realise quickly that all you get is a very pale picture, watered down by not- to-be-trusted records of oral history from the cities, which played a major role in Techno. Historic developments are overshadowed by local characteristics and gossip.

The bomb exploded. It splintered into thousands of little pieces, was absorbed by the mainstream or took the next available flight back into the underground. While House re-established itself over the course of the last couple of years as a clearly defined term for a very specific pool of ideas, the term Techno is still in hibernation. Too many genres and micro-trends are blocking the way. All the more important that there are producers out there who work hard to bring that primordial soup, of which hardly anybody knows anything anymore, back into the focus of the dance floor, taking cover behind the ecstatic firebrands. Shed is one of them.

His background is as classic as his music. Born in Frankfurt/Oder in 1975, he was fascinated by the new music played on the radio in the early 90s - a very typical thing for anyone from this generation who grew up in Berlin or its surrounding counties. DJ's as diverse as Westbam, Marusha or Monika Dietl mixed styles and genres into a musical encyclopaedia. While everybody around Shed focussed on HipHop, he himself was addicted to the sample-based sound of UK-hardcore. Then there was a quick liaison with Gabba and through the back catalogue of Djax Up, he finally discovered Chicago and then Detroit. Deep inside the ever-fascinating triangle of beats, breaks and samples, he today identifies 1996/97 as the most important time in Techno for him, although he hit the brakes straight afterwards. While the mainstream did what it could to commercialise the music, Shed closed the door on the Love Parade, cheesy remixes and mega raves. Between 1998 and 2002 he did not buy a single record.

However, he never lost the love for the music, which had changed his life. He used these years to focus his own productions. Around 2000, he had finished some tracks, which combined and contained everything close to his Techno heart, things which were almost extinct in the real world. "I'm a techno-kid, through and through", he says and laughs. When he started shopping his demos around, the idea of his own label was already lurking behind the door. "I suddenly realised how important it was to really do it all by myself."

What followed was not rocket science. His first EP on his own Soloaction imprint sold well, soon after that he recorded two EPs for the Amsterdam-based Delsin label, and the more he released, the clearer his musical vision became, now culminating in his debut album "Shedding The Past" on OstGut Ton. On this album, he melts and merges rough and demanding dance floor skeletons with shockingly detailed melodies, harmonic structures, irresistible hooks and airy arrangements. A formula you also expose yourself to when attending one of his DJ or live gigs. A never-ending climax of the groove. Like it was in the founding days of the music, which today is a part of our culture. Shed is one of the few producers and DJs out there who knows that you cannot write about the future without a nod to tradition.

10/3

Jan Krueger (Hello?Repeat | Berlin)

Jan Krueger has been involved in the German techno scene since the mid-90's, doing everything from DJing, to throwing parties, to a recent stint as sales manager at the highly respected distributor Word and Sound. He recently left Word and Sound to focus on his DJ career and Hello?Repeat, the label he started with Daze Maxim. Jan has already made quite a name for himself in Berlin, as his summer DJ schedule shows (upcoming gigs at Watergate, Panorama Bar, and Club Der Visionäre). His first North American gigs were in Detroit on DEMF weekend at the Need I Say More 3 afterparty at the Old Miami, and the Accelerate closing party at The Works on Monday. He made quite an impression at both gigs, and kinda stole the show from bigger name DJs. Then he came to The Bunker and completely blew the roof off the place, so we're bringing him back again by very popular demand.

10/10

Tobias. (Ostgut, Wagon Repair, Logistic, NSI, Sieg Über Die Sonne | Berlin)

10/24

Reference aka Luke Hess & Brian Kage (Beretta | Detroit) Live PA

10/31

Daniel Bell (Accelerate, Logistic | Detroit/Berlin)

Daniel Bell is considered to be one of the pioneers of the minimal techno genre. Born in Sacramento, California, Bell grew up outside of Toronto, and later moved to Detroit where he collaborated with Richie Hawtin as Cybersonik for three years on Plus 8 records. In 1991, he started his own label, Accelerate, where he released a string of extremely influential releases as DBX. Bell was influenced primarily by Chicago House as well as the works of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. His productions are characterized by minimalist house grooves accented by blips and bleeps. Some tracks also feature bizarre voice effects and eerie atmospherics such as "Losing Control," which caused a sensation when released in 1994.

In the mid to late 90's Bell moved behind the scenes to create 7th City Distribution which exclusively pressed and distributed Robert Hood's M-plant, Dopplereffekt's Dataphysix and Anthony Shakir's Frictional record labels, to name a few. He also launched Elevate, Harmonie Park and relaunched 7th City Records. Debut releases on these labels helped kick start the music careers of Todd Sines, Rick Wade, Theo Parrish and Shawn Rudiman among others. In 2000, he relocated to Berlin, Germany, and released his first dj mix CD, "The Button-Down Mind of Daniel Bell," on Tresor Records to wide critical acclaim. 2003 brought a follow-up release on Logistic records, "The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back," and soon after a retrospective cd of older work was released: "Blip, Blurp, Bleep: The Music of Daniel Bell".

For the past few years Daniel has kept a heavy dj schedule that has brought him all over the world. In 2008, he took a live set that focused mainly on the classic DBX material on the road for a very limited tim, playing at DEMF and a handful of dates in Europe (plus a super surprise unannounced set at the Bunker for those lucky enough to catch it). He is currently taking some time to focus on producing new music at his studio in Berlin, which will hopefully be seeing the light of day in the near future. Tonight he will be treating us to an extended 5 hour set. Anyone who was at The Bunker the last time Dan treated us to an extended set back in April will tell you that this is a special treat you do not want to miss.

Eric Cloutier (Subtrak, The Bunker | NYC via Detroit)

Opening for Daniel tonight is birthday boy Eric Cloutier. We've watched Eric come a long way since we brought him to The Bunekr for his first NYC gig in late 2006. He's moved to the city, established a residency and picked up a ton of local gigs, done excellent podcasts for Ghostly and The Bunker, and traveled the US to play in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philly, and upstate NY. We think it's safe to say he is truly a rising star to keep an eye on.

In a genre and movement all too predictable with the same fifty records playing forever on a continuous loop, Eric Cloutier is quietly making himself stand out amongst Detroit's next generation of producers and DJ's. He began on the same circuit of Detroit parties and clubs most have traveled, eventually establishing residencies at Ann Arbor's Necto and Detroit's prominent after hours party spot, The Works. He also performed at both 2004's Movement festival as well as 2006's Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and has shared the decks with fellow Detroit DJ's Matthew Dear, Derek Plaslaiko and Ryan Elliott. In 2005, he was handpicked as a chosen replacement for the next batch of DJ's at Detroit's monthly Untitled parties. He has since gone on to be label manager for the label Subtrak, which is slowly making waves amongst deeper minimal fans. Tasteful yet mildly abrasive, his blend of minimal techno infused with dub sensibilities firmly entrenches his sound in Detroit's rich past while looking towards the future.