Over the course of the years, they’ve channeled love through music, and passion through sound… From showcases across major cities, to the relatively recent addition of a vinyl-only record label, Half Baked is a well respected brand which needs no introduction. Famed for their groovy stripped-back vibe, the crew will be bringing their slickest records infused with warm emotions and vivacity.
DANIEL BELL (Accelerate, Perlon), US
Daniel Bell is one of the few old-school legends of Detroit still at the forefront of electronic music today. Originally influenced by Chicago House and avant-garde composers such as Steve Reich, Bell’s music laid the foundation for what is now known as the “minimalist” approach in house and techno music. After moving to Detroit in 1990, Accelerate Records was created as an outlet for Bell’s music. Recording under the name DBX, the 1994 single “Losing Control” was described by AllMusic as “one of the biggest underground smashes of the decade.” The hypnotically stark compositions released on Accelerate proved to be influential and sent his contemporaries (and copycats) off in a new “less-is-profoundly-more” direction. As well as being active behind the scenes running a distribution company and a record store in Detroit, Bell cofounded the 7th City, Harmonie Park and Elevate record labels. Bell’s releases on Elevate especially have become some of the most sought after records in the collector’s market. In 2000, after the overwhelming success of his first mix cd, “The Button-Down Mind of Daniel Bell” (Resident Advisor awarded it 2nd Best Mix CD of the 00′s”), Bell became the first North American dj to take up permanent residence in Berlin, Germany. While in Berlin, he recorded for several European labels including Logistic, ~scape, Perlon and Tresor, and spent the bulk of his years there on a relentless dj schedule that took him to almost every part of the globe. In 2008, Bell launched his first world tour as a solo live act. Despite the trend toward laptop live shows, Bell travelled with a collection of vintage synths and drum machines. The tour was met with critical acclaim and was awarded Resident Advisor’s Best Live Act of 2008 – “DBX live proved that Bell remains techno’s greatest reducer”.
MIKE HUCKABY (Deep Transportation, S Y N T H), US
Tastemaker, educator, sound designer, and Motor City proponet. Mike Huckaby has done much for Detroit electronic music. The man behind the once legendary Record Time store has gathered an encyclopedic knowledge of music. He is one of those guys who knows all the roots and culture of electronic dance music. He is a person who can see beyond the hype and divisions within the scene. Mike knows exactly what the music is.
Mike Huckaby has become the busiest remixer from Detroit in the past few years. Mike has been busy producing music on his 2 labels, Deep Transportation, and S Y N T H, which are well known amongst underground djs worldwide.
ROBIN ORDELL (Eklo, Half Baked), UK
London based and rising talent Robin Ordell’s music influences comes mostly from Jazz bringing in deep soulful grooves, dubs & a funky music stem, always characterized by improvisation, syncopation and usually forceful rhythm. Deep bassy breaks and warm loops flow through his sets and productions, always with a unit of strong electronic rhythm. Touches of minimal experimentation spreading elegantly throughout his signature sound, where jazzy beats always encase a strong house message in his sets.
SONODAB (Trazable Recordings, Fasten Musique), ES
Originally born in Barcelona, Chus Duran aka Sonodab fell in love with the old vinyl surrounding him in childhood and founding an eclectic taste. Starting out around 1994 as a resident DJ in his hometow, by 2004 after honing skills in production Chus signed with Funkdango Music to release his first record and later joined Decoder Muzique. A highly talented producer to emerge on the electronic scene, Sonodab has already edited and remixed for some of the biggest names in the business.