We Play House Recordings

“Just like a new-born child does for a parent, every new record equals a hope, a dream and a future for an artist. That is what music does for us here in Detroit.”

Those are the (edited) words written by The Unknown Writer on a record sleeve in the Detroit techno museum housed in the building of Submerge/Underground Resistance on Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan. Ever since I visited that place these words are constantly resonating with me and what I do in music. Releasing records from me, my friends and from artists whose music I wanted to share with the world has been an extension of my love for music, which is of course also reflected in my DJ’ing. Ever since I started my We Play House Recordings label back in 2008 releasing records was however always a means to an end, by which I mean that I released records because I like them first and foremost, but also because it is a calling card for the artist and label. A calling card that – if distributed and picked up widely – could lead to gigs and as such could allow the artist to make a living from music and dedicate all his or her time to it. Making a living just from releasing music is considered a thing from the past and any small profit you can make from a record is a true victory over modern times. We released records, got some gigs and carried on.

But these modern times have now thrown something entirely different at us. Something that has taken gigs out of the equation and made releasing records as a calling card seem slightly at odds with reality. This led me to reflect on things and has made me decide to try and make releasing records more important again. To make it a thing on its own and not just a means to get more gigs and more attention. I am not naive and I know that releasing underground records that cater to a small part of the worldwide audience can never fully cover the financial gap made by the loss of gigs, but I am convinced that if people really know the effort that goes into releasing music, they will think about it and they might be convinced that spending a bit more on music is a good thing. That is why I am sharing with you the story of one of my upcoming releases. WPH U.S. #2, the ‘Cassette Cuts E.P.’ by Brian Kage, which will be the second release in my ‘U.S. Series’. This is a series dedicated to artists from across the pond, artists born and raised in those cities that defined my taste and the taste of millions of lovers of electronic music around the world: Detroit, Chicago & New York. For those of you who are not familiar with music production and pressing up vinyl I will try and explain the different steps and terms to the best of my ability.

I have known the name Brian Kage (pronounced Kagee) for the better part of 15 years. When I joined the roster of Deep’Art Agency Brian was on there as well and my booker suggested meeting him during one of my regular visits to Detroit, because he was sure we would have a lot of common ground. For some reason this never happened till my last visit to Detroit, when I decided to meet up with a whole bunch of people whose music I like, to see if they would be up for doing something for my WPH U.S. Series. Brian and I did indeed get off to a good start and one thing leading to another he started sending me some tracks for a possible release in my U.S. series. We sent some messages back and forth and quickly decided on a four track 12” release, with three original tracks from Brian and one remix of the main track ‘Werkit’. Brian did not ask for any money for his music, because he runs an underground label himself and knows that financially there  is not really any profit to be made from pressing up a couple of hundred vinyl copies and some digital sales and streaming. I did not offer any money for that same reason and as always I felt a bit bad about that, but I moved on, because that is the state of things I have come to accept. A contract was however drawn up and agreed on, because even if there is almost certainly no money to be made, I still believe a contract is a token of trust and I still want to put in writing that IF I make any money from a release I will split it evenly with the artist(s) involved.

Remember we wanted to have a remix of the main track on the release? In line with the idea behind the series I immediately thought about Detroit’s Patrice Scott, one of my favourite music producers on this planet and someone who I have had the privilege to get to know personally during my many years dabbling in music. Patrice was up for it and we started discussing his remix fee. Patrice also runs his own underground label called Sistrum and he is aware that there are no profits to be made, just like I am aware that spending money on a remix simply means even less chance of breaking even on this release. But it is common to pay a flat fee for a remix and with us being friends we quickly agreed on a modest fee, to at least cover some of the work Patrice is putting in daily. A couple of weeks later Patrice delivered and sent me a deep reworking of Brian’s track, so the four tracks of the release were now ready. Or not?

When sending the different parts and sounds of Brian’s original track to Patrice in order for him to do the remix my mind zoomed in on a little vocal snippet saying ‘Work It’ and I fired up my recently acquired Moog Little Phatty synthesizer to see if I could do something with it. Over the next hours and days the little vocal snippet turned into an electro version of the track, with me grabbing the mic and laying down some extra vocals about ‘working it all day and night’. I had fun doing it and then did not go back to it until my friend Nicolas aka San Soda came over and we jammed a bit in my studio. He really liked the basic track I did with the ‘work it’ vocal snippet and gave me some extra pointers to make it better and provided with what I always call ‘extra musicality’. I worked on it some more in the days that followed and after a couple more studio sessions I decided to send my version to Brian to see what he thought about it. Brian loved it, but we both knew that there was some work on the final sound, so I went back to my studio to tweak it a bit more and then finally I sent it back to Brian who spent some hours on the final mix. Being happy with the final result I decided to include it on the release instead of one of the other original tracks by Brian. Me being the one running my own label I did of course not get paid to do my version, but it is my calling card as well right?

With the final four tracks that would make up the release now decided I sent them to my mastering engineer Marcos Salon. Mastering is the final step to getting the overall sound of a record ‘right’. I guess the job of a mastering engineer can be compared to the chief editor of a book or newspaper article. He or she puts the final touches on the sound of the tracks and can make the difference between a record that sounds good and a record that sounds amazing. Marcos has been doing my mastering since the start of my label, because he has spent a lifetime making music and crafting sound. I consider him to be one of the best ears in the business. Marcos also knows the financial reality of releasing a record and is happy to master our music for a very modest fee.

I always believed that if you make the effort to release a physical copy of your music you should not only make it sound good but also make it look good. Enter Mayz, my designer since day one (and before). Mayz is another expert at his craft and another artist that I trust blindly. I provide him with some info on the project at hand and he delivers. Fast, reliable, always on point and always surprising me time and again. Mayz knows the reality of releasing music and he has always worked way below his normal fee.

With music and artwork in place it is time for the next step: getting the record pressed on beautiful pristine vinyl. For that I have always been working with Jeff Diki, a true legend in Belgium’s electronic music scene. Jeff used to run Diki Records in Mouscron, a record shop and label that was the main reference for hundreds of DJ’s and producers alike back in the 90’s. When the record shop business started to fade Jeff opened a vinyl pressing plant in Mouscron where I pressed my first WPH releases and later on he started to work as a vinyl broker: the middle man between a record label and the record pressing plant. Simply put: I send all my music and artwork to Jeff, I tell him what I want and he finds the best solution for me. Jeff also knows what it is like to release music nowadays and he works at a minimum margin.

Jeff is aware that I always want to have the best quality for my releases and at this point in time that quality is only right for me when pressing my records through Deep Grooves in The Netherlands. Deep Grooves is a fairly new vinyl pressing plant with an emphasis on eco-friendly materials and processes. For those of you who do not know how a vinyl record is made, here’s a very brief breakdown. Just like when printing a magazine or newspaper you need a printing plate to press the individual copies. For vinyl this is done by first cutting a lacquer, a crucial step into how your record will sound. Since recently my lacquers are cut by Manmade Mastering in Berlin, another company that knows the reality of releasing a record and who deliver stellar work at very fair prices. Their lacquer then goes to Deep Grooves who finally use it to create the stamper, which is the printing plate that is mounted on the vinyl pressing machine. Deep Grooves invests a lot into their eco-friendly approach, but still manages to keep their prices competitive and in touch with the reality of releasing records.

The total cost for pressing 250 copies of WPH U.S. #2 comes to €1631. This includes some €150 for Sabam as well. Or did you think they would forget about us? This means that the cost per record for this project is €6,5.

Once the records are pressed Deep Grooves packs them up and sends them to my distributor Rush Hour in Amsterdam. They contact stores around the world and let them know the record is available. Rush Hour pays me a certain amount per record they sell to the shops. That amount is decided by the worldwide market. A worldwide market in which the customer is used to pay anything between €10 and €15 for a new house music 12” vinyl release. My cost price per record was €6,5. It takes little imagination to know that neither Rush Hour nor the shops can work for free, but they too have to accept the reality of the situation and keep their margins to a minimum.

Basic math will tell you that I cannot make any money from selling 250 vinyl copies through my distributor and a network of shops. The direct selling of records through Bandcamp helps to even things out a bit and the digital distribution of my releases (done well by Clone in Rotterdam) to download and streaming platforms like iTunes, Beatport, Traxsource and Spofity also brings in a welcome little extra to get to that goal of all goals when releasing music at this point in time: breaking even.

If you have read this from start to finish you know that about 7 talented and passionate people and 3 or 4 companies run by passionate people have been involved in the making of this record, all of which are working for free or at minimum margins. None of us aspire to get rich, but we all love what we do and we know that we can bring you joy through our work and passion. I would like you to think about this when you are listening to the music you like.

If you are curious how this particular record sounds...it will be out officially early August and it is already up for pre-order on the WPH Bandcamp page.

A Future In Music (in times of trouble)

If you are reading this you are interested in music, just like about 95% of Earth’s population, give or take a few radicals who miss out on a lot of fun. Of all the art forms music is the most accessible one, especially with the abundance of technology, both on the producer’s side as on the consumer’s side. As technology evolved it became easier for everybody to make music and listen to music. As such we now take music for granted, because it is simply there when, how and where we want it to be.

This has brought on many challenges for all people on the producing side of music. If you want to know more about all this I suggest you check out the book ‘How Music Works’ by David Byrne.

Today I will focus on the one in the middle of all this: the person or persons who actually create the music.

For the sake of argument please be aware that I am talking about all people doing music professionally or semi-professionally. And yes, I know these are also difficult times for everybody working with and for artists. From promoters, clubs, festivals to bookers, bookers’ book keepers, etc. But like I said, I will focus on the one in the middle of all this.

Some 25 years ago the person creating the music was simply called the artist. Nowadays a better name would be artist/producer/performer/distributor/promoter/marketeer/accountant. Because unless you are among the elite ranks of stardom (for which I congratulate you) you need to be able to cover all aspects of the music business in order to get to the point where you can actually be a professional artist.

As a DJ/producer/label owner I still have a hard time calling myself an artist, but I can safely call myself a music professional after some 15 years of making a decent living from music. If I look back on those 15 years I can only be happy with what I have done so far. Sure, I always wanted more challenging gigs artistically and more time to spend in my studio making music, but the gigs kept coming in and they allowed me to earn good money and buy all the records I wanted, which was and basically still is what I always dreamed about. So all in all I did not think too much about it. I was happy, living the good life and kept on trucking and playing.

Enter Corona/Covid-19. From one week to the next there were no more gigs and there are no more gigs in sight for the next months, at least not in the form we have always known them. On top of that the negative effects of this might go on for years even. After the initial disbelief and the nagging ‘what am I going to do’-doubts I decided to take a closer look at my situation and my possibilities. To get a good overview of what I have actually been doing these last 15 years I decided to take a look at how I made a living and more specifically what part of what I do represents what in the equation. This is the result calculated over the period of 2017 till 2019:

- Gigs 80%

- Neighbouring Rights & Mechanicals 15%

- Royalties & music sales 5%

For those of you not familiar with these terms, here is a simple explanation: neighbouring rights & mechanicals are what you get when your music is released by labels or played on the radio and at parties, depending on you being registered with author societies (i.e. Sabam in Belgium), publishing and neighbouring rights organisations. Royalties are what you get from labels or streaming/download platforms when they sell your music. This is a complicated world in its own right, but I urge every single artist to look into this, because it is a nice extra if you take the right steps. Good to know is that in these past 15 years I have been involved in a number of underground hits, so my royalties are benefitting greatly because of that. It is also VERY important to take into account that a big chunk of neighbouring rights and mechanicals depends on you playing or your music being played at parties or festivals. So it is very clear that when the gigs are not happening, that part of your income will suffer as well.

So where does all that leave us in the current situation? Well, it leaves us with virtually nothing and no means of making a living whatsoever from our music for the rest of the year and possibly beyond, unless we can find new ways of finding revenue. Undoubtedly new ways will surface and people will try them, but the success of any existing or any new way will ultimately depend on one thing only: the consumer.

Regardless of what you offer as an artist, it is the consumer that will decide if he or she wants to spend money on it. This was of course already the case in the past, but the consumer’s options were a lot more limited and as such he or she needed to spend money to buy the music he or she liked. We  also need to face the following fact: buying a ticket for a party or festival is rarely done with the artist’s income in mind, whereas if you buy music from any artist on any platform you do have the feeling that you are supporting the artist.

So the consumer can still buy the artist’s music and that artist can then continue to be an artist right? True, but buying music – if at all - has evolved from paying 10-20 euro or more for a physical copy of the music (vinyl or CD) to paying 0,99 euro for an iTunes download of a single track to paying 10 euro every month for unlimited Spotify streaming of the work of thousands and thousands of artists. With any and all of these methods of buying music the artist is the one at the very bottom of the money chain and left with very little. Very little is not enough to survive. The platform Bandcamp is an exception to this, with some 90% of what you spend going directly from the buyer to the artist (or label), but few people will use Bandcamp as their main means to find and buy music.

This all leads me to the conclusion that if the big majority of professional artists are to have any chance to keep on doing what they are doing in these increasingly difficult times we will need to find new ways to make people pay for our music and/or we will need to convince people to pay (more) correct prices for the music buying formats that are available at the moment, in which Bandcamp leads the way at present. In other words, we as artists need to create awareness and remind ourselves and the people that listen to and enjoy our work that good and honest art deserves a good and honest reward. On the performance side of things the challenge is even bigger, because at present performing as we know it seems to be impossible. I myself do not believe in streaming or virtual clubs and festivals as viable means to perform in the future. The big kink in that being the massive free possibilities for the consumer and the fact that the people actually making the music are left with their work being used without them seeing any money from it. It may benefit some bigger names for which consumers might be willing to pay a viewing fee, but I think the novelty will wear out. The streaming experience is way too far removed from what a performance should be, both for the performer as for the audience, to become a real substitute for performance. If the situation allows it I think we will need to take the place of performance to the people, instead of asking the people to come to the venue. This could lead to intimate experiences and a very personal exchange between audience and artist and I do believe this is a possible way forward.

For my own peace of mind it is important that I stress that music is my passion and that it will always be my passion, even if there is a chance that I will no longer be able to do it for a living. My career is not just music, but for now music is still my career and I would love for it to stay that way for a long time. I can safely say that my music and performances benefit greatly from me being able to spend all my time on music. From that angle the consumer should know that if he or she supports artists in such a way that the artists can be professional artists, the music will be better for it.

If you agree with all or some of the above and you would like to help create more awareness, please share away and send this to all your favourite artists and friends so we can spread the word that we are in need of help. But most of all: let us all keep on making, playing, enjoying and dancing to music!

Just like the rest of the music world we here at WPG are hit hard by the Covid-19 situation. As it stands our studio is closed for now and we are awaiting how things evolve to see when the Belgian government will allow us to open the doors again. In the meantime we will see if we can release some material that is already finished.

Stay strong and keep dancing!

Bart/Red D

It's been a while since our last blog update. Luckily we are more active off the blog than on it... But I'm digressing already! This blog entry is meant to give you a bit of an update of what WPH has in store for you in the spring and summer of 2019.

MUSIC

As you are reading this WPH TEN-9 by Adham Zahran is available on vinyl and in digital format. This is the one-before-last release of our 10" series which will be concluded in April with WPH TEN-10 by krewcial. So what's next? Well, seeing as all of us here at WPH like our US classics and have been inspired by them since day one it seemed fitting to do more than 'just' be inspired. And so in 2019 we will be launching the WPH US Series on which we will give a platform to a whole slew of producers based in Detroit, Chicago, New York and beyond. We already have some serious heavyweights on board and on their respective releases we will have the core of other WPH regulars deliver remixes, edits, versions, collaborations, etc. It will all become clear in the near future, but we are pretty stoked about this one. Because let's face it: Kerri Chandler was right when he said 'enough of that fluffy BS'...

PARTIES

On the label night and label stage front we haven't been resting either. In Ghent we will be starting a new series of WPH nights at Amigo Amigo on Friday 22nd February with none other than Prosumer as guest. The small and cosy basement of Amigo fits our vibe perfectly, so come and check it out! Next to that we will be hitting the Brussels area again as well in 2019, starting with a collaboration with Play Label during the Listen! Festival on Thursday 18th April at Centre Pompidou. That collaboration will continue later this year at La Cabane, the new club that will be run by the Play Label boys. Stay tuned on all that via our Facebook page. Festival wise we will be back at Extrema Outdoor on Sunday 9th June and of course we are also hosting a WPH stage (for the 9th time) at Tomorrowland 2019.

WPH Memberships

If you are sparked by the above please be aware that in 2019 you can become a WPH Member again and receive all our music (digitally) directly into your mailbox, get guestlist at our events and receive our eternal love. Just look up our WPH store on bandcamp.com and go to 'Merchandise'. The membership fee is 30 euro and the number of tracks you will receive is usually around 30-40, WAV or MP3 at your request. Where we come from that's called a bargain!

That's it for now. Keep on dancing and keep on playing!

Bart / Red D

Some Of Us Claim To Be Original, But We Are Still Playing House

Yes, we have been at it for 10 years already and we are celebrating this anniversary with a triple CD containing 34 tracks and a digital compilation containing all 34 tracks from the CD and no less than 11 bonus tracks. Including highlights from the label catalogue, many of which never before available digitally and new and unreleased material from San Soda, Locked Groove, Fabrice Lig, FCL (featuring Lady Linn), Kai Alcé, Kiani & His Legion, Maxim Lany, Tyree Cooper, Krewcial, Reggie Dokes, Ante Perry, label boss Red D himself and many more.

Next to that we are preparing to come to you and make you dance! A series of label nights is planned throughout the year. Stay tuned on our Facebook page to know what is happening and where. For now, here are the facts:

• A triple CD (release date 26th May), a digital compilation (release date 19th May), a Spotify playlist (release date 19th May) & 6 vinyl samplers (to be released in the fall of 2017)
• 45 tracks: 26 from the back catalogue (many of which vinyl only until now) and 19 brand new ones
• Label nights & stages throughout 2017 at Ampere (2nd June), Fuse (fall ’17), Tomorrowland (28th July), Charlatan (14th July), Forty Five (14th October & 9th December) and many more.

Judging from the last blog entry it's about one year ago I wrote something on here... Luckily we didn't stop releasing music or throwing parties! In any case...here's a little update on all things WPH for the coming months.

On the release front WPH TEN-4 by krewcial is just out on vinyl and digital formats and is getting great feedback all around. If you fancy getting it and want to support label and artist directly - we do NOT f*ck over our artists - you can get it on our Bandcamp page together with all our other available releases. Check https://weplayhouserecordings.bandcamp.com/ Come to think of it...I didn't even announce our Bandcamp on this blog. Well...that's solved now isn't it? But back to the music! Also coming on WPH are episodes 5 and 6 in our 'TEN' series. WPH TEN-5 comes courtesy of Detroit hero Reggie Dokes and features an edit of yours truly. It should be out around the end of this year or the beginning of the next. Not too long after that we will release WPH TEN-6 by Belgian techno don Fabrice Lig. Do trust us when we say that this one is something special, with the rumour having it that Red D & Lady Linn got involved on some vocal action...

Fashion! Yes, those things you wear to make yourself look better. It's been a while since our last line of logo shirts, but that's solved now, because in October 2016 we have a 30-day ordering campaign running on UK-based Everpress where you can order black or white logo shirts, hoodies and tank tops for boys and girls. Check https://everpress.com/we-play-music-recordings-black

That's it for now. Bring on the fall & winter!

RD

Has WPH reached the end of the line with the final installment of our regular and coloured 12" series? Not at all. Another prime example of how you can explain whatever you want, people will always ignore it and draw their own (usually negative) conclusions. No need to elaborate on that, just read on till the end for once :-p

WPH 025 / WPH Black 'Ceci N'est Pas Un Reissue' has hit the stores worldwide and sold out almost everywhere within a week. No worries, if the backorder demand is high enough we will keep on repressing this one. In the meantime we have added it to our webshop for people who missed it through their favourite physical and online retailers. We do apologize for the ever more eccentric shipping prices of the Belgian Post. In that respect we are very happy to announce that we will set up a WPH Bandcamp VERY SOON that will operate from Berlin and thus provide you with cheaper shipping prices for our precious physical releases. The new Bandcamp page will also mean digital buyers will be able to buy direct from us and thus fully support WPH and its artists.

Still reading this far? Good :-) So now is the time to tell you some of our plans for the future. In an ever increasing short attention span world we have decided to provide our artists with a long attention span platform and will be releasing full artist albums by the core of WPH artists. The idea is to release two artist albums per year, both on triple vinyl (sold separately) and in a digital format. First up for this one will be Metrobox, who has been cooking up some serious stuff over the last months, including two collaborations with WPH label boss Red D and Belgian nightlife legend TLP. With the current pressing plant delays it is impossible to give you an exact release date, but the aim for this one is early in 2016.

Next to these album projects WPH will continue to release single releases within the frame of our WPH TEN 10" series. As we speak WPH TEN-2 by German maestro Dynamodyse is being pressed for release in December and it will be followed soon after by an incredible release courtesy of Dutch duo TJ Kong, who have teamed up with Hercules & Love Affair vocalist Gustaph on one of the tracks to bring you some pure WPH house bliss. With WPH TEN-4 you can expect some new FCL heat in the spring of 2016.

On the party front we will continue our bi-monthly WPH night at Ghent's Decadance club and you can expect other one-off WPH events as well in various places.

Sincerely house,

Bart / Red D

Lovers of our house,

It’s time for a quick update on all things WPH. You may find the following things of interest…

WPH 023.5 / WPH 024 / WPH 025-WPH Black

On the releases front we have three more things coming in the next weeks & months. WPH 023.5 is out now on vinyl and contains 4 remixes of FCL’s ‘Can We Try’. The digital release follows on 15th June. You can check the sounds on our Soundcloud and get the vinyl from your local physical or online retailer.

WPH 024 will be a reissue of old Belgian club favourites The Mackenzie. Famous for their euro house and early trance, these guys made a couple of genuine balearic/house masterpieces and we have been waiting for ages to re-release two of those…coming correct with Lauer remixes and a Locked Groove & Red D edit. To be expected in June on vinyl and digitally early August.

WPH 025/WPH Black will then mark the end of our ‘normal’ 12” series and will also be the last release in our coloured vinyl only series. On black vinyl…can you imagine that one?! The release will contain three of our most sought-after tracks and a bonus track that will blow your mind in true oldskool WPH fashion. To be expected somewhere this summer…

Upcoming WPH Nights: Decadance, L’Escalier & Panorama Bar

Four WPH label club nights are planned between now and the summer. First up is this Saturday 16th May at Decadance with Murat Tepeli as main guest and support from local boys No Shit Like Deep and Jensen.

Saturday 30th May will see us take over Berlin’s Panorama Bar once again, with a killer line-up including Jeremy Underground, Russ Gabriel live, FCL for some 8 hours…and our main Belgian man Jensen. 

To end the club season we have invited our friends from Uncanny Valley in Dresden to come over for a full weekend on 26/27th June. Jacob Korn live & Albrecht Wassersleben will join Dektro live and play at Decadance on the Friday and at L’Escalier in Liège on the Saturday.

RD

Well, it's been a while since our last blog entry. But seeing as the www is already filled with uselessness we are trying to keep our part in that down to a minimum... But we have plenty of WPH-related news for you, so here we go!

WPH releases - current & forthcoming

At the moment there are three new WPH releases floating around in all good record shops. WPH 023 sees our Welsh powerhouse Luv*Jam back in true form on WPH, with a Jacob Korn remix thrown in for seriously wild dancefloor measure. The WPH Summer Special 2014 had a bit of delay and is now out as well, featuring new tracks from the infamous Harry Baldi, the WPH debut of Miclem, a new Kiani & His Legion and some deep action from Maxim Lany and Audio City Soul. Finally we have launched our new WPH TEN series. A series of 10 x 10" releases featuring two tracks from one artist. WPH TEN-1 sees us bringing you the recording debut of another young Belgian talent called Dektro. Don't sleep on this one!

In the next months you can expect WPH 024, a reissue of two old Belgian underground b-sides by dance outfit The Mackenzie with Lauer remixes and a Locked Groove edit. This release has long been coming and cooking and will forever seal my love of old Belgian club heroes The Mackenzie. Just before the summer you can also expect WPH 025/WPH Black, a special release closing both our 'normal' series as well as our coloured vinyl only series. Can't tell you too much, but let's just say that three of our most wanted tracks on vinyl will see some new life and make some vinyl hunters very happy... If all goes as planned we will probably release the second WPH TEN release before the summer as well.

Upcoming WPH label nights

First up is our first label night at Prince Charles in Berlin on Friday 27th March with Art Of Tones, Jacob Korn live, Dynamodyse and Red D on the line-up. Next will be another allnighter at Ghent's underground house stronghold Decadance on Saturday 16th May with the fabulous Murat Tepeli as special guest. And before the festival and Ibiza season hits in full effect we will also take over Panorama Bar in Berlin with amongst others Jeremy Underground and FCL on the bill. So come say hi and have a bit of a dance with us!

WPH Memberships 2015

For the first time WPH is offering you the chance to become a member of our label and help support us in that way. For a mere 30 euro you will receive all music we release digitally between April 2015 and April 2016. Next to that you will get a chance to score some guestlist spots on our various label nights and along the way some more goodies will come your way. Copy/paste this URL, which is valid till April 1st! http://coincidence-records.myshopify.com/products/wph-membership-2015

That's all for now!

Bart / Red D

Lovers and players of the house,

It’s been a while since we have updated you on all things WPH. With the summer almost over, our ‘normal’ work is getting back on track, and we have prepared some exquisite releases for you in the coming months. Here’s what to expect:

WPH 022 Russ Gabriel ‘In The Van E.P.’ – out in October on vinyl – digital in November

Russ Gabriel is a WPH regular, but this is only his second full E.P. for us. But I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait… Includes a Kiani & Red D remix.

WPH TEN series – 10 x 10” releases

Our vinyl only coloured series has seen a steady success ever since the very first one (WPH Purple) almost 6 years ago. There will be one final release in that series, but seeing as we are out of colours it was time for something new. So please meet…WPH TEN, a series of ten 10” releases, one artist, one track per side. Kicking things off this fall will be the debut release of yet another stellar young Belgian producer called Dektro. Soundcloud preview will be up soon!

WPH Summer Special 2014

The WPH Summer Special was an idea that started in 2010. Just because I had some tracks that didn’t fit anywhere else, and just because. By now it has been a thing to look forward to every year, especially since it’s sometimes released in the winter… Well duh! This year’s edition will hit the shops somewhere in November, and it will feature 4 tracks by 5 different Belgian producers. Three regulars named Kiani & His Legion, Harry Baldi and Gai One (yes, regulars), and one newcomer called Miclem. The tracks are being mastered as I write this, so Soundcloud previews up soon as well.

WPH 023 Luv Jam ‘Anti Record Store Day E.P.’

At WPH it’s record store day every day! Two original tracks, one killer Jacob Korn remix I have been bangin’ all summer to great effect, and one little bonus remix Luv Jam did for another label that was largely overlooked. Probably because it only came on a 7”, and people always tend to ignore those. Yes, you too ladies!

There you have it. Knowing ourselves changes can still happen, and maybe we’ll release even more good music, but for now you can consider yourselves up to speed for the fall. And if you keep an eye on the WPH blog in the next weeks you’ll be informed on some more things related to WPH. As for gigs from our core crew? Simply check the websites and Facebook pages mentioned below and you won’t miss a thing!

RD

www.weplayhouserecordings.com

www.facebook.com/weplayhouserecordings

www.soundcloud.com/we-play-house-recordings

www.red-d.be

www.facebook.com/therealfcl

www.facebook.com/djreddbelgium

Here are the ten rules to adhere to when wanting to become a member of the underground police:

1. Cool artists or labels that suddenly become famous and cross over can never return to their first state of coolness. Anything they do or release thereafter must be ignored and can never be as good as it used to be when they were cool.
2. Limited vinyl is only cool when you have got a copy yourself.
3. Anybody wearing a v-neck shirt is to be approached with caution and considered as a threat to the underground lifestyle. This is especially the case for DJ’s. Unless gay, then it is okay.
4. At a party there is to be no dancing, nor any smiling, hitting on boys or girls, taking drugs or drinking. Having fun in general is to be frowned upon. Parties are there to stand near the wall or booth and comment on DJ’s and their selection. The use of words like ‘proper’, ‘raw’, ‘analogue’ and ‘underground’ when commenting is commended at all times.
5. Social media are not there to interact with friends or meet new people. They shall only be used to make comments about music and DJ’s. Posting songs you consider to be cool should be a daily routine. But beware of artists nearing the state described in paragraph 1!
6. Any label, artist or project originating from New York or Detroit is always cooler than anything else.
7. Addendum to paragraph 1 – Artists or labels that crossed over a long time ago can become cool again. E.g. Marvin Gaye was NOT a mainstream artist.
8. Although you have to read anything on RA, Pitchfork and other publications, you should always say that they got it wrong and that they ‘ain’t what they used to be’.
9. Record shops are only worth visiting when nobody goes there.
10. Wearing a rare grooves hat at all times earns you extra credibility.

Yes, it's time for a new series of blog shenanigans. Call it the WPH version of DJ's complaining, where we will speak our mind, complain, nag, slag off, etc. But where we also hope that some of you reading this will learn a thing or two in the process.

Actual situation: in recent weeks I had been booked to play on a festival, and that festival had chosen not to pay Sabam (the Belgian mechanicals society, like GEMA in Germany, BUMA/STEMRA in The Netherlands, BMI/ASCAP in the US, ...) by telling Sabam that no music would be played on the festival that Sabam has any claims to. A standard trick and one that is very much correct when for example young bands that are not a member of Sabam play their own music, but a trick that is not really correct when you have dozens of DJ's all playing music by different people. Any number of tracks is bound to be registered with either Sabam or any of its foreign counterparts. (which is the same, because all these organizations have contracts with each other, so if your music is registered in Germany with GEMA, you SHOULD get paid for it when it's played in Belgium) Can I blame the festival for trying not to pay 'silly money'? Not really, but the fact of the matter is that IF Sabam would treat their business correctly - meaning using correct playlists to divide the money received - then that money would not be silly, it would go to the people who actually made the music that's being played. A fact that not many promoters and clubs realise, but sadly enough a fact that Sabam does not really promote, because now the money they receive is divided yearly according to playlists received by mainstream radio stations and a small percentage of party playlists sent in by promoters who receive a playlist request from Sabam. Something that happens SO rarely that it can never even half-correct reflect what is actually being played.

Still with me? Okay, the story continues. That festival received a phone call from Sabam saying that they should pay the full fee, because there is a DJ on the line-up that is registered with Sabam, a.k.a. me, Red D. The festival people panic, call me and explain the situation and ask if this is true that I'm registered with Sabam. I explain that I am registered with Sabam, but as an author of music, NOT as a DJ. Which actually means that as long as I play only music that is not registered with Sabam, Sabam has got f*ck all to claim in my name. But of course I play my own music, so in that respect Sabam was correct. But are they now interested in giving me the money that I should get for playing my own music? Not in the least, they only used my name in order to make a claim for money that will go in the big jar to be distributed among the mainstream acts that feature on the mainstream radio playlists. I know countless Belgian pop artists that had even minor mainstream hits in recent years and still get decent money from Sabam years later. That, ladies and gentlemen is money that belongs to smaller artists and producers, people who's music is being played hundreds and sometimes thousands of times by DJ's on small parties, internet radios, etc. If they would be interested in a correct division of the money, they would already have explained all of the above to the festival, and also have stressed the importance of playlists.

So where does that leave me and countless other producers/musicians? Well, double-penetrated in best porn tradition (no rubber in sight), because in the first place parties and festivals try to not pay Sabam (which, again, I can understand because they are not properly informed why they should pay and how their money will be treated), and secondly Sabam uses my name to collect money of which I will never see a penny. The only thing I can do as a DJ is fill out playlists myself of the music I play, and send that in. Which you can do as a DJ, and which I have been doing for about one year and a half, but which has not really seen any spectacular rise in the money I get from Sabam.

I want to stress that in defense of Sabam I do understand that it is near impossible to get a completely accurate view on all music being played, but right now all Sabam does is in the interest of mainstream acts. No effort is being made to actually make clubs and promoters aware that they can send in playlists to make sure that their money goes to the people that they book. And up till now I see no effort being made to use current technology like Shazam to simply register what is being played in clubs and on festivals to get closer to a correct overview. It shouldn't be that hard, they are already using that system in The Netherlands, in association with BUMA/STEMRA. That's right, Sabam and promoters should work together in order to give artists what they deserve, and not fight each other. If I as an artist would get a proper and deserved fee from Sabam when my music is doing good, then I for one would be happy to go and play for less money. Seems like a nice win-win to me isn't it?

Am I thinking this will cause a revolution? A march to the Sabam offices? Not at all, but just share this as much as possible to make people aware of how things actually work. And if you are a producer/label/party that has more questions about all this, just contact me via the contact form on this site. I will try and give you the information you need, based on everything I have experienced and learned over the years. I don't know everything, but I do know a thing or two about this :-)

RD

Exactly 135 copies of the second V.I.P. Series will become available online next Monday at 10h C.E.T. in the morning. As you all know by now this is a free vinyl record, but for online ordering you will need to add it to any other order you place on the website. It's one thing to give away 250 vinyl records, it's another thing to make packages for two days and not get anything out of it... So you will need to buy at least one record from us to get this one for free. And yes, this is a pretty neat way to clear some stock :-p

Good to know: postage is the same for 1-3 records.

Also good to know: there is a limited stock of the very recent first volume in the 'Our Beat Is Still New' series. And on top of that WPBH03 was also made available on the website very recently, so no need to feel cheated into buying 'old' releases. And really, don't you agree WPH releases timeless music? 

I'll be preparing myself for answering emails and making packages. Should be a fun Monday!

RD

The summer madness continues next weekend with a strictly Belgian string of WPH & FCL-related parties. On Saturday 20th July it's FCL-for-hire day with a triple header of gigs:

- TUUPE, playing in the afternoon, bringing an ode to the Ghent harbour: https://www.facebook.com/events/540958339297383/ 

- Outsiderz Festival in Opwijk, playing from 19h30 till 21h30: https://www.facebook.com/events/418664448209349/

- The Woods in Sint-Truiden, playing at night. Private event, but there's always a way...

On Sunday 21st July there will be no rest for the wicked, as our national holiday has been the day on which WPH vs Feiern usually turns into one of the best parties of the summer. The convertable Brauhausboot is waiting again! https://www.facebook.com/events/257978374343764/

And to finish things, Monday 22nd July Charlatan will be the scene for our annual WPH Label Night during the 'Gensche Fieste'. Live vocals and killer house music, it's what we love to do the most :-) https://www.facebook.com/events/368992423223437/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

RD

Monday 24th June the 250 copies of WPH 018.5 will be delivered at my doorstep. Always cool when that happens. There are three ways to get your free copy of this finest of debuts by Kiani & His Legion:

- come pick it up at Music Mania in Ghent on Wednesdays between 17h and 20h (one copy per customer, starting 26th June!)

- ask me one of 3 copies I will have with me at any given gig I will be playing over the next months (but be ready for some quick questioning, because if you're into tech house mostly...we might have a little problem :-p) 

- add it free to any online order from the WPH website from August 5th, 10AM onwards (ONLY when copies are left at that point, also one copy per order)

Happy hunting! And remember, this Wednesday 26th June we will launch the release with an in-store DJ set by Kiani & His Legion at Music Mania (around 19h), accompanied by some drinks...on us!

It’s been a long time cooking and coming… WPH brings you a tribute to the biggest Belgian electronic music heritage…new beat! But this is no ordinary compilation that is just more recycling of things past. Just like in our regular releases WPH wants to bring it fresh with respect to the past. And so it goes that we decided to ask a bunch of our favourite producers of new and old to make a new track inspired by Belgian new beat from the 80ies.

The result – dare we say it – is nothing short of astounding, with people from all over the house and techno board bringing a fresh take on the genre, sometimes staying close to it, and sometimes moving away from it. And that is the very essence of new beat, a genre that had a name, but wasn’t limited to one simple formula when done right.

There will be 4 separate vinyl releases with 4 original tracks each and one digital non-bundled album. The first 12" will be released end of June and will feature Juju & Jordash, JD Twitch from Optimo, Metrobox and one big UK house name who wishes to stay anonymous. The other three vinyl releases will be in shops in September, October and November, featuring Aril Brikha, an allstar Uncanny Valley project, San Soda, Sebastien San, Locked Groove, FCL, Outlander, Verbos, Red D and some more names you should have heard about...

For the very first time a WPH release will also come in full colour artwork, new beat style, courtesy of our unrivaled designer Mayz.be And it's also worth noting that in sticking with new beat tradition, every artist has chosen a new beat alias as well...

Our beat definitely still is new :-)

RD

Next weekend sees WPH hosting two label nights in two very different clubs. On Friday 17th May we will once again take over Decadance in collaboration with our friends of No Shit Like Deep. For the occasion we have invited over UK house giants Bicep. 

Two days later (yes a Sunday, Monday is a bank holiday) Metrobox and Red D will defend the WPH colours in what is without a doubt one of the most enigmatic and legendary club institutions in Belgium: At The Villa. I personally cannot wait to see their new spot in Mouscron and add this one to the list of clubs that influenced me in the early/mid 90ies where I have actually played myself. Full info on all the nights via FB links below!

RD

WPH & No Shit Like Deep - 17th May: https://www.facebook.com/events/135369896651312/

WPH At The Villa - 19th May: https://www.facebook.com/events/147160335460571/

Vinyl is personal, that is the reason for the V.I.P. Series. The first V.I.P. Series was the by now quite infamous FCL cover version of E.S.P.’s ‘It’s You’. Only 150 copies were pressed, some 25 of that were handed out to vinyl DJ’s we played with in that period, and the rest of the copies were sold at Ghent’s Music Mania and via the WPH website, the price set to reach a break-even point for this special release, intended to thank the loyal followers of WPH.

Our ‘It’s You’ version got picked up and played by some bigger names, and the hunt began. Some people who had bought the vinyl could not resist to make a bit of chump change on Discogs – something we explicitly wanted to avoid - and started selling their copy or even selling MP3 rips of it. All this combined with a serious offer from Defected finally lead to ‘It’s You’ getting a digital release and blowing up, leading to every John Doe giving his opinion, and even claiming the success of the track was only because of the limited availability.

So here we are, with another V.I.P. Series. Another gift for the loyal WPH followers, and seeing as you lot do not believe that killer tracks on limited vinyl can simply be a gift instead of a marketing ploy…we are giving this one away for free. Exactly 250 copies of this one will be made, and we will give them to people buying good stuff at Music Mania in Ghent, people buying stuff via the WPH website, and anybody that comes up to me when I am playing and gives me a good reason to receive a copy.

Are we making that much money of 'It's You' we can do this? Not really, we will just release this one digitally ourselves somewhere later on and have the digital pay for the vinyl. The vinyl will be pressed in the next weeks, and will as always first be available at Music Mania in Ghent, and during the next months I will always have some copies with me when playing out, so just come up to me and ask. 

So who is Kiani & His Legion and what music is he bringing us? Well, simply watch this blog in the next weeks and we'll show you why you'll want this one ;-)

RD

In the next two weeks two We Play House Recordings parties should spark your interest if you are in the respective areas.

First up this Friday 19th April we are teaming up with the finest of Brussels crews Origami Overtime for a night of pure musical pleasure at Bazaar, Rue des Capucins. In two rooms we will be bringing you two Belgian debuts: Jus-Ed of Underground Quality and Young Marco from Amsterdam. On top of that we have also invited Clone head honcho Serge. Jus-Ed & Serge will be playing the main room, supported by yours truly and by Rainy Dayz Radio aka Guy T Harris & Kid Strike. Young Marco will be playing in the basement, which is co-hosted by Ensemble, who are represented by Kong (22 Tracks, FM Brussel) and Eklektiker of Feiern fame. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/228212920658359/242665859213065/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

Exactly 10 days later We Play House Recordings will be representing in Amsterdam together with Crackhouse @ Pand 14. With a two-room line up featuring San Soda, Jacob Korn, Red D, a big mystery guest and some fine Amsterdam talent you just know this one is gonna be big and should get everybody in the mood for the day of days in The Netherlands... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/519585911418303

Will you play house with us?

RD

A spring update with some 25 cm of snow outside? This must be Belgium...

WPH 018 pressed and ready to go!

The next release on WPH comes from Luv Jam and SRF Inc (a Dynamodyse + project) and has just been pressed up. If all goes well transport-wise it'll hit shops end of March. And as always it'll be available a bit sooner at Music Mania in Ghent. Digital release follows 22 April.

WPBH 03?

Rumours are floating around the WPH office that a new WPBH with two loooong-awaited Red D DJ-staples will be out soon. To be confirmed...

Our Beat Is Still New (Beat)

More rumours are that the new beat compilation on WPH is nearing completion. The level of tracks we are receiving at the moment is stunningly high, with contributions from the likes of The Assyrian Lover, Serial Error, Nick Berlin, DJ Ironfist, Max Erotic, TC & The Maxx Paxx and many more... Who are they? That will be revealed soon... A vinyl sampler with 4 tracks will be out before the summer.

Upcoming WPH nights/stages

In the next months and the summer there will be some major WPH events taking place:

- Friday 17th May: WPH & No Shit Like Deep present Bicep @ Decadance

- Sunday 21st July: WPH vs Feiern, the legendary annual boat party...

- Friday 27th July: WPH @ Tomorrowland with Locked Groove, Bicep, FCL, Levon Vincent, Soul Clap, Dixon & Todd Terje - sold out

Other than that San Soda, FCL and Red D are all over the place playing some house and enjoying the local scenery. Check San Soda's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Soda/57618449533?fref=ts and Red D's website www.red-d.be for more info. In the gig department it's always good to know that we're back at Panorama Bar on 11th May...

And yes, it's still you we want at night... :-p

RD

Well, that didn't take long... Boomkat has just put up the first vinyl bootleg of our It's You cover: http://boomkat.com/vinyl/638449-unknown-improper-trax-the-heat

Improper is a well-chosen name, because of all the edits, versions, remixes, etc that I've seen passing by on Soundcloud, Youtube & all that, this one is by far the worst effort. But that in itself is subjective, because maybe some people think our version sucks as well. Fair enough :-)

In any case: don't let us catch you playing or selling this, we can be quite ghetto, and so can our friends :-p

RD

Well, time to let this cat officially out of the bag: 'It's You' will be released digitally through Defected somewhere in the next months. And because we know a lot of you will start crying wolf and accuse us of selling out, I want to take the time to explain to you why - after long and sometimes quite animated debate - we decided to go ahead with this. So here's why:

- We do music for a living and are not interested in leading the starving-but-proud-to-stay-unknown-artist-life.

- We want to see how far this one can really go.

- I only had one well-defined ambition when starting We Play House Recordings: to make what I consider to be good house music accepted by a bigger audience again, like it used to be when I discovered house music at the end of the '80ies.

- Discogs people selling the vinyl were getting paid 20 to 30 euro for a vinyl rip. (whether they should be selling the vinyl in the first place is a different debate)

- Big name DJ's were starting to openly ask for a rip to play out. (yes, I'm calling you a big name DJ Mr Jackmaster :-p)

- People are starting to play horrible Youtube rips of a piece of music that took San Soda days and nights to finally sound right.

As part of this licence the track will be remixed by some people who we regard as some of the best house producers in the history of this music, and it has been decided that there will never ever be an official vinyl re-release of this one, that was a very important condition for us. Sorry for those who missed it the first time around :-p

To conclude: those who say they would refuse a big label deal have most likely never been offered one. 

RD

A couple of weeks ahead of its official physical release date, WPH Orange is now up for sale via the WPH website. Ante Perry's 'Tief Dekoletiert' dancefloor bomb on the A-side and a Locked Groove remix and Red D tool on the B-side.

These vinyl-only coloured releases are always quick to sell out, so don't sleep if you do not want to end up on Discogs...

RD

Lovers of the house,

It's been a while since the last blog entry. But here we are with some quick WPH news flashes. Read fast, act accordingly!

- WPH 017 Metrobox - Stroom, Spanning & Weerstand E.P. is out digitally since Monday 17th December on all platforms. And of course the vinyl is available at all discerning vinyl shops as well. For the Belgians: it has been at Music Mania for 3 weeks, do NOT come and complain again in a month that it's sold out... Learn from your 'It's You' mistakes! 

- WPH Orange: the first release in 2013 will be WPH Orange, the next edition in our much-elusive vinyl only coloured series. Ante Perry joins the WPH family with this one, and is remixed by both Locked Groove and yours truly. For the Belgians: yes, it will be at Music Mania earlier, probably next week.

- We have one very last WPH label night planned at Decadance for 2012, a 'local' edition with San Soda, Red D feat Lady Linn and new kid Han Solo on the line-up? it goes down on Saturday 29th Dececember, from 23h till 10h.

- Next to a monthly mix on Soundcloud, I also found the time to record a mix for the good people at Melbourne Deepcast. And they asked me to talk some trash in an interview as well, which I of course did not oppose :-) Find it here: http://www.melbournedeepcast.net/portfolio/078-red-d/

That's it for now, stay tuned for more WPH news shortly!

RD

Every now and then it all comes together: music, people, vibe, venue and dj. A couple of weeks ago was one of those nights. After winning the award for best label I went and played 4 hours of techno at I Love Techno (duh), and then around 4h I headed to Ghent's Decadance club to play the after hours with my musical brother Jensen (long-time resident at that spot). We started around 5h and ended up playing around 8 hrs of music till way past noon. I'm happy that Jensen had the wit to record this set, and I'm happy to share it with you, so below find the link where you can find the entire set (in four parts). I have no idea if Jensen cut out the part where some too wild guy made the needle go AWOL, I hope he hasn't, cause it was part of the whole thing :-)

Part 4 is above, the first three parts you can find on http://www.soundcloud.com/jenzen

In case you're wondering if anybody was left in the place: here's some footage of the last song somewhere between 13h and 14h: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151142836357965

RD

Last Saturday WPH received the award for best Belgian electronic music label at the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards. With Eskimo Recordings and Lektroluv Records finishing second and third, it looks like electronic music might just be the ace up the sleeve of WEBA... (inside Belgian joke, so you can be confused right now)

It went a little something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1rD2Vd5RMY&feature=plcp

As you can see, my acceptance speech was rather short. Everybody else had already thanked everybody from their managers to their mothers, so I thought I'd keep it simple :-p

But that doesn't mean there is nobody to thank for this, because even if we don't release music just to get awards, it does mean that WPH is well and truly on the Belgian musical map, and that does make us happy, because it means we get to play good music all over the place :-) So, here's a quite uncomplete but very much sincere list of people and things WPH wishes to thank:

- All artists on WPH, because no label without people making the music.

- San Soda, the man who is always late with everything, but always on time when musical class is needed, both in the studio as in the booth.

- Baron Johan Van Kortknapen, the man behind the scene...

- Everybody booking everybody who is on WPH, thus bringing our vision on house music to the people.

- Ruurt & Wilfried, the FCL masterminds.

- All people buying and playing our vinyls. And to a lesser extent: all people legally downloading our releases. We do thank you, but you can move one step up and buy the wax :-p

- Red Bull for investing effort, time and money in the club scene. Although we prefer Duvel, we do thank you. And people take it for granted, but I don't see Heineken doing something like this... Wouldn't work in Belgium I think :-)

- DJ's playing crap music, makes it easier for us to stand out.

- DJ's playing badly sounding digital files, makes our vinyl sound better.

-  Samson, wherever he may be...

In the category best song, FCL's 'It's You' (San Soda's Panorama Bar Acca Version) finished third. Kinda funny to have thousands of people voting for a track that only about 150 people own. Now there's some WPH-styled antics for you!

Unless Netsky starts his own label, let's see if we can do this again next year ;-)

RD

Last year the good people of Red Bull Elektropedia and their voters chose WPH as second best label in Belgium and next to that we had some more nominations for best DJ and best song. This year WPH & family have been nominated in 7 different categories, which should get us a mention just for that :-p

Our nominees:

Best Live Act: San Soda (after just three performances, how about that for being limited?!)

Best Song: FCL - It's You (San Soda's Panorama Bar Acca Version) (with only 150 copies vinyl only, funny as hell!)

Best Remix: Audiojack - Stay Glued (FCL Weemix) (will our beat really control you?)

Best DJ: Red D (how did I manage that without a laptop and tech house?)

Best Label: WPH (can we beat Lektroluv this year? San Soda has been caught wearing a mask this year, so...)

Best Party: WPH vs Feiern (rocking the boat was to be taken quite literally this year...and it was indeed my best party of the year in Belgium!)

Best Artist: San Soda (he's been that for me for the last 5 years to be honest...)

You can cast your votes and be rewarded with a Ricky Gervais-styled acceptance speech here: http://www.redbullelektropedia.be/awards

RD

After the usual exclusiveness via this website and our physical shop home Music Mania the Summer Special 2012 is now also up for grabs through all the main vinyl shops, physical and on-line. So get it at Juno, Hard Wax, Clone, Rush Hour, Phonica and many more!

RD

I used to make a monthly mix for Belgium's Switch radio show, but for this year their new format is not exactly Red D-mix-friendly, so I've decided to post a monthly new mix on my Soundcloud page starting in September.

Here's the first one: http://soundcloud.com/red-d/red-ds-september-2012-mix

Enjoy, or not :-)

RD

It's all over the internet, the sync button on the new Pioneer CDJ... Blackadder would say: well mop it up then! And seeing as I kinda feel like mopping things up...

Fact: the sync-function is not something Pioneer invented, it's something invented by corporations wanting to cash in on the whole superstar DJ hype, and realizing that they can sell millions of their DJ'ing software to young (and older) kids around the world who want to become a DJ for fame a.k.a. money and pussy, and who want that to happen fast and easy. Learn some music and take your time to develop some basic skills? Why would you wanna bother to learn how to fuck properly if you can just go out and find a teenage slut to give you a blowjob in exchange for some drinks and a festival ticket?

Can you blame these kids really? The biggest fools in this story are those that believe Pioneer and related companies are developing all this technology for the benefit of better DJ'ing. They are also the ones jumping on this technology, spending cash on every new 'development' and influencing young kids to follow in their footsteps, thus keeping the cash machinery going. Need a case in point concerning companies not in it for the greater glory and advancement of the craft? Technics stopped making their SL 1200's...when they weren't making enough money off them...

But back to the heart of the discussion: what makes a DJ a DJ? And is using a sync-function a mockery of the so-called 'real' DJ'ing? And what is real DJ'ing anyway? For the final time: the all important thing is the music you play. Next to that you can make a difference as a DJ by your musical knowledge, your ability to read a crowd, your personality, your balls, your programming skills and your experience. The role a sync-function plays in this is kinda minor at first glance, but maybe you should look at why and who is using a sync-function. Because if you are too lazy to do a simple thing like beatmatching, there's a big chance you're also going to be too lazy to take your time to learn all the other things it takes to be a great DJ.

A different angle: do you really wanna spend money to hear and see someone do something everybody who has a bit of a music collection can do? Because that's what 99% of DJ's using a sync do: they select some 'tunes' and push the play button for two hours (God forbid that they have to play all night), and every now and then put some ill-chosen effect in the mix, because they are bored with what they play and how they play it. There is no personality involved, no crowd-reading (how can you when staring at a laptop like some IT nerd?!), no musical knowledge (hey, I play the Beatport top 20, so I'm bringing the best tunes), no balls, no nothing that has to do with anything interesting. Hearing and seeing DJ's play every single weekend I can safely say: I haven't heard one single DJ using a sync button that I found even vaguely interesting or that played even one track where I wanted to know what it was.

So yes, it's about the music, but that my dear wannabes, has everything to do with your mentality. And when you are using a sync-function and constantly looking towards technology instead of skills, then your mentality is flawed and you should back-off and stay away from dj booths and crowds forever.

RD's two cents, who are actually just as worthless as all the others, but I kinda enjoyed writing this :-)

The indian summer is still lingering, but the hot and steamy club season is well and truly upon us. Enough with those festivals already! Here's a little update on what to expect from WPH in the fall:

Music

With the V.I.P. madness almost done here at WPH HQ (or did you did I had someone else making those packages?) the focus now goes to the upcoming Summer Special 2012. Vinyl only as always, and this time without our brothers from Lany. Two unreleased on vinyl Arto Mwambe remixes and one unreleased San Soda remix make up this treat. Available now at Music Mania, and via normal distribution early October. As that one is released the tracks for WPH 017 will be in mastering. And boy am I looking forward to that one! WPH 017 will be the full E.P. debut by Belgian Metrobox, who already contributed to WPH 013. The release is planned for early November and will feature three original tracks and one absolute killer Humandrone remix. Keeping things in the family of course.

Parties

Our label nights at Decadance last year were a blast, so we'll continue them this season, with Tama Sumo opening up things on Saturday 15 September. After that we're looking at a new Sunday Matinee on Sunday 30 September with none other than Kai Alce of NDATL fame. I've been wanting to bring this man to your ears for years, and now it's finally going down. A 200 tickets limited event, info and tickets: http://charlatan.be/agenda/dag?calid=5662

In October we will also set up the first in what hopefully be a long series of Silo vs WPH weekends. More info on that in a next update.

RD

Last Wednesday I put the WPH 015.5 up for sale on our website. Two hours later all 100 available copies were gone. One week later I have learned some things from this experience:

- Half of the people ordering think a record will arrive without any proper address, postal code or house number.

- The three leadies 'manning' the local post office like me and in return for a smile and some compliments they leave everybody standing to help me out first.

- Finish addresses are bloody hard to copy.

- UK postal codes are prone to all kinds of confusion when written by hand.

- Irish people are smarter and do not use postal codes.

- People cannot or do not read any form of communication, and as such start sending emails for every single step of the process. Summarized: when it says on the website that a confirmation of amount and payment info will follow...it DOES follow. And when you have made the payment, your package will be sent, there is NO NEED to start emailing me asking if I received payment, and when the record was shipped.

- One Australian fan also wanted a WPH towel. Gotta love those surfboys!

- Everybody likes to have limited vinyls...unless they were too late.

- The majority of packages went to England, followed by Germany and The Netherlands.

- The biggest WPH city is...Nijmegen!

- Some Belgian people who had a head start of three weeks at Music Mania...still were too late and complain about that.

- A stamp with your name and address on is quite handy when sending out 100 packages.

- In the name of house I always take up endeavours that end up having me do manual labour all day long.

Other than that I hope every single package I sent out does arrive safely, and I also hope that those who get the vinyl have a blast playing it.

Oh...and all of you: have the decency to play it yourself and not put it up for sale on Discogs. Let's see where the sharks are!

RD

Well, it's all in the title of this blog entry now isn't it?

RD

Well, loads of people have been asking about this, and the vinyls have just arrived at my doorstep. This release is limited to 150 copies, 100 of which will be available for sale through our webshop and through Ghent's main vinyl shop Music Mania, the official home for WPH vinyls.

In support of the shop and the people making the effort to come out and dig for our beloved black wax the release will be available exclusively at the shop for the next three weeks. On Wednesday 22nd August it will also become available on the webshop. First come, first serve and this will be strictly on a one-copy-per-customer basis, NO exceptions. 

Why? Because we want to keep this one from becoming another one of those releases entirely bought by Discogs sharks. Vinyl Is Personal, now there's a thought!

RD

Well, it's almost there. This Friday WPH will be hosting its own stage on Tomorrowland, the be all and end all of electronic music festivals. Sold out for months, so if you have a ticket we'll see you there!

Next week on Friday 3 August we're scaling it down a bit and are hosting a stage at Forest Festival, check http://forestfestival.be/organisation/weplayhouse/

Plenty of tickets left for that one, so don't sleep!

Two more summer dates to remember have been confirmed in the last weeks. On Saturday 18 August We Play House Recordings will be teaming up with Man Make Music (think George Fitzgerald) for a Berlin get-together at Raum in Neukölln. Check http://www.facebook.com/events/329751713780209/

And a week later on Saturday 25 August WPH will be hosting the afternoon session at Magic Mirrors (Tour&Taxis Bxl) together with Origami Overtime and Ensemble, as part of the Silo/WPH collaboration we have been forging lately.

On the music front: WPH 016, San Soda's 'Toch Al De Vijfde E.P.' will be out in the next weeks, in all physical shops, on our webshop and at Music Mania in Ghent. The Summer Special 2012 will follow end of August/early September, and the much anticipated WPH V.I.P. Series is being pressed as I wroite this, so keep an eye out for more news on that one!

RD

We've had some killer label nights @ Decadance in Ghent this season, featuring Move D, Prosumer, Steffi, Lady Linn, Gustaph, San Soda, Saxman, Levon Vincent and our resident Jensen.

To close this season we have invited none other than Daniel 'DBX' Bell, who will be playing a three hour set on Saturday 7th July.

If you are in the area, I don't see any excuses not to make it to this one!

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/341888745879290/

RD

Whereas most labels are pumping out all they've got these weeks and then go into hiding for the rest of the summer, we here at WPH like to do it differently... Shouldn't come as a surprise really :-)

At this moment WPH Pink is being shipped to all physical and online shops, it should be available everywhere end of this week or next week. On the website and in our own shop in Ghent (Music Mania) it has been selling fast and only a few copies are remaining in our own stock. 

This week WPH 016, San Soda's 'Toch Al De Vijfde E.P.' (featuring Gustaph & Jacob Korn) and the much-anticipated WPH V.I.P. Series (catalogue no WPH 015.5) have gone into pressing and will become available somewhere end of July/mid August. In the case of the V.I.P. Series strictly through our website and at Music Mania, on a one-copy-per-customer-if-we-see-it-on-Discogs-we-are-releasing-the-hounds-basis...

A new Summer Special is also in the making, featuring unreleased-on-vinyl remixes by Arto Mwambe and San Soda. Out when its ready, and limited to 400 copies.

For the fall you can expect a killer WPH debut by Metrobox with a Humandrone remix and a very special project paying hommage to Belgium and its original sounds. More info on that in the next months.

RD

PS Check our Soundcloud in the next weeks for sound snippets of most of the above!

Up next in our series of travel tips is the Italian city of Milan or Milano.

Known for fashion of course, and if you are into fashion, don't go there unless you can spend some money...

But even if you are not into fashion, there's plenty to see, do and especially eat :-) An overview, approved by WPH ;-)

- Scala Café (next to the famous opera house): Sit down, and order the BEST hot chocolate I ever drank!

- Obika, Mozzarella Bar: Fond of everything mozzarella? Find it here and go for the aperitivo first. The one on Via Mercato in Brera is a really nice one, but you can find some more spread out over the city.

-  La Cantina de Franco (Via Rafaello Sanzio 16): Situated in a more relaxed shopping area of Milan, this spot is perfect for tasting gorgeous wine and enjoying top notch dishes ranging from jamon Ibérico to French foie gras.

I was warned that Milan is not known for its record shopping, but after a few tips from locals I found some very decent vinyl at good prices in two different shops:

- Serendeepity (Corso de Porta Ticinese 100): One of the coolest streets and areas I was. Plenty of nice bars, alternative shops and this record shop that has a solid selection of new stuff and some good classics too. Found an old A Guy Called Gerald I never saw in here :-)

- Vinyl Brokers (Via Pericle, metro Precotto): In a more uptown area Vinyl Brokers offers a very good selection of second hand disco, soul, funk and house. All neatly ordered and everything in absolute mint condition, prices ranging from 3 to 7 euro for some very nice vinyls. That's what we call a bargain. They have a very nice selection on Discogs too, so check that out before you go and just ask!

RD 

I recently did an interview for a school project by Edward Populaire. All about vinyl and why we love it and so should you :-) It's in Dutch, but don't let that stop you to enjoy the pretty neat filming and atmosphere. Kudos to Edward!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVyOgjsWsI0&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1

RD

Hello and bonjour, underground folks. Let me start by thanking the man like Red D for giving me a proper online introduction here and speaking the truth, and nothing but the truth. I must add I’m very honored indeed, having acquired a new title. Now I’m no longer only a baron, but also an “official contributer to the WPH Blog Writers Guild”. The downside is I will have to make new business cards.

Did you know the word baron comes from the Latin word baro meaning ‘servant, soldier, mercenary’? The word is presumably of Old Frankish origin meaning ‘warrior’ or ‘nobleman’. And isn’t that just what we are: noble warriors of underground dance music? We both know the answer to this rhetorical question, so let’s not get into this any further.

As a nobleman, I’m in personal contact with a lot of international reknowned royals of course (including dukes, duchesses, princes and princesses, marquesses and marchionesses, knights and countless other counts and countesses) and so all my life I had been into knightlife cirles. But it’s been only since a few months, however, that I discovered this thing called ‘nightlife’, which I had never experienced, since I’m not very fond of the night at all. That’s because the night is like the day, but much darker. You can’t look around and don’t see what’s going on. This way, I once fell onto the pathway of my residence. It was horrible. Let’s never speak of it again.

So it could only have happened in Berlin, were people party until morning light, that I first faced the miracle that is dancing to underground music at daytime. Not long after, I was bitten by the house bug (living in a castle, a rare occurence) and subsequently started specializing in what Red D and I now like to coin ‘underground communication with a mainstream approach’. And look: since I’ve seen the house music light, I have indeed been spreading the WPH gospel all over the globe during my extensive travels, sharing vinyl records with local farmers, eating their local foods, providing warmth to the local ladies as any true dj would do, and, last but not least, removing things like USB sticks and wild animals from the natives’ dj booths.

Baron Johan van Kortknapen

It's getting a bit hotter outside, so time to unveil some of the WPH-related events of the upcoming summer. In chronological order, here are the label nights and/or festival stages hosted by We Play House Recordings:

- Saturday 7 July: WPH presents Daniel Bell @ Decadance, closing label night of the Decadance season, also featuring San Soda, Red D & Jensen

- Thursday 19 July: WPH Night @ Charlatan with San Soda, Red D feat Lady Linn & Gustaph and...Scott Ferguson from Ferris Park!

- Saturday 21 July: WPH vs Feiern @ Brauhausboat, the third edition of our annual national holiday boat party, all day and night long, featuring Locked Groove, Metrobox, Gratts vs Eklektiker, Laurens & Red D.

- Friday 27 July: WPH stage @ Tomorrowland (sold out), featuring Martyn, Solomun, Ame Live, Deetron, Tama Sumo, San Soda live & Red D feat Lady Linn, Gustaph & Saxman

- Friday 3 August: WPH stage @ Forest Festival, featuring Prosumer, FCL, Metrobox & Triad

More WPH-related gigs have been confirmed, but for now you already know the 'official' label events :-)

RD

I recently did an interview and a podcast for Bodytonic. To be enjoyed (or not) by all who don't have anything better to do :-p

Find it here: http://www.bodytonicmusic.com/words/2012/apr/16/ask-boss-we-play-house/

RD

On our many adventurous travels in nightlife and music  San Soda and I meet a lot of people. A lot of very cool people who just wanna party and talk about music, a lot of people who wanna 'hang out' and a lot of people who want to give us music, tip us the next 'big thing', etc. Next to that we get swamped with people sending us links, asking us our opinion on tracks, or tracks from their friends, etc, etc. This is all highly appreciated, but we have to be honest, it's simply impossible to be available for everybody, and it certainly is impossible to listen to everything we get sent or agree to everything we are asked.

But sometimes even we get an offer we cannot refuse, and one of those offers came during our last weekend in Berlin at Wilde Renate. We met him in that hazy period between night and morning, that point in time where you are still in the nightclub while that light of day is desperately trying to invade the room you are partying in. He introduced himself as a connoisseur in music and nightlife, and blatantly said WPH needed him. Polite as we are we smiled and said that he can always send us his demo or idea and that we would try and get back to him asap, but no promises. But he insisted that this was different, that we really needed him. And there was something about him that made us more curious than usual. A certain flair, a certain panache, a certain not-quite-your-typical-drugged-up-groupie-je-ne-sais-quoi. And so we started talking more intimately, and he introduced himself as Baron Johan Van Kortknapen, a noble living in Australia from Austrian decent with connections in Berlin and beyond, who has specialized himself in underground communication with a mainstream approach. He insisted that he could be of help in spreading the WPH gospel and explained at length his extensive know-how and original approach.

Back in Belgium I thought long and hard about his offer, and discussed it with San Soda. We agreed that this character deserved a chance, and so we decided that Baron Johan Van Kortknapen will become part of the official WPH Blog Writers guild.

Baron, take it away!

RD 

Just a quick word to let you know that the pressing of WPH Pink is almost ready. The vinyl should be in all physical and online stores by early June, and of course it'll be available in our webshop first, and in our official WPH store Music Mania in Ghent.

As with all vinyl only releases on WPH this one is limited to one pressing only, so get it while it lasts :-) And yes, we are one of those rare labels that when something is limited, we keep it limited, and not start repressing because it sells well...

As a little extra enjoy the picture of Mr Dynamodyse & myself, taken before we were too drunk to be published last Saturday at Ghent's Culture Club :-)

RD

Curious why you will want to get your hands on one of the 100 available copies of the WPH V.I.P. Series? Check the video recorded last weekend of a Collectief De Ruyter (aka San Soda & Gratts) dj set in Nijmegen...

RD

In the next months we will release the first issue in the V.I.P. - vinyl is personal - Series, a vinyl only forum for tracks that we believe to be very special. So special that they will only be pressed up on 150 copies, 50 of which we will give away to vinyl DJ's we love and respect and 100 that will be available for sale on our website and in our official WPH outlet Music Mania in Ghent, Belgium's finest vinyl shop. This is a way to thank the growing number of Belgian vinyl freaks that have been buying our stuff in the last years.

The first release is being finalized as we speak and will become available in the next months. Keep an eye on this blog or our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Play-House-Recordings-Official/146994568730524

Be aware: both on our website as in the shop this one will be strictly 'one copy per customer' to avoid some Discogs shark wanting to make a big profit that neither benefits the artist nor the label. Yes, you greedy f*cks, sometimes people just do something because they love it, not because they want to get rich...

RD

Over the next months there are some parties where San Soda and/or Red D will be spreading the WPH gospel. A selection:

- Friday 20 April: San Soda, Gratts & Red D @ Farbfernseher Berlin

- Saturday 21 April: San Soda, Dynamodyse & Red D feat Lady Linn @ WPH Night Wilde Renate

- Friday 27 April: Red D @ Woodstock Bloemendaal (beach pre-party) & Cartel Amsterdam (Chicago Social Club)

- Monday 30 April: San Soda & Red D feat Lady Linn @ 8Bahn Queensday Arnhem

- Saturday 5 May: San Soda @ Freejive Bristol

- Wednesday 16 May: WPH night @ Decadance Ghent with Levon Vincent, Jensen & Red D

- Saturday 26/Sunday 27 May: Red D @ Panoramabar (hours tbc)

- Sunday 27 May: San Soda @ Dublin

- Sunday 3 June: FCL @2020 Vision Party London

If you are in the area, drop by for a drink and a dance. We have limited guestlist for all these nights, feel free to ask (nicely)!

RD

Up next in our vinyl only coloured series is the return of Dynamodyse. Back in 2009 he surprised everybody with his killer 'Gare Du Nord E.P.' on WPH, and now he's back for more!

Three original tracks and a Red D remix on this release. Should be available in all vinyl shops by the end of May.

Preview on our Soundcloud page!

RD

It's been a while since we've mentioned something that does not belong in a dj booth. But lately dj booths are starting to resemble technology shops, which is all good if you actually really do something with it, but really, a dj controller to sync your tracks? Maybe it's time some people out there start to face some facts...

Let's be honest, you are a DJ. Which means you simply play other people's music in a specific order. You spend time searching for music and you select what to play at what time? True, but that's something anybody who likes music also does. So the only thing that sets a DJ apart from somebody who just collects and plays music is mixing. And possibly also fashion and the number of DD-cupped blondes by his side, but that's a different story. 

One would expect that seeing as you sync your tracks, you would have the best selection in the world, because you can devote all your time to that part of the job. But hang on, you usually just play the Beatport or Traxsource top 10 of  *insert any boring genre here* , so you're not really doing that either are you? You have time to put some nice effects on the tracks? Well, by the music you play I can imagine that that might  be necessary to keep things vaguely interesting, I grant you that. But hey, maybe you should concentrate on finding music that's simply good by itself and doesn't need effects?

Mixing, taste and attitude, those are the things that can set you apart as a DJ. The first one can be tought to any monkey with a sense of rhythm, the second one is a matter of opening up your ears and thinking beyond the usual and the latter one comes with the second one.

RD

The plot has thickened... But in short I can say that at the moment I have roughly 60 combi tickets left for Tomorrowland 2012. The price is around 175 euro, give or take a few euro. Extra camping tickets are also still available.

The people that have replied to my mail requesting their preferred day and details should not worry, apart from a few exceptions (who have been notified by email) everybody will receive a link from ID&T/Timoco to get the tickets they requested. This will be sent as soon as all the tickets are gone, because that's when I will send them all the details.

So where are we at now? Well, send an email to info@weplayhouserecordings.com saying why you think the WPH stage is the sh*t, and mention your full name, email address and the number of combi tickets you want, and if you are among the first 60 people to do so...we can play house together this summer :-)

RD

Please disregard all previous blog items, all tickets are gone. 

RD

Ladies & gentlemen,

Seeing as the tickets for Tomorrowland 2012 sold out faster than you can say 'anti disestablishment terrorism' the good people at ID&T have been so wise to give every stage host a limited amount of tickets to be sold to the friends and fans of that stage. 

And it so happens we have our stage there on Friday 27th July (check the line-up in another blog post), and so we can make some more people happy with this.

Beware: these are normal paying tickets, and you will have to take action yourselves to get them. There are both three-day tickets as well as day tickets available, a maximum of 4 tickets per person.

What do you need to do? Send an email to info@weplayhouserecordings.com and tell us why you think WPH has the best stage on Tomorrowland, and just maybe you will receive a link around 21h tonight with a link to the ticket shop... :-) Later on tonight I will post the link on this blog and on our Facebook, so you know it'll go fast after that... I'll give all the people receiving the email a head start of a couple of hours...

RD

Just like last year I'm very happy to announce that We Play House Recordings will once again be hosting a stage at the infamous Tomorrowland Festival, which is probably one of the most talked about festivals in Europe and beyond, and which surely is one of the biggest and most spectacular festivals ever.

Trying to equal the line-up of last year was not easy, but I think you will agree that we succeeded. Here are the names that will be making our stage the place for lovers of the deeper and rawer stuff on Tomorrowland 2012, on the first day, Friday 27th July:

Martyn, Solomun, Ame Live, Wax (a.k.a. Shed-the-house-dj), Deetron, San Soda Live, Red D feat Lady Linn, Gustaph & Saxman

If you want tickets you will have to be up early and patient on Saturday 7th April 11AM Belgian time. The Belgian-only presale sold out in a day (40% of the tickets) with people waiting for up to 10 hours... Check www.tomorrowland.be and register for the presale. No guarantee, but a better chance! Or you could try and hide in one of our vinyl bags :-)

RD 

A quick notice to let you all know that there has been a 'repress' of the WPH label t-shirts. A better word might be a slight 'edit', because the text on the sleeve has been changed from 'Some Of Us Claim To Be House' to 'But We Are Simple About Good Music'. This allows us to know who was 'with it' from the beginning :-p But it also completes the very last 'Some Of Us...'-quote that started on WPH 000. Collect them all, learn them by heart, and live by them!

And for the very first time we also have a limited batch of ladies shirts available. Tank top style with the WPH logo on the front and the words 'R LDS LK BTTR THN YRS' just above the bottom seam. Because your lady will look better than others wearing this...

We have also succeeded in getting some copies in of WPH-related releases WBPH 02 (by MKDA) and Refused & Revinylized Volume 1. Happy shopping!

RD

A couple of weeks ago San Soda and I played in Toronto at the 'Evening Standard' party, which went down at the lovely Drake Hotel. A killer venue holding two dancefloors, a bar, a restaurant and a hotel. Situated at 1150 Queen Street West, this spot is the perfect starting point to explore the more alternative side of Toronto. It was so alternative and fun we didn't even make it to downtown...

But this is about dining and record shopping right? Indeed it is! Dining in Toronto was a treat, with these two places deserving a special mention:

'Delux' Cuban dining at 92 Ossington Avenue. (www.deluxrestaurant.ca) An absolute treat of a brunch in a very nice environment. Perfect wake-up call after the party night...

 'The Black Hoof' at 928 Dundas Street West. If you love your meat pure and cure(d), this is THE spot. In house cured meats of the highest quality, combined with very original tapas-styled dishes and accompanied by some very nice local beers, what self-respecting Belgian DJ could want more?

As far as record shopping went, we only went to the two stores of Cosmos Records on Queen Street West, but safe to say that they are all you need if you are looking for rare jazz, soul, hiphop and house. A true digger's paradise and a very knowledgeable owner. Records may be expensive, but they are second hand, and you can open your mouth now can you? It's called 'haggling', and it works as long as it's played fair on both sides :-)

All this free info was brought to you by WPH, lest you forget :-p

RD

Is there anything we can say of Berlin that hasn't been said before? Is it the best city to enjoy underground music? Yes it is. Is it a nice place to walk and live in? Yes it is. Does it have a non-stop party scene for all creeds and colours? Yes it has. Is it a good place to enjoy great food at normal prices? Yes it is. And is it still a haven for vinyl diggers old and new? Of course it is. So I'm not gonna repeat all that... :-p Just a couple of addresses you might not know.

Killer food can be found at the legendary White Trash Restaurant near the Rosa Luxemburg Platz. If you have always looked for a spot that serves burgers in a place where you can find aquariums, rock bands, go-go dancers, pinball machines all at once, look no more... But do make reservations!

Discovered thanks to the Panoramabar people: restaurant Schneeweiss (www.schneeweiss-berlin.de) in Friedrichshain. Top notch restaurant with a top notch service and the very best Wiener schnitzel you've ever tasted!

Record shopping in Berlin is easy: Hardwax, Space Hall, Melting Point, Audio In and many many more, but a special mention goes to Oye Records in the Oderberger Strasse in Prenzlauer Berg. You'll be hard pressed to find a better selection of old and new than in this superb store. WPH approved all the way ;-)

RD

Any decent lover of house and techno has got to go to Detroit one day. The reasonable approach would be to go during the annual electronic music festival on Memorial Day, but you should really go there when nothing is happening to get the true vibe of this very special city. But this is about record shops and not politics, so let's cut straight to the chase: Detroit is a veritable heaven for second hand shopping! BEWARE: you NEED a car in Detroit...

Melodies & Memories, Gratiot Avenue 23000 something (in Eastpointe): the Dance Zone is closed but opened up on simple request, and a true treasury for all things house and techno. Sealed copies of things that go for too much money on Discogs, multiple copies of Detroit underground classics, white labels, etc, etc. Prices ranging from 4 USD to 10 USD at most for 12" ...

People's Records, Woodward Avenue, 3000 something: an orderly selection of funk, soul & disco, and a decent amount of house, techno & more 12"s. Check the state of the records, because they can be a bit overpriced. But the people running it are cool and will cut you a good deal. True diggin' style is needed here, but well worth the time.

S.I.D. store (Somewhere In Detroit), www.submerge.com You have to make an appointment with this institute of Detroit underground music, but you cannot love techno without having been at the Underground Resistance HQ. Limited stock because they focus on their own products, but almost all of their releases are well worth having, and most are plain and simple essential. Low prices and be sure to get one of the UR t-shirts too. Bridgette who is running the store is the nicest of ladies and it just feels good supporting people that are - for lack of a better word - real.

Detroit Threads, Joseph Campau 10000 something in Hamtramck (a Polish neighbourhood to the east of Highland Park): another paradise for house and techno lovers. Too many good records for your bank account... Sealed copies of classic Detroit labels, racks upon racks of used vinyl, at very good prices, and a serious collection of Detroit t-shirts. Mike is the nicest of shopkeepers and a true legend among Detroit vinyl heads.

We didn't get to do Hello Records (on Bagley & Trumbull) and The Record Graveyard (on Caniff and Joseph Campau in Hamtramck), but apparently these would not look bad in the list we did do. 

Detroit, vinyl and WPH: one love!

RD

If you are in Amsterdam and feeling a bit peckish and you do not want to indulge in the local tradition of ATM-style food...

Envy on Prinsengracht 381 is your answer! Tipped by Bib Gourmand since years on end, this place is a veritable treasury of tastes you have never experienced before. Kinda like a DJ set by San Soda or Red D :-p

The concept is simple: tapas, but highest class gastronomy only! Top service as well, so just go for it, and don't forget to thank us for the tip :-)

RD 

After - dare we say it - superb label nights with Steffi and Prosumer, and after the bomb edition with 'locals' Lady Linn, Gustaph and Saxman in January, WPH is back at Decadance on Saturday 31st March.

Main guest for the night will be Move D, who should need no introduction at all if you are even vaguely into what we are doing...

Support from Decadance main man Jensen, and as always San Soda and myself won't be able to resist playing a couple of tunes :-)

RD

The follow-up to 'Vocals For Everyone E.P.' is here, and it's called 'More Vocals For Everyone E.P.', we don't really think hard about our track and E.P. names :-p

Featuring Lady Linn, 'Used To Be' is doing the round with lovers of smooth and sexy vocal house, while 'Back' on the b-side is more vintage FCL rawness. Topping it off is the Arto Mwambe remix of 'Back'.

Get it at Music Mania in Belgium on vinyl, or via Juno, Decks, Hardwax and all the other fine vinyl shops in the world. Digital via Junodownload, Beatport and all the other portals I myself never visit... But hey, just get it officially and we'll be happy!

RD

Feeling a bit peckish and you don't wanna go Mickey D's/KFC or any of the thousands of cheap but very suspicious-looking restaurants in London? You like good food and brilliant service juxtaposed with a complete disaster of an interior? Look no further: La Forchetta on 426 Bethnal Green Road is your answer!

San Soda, Gratts & Red D approved ;-)

RD

Well, we want to be both. Because what does a DJ do when he is playing abroad and has time left in a city where he doesn't know that many people? The standard answer to this is probably stay in his ****-hotel and watch porn movies, but we get all the porn we want at home, and so we go out exploring. Records shops, restaurants, bars, anything that really strikes us. 

And so we will share all our discoveries with you through this part of the WPH blog, and make sure that whenever you visit a city...you won't have to stay in and watch porn all day...

RD

What is failhouse? Easy, it's everything we consider to be not done, funny, blatantly foolish and simply not 'house'. Curious? So are we actually...

RD

First a website, then the artwork, and then the music? No way! Since the start of We Play House Recordings the focus was on music, with a neat package. Oh sure, we've had a website since day one, and we were on MySpace and all that, but the music always came first. And it will always come first, but social pressure and the fact that people keep on bugging us for old releases and more info has led to what you are seeing right now: the one and only official We Play House Recordings website. Well hurrah!

All info on our artists and our releases, a webshop where you can find vinyl and goodies, and this blog which will become not only your musical guide, but also your travel guide and bible to what's hot and what's not in our slightly ironic view, this is what our website has to offer.

Enough with the banter, just surf away and enjoy.

RD

PS I cannot be held responsible if your lack of a sense of humour leads you to be offended in any way by the content of this blog. 

Studio footage from Sebastien San @ Bass Park Studio. Behind the screens footage, only reserved for V.I.P.'s :-p

We all know them, the enthusiastic ladies that want a piece of the action, looking for attention and the better part of the DJ's drinks cabinet... 

Although a widespread phenomenon in DJ booths around the world, the booth bird is hard to find on the internet, and so the picture I found may yet provide you with a bit of a false idea...

RD

This Friday the legendary Vooruit Balzaal in Ghent will be the scene for the second edition of It's... A party concept by Democrazy in cooperation with WPH & Lany Recordings.

Tickets & info via www.democrazy.be or at Music Mania, Walpoortstraat 3 in Ghent.

Good to know: tickets for the Michael Kiwanuka show (also on 2 December @ 20h, Charlatan, Vlasmarkt in Ghent) also give you entrance to It's and vice versa.

BEWARE: WPH is giving away 5 x 2 free tickets to the first 5 people who send their name to info@weplayhouserecordings.com

RD

As mentioned in the intro, the idea of this part of the blog is to give you travel tips from our various trips around the globe. But why not start the other way around and give you some hotspots of our beloved city of Ghent?

Music is a necessity of life, but so is eating, and even more so :-) So here are some of my personal favourites to have a good dinner in Ghent:

Martino, Vlaanderenstraat 125, 9000 Ghent: hotspot of Ghent nightlife, open from 18h till 1h, pure Belgian classics and steaks galore!

Thalia, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 138, 9000 Ghent: specialised in quiche and fajitas and very much good value for your money.

Frituur Bij Sint Jacobs, Bij St Jacobs, 9000 Ghent: wanna try real Belgian fries? This is THE spot! Not really a restaurant, but still :-)

Il Mezzogiorno, Baudelokaai 17, 9000 Ghent: small, intimate and very Sicilian, with offers you cannot refuse...

Smakelijk!

RD

The follow-up to 'Vocals For Everyone E.P.' is here, and it's called 'More Vocals For Everyone E.P.', we don't really think hard about our track and E.P. names :-p

Featuring Lady Linn, 'Used To Be' is doing the round with lovers of smooth and sexy vocal house, while 'Back' on the b-side is more vintage FCL rawness. Topping it off is the Arto Mwambe remix of 'Back'.

Get it at Music Mania in Belgium on vinyl, or via Juno, Decks, Hardwax and all the other fine vinyl shops in the world. Digital via Junodownload, Beatport and all the other portals I myself never visit... But hey, just get it officially and we'll be happy!

RD

Just had to share this one with you all: a Facebook page dedicated to FCL 'It's You' (San Soda's Panorama Bar Acca Version). Funny as hell and just the kind of humour we dig here at the WPH camp :-)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ive-got-FCL-Its-You-on-vinyl-and-I-will-not-sell-it/425963884133292

RD