Author: Jim Allen

At the end of March, we shared the sad news that DJ/producer Roy Davis Jr., the man who has been an icon of Chicago house for decades, had been unexpectedly diagnosed with MS. He woke up one day unable to walk, and next thing you know, doctors were giving him the unfortunate results of their tests. Davis was forced to cancel his upcoming performances, in order to focus on getting his strength back, but he has vowed that this development will not knock him down. He fully plans to get himself back in the game as soon as humanly possible.

In the meantime, though, there’s the matter of convalescence. In addition to the income Davis is losing out on due to cancelling his current gig schedule, he’s also bound to be incurring some serious medical bills from here on out as he deals with his condition. In order to give something back to the man who has given so much through his music, those who love Davis have set up a GoFundMe page where fans and friends can make donations, so that the one thing he won’t have to worry about during this trying time is how to cover his medical bills. If you’ve ever been moved by the man’s work, now’s the time to do something for him in return.

The next DJ to make a contribution to the fabric legacy will be Ryan Elliott, an American expat who will be at the helm for fabric 88. Elliott grew up as a hip-hop-loving kid outside of Detroit, where he and his pal Matthew Dear made their mark with a shared four-year residency. Elliott became a Berliner in 2009, settling in to a residency at Berghain/Panorama Bar and putting out records for Ostgut Ton, but in fact, his history with fabric predates his relocation to Germany. The first trip he ever took anywhere outside of the U.S. was in 2000 to pay a visit to fabric and soak up the feel. And five years after that, he had his first performance at the venue.

So it seems only natural for Elliott to step up to the plate as the latest contributor to the famed fabric mix series. For his fabric mix, Elliott made sure to keep his mind as much on the overall mood and flow as on the individual tracks he put together. “fabric to me has always been about getting lost and locked into one continuous groove. It’s never been about standalone “songs.” That’s what I hope to achieve with this mix — a sum of parts that together create one whole feeling of rhythm,” he says. And with a mix that includes the likes of Black Boxx, King Cheetah, Kid Sublime, James Ruskin, Robert Hood and more, he serves up a sonic atmosphere singular enough to earn its own zip code.

fabric 88 is due out on June 17, but you can pre-order your copy at the website. In the meantime, here’s a little more of Elliott’s musical history with the fabric world to put you in the mood.

Tracklist

01 King Cheetah – Water Maze [Light Body Works]
02 Borrowed Identity – LFI [Hardgroove]
03 Wincent Kunth – Unknown Deep [Marcel Dettmann Records]
04 Black Boxx – Black Boxx EP2 (B1) [Ferrispark]
05 DJ Skull – Revenge Of The Synth [Chiwax]
06 Phil Moffa – Ignition [The Corner]
07 Fiedel – Back Door (Tallmen 785 Remix) [Fiedeltwo]
08 Lapien – Searching [Mistress]
09 Kid Sublime – The Loop [Dopeness Galore]
10 Tensal – Achievement 3 [Float]
11 Bas Mooy – Nearby Silent Horses [Mord]
12 3KZ – Machine [Fides]
13 The Persuader – Inre Stenen [Templar]
14 Anna Caragnano & Donato Dozzy – Parola [Spectrum Spools]
15 DVS1 – Tracking [HUSH]
16 James Ruskin ‎- The Outsider [Blueprint]
17 Robert Hood – Master Jack [Dekmantel]
18 Mike Parker – Luminescent Black [Inkblots]
19 Orion – Patos [GKNSTR]
20 Steve O’Sullivan & Ben Sims present High-Life – Five Fingers In The West (UK Gold Remix) [Mosaic]
21 Sub Space – Eleven + Twelve (Locked Grooves) [Minimalizm]
22 Z.I.P.P.O – Shift [LDNwht]
23 Jack Murphy – B1 [Reference]
24 Anne-James Chaton with Alva Noto & Andy Moor – Chapitre VIII: Nihon No Tabi [Raster-Noton]

Ableton’s Loop event, a gathering place for electronic musicians, producers, and engineers, will be back in Berlin for the second annual summit on November 4-6, 2016. And it will be happening at the Funkhaus Berlin, which has a heavy-duty legacy in German culture.

The full program will be revealed in July, but if last year’s Loop is anything to go by, there’ll be no shortage of fascinating items on the agenda. The 2015 Loop featured the likes of Matthew Herbert, Holly Herndon and many more, with workshops, panels, talks and performances, centered on the use of technology in music making, but encompassing a broad range of artistic issues.

Just as impressive as the event itself is the venue where it will be taking place. Funkhaus Berlin holds an important place in German history. In the days of a divided Germany, it was the home of East German radio. Today it hosts several state-of-the-art studios but still retains its old grandeur, having been designed by Bauhaus architect Franz Ehrlich in the ’50s. If you want to be a part of Loop 2016, you’ll have to register starting May 18 at the website.

In the meantime, for a taste of the Funkhaus feel, you can get yourself a virtual tour via the video below.