Thermal: Luke Hess/Eric Cloutier

Luke Hess

Born in 1980 and raised in the Detroit area, Luke Hess has harnessed a deep appreciation for electronic music and the expression of the underground movement. His background in mathematics and engineering has given him a scientific approach to the dance floor, using frequencies, tones, and soundscapes to transform surroundings and mood. In 2003 he recorded his first promotional mix CD release for UR/Submerge. Since then, his faith based music production has landed him a seat with FXHE and Beretta Music in Detroit. His debut album was released in early May 2009 by Denmark based label Echocord. His solo work on FXHE includes Dubout EP #1 which was charted in 2007 on Groove magazines top 50 releases of the year. In 2010 he began his own interpretation of Detroit techno with his new Detroit project and record label – DeepLabs. With 10 years of DJ experience, he is regarded as a perfectionist in his Live sets and behind the decks layering his tracks in a very detailed and hypnotic manner. Luke has played at notable venues and events such as Culture Box (Copenhagen), Panorama Bar (Berlin), Unit (Tokyo), Detroit Electronic Music Festival (Detroit), Fabric (London), The End Up (San Francisco), Golden Pudel (Hamburg), Sirup (Zagreb), and The Bunker (NYC). Luke’s continued hard work behind the decks and in the studio combined with his unyielding interest in technology and sound will no doubt stimulate the boundaries of electronic music.

For more info check out: www.hess-labs.com, www.myspace.com/hesslabs, www.echocord.com, www.omarsdetroit.us, www.kontra-musik.com, & www.berettamusic.com

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Brian Kage

[Planet E | Beretta Music | Echospace | Thinner]

Brian Kage (Pronounced Ka-ghei), is a deep tech-house Producer/DJ from Detroit. Deep, mellow, funky, driving, and passionate are all words that describe the sound of Kage. Kage's music has already had an impact on dancefloors globally. His records have been charted and played by top DJs from all genres such as Danny Howells Fabrice Lig, Vince Watson, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villallobos, Sasha, Adam Jay, Philip Braunstein, Greg Gow, Oakenfold, and many more.

In 2002, Kage signed his first vinyl release to Adam Jay’s Azure record label. He's went on to record for numerous labels such as Thinner, Lumina, Monoid, Restructured, Flumo, Less is More, D Records, and more. In May 2005, Kage released one of his biggest EPs called the 'Cloned EP' on DLuv recordings which proved to crossover to many genres of Electronic Dance Music. It was even played on BBC's Essential Mix by Richie Hawtin & Ricardo Villalobos. Ever a perfectionist, Kage's releases are not 'churned out' every other month, but instead crafted slowly and efficently for maximum impact and quality.

Looking for more creative output, Kage & Ryan Sadorus (a.k.a. Ryski) created a new label based in Detroit called Berettamusic. In 2003, they released their first various artist EP on the Beretta label. Since then, Beretta has become successful techno record label in a sea of techno labels trying to stay afloat. In 2006, Kage and Ryski introduced the sub-label "Beretta Grey." This label has generated quite a buzz around the world with it's unique sound. 'Grey' has helped expose talented new minimal-minded Detroit artists to the world. In 2007, Kage created another sub-label called "Beretta Red" to focus on more soulful, Detroit-inspired releases.

As a DJ, Kage has notable appearances across the North America, including Broadcast in San Diego, Therapy Nightclub in Indiana, System Sound Bar in Toronto, Droid's Duotone in Los Angeles, Tronic Treatment in NYC, & the Movement Festival in Detroit. He's also had the pleasure to travel internationally for gigs in Moscow. His skills behind the decks are highly regarded, and his mixes combine the funkyness and soul you’d expect from a Detroit artist.

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Eric Cloutier

[The Bunker, NYC]

If you appreciate house and techno music with depth and sophistication played with tight technical skill and genuine feeling, Eric Cloutier should be on your radar. His recent sets around town have become an attraction for dedicated heads seeking a deeper shade of techno than your average weekend warrior. Aside from a few very memorable sets at The Bunker this year, Eric traveled to Japan to play at the Labyrinth Festival, and appeared in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Memphis, Vancouver, Boston, and Washington, DC. He put out several well received podcasts in 2009, and is working on a few new ones and delving into the studio for some original productions.

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Richard Devine

[Warp / Schematic, ATL]

Richard Devine is an Atlanta-based electronic musician. He is recognized for producing a layered and heavily processed sound, combining influences from old and modern electronic music. Devine largely records for the Miami-based Schematic Records. As a result of praise of his music from Autechre as well as a remix of Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy, Devine recorded an album for Warp Records which was jointly released by Schematic and Warp.

Devine first started using computers for composition around 1993. Don Hassler, an instructor at the Atlanta College of Art, got him interested in computer synthesis, introducing Devine to CSound and other powerful computer-based applications. Devine claims he coded a couple FFT applications in SuperCollider, an environment and programming language for real-time audio synthesis. “It’s interesting, because you’re doing things to sound that just aren’t physically possible.”

Devine also uses Native Instruments (NI) software. His favorite NI applications are Reaktor and Absynth. Devine has designed sound patches for NI’s Absynth. He has also scored commercials for Nike and Touchstone Pictures, and engineered and performed his own music worldwide.

Though he has contributed sound design to a number of hardware and software manufacturers, he recently released his first official sample library through Sony Creative Software entitled The Electronic Music Manuscript: A Richard Devine Collection

local support by George B/Minusaddict + Inferno