BREAKING BEATS, FREDERICK CREW & DROP PRESENT
LENZMAN
Metalheadz // Netherlands
“Looking at the Stars” Album Tour
FRIDAY 17TH OCTOBER // SAN FRAN
SUPPORT:
FREDERICK CREW
DROP
ZERO [chch]
YANIK
TICKETS FROM COSMICCORNER.CO.NZ // COSMIC CORNER STORES OR CHEAPSKATES CUBA ST
LIMITED EARLYBIRDS: $25+BF
STANDARD RELEASE: $30+BF
That's right Lenzman is back! After a LEGENDARY debut show at Sandwiches back in 2012 we've finally managed to get him back here to Wellington to tour his exceptional new album 'Looking at the Stars'.
Lenzman’s rise to Drum n Bass super stardom over the last five years hardly surprising for those familiar with the phenomenal music that he has unloaded onto the scene, and the tremendous talent he exhibits as both a producer and a DJ. At a time when much of the drum n bass is intent on exploring the genre’s techno roots and minimal soundscapes, Lenzman is championing a new era of funk, soul and jazz influenced beats reminiscent of the finest work by the likes of LTJ Bukem, Calibre and London Elektricity.
Real name Teije van Vliet, the producer hailing from Leiden in the Netherlands has known few limits in the recent years. His influences are plain to hear in his music, from his involvement in hip-hop collectives growing up (check out his series of Reminiscence mixes for an aural indulgence) or his regular attendance at jazz and soul nights at London’s Blue Note club in the 90s. It was there that he stumbled upon our favourite genre in the shape of the seminal Metalheadz Sunday Sessions.
It is this background that gives him his signature sound – he showcases early hip-hop’s raw beats and appreciation for samples, jazz’s grace and experimentation and soul’s melodies and heartfelt vocals. Once he turned his hand to production he quickly earned recognition in all the right places. His first efforts, such as 2007’s “Caught Up”, received immediate support from the likes of Doc Scott and Calibre. Friction soon got in on the act, signing “Emeralds” to his label Shogun Audio in 2009, while Marcus Intalex grabbed “Fade Away” for Soul:R later that year. His rampage through the biggest labels in drum n bass gained speed as he signed tracks to Total Science’s CIA Recordings, Critical Recording’s Modulations imprint, Teebee’s Subtitles and of course the massive double A-side “Open Page/Coincidence” on Metalheadz.
It was “Open Page” that exhibited most perfectly Lenzman’s great talent for working with vocalists, as he unleashed on the world a singer-songwriter named Laura Pacheco, aka Riya. The tune would go on to turn heads outside of Drum n Bass due to its regular airplay on BBC’s Radio 1, and led Goldie to assert in no uncertain terms that “this guy is the future of drum n bass”.
On the back of a massive 2012 we managed to coax him onto a long haul flight to our shores, following tunes like “Broken Dreams”, How Did I Let You Go and his host of production work for MC DRS finding a place in every dj crate under the sun.
Now he's got an absolutely huge album under his belt - undoubtedly one of the albums of the year thanks to tunes like My Tears with Steo or Starz with Kevin King.
You can see a taste of his sound here courtesy of his set for Mixmag radio, but trust us it's nothing like the live experience. His set in 2012 was our fucking favorite gig of the year, so don't miss him this time around!
