If you ever come to San Francisco don't go see the Golden Gate, rather
Go see Nikola Baytala spin. His minimal techno will have you dancin'
all night, with precision mixing, and solid track selection. He is
very intresting to watch also, even more t..
San Francisco DJ Nikola Baytala has become a crucial component of the
minimal-techno collective known as Kontrol. But don't typecast him as
a one-dimensional droid with a M-nus Records logo tattoo. He's been
exploring the upper echelons of the techno/house continuum since the
early '90s (including the last 10 years at The Top, a weekly event
hosted by S.W.A.T., aka Special Weapons and Tactics), gaining a
reputation as a DJ's DJ, with acclaim coming from house-music legends
like Derrick Carter and Doc Martin.
Moreover, Baytala's list of musical influences and loves is vast,
eclectic, and impeccable. The following roll call just scratches the
surface: dub/reggae (Lee "Scratch" Perry), jazz (Pharoah Sanders),
world (Ravi Shankar, Mulatu Astatke), funk (Cymande), soul (Bill
Withers), hiphop (Gang Starr), Krautrock (Can), electro (Egyptian
Lover, Kraftwerk), disco (DJ Harvey), Latin (Tito Puente),
soundtrack/new age (Vangelis), rock (Steely Dan), post-punk (ESG,
Liquid Liquid), and post-rock (Outhud). As for his bread and butter,
Baytala similarly displays excellent judgment, with a heavy preference
for quality-pushers like Jeff Mills, Gas, Monolake, Robert Hood, Theo
Parrish, and Mr. Fingers.
When you see a DJ possess such wide-ranging, outstanding taste, it
instills confidence that he/she will rarely, if ever, veer into
wackness. Baytala clearly has put many hours of study into his craft,
and it's paid off with smooth mixes and world-class track selection.
Besides his formidable technical skills and profound knowledge,
Baytala reportedly exudes a lot of personality and passion behind the
decks, which must have served him well while opening for acts like
Jane's Addiction.
Everything I've heard by Baytala suggests that his sets avoid the
supposed pitfalls of minimal dance music. They're kinetic, dynamic,
and, of course, cheese-free. I can't believe I've only just recently
found out about this mensch.
club dates and festivals
Fabric - London
Panorama Bar - Berlin
Detroit Electronic Music Festival
Club Luxy - Taipei
Weekend Club - Berlin
Decibel Festival - Seattle
Symbiosis Festival
Love Parade - San Francisco
Yoshis Jazz Club - San Francisco
Avalon - Los Angeles
Made Events Sunday School For Degenerates - New York City
APT - New York City
Bunker - New York City
HAWT - Los Angeles
The Egg - London
Winter Music Festival - Miami
Electric Pickle - Miami
Mansion - Miami
Karu & Y Ultralounge - Miami
Snatch Tampa - Florida
Queen Club - Paris
Mezzanine - San Francisco
Ultra Festival- Miami
H20 - Belgium
Retox at Club Sosha - London
The End - London
Folies Pigalle - Paris
Club Fellini - Barcelona
Lollapalooza Festival - West Coast Tour
The Fillmore with Kraftwerk- San Francisco
The Warfield with The Prodigy - San Francsico
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Jr. Boys Own
Utensil Recordings
Soulfood
Large Records
Distance Music
Auralism Records
Nightshift Recordings
Robsoul Recordings
Tweekin Records