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Last Updated: 1/12/2010

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Monday, January 11, 2010 
Rise Ashen and Stephane Lefrancois - Venenosa
Our newest release on Balanced House - "Venenosa" by Rise Ashen and Stephane Lefrancois is out now. It's a next-level mixture of samba-broken beat-house-conscious lyrics and pure innovation. Spanning the lush, Brazilian-influenced house vibe of Directions In Rhythm to the futuristic tech-infused experimental dancefloor madness of Obey, to the exorcistic Batuquada of Pogo Nuevo, we find lots of rhythmic vocals and unusual, soulful and radical sounds. The name Venenosa refers to the samba dancer swaying to the rhythm of the samba, the delicious and poisonous muse of the Escola De Samba drummers.
Early feedback has been incredible...
"One of my secret weapons" - Maurice Fulton
"Lovin the vibe of this. Something Wicked is def man!! Super hot" - Demarkus Lewis
"will play it for sure" - Alexander Barck (Jazzanova)
"Really good music in there, full radio and club support" - Laurent Garnier
"Wicked vibes on Venenosa, will play this loads" - Daz-I-Kue (Bugz In The Attic)
"Quality ideas and execution" - Charles Webster
Venenosa is available at all major digital outlets.
Richie Phoe - Bumpy's Lament
Brighton, UK reggae artist Richie Phoe honours us with the first in a series of reggae inspired 7-inch releases with a catchy, head nodding rendition of the classic Isaac Hayes track "Bumpy's Lament." On the flipside, Phoe delivers positive vibes with "Electric Boogie," a nod to 1980's dancehall and electro culture. Already gathering solid radio support from top international reggae shows such as Zona Reggae (Portugal), Black Echoes (Ireland), The Dread Zone (California), Version Xcursion (Toronto) and Echo Chamber (Minneapolis), Bumpy's Lament is available now in all fine digital outlets and will be available very soon on 7-inch vinyl and digital.
Northern Faction 4 Nominated for Zona Reggae Dub Album of the Year
Portugal's premiere reggae radio show, Zona Reggae, has nominated Northern Faction 4 as part of their Best of 2009 Dub Albums! Not only that, but we've received so much support that the release is currently topping the nominations! Visit Zona Reggae and vote for Northern Faction 4 before Jan 31st.
MIDEM 2010 Showcase
Once again, Balanced will be attending MIDEM - the largest annual gathering of music professionals held in Cannes, January 23-27. We look forward to showcasing Rise Ashen and a pile of new music, as well as connecting with many other labels, artists and industry peeps to keep the machine running.
On Tuesday, January 26th we will be hosting a showcase at Club Sun7 featuring Rise Ashen & Stephane Lefrancois, Kasm, Ancient Astronauts (ESL Music/Switchstance, Germany), Cayetano (Etage Noir Records, Greece) and Noone (BEE Records, France). Visit our website for the latest information as it becomes available.
Forthcoming Releases
2010 is set to be our busiest year of releases as we move forward with many digital dancefloor singles on Balanced House and some ambitious multi-genre hybrids and collaborations on Balanced Records.
Digital Society is the debut Instrumental album and vinyl EP from Fat Beats NYC resident and Brown Bag AllStars producer J57. Released Feb 2010.
District 1 by Billy Rockwell vs. Hitori Tori is a new digital series exploring the glitchier subculture of all things. District 1 is out March 2010.
Trouble by Citizen Sound is a killer combination of Ammoye's sultry vocals and the dub-inspired production from Toronto-based producer Citizen Sound. The B-side features a remix by Ottawa's Rise Ashen. Watch for it in April 2010.
The Heatscore riddem 7-inch by The Seed Organization and Big Toe's Hi-Fi features voicings by Dangerman and Daddy Scotty. It is slated to drop in May of 2010.
Balanced on Twitter
Follow us on Twitter to catch up on the briefest yet most potent updates from the label.
Friday, September 18, 2009 
BALANCED NEWS - SEPT 2009



New Artists and Upcoming Releases
New Podcasts and Feeds
Solidaze and Moses Mayes on Air Canada
Upcoming Events

New Artists and Upcoming Releases
The Balanced family continues to grow with some exciting new additions and releases planned in the near future!

Hailing from Brighton, UK, Richie Phoe has been generating huge waves in dub-reggae circles over the past few years, labeled early on by BBC Radio 1 host Rob Da Bank as "Brighton's Lee Scratch Perry". Richie collaborated with The Seed Organization on Northern Faction 4 for Zebra and will be releasing a 7" single very shortly with us. This month, Richie has graced us with a new podcast with some of his all time favourite tunes.

J57 (AKA Jlogic) is set to unleash his debut full-length "Digital Society" - a futuristic experimental instrumental hip hop project. The Brooklyn based MC and producer has been a steady pillar at New York's hip hop mecca, Fat Beats for years and is also part of the hip hop crew the Brown Bag AllStars. Digital Society will be available on 12" EP and digital full-length later this year.

Billy Rockwell has teamed up with Vancouver-based producer, Hitori Tori to release a collection of digital singles over the coming months. The pair are combining forces to meld an avant garde fusion of glitch hop and experimental electronic styles.

New Podcasts and Feeds

We have split our podcast feeds into uptempo/house mixes through the Balanced House Podcastand reggae/glitch/downtempo mixes on the Balanced Records Podcast feed. Listeners can subscribe to one or the other or even the combined Balanced Podcast feed. Currently we're up to twenty podcast episodes totaling nearly one full days worth of quality mixes!The newest Balanced Records Podcast features a mix by Richie Phoe, capturing some of his favorite reggae tunes, while the Balanced House Podcast is a combo from Bar Italia residents Solidaze and Lil Phil.

Solidaze & Moses Mayes on Air Canada 

Big news from 30,000 feet: the Solidaze & Moses Mayes track, Being, released on Traffic has been selected for a new compilation from Air Canada. Fifteen tracks have been selected from various Canadian producers which will be featured in the audio section of Air Canada's on-demand seatback entertainment system starting in November.

Upcoming EventsComing up on Saturday, September 19, Kasm and The Seed Organization will be closing out theHarvest Moon Festival in Clearwater, Manitoba.As always be sure to head over to our Myspace page for all the latest gig info on our artists.DJ Brace's Nostomania - 2009 Juno Winner for Instrumental Album of the Year.


Balanced Records Balanced Myspace Page

 Balanced Facebook PageBalanced House Balanced House Myspace Page

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Monday, June 15, 2009 
Balanced News - June 2009

Balanced House
Brace and WeezL
Mama Cutsworth and Alice Russell
DJ Fishead "Dubbed" Podcast


Balanced House


After eight years of solid operation, Balanced Records is making the move to diversify, creating a new sublabel to highlight the dancefloor side of our artistry. Balanced House will focus primarily on releases of house, broken beat and other dancefloor variations. The official launch of Balanced House will take place June 19th at Bar Italia and will feature DJ sets by Solidaze, Todd Andres and Lil Phil. The first release on the new label is Traffic, a digital compilation featuring new and previously released material by Solidaze, Rise Ashen, Leaf System, Gavin Froome, Mod X and Metesthetics.
Info on Traffic is available at the newly launched Balanced House website or the label's MySpace page. Sign up for the Balanced House newsletter and watch out for the new Podcast feed beginning soon.


Brace and WeezL


Fresh off the heels of winning a JUNO award for Instrumental Album of the Year, DJ Brace has teamed up with WeezL for a performance in Winnipeg on Wednesday June 24th. Brace will be showcasing his award winning album Nostomania as well as his usual turntable wizardry and dope selections. WeezL is known for putting on an energetic live show combined with traditional DJ values and a futuristic cutting edge flare. An original member of the Edmonton based hip hop act Cadence Weapon, WeezL has won the Edmonton DMC Championship, has played close to 1000 shows in Canada, the US & Europe and toured with artists such as Buck 65, Jurassic 5, Final 
Fantasy and many others.


Mama Cutsworth and Alice Russell


Exciting news from Mama Cutsworth: she will be opening for Alice Russell on Monday, June 29th as part of the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. Russell has gained an enviable reputation as one of the hottest singers in the UK. Her tracks with the Quantic Soul Orchestra have put her on the same plateau of modern soul divas as Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones.


DJ Fishead "Dubbed" Podcast


June's podcast comes from DJ Fishead, the former Winnipegger and veteran of the dark and edgy side of electronica. "Dubbed" is a techy, dubstep influenced mix that was recorded live on three turntables with the range and versatility that has always defined DJ Fishead. This choice mix includes material by Massive Attack, Squarepusher, Benga and others.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009 
It was a huge night for Balanced as our DJ Brace grabbed the Juno for
Instrumental Album of the Year in 2009! This monumental achievement
capped off a great weekend that saw Brace perform three shows and
provide the soundtrack to the JUNO Gala Dinner. Video highlights here:
http://balanced-records.com/web/news/_20090330209/

Monday, March 23, 2009 







Balanced News



Balanced News: March 2009


In This Edition...

  1. DJ Brace - Nostomania-mania
  2. Northern Faction 4
  3. Miami Winter Music Conference
  4. Podcast - Kasm vs. The Seed Organization 3

DJ Brace - Nostomania-mania


On top of receiving a JUNO nomination for Instrumental Album of the
Year, DJ Brace will be busy throughout JUNO weekend performing at three
events related to the awards show including the official Juno Opening
Reception Party. If that wasn't enough, music from Nostomania has also
been chosen to run during the JUNO Gala Dinner on Saturday March 28th.
Visit the news item for all of the events' information

Northern Faction 4


  • “Another incredible collection from Balanced - tick it off your ‘MUST GET 2009’ list.” Fly Global Music Magazine
  • “Winnipeg's Balanced Records has been a leader in well polished but assertive dance floor dub for many years now.” Exclaim
  • “Balanced
    has done an exceptional job bringing together a diverse talent pool
    that fits together so well. 4 stars” Winnipeg Free Press
  • #1 Electronic Charts for Canadian college radio in February
  • #7 Juno Download for Dub-Reggae in February/March

Praise continues to roll in for Northern Faction 4,
our newest compilation featuring material by Juno nominated artists
Dubmatix and DJ Brace as well as Noiseshaper, Subatomic Sound System,
Richie Phoe, Chronic Sonata, Hitori Tori, Ancient Astronauts and Dubin
Hood. Rounding off the collection are tracks from Balanced residents
Solidaze, The Seed Organization, Rise Ashen, Leaf System, Billy
Rockwell, Kasm, Fascade@137db and a collaboration between Cain & DJ
Brace.

Miami Winter Music Conference


Balanced is pleased to be attending the Winter Music Conference in
Miami once again. Winter Music Conference, in its 24th year, is
regarded as the singular networking event in the dance music industry,
attracting professionals from over 70 different countries. Hit us up if
you're in the area!

Podcast - Kasm vs. The Seed Organization 3


The eagerly awaited third chapter in the Kasm/Seed Organization saga
is almost upon us. Featuring a fine blend of dub, reggae, dancehall and
broken beat, the mix includes material from Mungo's Hi-Fi, Chronic
Sonata, Big Toes Hi-Fi, Dubmatix, Rhythm & Sound and Altered
Natives. Get it at the Balanced Podcast page soon.


You can always view our gigs and event listings on our Myspace page or our Facebook page

Catch Quadrafunk radio every Friday night 21:00 CST on CKUW 95.9M








Wednesday, February 11, 2009 



Balanced News: Feb 2009


In This Edition...

  1. Brace & Dubmatix: Juno Nominees
  2. Northern Faction 4 Release Details & Party
  3. Kasm vs. The Seed Organization 3 Podcast


Brace & Dubmatix: Juno Nominees


We're very excited to announce DJ Brace's Electric Nosehair Orchestra in Nostomania has been nominated for a Juno in the Instrumental Album of the Year
category. Nostomania lit up the Canadian college radio charts in 2008
topping both hip hop and electronica charts across the country and
receiving huge international support. After successful shows in
Winnipeg, Montreal and Berlin, Brace has some major projects in store
for 2009, starting with a trip to the Juno Awards March 29th!

Huge props also go to Toronto's Dubmatix who gets the nod in the Reggae Album of the Year category for his Renegade Rockers release. If you haven't already downloaded it, now would be a good time to check out the Dubmatix podcast featuring 50 minutes of original Dubmatix material.

On top of their releases and the recent podcast with us, both artists appear on Northern Faction 4 with brand new tracks.

Northern Faction 4 Release Details & Party


The fourth installment of the Northern Faction series delves deep
into dub reggae, downtempo and electronic styles. Showcasing artists
from around the globe, NF4 has contributions from Noiseshaper,
Subatomic Sound System, Dubmatix, Richie Phoe, Chronic Sonata, Hitori
Tori, Ancient Astronauts and Dubin Hood. Rounding off the collection
are tracks from Balanced residents Solidaze, The Seed Organization,
Rise Ashen, Leaf System, Billy Rockwell, Kasm, Fascade@137db and a
collaboration between Cain & DJ Brace.

Northern Faction 4 is available in Winnipeg at McNally Robinson, Music Trader, CD Plus, Into the Music as well as the many fine outlets.

You can also pick up a copy in person by joining us for the Northern
Faction 4 party. Saturday, February 28th at the Lo Pub 330 Kennedy St.
Featuring DJ sets by Red Worm, Dexx, The Seed Organization, Kasm &
Solidaze. $5 at the door.

Kasm vs. The Seed Organization 3 Podcast


Kasm and The Seed Organization have got a new mix in the queue and the podcast
will be up in the coming weeks. Expect a colossal mix of new material
from Northern Faction 4, as well as tracks from Version Big-Fi and
Mungo's Hi-Fi.

You can always view our gigs and event listings on our Myspace page or our Facebook page

Catch Quadrafunk radio every Friday night 21:00 CST on CKUW 95.9FM







Saturday, December 27, 2008 

::: Balanced Records 2008 year end newsletter :::

1. Gigs
2. Podcast - Dubmatix
3. Northern Faction 4
4. Other news


1. Gigs

Saturday, December 27th
Mama
Cutsworth will be playing the 1234V Magazine launch at the Albert.
1234V is a Vajournal dedicated to stories and ideas about the V word.
She will be joined by guests Mizz Brown, DJ Hunnicutt and The Gorgon
Admission is only $6.
www.myspace.com/1234vzine

Tuesday, December 30th, Montreal
Kasm touches down in la belle province to join Brace & Fishead at Laika (4040 Boulevard St-Laurent) for what promises to be
a seriously eclectic soiree. We hope to see all the Montreal headz in attendance!


2.
Recorded at The Green Room during the Winnipeg Ska & Reggae
Festival this summer, Dubmatix treats us to a rich blend of his
conscious and positive reggae sounds. Often hailed as one of Canada's
top reggae and dub producers, Dubmatix has worked with such legends as
Linval Thompson, Michael Rose, Sugar Minot, Ranking Joe among many
others. This podcast will be up in the coming days, grab it here:
http://balanced-records.co..m/podcast/

3.
Ushering in 2009 with the fourth instalment from the acclaimed Northern
Faction series, Balanced presents a compilation that delves deep into
dub reggae, downtempo and electronic styles.
Showcasing artists
from around the globe, Northern Faction 4 features contributions from
Noiseshaper (Austria), Subatomic Sound System (NYC), Dubmatix
(Toronto), Richie Phoe (UK) , Chronic Sonata (Toronto/NYC), Hitori Tori
(Vancouver), Ancient Astronauts (Germany) and Dubin Hood (Dubwood
Forest, British Columbia). Rounding off the collection are tracks from
Balanced residents Solidaze, The Seed Organization, Rise Ashen, Leaf
System, Billy Rockwell, Kasm,
Fascade@137db and a collaboration
between Cain & DJ Brace. Northern Faction 4 will be available
January 26th. Check our site shortly for audio samples and much more
info.

4. As always, good things coming from Rise Ashen out east.
He has been holed up in his studio producing a new album for multi
instrumentalist Rommel Teixeira Ribeiro. This busy 21 year old
prodigy
from Brazil makes his home between Sao Paolo, Recife, Montreal and
Ottawa and plans to release the collaboration with Mr. Ashen in early
2009. Watch_This_Space...


Don't forget to tune into Quadrafunk Radio every Friday evening 9 - 10:30 on CKUW 95.9FM (ckuw.ca). Now entering it's 10th year,
the
show continues to evolve, most recently to include a veteran of the
Montreal club and college radio scene - DJ Gnat (who hosted
the Gnat
& Tiga show in Montreal and is known as one of the original jungle
DJs in Canada). Also joining the newest incarnation are
Winnipeggers Grant Davis and The Seed Organization along with Quadrafunk's founder Kasm.

Some huge projects in the works for 2009 so stay tuned and have a safe and positive holiday.

http://balanced-records.co..m
www.myspace.com/balancedrecords
info@balanced-records.com



Monday, September 29, 2008 
if you cannot read this email, click here
Balanced News

Balanced News: Sept 2008

In This Edition...

  1. Electric Nosehair Orchestra Tour
  2. Nostomania Mania
  3. Popkomm Bound
  4. Podcast - Ninja Tune's DJ Ghostbeard

Electric Nosehair Orchestra Tour

Balanced Records and DMC veteran DJ Brace will be celebrating the release of The Electric Nosehair Orchestra In Nostomania through a series of shows in Winnipeg, Montreal and Berlin. No stranger to the European or Canadian turntablist scene, Brace will begin the tour of his first solo full length on Friday October 3rd at The Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg. Unique to this show is the exhibition of Nostomanian art pieces used in the album artwork included with the CD and vinyl release. Brace will also be performing in Winnipeg on Saturday October 4th at the Royal Albert Arms. From there, he will be joining the Balanced crew in Berlin for the Popkomm music festival (see below) and ending off the tour October 15th in Montreal at Soul Mechanics and Laika. Check out the Tour

back to top

Nostomania Mania

Since August Nostomania has lit up the Canadian college radio charts topping BOTH Hip hop and Electronic Top 10s across the country. Earshot Aug 19th, Earshot Aug 5th.

What the experts are saying:

"Excellent album... Lush and layered music with some tight scratchin'. Serious crossover potential. Highly recommended." undergroundhiphop.com

"Sitting squarely on the shoulders of Danny Breaks, Shadow and RJD2, this goes further to extend the styles set before. Excellent skills fitting perfectly in the varied but always soulful production. A truly brilliant album that will last plenty of listens - this works as a whole. Anyone into good music should check this, recommended." Fat City UK

"This is music with heart and vision. Believe me this is an album you really have to buy, even if you normally don't listen to Hip-Hop music. 100% approvable!" (Cuemix Magazine)

"This is a great album that only 10 years plus of being a turntablist, producer, DMC Champion DJ and sound connoisseur can achieve." (Fly Magazine)

Nostomania can be purchased at any of the tour shows and at all fine Winnipeg music shops (CD Plus, Music Trader, McNally Robinson, Into the Music, Homemade Music, Sonus Musica) or from the retailers listed on the Nostomania release page.

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Popkomm Bound

We are uber excited to be attending Popkomm for the first time. Popkomm is an international music and entertainment business trade show, festival and conference, attracting in 2007 over 880 exhibitors and 15.400 trade visitors from over 57 countries. Balanced Records' manager Adam Hannibal and president Spencer Kuziw will be attending the trade show from October 7 - 10th and concluding with Braces performance at Club Bohannon. Auf Wiedersehen!

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Podcast - Ninja Tune's DJ Ghostbeard

Our newest podcast comes straight from Ninja Tune's North American label head DJ Ghostbeard who provides a tasty dancehall reggae mixdown. Get the Podcast.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 
Balanced News

Balanced News: June 2008

In This Edition...

  1. DJ Brace presents the Electric Nosehair Orchestra
  2. Rise Ashen, Canada Day, Parliament Hill
  3. Upcoming Events - Ninja Tune & Balanced
  4. Podcast - Billy Rockwell - Billy Rocks Well

DJ Brace presents the Electric Nosehair Orchestra

DJ Brace presents The Electric Nosehair Orchestra - Nostomainia

Over 2 years in the making, Balanced is pleased to be releasing the newest instrumental hip hop album by DJ Brace - The Electric Nosehair Orchestra in Nostomania.

nos-to-ma-ni-a, [nos-tuh-mey-nee-uh] - noun
i. an irresistible compulsion to return home.
ii. another dimension where the orchestra resides.

Once you begin to experience Nostomania you will rediscover where your home is and will have a clear picture to always bring you back; as a Nostomanian, the compulsion to return becomes irresistible. The Electric Nosehair Orchestra In Nostomania captures fleeting moments in time, but remains timeless.

The Electric Nosehair Orchestra will be released on CD, Vinyl EP and digitally on July 18, 2008. Find Out More

Rise Ashen, Canada Day, Parliament Hill

Last year Rise Ashen treated a colossal crowd of 450,000 Canadians to a serious sampling of underground Canadian electronica on Parliament Hill. This year he'll be back to represent as only Mr. Ashen can. If you're in the Ottawa area, be sure to catch his set.

Upcoming Events - Ninja Tune & Balanced

Sunday, June 29 - Balanced at the Academy. Join Kasm (afrobeat/brokent beat), Solidaze (Deep House) and The Seed Organization (Dancehall/ Rockers) for this pre-Canada shaker at the Academy. $5 at the door.

Friday, July 25 - Mayan Festival - Day out of Time at St. Norbert Arts Centre. Balanced DJs will be on hand along with many other artists, healers and revellers in celebration of the Mayan calendar's New Year.

Saturday, July 26 - Ninja Tune & Balanced - After our succesful showcase in Cannes earlier this year with the Ninja Tune crew, The Seed Organization will be joined by Ninja Tune's North American label head Ghostbeard. Also making an appearance is Winnipeg's original jungle DJ Gnat, who returns to pegcity after years of playing residences in Toronto and Montreal. Tix are $8 in advance, $10 door. Buy Tickets

Podcast - Billy Rockwell - Billy Rocks Well

Billy Rockwell kicks off our summer podcast series with a surgically constructed medley of glitch, IDM and jungle sounds featuring artists like edIT, RJD2 & Diplo. Get the Podcast.


Thursday, May 01, 2008 

Balanced News

April 2008

  1. Seven Years of Balanced
  2. New Podcasts
  3. Bloom Wins
  4. Upcoming Gigs

We barely squeeze in this month's newsletter for some short and sweet updates, big announcements a comin' for May so stay tuned...

Seven Years of Balanced

It's hard to believe but April 23rd marked the 7th year of operation for our label! Building on the 5 free tracks we gave away with our 5 for Five campaign two years ago, we'll be giving away two more unreleased tracks from artists on the label. This time around, we have a new Kasm track; "Mimosa", along with The Seed Organization's dub of Solidaze's Lost Touch. Visit the Seven Years of Balanced page to download the music and thanks to all of you for the love over the years!

New Podcasts

We have 2 new podcasts in this update:

Subatomic Sound System - Taken from their live set at the Miambient party at this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami, our friends from NYC's Subatomic Sound System deliver one of their signature sets of bass bin blasting dub and conscious reggae.

DJ Lil' Phil - On the housey tip, our second podcast comes from one of our favorite local DJs - Lil Phil who drops a smooth mix of deep and techy house to round things out.

Bloom Wins

Balanced is very pleased to have contributed music to Boring Games' Bloom video game which recently picked up an award at the Canadian Awards for the Electronic and the Animated Arts.

Upcoming Gigs

We have 2 gigs lined up at the newly revamped Academy (437 Stradbrook) for May.

Saturday May 3 - Solidaze, Kasm & The Seed Organization will bring a mix of afrobeat, dub, dancehall, deep house and broken beat.

Friday May 16 - Join us May Long Weekend to welcome back Rise Ashen who last graced Winnipeg during the 2005 Junofest party. This veteran producer and DJ has collaborated with artists such as Karsh Kale, Bebel Gilberto and Fred Everything and appeared on prominent labels such as Compost, Afroart, Defected (as well as Balanced). He will be joined by Solidaze, Kasm and The Seed Organization. Rise has been busy at work with Kasm & The Seed Organization as part of their Leaf System project.

Both shows run from 10 - 2:30 and are only $5 at the door! We'll be stocked with all our latest merch as well as free DJ mixes to boot.