MHA IRI / FARAONE, MARCO / BALTHAZAR - (P5) A SIDES VOL 12 PT 5

Mha Iri is a UK-based producer. She's known for her unique sound that's featuring tough basslines, kickdrums, dark synths and ethereal vocals. She started her career as a part of the underground techno music scene. Now she's playing intimate club sets as well as on huge festivals all around the globe. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Tuscany-born but now based in Barcelona, Faraone grew up with a DJ father and folk singing grandfather so was always bound to end up in music. After early forays into hip hop and drum & bass, it was techno that stole his love and soon saw him becoming a resident at Florence’s globally-renowned Tenax club. His regular sets saw him graduate from ‘crafty up-and-comer’ to one of modern techno’s most recognised and respected names with sets at Fabric, Panorama Bar, DC10 and many more of the world's most famous clubs. Marco Faraone had a sensational season at Amnesia in 2022. His blistering sets on the iconic Terrace and famous Main Room showed the diversity of his sound. As he lay down explosive sets across the house and techno spectrum he proved why he is one of the hottest names in the game. Now he's unleashed the power of his much-respected UNCAGE imprint and announced UNCAGE Events. Each one will find him playing the headline slot with a key label associate to make for fully immersive party experiences at the best clubs on the planet. His dexterity in the booth and ability to play big and powerful or more deep and nuanced left an indelible mark on all who heard him. His stylish productions make just as strong an impression: they have come thick and fast in the last few years with more than 40 original tracks, two full lengths and countless 12"s. Testament to the diversity of his sound is the range of different labels he has released on, from techno favourites like Rekids and Drumcode to the iconic house of Defected. His own UNCAGE is now at the heart of the underground thanks to a steady stream of music from the legendary likes of Radio Slave, Mark Broom and Donato Dozzy next to new school talents such as Flug, Anfisa Letyago and Marcal. His famously creative and relentless output continues at the end of 2022 with a track on Alan Fitzpatrick's We Are The Brave, a remix of The Advent on his own UNCAGE label and new music on Drumcode and Filth On Acid. The new year brings a remix for Eats Everything on EI8HT and a track for the Rekids 50th release anniversary compilation as well as much more besides. All this proves that Marco Faraone very much embodies the sound of contemporary techno. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

With hints of neo-psychedelia, electro-pop, and garage punk in their catchy, snarling indie rock, Belgian group Balthazar formed in Kortrijk in 2004. Their second album, Rats, went all the way to number one in Belgium in 2012. After starting Balthazar as teenagers, the lineup of Maarten Devoldere (lead vocals/guitar/keyboards), Jinte Deprez (guitar/vocals), and Patricia Vanneste (violin/keyboards/vocals) won a national youth talent competition in 2005 with the song "Lost and Found." They included the track on their self-titled debut EP, released in 2006. By then, they had begun touring with additional members Joachim Quartier (bass) and Koen Verfaillie (drums). In early 2007, the rhythm section was replaced by Simon Casier and Christophe Claeys. The following year, the band played their first shows outside of Belgium, visiting nearby countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and in 2009, they did a club tour of South Africa before returning to the studio. Their first full-length record, Applause, arrived in March 2010 and spent a week at number 13 on Belgium's album chart. They followed it up with appearances at European summer festivals such as Pukkelpop and Rock Werchter as well as tours in support of the Joy Formidable and dEUS. With mixing by Noah Georgeson (the Strokes, Joanna Newsom), the band's second studio LP, Rats, was released by Play It Again Sam in 2012. It topped the album chart in Belgium, also charting in France and the Netherlands. Featuring the line-up of Devoldere, Deprez, Vanneste, Casier, and drummer Michiel Balcaen, their third long-player, 2015's Thin Walls, was their first with an outside producer, Ben Hillier (Depeche Mode, Blur). It reached the number two spot in their home country and the Top 20 in the Netherlands. After 14 years in the group, Vanneste parted ways with Balthazar in April 2018. The rest of the members returned with their PIAS-issued fourth album Fever in early 2019. The title track became their first single to chart in Belgium when it debuted at number 47. This was succeeded by 2021 LP Sand: preoccupied with themes of restlessness and waiting, the group's fifth album featured a cover designed by sculptor Margriet Van Breevort. Biography by Marcy Donelson 2. Balthazar is a Black Metal band from New Zealand of the industrious Mort. They cite association with Exiled From Light, Schizophrenia, Funereal, Beyond Light, Serpenthrone, Nystagmus, Einsamkeit, When Mine Eyes Blacken and Winds Of Sorrow. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.