When Dave Preston brought Marcus Andrew and Ned Shepard onto his Rhythmaculture show back in April of 2003, the listeners and crew of Proton Radio were caught off guard. The deep atmospheric sounds of Digital Witchcraft were mind numbingly beautiful and went on to grace our airwaves later that year with a Featured Artist mix that put their name at the forefront of the progressive and breaks scene.
Then, when Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff of Way Out West debuted Digital Witchcraft's 'Fingerpaint' on the BBC, Proton decided to book the boys for our WMC 2004 event in Miami. We really just wanted to hear the song again-- on proper speakers.
Months later the track was still unsigned and the Proton Music label was born. 'Fingerpaint' marks the first release on the radio station's digital music label, what we hope will provide a vehicle for our favorite artists to unleash their masterpieces.
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R&M Mix
"We thought the R&M mix had the best combination of production quality, cohesiveness as a song, and use of the melodies from the original of all the ones we heard." - Digital Witchcraft
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Out of Iceland comes the duo project of Roofuz and Mr. Minute, partners in crime with the Funk Harmony Park production outfit.
Their entry into the Proton Remix competion is their first attempt at remixing another artist, although they have numerous original productions on the way-- the first of which, "My Truth" is currently out and tearing up dance floors on Fade Records.
Having spent the last 15 years creating music and art, R&M are now at the forefront of a new Icelandic club scene they dub the "Arctic Wave".
"Corey and Blake are set to take over. This remix is a very good example of how they can perfectly combine melodies with dirty basslines and very complex elements. I never get tired of listening to this remix." -Sam Packer
"For Sam and the rest of the Proton Crew, it was the dirty synth that will undoubtedly rip open any dance floor that made the Opencloud mix stand out-- but it was the melody they wrote on their own that slowly lifts itself out of the original that did it for me." -Jay Epoch
Blake Potter and Corey Spengler, together as Opencloud, are crafting bombs that have recently entered the arsenal of the likes of Hybrid and Phil K. Their Fingerpaint remix might explain why.
One of the most important parts of the original tune is how it makes you feel, and Opencloud succesfully captures that mood and makes it their own in a remix that is true to the original yet of a completely different nature.
Wrapping up a production with Proton's own Lance Cashion and putting the finishing touches on their first EP, Opencloud will soon be on the tongues of many.
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A chance encounter at a small
recording school in Orlando Florida in the fall of 2000 brought Marcus and Ned together for the first time. After discovering an uncanny similarity in musical preferences and Dj styles the two paired up in the studio at first to complete projects dictated by the curriculum of the school but quickly found themselves working on their own projects outside the boundaries of the classroom.
After Marcus finished up his recording engineering degree he moved up to Atlanta Georgia to pursue his Dj’ing and production. In the meantime, Ned spent time traveling abroad and eventually ended up attending school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Over the following two years the two have paired up in the studio every few months to write and produce as Digital Witchcraft.
In the summer of 2002 Marcus and Ned wrote “Pocket Universe” with “Brindavan” to shortly follow. The two tracks received attention from Montreal artist Sultan who passed the tracks on to local label Chug/Opek. Since then, the two have written numerous tracks and been remixed by the likes of artists such as Grayarea and Momu. Their records have received massive support from Nick Warren, BT, Dave Seaman, James Zabiela, Max Graham, Jonathan Lisle, Ali Ajami, Jonathan Ojeda, Chloe, Sultan, Tone Depth (the Greek), Habersham and Dave Preston among others.
While on their own, Marcus has pursued his Dj’ing full time in the southeastern United States as well as working on solo projects and collaborations with Dave Preston and Atlanta based producer Habersham. In Montreal, Ned has joined Sultan in the studio on a number of projects under the moniker Jiva and worked on his own solo projects while continuing his studies at McGill.
Throughout the summer of 2003 the pair have been working furiously in the studio writing tracks, Dj’ing, remixing, and collaborating on projects with other artists.
Fans of 'Fingerpaint' will most likely enjoy Marcus & Ned's back catalog of amazing tracks. Click the track titles to download: Jono Fernandez - Deliver Me (Digital Witchcraft Mix) [Institution] Habersham & Numinous - Leaving Tifton (Digital Witchcraft's Miles from Melbourne Mix) [Blueprint]
Digital Witchcraft - The Snow Day EP [Institution]
Digital Witchcraft - Brindavan / Pocket Universe [Opek]
Artists interested in submitting a demo reel to Proton Music should contact Sam or Jason.
Whether you're an unsigned artist, someone who's been on Proton before, or an established producer, we would love to hear from you!
