www.mixmag.net[[1L]] december 2012

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surrender!’s top 3 alcohol enhancers:ChoCoLate Cake “I can’t get drunk without eating something sweet. Chuck a chocolate cake my way, however, and I’ll be doing barrel rolls around the room!”tobLerone “A dark, bitter Toblerone is vodka’s very best friend.”ChoCoLate protein shake “A post-gym protein shake got me surprisingly smashed when a friend coaxed me out for drinks recently.”

Glittering electro-house that will have you begging for morewho Ulas koka, 23soUnds Like Justice and daft punk fighting with synth-sabres

Ulas KoKa describes himself as “weird and different”. and he is – at least in his native Turkey, which he will soon be helping to put on the dance music map. listen to his tunes, though, and you could easily mistake the 23-year-old for the leather-jacketed love child of Justice and daft Punk. “in my head i produce disco, like a movie soundtrack”, says Ulas, unabashed. “People say it sounds like daft Punk or Justice, which is cool, but i use the arpeggiator because i like the sound.”

surrender! has the same unmistakable love for disco as the two pairs of famous Parisians, but Ulas’ journey began very differently. in 1993 his mother packed in her lawyer’s job representing the Turkish mob due to a series of unsavoury threats and took Ulas to live with his grandparents in amsterdam. Here, he “didn’t live in a nice neighbourhood” and grew tired of fighting with his dutch peers.

still, dutch radio filled his cassettes with electronic music and by 19, back in istanbul, he knew he wanted to produce.

His first release in 2010 was under the moniker optimo. inspired by amon Tobin and Mr oizo, Ulas experimented with different approaches before boiling down over 100 tracks to a potent eP.

Now, surrender!’s self-titled debut lP is delivering all the twists and turns of a classic long-player and getting support from the likes of a-Trak, breakbot and aeroplane. looks like it’s time to raise the white flag and give in. phil dudman