As co-creator and weekly resident DJ of Girls & Boys, Webster Hall’s acclaimed Friday party, Alex English has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the DJ world. In the past year alone, Girls & Boys has played host to Xavier de Rosnay, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Crookers, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Deadmau5 and Chromeo, among others.

With over 20 years of DJ experience under his belt, Alex English has become a fixture in the electro scene in New York City. Apart from his residencies at Thom Bar on Thursdays, Webster Hall on Fridays, and the Tribeca Grand Hotel on Saturdays, Alex also deals with booking the all-star DJ line-up for GBH parties at Webster Hall, Tribeca Grand, and North 8th in Williamsburg.

Tonight, Alex English and Dan Physics will make their debut as Disko Dali when they open for Justice’s sold-out DJ set at Webster Hall. Though Alex came up with Disko Dali back in 2001, he and Dan didn’t start working together until this past summer. The duo writes and produces original dance music and has done remixes of artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Dragonette, and Depeche Mode (check out some of their remixes on their MySpace page, or listen to their remix of “Plastic Caramelo” below).

Over the last few weeks, we traded emails with Alex to discuss his DJ career, influences, and upcoming projects. After the jump, read an excerpt of the interview that transpired.

We compiled photos documenting some of Alex’s exploits around New York City to celebrate The HiFi Cartel’s 100th Photo Gallery… click here to check it out. Be sure to listen to the Disko Dali remix of Plastic Caramelo’s self-titled track, streamed below, and check back soon for the Alex English edition of HiFi Essentials.

Plastic Caramelo – “Plastic Caramelo” (Disko Dali Mix)

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We’ve got our tickets and we are on board the Golden Filter train. Since catching the group at the Tribeca Grand, we could only marvel at their secrecy – any information we learned only led to more questions. Between touring and working on a new album, we caught up with Penelope (the lead singer) and Stephen (the simultaneous drummer and keys player) for a Q&A. Their first release “Solid Gold” made a splash on the web, garnering the group some worldwide attention. With “Thunderbird,” their long-awaited single, we can only wonder what they have in store for their upcoming album – set for release early 2010. Click through for the interview and teaser.

Golden Filter – “Thunderbird”

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When I first arrived on dubstep’s doorstep, two names stood out amongst those forging bass drenched rhythm in South London… Skream and Benga. Both began producing music at an early age with Benga (Beni Uthman) pumping out lo-fi goodies from his Playstation at the age of 12 and Skream (Oliver Jones) crafting his wobble with Fruity Loops by age 15. Once they started pressing dubplates (a vinyl release for those not familiar), both shared the “do-it-yourself” philosophy which allowed them to shape their sonority as they saw fit.

These two are now the rudeboys of the dubstep scene, an honor that seems stronger than ever, so it’s no surprise they’ve teamed up to serve their dubby gospel worldwide. Benga has only this request of your speakers: “To preach this music, which is bassline music, you need a good system. Hook me up with that and I’m happy.” Of course, a worldwide jaunt would not be complete without a stop in the Big Apple, so be sure to catch them drop the heavy at Le Poisson Rouge next Saturday for Trouble & Bass’ anniversary party. And who knows, we might let you in for free.

Few Tracks for your aural pleasure, please listen with a bit of sub bass.

La Roux – In For The Kill (Last Japan Skream Re-Edit)

Benga – Crunked Up

Last.fm interview with Benga & Skream on the jump.

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Nick Catchdubs has his plate full and he wants to share it with you. His music-making journey started with a high school band. In college he designed graphics for Hollertronix and made obsessive mix tapes for graduation parties before becoming a DJ and founding a successful record label. Since realizing DJ-ing is what he wanted to do after hearing mixes from Hollertronix, Mark Ronson and others, it has been a learning experience for Nick. His budding love of music has led him to grow within circles of friends and artists. In his early years, Nick observed the likes of Cosmo Baker, DJ Ayres and others who were considerably doing things properly from a technical and programming standpoint in music. He took what he learned along with the experiences and made it his own. ‘The Catchdubs Spin’ is an inclusion of genres from dance music, hip hop, dance hall, electro, rock and more. Nick uses different styles and genre as a means of connecting to his audience. While his sound is distinct, he makes a point of making a stamp with his music in coalescence to the  audience and their experience.

As the co-founder of Fool’s Gold Records with DJ A-Trak, leaving a stamp on an audience has become a part of Nick’s music. Fool’s Gold breeds this concept with a list of artists, DJs and producers who are taste making individuals in the music industry. From exciting mix tapes to sold out shows, Fool’s Gold captures music and creates an environment where DJs can have an influence through a label that strives for sounds and artists from an independent and underground scene.  According to Nick, the Fool’s Gold product isn’t about forcing taste, it is about molding what comes naturally through the camaraderie of artists who strive to carve their own path through maintaining good relationships and releasing good music. The success of products like Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘N’ Nite” is an added bonus among their work. The idea behind the label and their music is to operate through the cultivation of a “cool project and a cool brand,” and finding ways of making money from those means.

Fool’s Gold releases are met with an eager and receptive audience to their ever-changing and evolving work. Nick is a great example of somone who loves what he does and commits to it. He continues to strive for the dynamic between the stage and the audience. While being on a stage can change how one works, Nick finds a personal level that continues to attract people to his work.

We interviewed Nick just before he left for Australia as a part of the Flashing Lights tour.

Read the Interview after the jump.

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Upon discovering Terry Urban’s Southerngold, The Hifi Cartel tapped him on the shoulder for Santigold’s afterparty at Greenhouse immediately following her performance at Terminal 5.  Terry kept the crowd at Greenhouse moving well into the night by curating the soundtrack for a great party with an engaging mix of tracks and technique.

Southerngold’s release has been met with the same inception in likeness to the Grey Album. We caught up with terry with some questions to find out more about him and the mix.

Read the interview after the jump.

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