The Immigrant story is essentially the story of British ex-pat Robin Porter. It was the Acid House era of the late 80’s and the hazy days of Manchester’s Hacienda where Robin Porter experienced timeless nights of filthy Chicago Trax and emotive Detroit Techno. The evolution of his DJ style stems from the melody and soul delivered by the early House pioneers: Adonis, Mr. Fingers, Juan Atkins, Marshall Jefferson, 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, and Farley "Jackmaster" Funk. Early excursions into Hip-Hop production, Dancehall, Ragga, and frequent sessions with local House producers helped him formulate a distinct DJing style and appreciation for ‘all things Techno.’ After graduating from University with a degree in design and photography and a desire to discover more than what lay in the outskirts of inner city Manchester, he journeyed to America, combining his design and DJing skills into an outlet for both, starting his label Immigrant in 1999.

The Immigrant concept is a vehicle to expose personal creativity and the creativity in other like-minded artists. Contrasting themes of travel with technology, both physical and mental, the label offers both House and Techno to a global dance music market that struggles to uphold quality and purity. While in the States, Robin has earned various residencies and shared the stage with the cream of the crop of the scene. Along with the aid of fellow labels such as Cytrax, Delay, Palette, Resource, Solid Trax, Plug Research, Siesta, Greyhound, Seasons and more, a second generation of West Coast labels and producers has encouraged the growth of the U.S. scene, just in the way that the likes of Hardkiss, Exist Dance, Trip n’ Spin and others did in the early 90’s. Porter (and Immigrant’s future) includes solo projects, more creative collaboration, graphic design for Vexel Brothers clothing, new media and the continuation of the visual and multimedia aspects of the Immigrant theme.  

To date, Immigrant has released just over ten singles, tapping some of the finest rising stars on the US Techno and House axis to release tracks and establishing itself as one of America’s finest purveyors of envelope pushing dancefloor vibes. Border Crossing celebrates and reflects the label’s pioneering spirit by collecting exclusive moments from many of the artists that have already helped to make Immigrant a domestic imprint to watch closely (John Tejada, Lucas Rodenbush, Kenneth Graham, Alexi Delano) as well as shedding some light on some of the next wave of American producers (Dean DeCosta, Lance DiSardi) and a few UK compatriots (Paul Mac, a.J.Scent) that will propel the label into the future.

Selected Artist Biographies/Discographies:

G.O.L. (ALEXI DELANO)

One of the most talented House and Techno producers on the scene today, Alexi Delano started DJing in the early 1980’s as his love for Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk and Soul pushed him to expose his musical talent to the world. Born in Chile and raised in Sweden, Alexi started a radio show in a suburb of Stockholm at the tender age of 15. In the late 80’s, Alexi took a trip to Spain where he discovered House music and instantly realized that dance music was his calling. Teaming up with his friend Cari Lekebusch, they co-produced Alexi’s first record, Life On The Other Side for Sweden’s Loop Records. After being well received by the dance community, Alexi began releasing for a number of labels including Hybrid, Missile, Svek, Jericho, Strive, Earthtones, Plastic City and his own Cornershots imprint.

CASEY HOGAN

Born in Miami, Florida but uprooted many times due to his father’s career in radio, Casey has finally settled down and laid a solid foundation in New York City. His early exposure to the world of radio introduced him to everything from Jazz to Electro and Disco. Although young Casey appreciated all genres of music, it was the New Beat/Industrial sound of the late 80’s – Yaz, Depeche Mode, etc. – that caught his attention. Simultaneously, Casey discovered Hip-Hop and as well as the fresh new Techno sounds spilling out of Detroit. As his production and DJ prowess began to outgrow the scene in Tennessee, where he was living, he looked to New York as the perfect location to expand his career. Last year saw Casey kickstart his career with releases on US based labels Immigrant, Intrinsic Design, AV8, and Plastic City. Busy as ever with numerous studio projects and a packed DJ schedule, you can find him at the esteemed New York record shop Sonic Groove acting as their head Techno and House buyer.

LUCAS RODENBUSH (EBE)

A diligent pupil of traditional Western, ethnic and electro-acoustic media, Lucas has spent over 8 years studying music as an artform. Upon discovering the underground San Francisco rave culture in 1992, he became eager to integrate his music discipline with a fresh new sound called Techno. In 1994, after seeking musical advice from some of the Bay Area’s industry elders, Lucas brought a tape of his music into San Jose’s premier Techno record emporium, Solid Grooves. After humbly receiving a hefty amount of constructive criticism from the store’s owner, Lucas quickly realized that he still had a lot to learn about this seemingly benign form of music. In the following year he became accustomed to the art of DJing and applied that knowledge to his music. As of late, EBE has become one of the most sought after US producers associated with the Tech-House genre. With highly acclaimed releases on Immigrant, Soma, Yoshitoshi, and Plastic City, Lucas has made his mark and is a staple in the record boxes of DJ’s spanning the globe.

JOHN TEJADA

With an exceptional catalog of releases on numerous labels, LA’s mystery man Techno producer, John Tejada, is a premier innovator of Techno music. Born in Vienna, Austria, John’s musical introduction was orchestrated by his parents, his mother an acclaimed Soprano and his father a musical conductor. At age 3 he began his classical training on piano, followed at age 8 by the drums. At age 12, he began DJing and at age 18 he purchased his first guitar, bought with the money he won at a DJ competition. John began to experiment with electronic music at the age of 16. He later turned his focus to European labels, resulting in impressive releases for A13, Multiplex, Generations/R&S. As well as starting his own Palette Recordings label, John has worked on close to 60 releases and has contributed remixes for RCA, Sony, and Mammoth Records. He also works on post-production music for Killer Tracks and has produced a wealth of beats and breaks sample CD’s including the top-selling LA Riot series and Wall Of Vinyl. One of URB Magazine’s Top 100 artists to watch in 1998, his track "Distilled" was featured in the TV advertising campaign for Polaroid’s I-Zone camera.

KENNETH GRAHAM

For the past ten years California born and bred producer/DJ Kenneth Graham has created the highest quality Techno and House music for labels around the world. With a clear vision of individual progress, Kenneth strives to push his personal boundaries as a live artist and DJ. His experimentation with a variety of musical forms has resulted in timeless pieces of music, with recent productions on Immigrant, Plastic City, Peacefrog, and Distant that have earned him 'household’ name status in many countries. This year, Kenneth has launched his latest project, Visage, is a label that will become the vehicle for his own artistic vision and an outlet to release more groundbreaking music.

PAUL MAC

Paul Mac began DJing at the age of 16, beginning with the sounds of Hip-Hop. As with so many young Britons in the late 80’s the pull of Acid House became too strong and he began to use his carefully honed mixing skills in this new direction. Living outside of a major city, Paul soon found that getting booked is near impossible without some kind of reputation so he began experimenting in the studio. After about a year in the studio, he released his first EP on Josh Brent’s (later of Schatrax fame) shortlived Not Guilty label which was well received by the likes of Derrick May. Following this release, great strides were made and a series of releases on James Ruskin’s Fracture label soon followed as well as on his own Stimulus imprint, which increased his notoriety as a top quality head behind the mixing desk and the turntables and produced notable collaborations with Ben Sims (Killaloop) and Takaaki Itoh.

a.J.SCENT

Based in Bristol, producer Justin Brett (aka a.J.Scent) has jumped onto the scene in the last year or so, notching more than a handful of EP’s for such esteemed underground labels as Placktown Sounds, End Recordings, Honchos, Immigrant, and Artform.

Immigrant 12" EP Catalog/Release Schedule (Singles)

IMM 001 DJ Jes "Moving Directly EP" (Released 09/99)
IMM 002 Kenneth Graham "Late Night Theory EP" (Released 02/00)
IMM 003 Alexi Delano (G.O.L) "Man Out Of Time EP" (Released 03/00)
IMM 004 Robin Porter & Kenneth Graham "Migratory Mediums EP" (Released 04/00)
IMM 005 Casey Hogan "Switchstance EP" (Released 05/00)
IMM 006 John Tejada "Focus & Temper EP" (Released 08/00)
IMM 007 E.B.E "Tales From Abroad EP" (Released 10/00)
IMM 008 Jamie Anderson w/A-J-Scent Remix" Tonal Values EP" (Released 02/01)
IMM 009 Kenneth Graham w/Robin Porter Remix "Fire Water Machine EP" (Release Date 04/01)
IMM 010 Maetrik "Entering The Cycle EP" (Release Date 05/01)
IMM 011 Paul Mac "Mental Stealth EP" (Release Date 06/01)
IMMLP/CD-01 Border Crossing Compilation  (Release Date 10/01)
IMM 012 John Tejada "Mating Rhythm EP" (Release Date 11/01)
IMMLP/CD-02 John Tejada w/Funk D'Void Remix "The Toiling Of Idle Hands"  (Release Date 12/01)
IMM 013 Robin Porter "Mental Stealth EP" (Release Date TBC)


Release Date: First Quarter, 2002

For more information please contact Lynn at Green Galactic, 323-466-4151 or lynn@greengalactic.com.