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First up on this 4 tracker straight outta France is Shawn Wards take on the title track, deep and melodic is the game here, excellent drums roll along alongside a relentless a nice acid like bass with whispery vocals. 'Don't Be Lonely' is warm up stuff done right in my opinion, well programmed and simple it's the sort of track where people sat drinking in a bar will head nod without realising it. Turning the record over we find the An2 remix of 'Don't Be Lonely', deep whooshes and swirling synths combine with crisp percussion to create a sort of mystic vibe to this track. Finally it's the title track 'Movin Viloation', Vernon serves up a techy and deep feeling track which would suit most dancefloors and times of night. Good EP with nice remixes. |
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Glasgow's main man signs up to the excellent 3am label to delivery a skipping, bouncy underground house work-out. Hot keys meet a cool sax and are snuggled up against a smooth vocal hook. Perfect for late nights, early mornings or even late afternoons with a beer in the sun, it strikes a great balance between the soulful and driving house. "She said" takes things further still into lush, summer-vibe territory,
whilst managing to keep a driving, full, rhythm going. |
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America's beloved easy-listening folk-pop titan is back, and what a change of pace! This new solo album from 1/3 of swayzak is incredible. Every track is scrupulously produced, maintaining a delicate
balance of thoughtful, sophisticated minimalism and engaging textural richness throughout, from the first to the last track. It's been a long time since i was so wowed by an entire album. a lot of the micro stuff that i've heard in the last couple of years, exciting as i find it creatively, fails to really and truly move my ass. not so with carthage milk; i want to put it on at full blast in my room and fucking *rock out*.
Do yourselves a favor and check this out if you haven't had a chance yet. it's the bee's knees. |
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A label for connoisseurs of lovingly-crafted electronica, this release admirably maintains the tradition. Gabriel Ananda's production on his two mixes is so rich and thick you could stand a spoon up in it: the 'club' mix swaggers along with beefy chugging tribal drums and vulcanised bass, freaky-deak synth yelps and stunning chord progressions - pure damage! The 'dub' erects a wall of bass from the get go and strikes up a beguiling strut, blowing big old smoke rings as it goes - spiritual electronic sounds. Mambotur's own 'club' mix is a lesson in dry, sharp beats and punchy, punchy stabs. Final remix duties go to Jay Haze who iknterprets the original as a kind of futuristic afrobeat excursion that really makes the most of the haunting, dreamy vocal. Love this release. |
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This new track from Derek Martin on Cove is very good, If you're into your tech house tough style head for the original, but if like me you're not get onto the flip side for a remix from Junik straight out of Croatia. This remix oozes quality, it does have a very slight Lawnchair Generals style to it, lots of little bleeps and vocal snippets thrown in, make this a very beats driven track. I will be playing this a lot, a big crowd and two copies equals destruction!
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This is featured on the excellent Ivan Smagghe CD "Death Disco" discussed here a while back. Anyway it's a retro style jam with a nasty rolling bassline and a full, top notch male vocal. Full as in full original lyrics, not just a little loop or sample. I'm really picky about vocals and this is one of those blow-the-roof-off type of songs. NO ONE is leaving the floor during this tune. I'm currently favoring the Electrodub mix with it's Moroder-ish synth line, but there's a more rock oriented mix and radio edit too which are both good.
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Two releases old and the Glasgow lad has already drafted in Alex Dean and Dennis DeSantis to perform remix duties on his imprint. It's the latter man we're concerned with here, who turns in an interpretation of the driving, pacey original that bears the hallmarks of its creator so distinctly, there's simply no mistaking who's responsible upon hearing the first few bars.
Mr DeSantis once again conjures a deep-space vista that swells and ebbs with an undulating, snaking bass line, glorious, subliminal synth motifs and snappy, whipcrack percussion. Where DeSantis excels is in generating space, in allowing his elements to breathe, and this is another sublime demonstration of that skill. Vinyl outings from this man are getting pretty scarce these days - all the more reason for you to track a copy of this down - maturity and longevity come as standard. |
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Jesse Rose’s Front Room imprint delivers four cuts of sonically focused house club work-outs. “Say What” is fidgety and as loud as an Australian thunderclap, chopped up samples scatter around a repetitive drum loop and grainy distorted bass line. Jesse Rose himself steps up for a remix and adds a hypnotic vocal. “Yummy” maintains the cut and paste ethos with a deeper, bongo driven groove, “After Dark” has a jumping house groove and jazzy overtones. |
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Mr Schneider opens the wormhole once more and grants us a glimpse of a distant future, consisting of cold-hearted clinically percussive stealth-tech - this sounds like the kinda music the Sentinels from 'The Matrix' make in their down time. As you would expect from this guy, the sound creation on display is immense in its originality and execution; the beats are lovingly crafted, minimal yet peaking and dropping in all the right places to guarantee impact. The main cut boasts a descending, resounding synth line which simply oozes menace from every pore, not to mention an incredible breakdown midway sampling heavy breathing and doors opening - I kid you not. Jeff Samuel delivers a lighter, more introspective rerub on the flip, before the ep closer 'Bassism' hits you full in the face with more amazing drum programming and speaker-slaying bottom end. I can imagine Craig Richards caning this at Fabric - and rightly so. Music for big dark rooms with big, big sound systems... |
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1Up is Ravi McArthur in his more clubby guise. That aside, there's no escaping his filthy rhythms and razor-edged commotion. Brimming with energy this is an alluring feast of electronics and rock guitar. Potent and poisonous it's that dangerous jar at the back of the cupboard that as a youngster you were always told to steer clear of. Retaining a fair proportion of the electronic theme, Kiki and Silver Surfer's create a bleepy and retro feel on the flip. Another sure hit with the electro-house fans there's enough sleaze to corrupt even the purest of minds. |
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Its seems like Justin Martin and Sammy D must have a good laugh in the studio whilst writing tracks for Dirty Bird, like the previous release on the San Fran imprint they have gone for quirkyness and funkyness on 'Swamp Thang'. Trumpet stabs and a chopped vocal ride alongside a booty shaking bass that make this track pretty damn good, it takes a few listens to really get into the groove of it but its well worth it. On the same side is a Claude VonStroke remix which is a lot more minimal than the original, and takes a while to pick up but overall is a good track. Flipping the vinyl finds the Music For Freaks 'Freakswashhousefunkthang' mix. They have upped the tempo and made it all together a tougher track than the original, more of a beat tool than a standalone track in my opinon, this mix would be good for chopping in and out of the mix on a very loud system in a dark and dirty sweatbox of a club. |
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This impressively consistent label presents the ever-so bas-ass Mr Baxter adding his sleazy vocal touches to a slammin' nu-old school workout. You got your basic elements all present and correct - no-shit beats, sharp claps and crisp hats, and just the right touch of you-know-what, all wrapped up in a killer arrangement. You gotta surrender to this one. The remix on the flip is a mind-bending excursion into uncharted 303 territory. Acid as a fad is dead - welcome back acid!
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A plentiful supply of credible music has been coming from this UK label for some time now. Certainly one to keep an eye on this release continues the course. Revolution is agitated with a swift rhythm composition that appears to trip over itself in a lively fashion. Without being simplistic it's precise and expertly arranged around a bouncing bass. Tyler and Daniel incorporate a somewhat phat feel on the flip, perhaps describing who they are. It's quite low-slung and the vocal sample adds a stoned, dub mash-up happiness to the theme.
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Wrong doing what they do best, packin' up and parcelling out the solid dancefloor goods.
The original mix is a rock solid drum and bass workout which is reminiscent of Mr Rizvi's superb
Dark Male remix of a few years back - namely, big live sounding beats, rocking percussion and a big,
warm wobbling bottom end (well, who can't resist those eh?).
The bold rap refrain gives this one real impact.
Mr Namvar re-interprets on the flip and moves into a sparser,
more electronically-processed direction, sharpening up the sounds and squelching things up
very nicely, while steadily building up a tense, spooky vibe. Quality slab - 'avin it!
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Watch out for this one shaking a woofer near your eardrum soon! This groove defines no-nonsense.
We're barely past the percussion intro before the big, heaving bottom end steams in and sets matters straight.
A rocking, marching groove presides, augmented by eerie sci-fi dub effects sliding in from the sidelines; the
breakdown introduces a metallic bark which counters the groove perfectly. Vocal chants fade in while a wicked
chattering synth pushes the whole bandwagon on...a solid system wrecker with superb original sounds. Naughty.
'Outta my tree (dub)' plows a more techno-oriented furrow, a steadily mounting assault of metallic percussion,
crisp hats and echoing, half-heard refrains, topped off with a heavy wobbling sub-bassline that's held nicely in
check. Menacing acid makes it's presence known later on - again in an almost teasing fashion.
A very effective groove weapon - I'm very keen to hear the full version on this showing.
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Tiefschwarz continue their "incapable of doing wrong" stretch with this compilation.
The tracklisting from the full CD is nicely diverse, including everything from pure Detroit electro to
deep house, minimal shit, and points in between. This particular 12" gives us a little unmixed
selection from the full CD. Drama Society Feat Turner "Crying Hero (Tiga Mix)" should really be called "We
really really like Nitzer Ebb." Pounding drums sounding suspiciously like the Alesis HR-16 (made "famous" by
Ministry among others), a pulsing 16th note bassline that would make Front 242 proud, and a vocalist who DEFINITELY
wears pleather to relax around the house. Code 6 "Quad 1" is dreamy analog deep house with a retro style that reminds
me a lot of Amnesia-era Mr. Fingers, or the more acid influenced releases on Nu Groove.
My pick here is Max Durante & Keith Tucker "Digital System," a bouncey Detroit electro number
(complete with HAL 9000 samples) that would have done Aux 88 proud back in the day. |
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San Francisco's Ryan Bishop and Ryan Fitzgerald first popped up in 2002 with a pair of lovely releases on Germany's Traum Schallplatten. Last year they released their first LP, "Initial Public Offering", to rave reviews praising it as "melodic" and "accessible" when everything else seemed to be going glitch. This release continues the trend back toward more straightforward (read: "musical") composition, and rounds out Spectral's catalogue quite nicely. "Opening Night" is a low-slung groover, almost retro New York in its vibe, with its bubbly bassline and delayed synth stabs. "After Hours" is my pick of the two, with crisp percussion, dubby up-beat sounds, and lots of (taseful!) layered synthesis. This is emotive fodder for discerning dancefloors everywhere,
and I look forward to hearing more from Ryan & Ryan in the future. |
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My mate was at the phono office on the day they closed down (filching all the back-cat no doubt) and apparently they were all weeping like girls. Well, when you listen to some of these old Herbert releases, you can see why. Deep, mellow, house music, nice vocal, and herberts (old) trademark pitched down drums and glitchy fx. MAKE SOME MORE HOUSE MUSIC HERBERT YOU TWAT, we all like your new weird stuff, but how’s about just doing one more e.p of slick deep house coz you were the king kiddo.
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The main track on this slab moulds techno and house elements together and is therefore, IM very HO, a tech house record - and not a bad one at that. The bass is the beginning of the road that end at 'Jackin' and the techno bits come from the repeating synth sounds. The second break, allows a nice long mix (at first glance), offers a little speech about being dreamers and voooooooov (my word) almost South London sounding warmness pulls in and lifts the whole thing up and off, destination - a land called groovy. A sprinkling of light uplifting sounds keeping the bus running on
positive vibrations. The a-j-scent on the flip side is a reworking of the same thing but a little mellower, has extra noodles and replaces the techno sounds with a calm chime that would not go a miss on Sunday morning. The inside b track, the dub, is bloomin lovely. Broken beat, live sounding, drum sequencing underneath dubbed out stabs and a little programming normally
attributed to a 303. It's all pinned down by the most straight forward bass line which, if you are a sucker like me, has all the right changes, in all the right places. |
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Reminiscent of the brilliant ADJD releases on Poker Flat, but without even a hint of...well, you know, melody and stuff. One repeating acid riff, 909 drums, and an evil voice chanting "I want to remember/My mind is gone." Kind of like Bam Bam's "Where is Your Child" but less cheerful and upbeat. Hit em with this one when the beer/coke/ horse tranquilizer kicks in and they'll love you forever, if they could only remember your name.
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Steve Bug's house imprint has barely put a foot wrong over this past year, and this release keeps the direction rock steady and as up to the minute as ever. Dub Taylor in his acid house guise drops a three track EP of surgical, sleazy grooves guaranteed to get any dancefloor heaving. ' Computable Numbers' is the most immediate, with its swinging low-slung shuffle and minimal, repetitive synth refrain. High pitched strings build the tension before a big, fat, unmistakable stab signature steamrolls in... occupying a similar vein to Bug's own 'Houze' on Ovum; bold, distinctive, and very now. 'Right now' trip-skips along with intricate percussive touches and more superbly produced, bold lead lines - kinda like Pacman in a bad mood! Main cut 'In your house' is a grimy acidic breakbeat workout with a big, wide soundstage - major props to those 80s style electric snares! Retro-futurism crafted with care.
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Mr Baker is a well known voice (and face!) on this list, and musical excursions like this can only
raise that profile further still. His debut solo production effort, following on from his initial
release on Wiggle, gives us two contrasting flavours of contemporary tech house grooves:
'Twilight 22' is full of positive energy, building up very nicely from the mix-friendly intro with
layered beats and drifting vocal refrains to give way to a tough, driving bassline.
A quirky melodic refrain weaves neatly throughout, complemented by gritty, descending synths.
The arrangement is chock full of clever switches and drops - keeping the groove going and maintaining
interest. 'Baked Acid' is a more menacing proposition - the sort of tune that's plays at that time of
the night when you realise you've partied too hard but have got no choice to stay 'til the bitter end!
A narcotic soup of heavy kicks, low-down bass and agonised female wails, underpinned by a filthy acid
line that's slithering ever closer...you have been warned! Accomplished stuff indeed from Tom and one to definitely watch out for (if he doesn't see you first!)
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Darren Roach’s Studiotek imprint clocks release number 4. However, this track was initially released a couple of years ago on his label, limited to 200 copies and had no catalogue number. So in theory you could call this the fifth release. “Placid Groove” has been “re-buffed”, and as we’ve come to expect, the production is large and aimed straight at the floor. Complex percussion and a bouncy bass line fill the track completely. “Seventhirtynine” on the flip is new, and takes matters deep into the night whilst maintaining the trademark clean, but
complex rhythms. |
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Justin Maxwell is better known as half of young electro outfits Saeff! and Volsoc. His experience in these groups appears to have prepared him well for John Tejada's label, which for almost a decade now has showcased a diverse mix of interesting electronic music ranging from deep house to hard techno. But aside from just being interesting, this one is also quite nasty. It's certainly the dirtiest thing I've heard on Palette, exceeding the grit of Maxwell's recent collaboration with Tejada ("Higher"; PAL029), and right up there with Tejada and Leviste's "Psycho Happiness" (PAL030). The title track is a rip-roaring monster, chock full 'o crazy synth squeals and precision edits, ultra-deep wobbling basslines and digital effects. On the flip, "Lousy Party" getsevil, enveloping spoken words in reverberating detuned electronic stabs, sharp kicks, heavy sub-bass, and gritty industrial machinations. "Bebop Cola" is more of a tool, both sonically and structurally more minimal than the rest of the EP, consisting primarily of just a bass-heavy breakbeat and subtle clicks and synth squelches. This is another record that might not work everywhere, but dropped at the right time this could do some serious damage. I very much look forward to hearing more from Mr. Maxwell and Tejada's excellent
Palette Recordings.
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Yet another quality release from this well established German label. Schneider takes us on a microscopic space journey through reverberated sounds of a triangular nature. In between the dubbed out echoes, funk injected aliens tug at your midriff forcing your hips into motion. Flipping over, the atmosphere thins somewhat when you find yourself under attack from a hostile force. 'Moved' launches itself with sounds akin to a giant basket ball thrown being thrown across a vast chasm. After panic and fear, a calmer air sets in and you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your ears are in good hands. Entering back into one's own orbit 'Moesko' reassures us that familiar faces are within reach. Back on Earth, Aunty Em wonders where Dorothy and the crew have been for the past decade. How does she explain? Playing this EP sums it up in minutes.
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Portuguese tech-house star (and fellow listmember!) José Eduardo serves up three slamming slabs of nearly-techno. "Chrome" is a mechanical, German influenced, hard looping workout that retains an Iberican vibe. On the flip, "Laughter" delivers incessant pulsing bass and menacing synths, sounding for all the world like a classic Primate record! The B2, "Emotion" is the one that will interest most on this list... Wicked syncopated percussion rolls atop a squelching monotone analog bass bed. Tweaked, chopped up Portuguese lyrics complete the techhouse picture. This is a KILLER cut... Do not sleep! All up a dark, dirty EP capable of delivering a club body-blow. My only critique is that the production or pressing is a little lacking, and requires some EQ work in a system mix to hold its own. But great work Jose, and looking forward to the next instalments! |
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Simply seeing who is behind this EP is enough to strike up excitement. Judging by the amount of material that's been appearing from them recently, these two have probably achieved a nice, pale studio tan. Kicking off on more than the 'Right Hand' Jackson and Poli strike all the right chords with an infectious rhythm licked by laid-back female dialogue. The chunky bass-line is fat and full like a dealers pocket. 'Left Foot' takes you by the ears and swings you around in circles. The ever unfolding percussion is backed up by mini explosions and short, sharp hi-hats which tickle where least expected. Play it during peak moments and notice the lush sounds disallow even hardened wall flowers away from any such vertical.
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Al Bradley's diverse imprint drops three tracks of solid club tools by this Manchester-based outfit - the vibe here is stripped down, bare-bones elements designed to work in a club environment, and I have no doubt they will! 'Soundpool' kicks off with a rolling acidic groove that drives ever forward thanks to strategic use of hi-hats and percussion. There's a refreshing lack of flashy production effects, which can often distract from the matter at hand - rather a reliance on solid basic elements to keep things moving. 'Premachine' strikes a raw, looped percussive rhythm while electronic snarls build around it, before a wicked Transmat-esque bassline slips in the side door. Subtle, rising synths add atmosphere, but again, the groove takes centre stage. 'Seco' rounds up with an excursion into raw disco house waters, breaking down into a guitar motif that almost, almost, borders on anthemic - in the best possible taste of course. Three very underground, very useful tracks - good work.
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Feeding into my need for some more techno-edged cuts of late, another 12 I wanted to mention is Djinxx's excellent "Music in Jamaica" EP on Mangusta. The original is a tough, pulsing tribal roller. Clipping along at 132 bpm or so, it's all crisp drums and dark atmospheres, with a ragga tinged vox loop of the title making an occasional appearance. One of those great tracks that, while not breaking the mold, does it so well its irresistable.
The solid groove, pressure and pace of this have seen it as a mainstay of my sets... Top notch club lego!
The remixes are really interesting. Fafa Monteco goes synthetic and electronic, with vocoder madness and big string synths. Techy, proggy and evil! Finally, the Youngsters put in a severe techno interpretation...Aggressive,
tightly looped polyrythms and discordant flute melodies go to war with the dark atmospheres from the title cut.
I've been punishing this for some time on CDR, but it's on general release now. Thoroughly recommended for those who require some tougher tackle for
their crowds, three super-solid tracks!
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List-member and THL site interviewee Samuli Kemppi follows last year's
Shakes ep in very fine style with three varied cuts delving into deep,
organic tech-house waters.
Main cut 'Let you go' features lush, thick
synths and a strong vocal performance from Gigi backed up with a
chugging cowbell groove and a huge, heaving bassline. A peak-time track
for a deep tech crowd.
'Distant route' builds a marching, driving
momentum augmented by excellent echoing vocals and percussion, while an
ethereal synth rises slowly behind it all, conjuring a lovely sun-rise
vibe. The arrangement introduces subtle synth flourishes and a sweet
piano refrain, making this one an optimistic, soothing journey one
you'll want to revisit often.
'Broken Mind' toughens up matters but
keeps things organic - the resonant bassline boasts a superb falling
melody, the stabs are chunky and a skipping breakbeat leavens the 4/4.
A very well-rounded ep that will be in my play pile for a long time to
come.
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Slammin' 4 track EP from the versatile and unpredictable I:Cube. Every track here is quality. "Freez" is a funky electronic house freakout with a constantly
changing arrangement that recalls early Detroit techno and breakdance classics (is that a Hashim sample?). "Arp Surface" is a rather short but lovely arpeggiated house tune - think 808 State meets Metro Area. "Oblivion (Dixon's Edit)" is a re-edit of a great I:Cube album cut based on a bassline lifted from
the Adonis classic "No Way Back." The stark jackin house beats of the Adonis original are overlayed with funky handclaps and a great Detroit-esque melody.
Finally Maurice Fulton remakes the spastic "Vacuum Jackers" into a very restrained (for him) Metro Area styled deep house tune with live bass galore.
Very very nice stuff, not a bad cut here. |
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Quite a range of styles are covered by the three mixes offered here, by Rob Mello,
Jimpster and Maurice Fulton. First up Mr Mello delivers a bouncy electro-house "no ears mix". Pulsing
electronics surge and fall back over stuttered beats with the occasional vocal “Got to find your way”
chopped up from the original. Jimpster delivers a lush, jazz tinged, semi broken beat version of “Not a
club song” that could still be played in a house set and Mr Fulton wraps things up with an even
jazzier/broken beat affair that defiantly isn’t for the DJs but like much of Maurice’s work has real
musical composition and a feeling of audio art about it.
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Lucien Nicolet heads the cast of a new outfit with WMF Records artist Bucci
and the little-known vocalist Argenis Brito, who collaborated with Senor Coconut on his Latin Kraftwerk
remake project, "El Baile Alemaijn" ("The German Dance"). Their first release is a mini-LP of sorts,
containing a nice mix of minimal house and electro. "Teco" opens the A side, pairing filtered electro
percussion and bass with soft synth stabs, for a distinctly retro feel that's probably more appropriate
for the lounge crowd than big dancefloors. On the inside, "Automne" is a deep, dubby number that should be
at home in the box of Mosaic fans, with understated tribal percussive bits and a rolling, spacey vibe. On
the flip, "Argelulupier", "Mago" and "El Salvador" combine clicky breakbeats with detuned IDM-style
synths and subtle arrangements that float from start to finish. Like Rob Acid's, this release isn't for
everyone... especially those that can't be bothered with much more than the most straightforward club
tracks. But for those of you looking for something a bit more interesting, this should be a treat.
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Al Bradley's next up is a deep and (as the name would suggest!) jazzy two-sider.
Both tracks bounce along in an upbeat manner... Alex has stuck a nice balance between the overly-qwirky
funk of Freqs, and his own tendency to more traditional deep house programming. The result is fantastic.
Great harmonies between parts, some relaxed noodling, and enough detail to keep pushing buttons
throughout. Great opening, closing, or mid-set break material. This slab should be of equal interest
to the US and UK house contingents alike... |
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Third outing for this label and the percussive tech pressure is still very much present and correct.
The title cut is a tight, propulsive groove boasting stabby bass and driving rhythms,
and a nice line in rising synths. Special mention must go to the vocal sample
'It's all out there - all we got to do is go steal it". Anyone remember what movie that's from?
'Disclaimer' on the flip packs in some serious scattershot beats -
the programming here is something else - along with mean low-down sub bass, and a wicked break into
more stabby bottom end coupled with a dreamy deep synth refrain. The ep finishes up with a straight-up
dub of the tougher section of the title cut - very useful as a transitional tool!
Quality UK material from the boys.
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One of my favorite labels of all time is back! Label boss Chris Carrier
provides production on three tracks. Phil Weeks' "We Don't Play S..."
is my favorite;nothing ground-breaking, but it's got loads more oomph
than his other works, IMO. DJ Wild's "Cat Wash" is a nice slice of
jumpy, quirky stuff with a fat little bassline. Guillaume La Tortue
(fellow label boss, and other half of The Logic Box) joins Carrier on
the long side for a massive old-school acid house number that's
surprisingly straightforward. Glad to have you back, boys! |
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Stephen brown, who has previously recorded for djax-up beats and
transmat amongst others, delivers a sparkling three-tracker for the
increasingly promising affected music label. the a1 "sustain" is most
inclined towards the 'floor - a superbly smooth detroit-style piece of
deep tech-house that brings to mind recent bits on downlow and iridite.
"5080 ad" is equally good but in a far more laid-back way - this
reminds me more and more of mid-90s "at les"-era carl craig every time
i hear it. flip over for "latter works" and things improve even
further: this is a genuinely epic track with intricate drum
programming, numerous clever changes of direction, wonderfully varied
percussion and soaring synths. in many ways it's like an electronic
update of one of those glorious early spiritual life records by slam
mode or joe claussell that just go on and on and on, twisting and
turning into a grand finale. special stuff.
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Ben Watt at Buzzin' Fly is trying to do something special with this
label, by signing unknown talent and avoiding the trap of becoming
another faceless funky house label. And he has indeed signed some
amazing deep house that transcends the cliches of the genre. This is a
perfect example, mesmerizing, hypnotic late night underground house
music. Magic.
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West London Breakbeat madness in the house! This isn't new, but in the
"new to me" category after I tripped over it on Chris Cox's excellent
Places and
Spaces mix for Antipodean Records. Waiwan lead out with a slamming
piano loop, which is the glue in the track throughout. A male vox part
down low counterpoints with a female up high, looping an erotically
sung sting that croons about "looking for more"...Insistent, jazzified
synth jams bring the funk in a neat key-change breakaway, and the
lead-in to the drop is via a killer noise that sounds like the
Enterprise powering up to warp nine! This is breakbeat jazz, but the
intensity is so high it's a club weapon. Throw it in alongside some UR,
or just slam a 4x4 onto the top to exit, and ride it... genius. If you
liked that great Domu and Volcov 12" that Danny tipped last year,
you'll eat this one for breakfast... :) |
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Mr. reliable returns to his own label for yet another brilliant
three-tracker of bleepy, scratchy techno fun. this ep sees tejada's
sound move further into obtuse waters than even "geriatricks" hinted at
- the closest reference points being labels like karat, telegraph and
Musik Krause - but it's none-the-worse for it! a1 "higher" jacks in
all the right places, "pleasant hardisc surprise" shimmies along and
"unpleasant hardisc surprise" is just plain mental - and probably the
most destructive track on palette since dj abstract's "stormtrooper".
Killer material that I'm playing a lot right now.
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Anyone wanting to inject a dose of super-fat rolling bassline pressure
into their repertoire would do well to check the newie on Bunchlox;
three straight-up workouts custom built for seriously underground
parties with a crowd that's there for one reason and one reason only:
to dance like muthaf***as!! The A1 gives us 'Crazy Situations' which
busts out some ultra-tight syncopation backed up with some explosive
sub-bass; a virtuoso lesson in percussive drops. Perfect tripped-out
vocals and crisp, atonal chords rock the arrangement perfectly.
'Sniffin' goes heads-down with a very grimy, marching groove
complemented by twisted-out atmospherics and a bad tempered, bullish
bassline. Large personal hygiene issues on this one! The flip
'Something Short Of' takes its time with the buildup - a descending
metallic riff adds considerable menace, the hi-hats layering until the
drop into a warm, undulating swirl of bottom end. A headily narcotic
journey ensues. Granted, your mum ain't gonna like it - but it feels
good to roll around in the dirt once in a while...
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This one hits a deep, percussive stride and doesn't look back.
Take your pick from two fat slices of heads-down drum pressure.
The original mix is a peak time tribal workout; layer upon layer of bongos and hi-hats ride a deep,
floor-shaking low-end, offset by haunting deep-space melodics reminiscent of UR material.
Tigerhook's Chris Udoh strips down the groove and lowers the tempo, but keeps the beats granite-heavy; a
stabbing bassline drives the arrangement forward, backed up with a meaner, lower refrain that is spaced
nicely throughout the arrangement. Warm, soothing synths give way to a lovely echoing riff, letting a bit of light shine in before switching back to the beats. Solid club material.
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Apparently this Croatian production pair are garnering rave reviews with live performances in their
native land, and on this showing I'll be waiting in line to catch them myself should they come to London!
A wonderfully warm and musical EP full of originality, this nods in the direction of Iron Box and Treibstoff
but maintains its own unique take on electronic funk. Emotion positively bleeds from 'Pled',
which strikes a metro-area groove with its resonant hand claps and rounded bass tones, before heavenly
strings and mournful, tinkling keys generate some serious goosebumps.
'Ako' drops punchy bass behind precise clikz 'n' popz percussion, with some amazing use of samples
(is that a photocopier I hear?) forming a dense electronic collage. But this doesn't just revel in its invention -
the track develops nicely along melodic lines, with every element playing its proper part.
'Kse Zo' flexes speaker-ripping subs around a chugging groove and some funny, almost puzzled wordplay.
The tongue-in cheek feel is cleverly transformed by calm synths and bold Maetrik-style stabs.
'Ta sta' closes on a skippier percussive note, but keeping the deep-tech vibes flowing with whispered vocals and emotional, end-of-the-night strings.
Fantastic stuff - I can't recommend this highly enough.
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Those that follow the techno side of the tech-house equation might remember Saag's previous "Jazz Lesson" on SLS, which fused bass heavy Samuel L. Sessions style tribal techno house with hard bop style jazz improv. "Latin Lesson" continues where that release left off, this time fusing the techno beats with full on Latin jazz - live trumpet and vocals included. The long side is a gnarly acid-tinged techno monster which recalls Sebastien Leger in a very mean mood. But flip it over for the pick of the litter - "Tristeza Part II" - which dubs out the vocal from the long side, smooths out the bass into a steady rolling flow, and works the mix with ascending jazz piano scales and glissandos that will get your crowd screaming. Unique and propulsive.
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Ever since picking up a remix of trisco's "ultra" by stompaphunk and a sampler mix cd of stompaphunk label stuff, I check everything these guys touch. I don't always like it but the funk is always there, in a similar-to-chicken-lips kind of way but when they hit it can be even better! I like this remix that much. 20/20 and chicken lips style funk, you say?! Yes and the results are good. The repated vocal of "get on and get up, get down and get dirty" moves even the most cynical of feet. The composition is simple like all best house tunes, but all of the elemnts are there in the right proportions. The "breakdown" is a bit weak and could have been pumped up with a bit of percussion or something but otherwise a decent, simple
toe-tapper with a nice happy, but still serious, feel.
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"Yeast Free" features some lush synth work and radiant female vox over a slow, crunchy beat. Breaking away to near silence in the mid, no time is wasted in restarting the groove with some big delays and round, subby kick. Mr Namvar turns in a remix on this one in the Gourmet stylee... Even fatter kicks and more electronic snares, topped with quirky tom rolls and the dubbed out horn-type synths that are familiar from the ASP records. Another winner from Mazi, pitched down the line between a funky groove, and a more expansive big room sound.
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First up is Gauss Control + Alvaro Cabana with a very vibey slice of electro house funk. Sinister chords sit over the mutating acid b-line with a little vocal hook that perfectly fits; dirty as hell. “Secret Society” serve up a dank sweaty piece of 1981 rhythms which is pretty standard but Vasco Ispirian + Kiko Barba serve up a lovely piece funky ass underground house where all the elements fit effortlessly together and your ass cant stop fidgeting, drenched in some old Dean Martin film samples. Lastly E10 and Fofy serve up a pretty uninspired record that I cant think of much to say about but the A1 and B2 cuts make this worth investing in on their own.
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Off the release, I'm definitely partial to "Breaking Point". Bringing a little jack back into the mix (which seems to be the trend as of late - no complaints from me!), Fiasco lays out this extremely funky and extremely hard acid corker of a track. Wonderful early breakdown to lay the foundation of this track, and coming back hard, this is one of those "guarenteed to fill the floor" type of tracks. Keeping it crisp and clean - the track doesn't break any new ground, but certainly keeps on in his own tradition of releasing continuously solid material aimed directly at the floor. Even with my definite leanings to Breaking Point, the flip side "Mocha Disko" is nothing to sluff off either. As the title would indicate, it's a straight up Disco Stormer. Bring in the sweeping filters, bring in the bouncing bassline, the horn accents, and the hands in the air buildups that are par for the course for the genre - and add that Fiasco quality touch. Crisp and clean, funky bliss.
Time after time Mr. Fiasco shows just why he's on top. And Jamayka - quickly established themselves as a label to watch with it's first release (More Trouble with the Obvious). Lately, they've moved out of that "to watch" catagory and into the "staple label" range with me. Thumbs way way up!
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Irelands finest deep-techno exponent checks in with a spit-shined selection
of immaculate grooves on listmember Tom Churchill's dependable label. 'Improv'
recalls the pacey, emotional drive of Soma's Envoy, with its driving beats and insistent
synth work. 'Cuba' is unadulterated bounce - crisp hats and whimsical, chirpy tones
ride a fat bottom end of freestyle kicks and circular bass. Warm tones underpin it all
and a lovely, melancholy synth line is never far away. 'Planet Jump' keeps the energy
in full flow, beginning with a rather splendid chiming refrain, while the beats build in a
decidedly chunky fashion - check the hi-hat pattern on this one! More of Mr Carr's
detroit-esque synth lines keep the mood positive throughout. 'L'equipe' rounds up in
a warm, slower-tempo-ed style, while retaining that trademark emotive quality. If you
appreciate your beats deep and melodic, get your ears round this.
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Huge new release from kompakt and apparently one produced by someone very famous in disguise. Pitched halfway between a human league instrumental and something on clone or bunker, "prototype" leads off with a simple kick, an arpeggiated bassline and italo-disco effects. It builds by employing drumrolls and stop-starts until a keyboard motif straight out of 1983 worms its way into the mix and then into your head over the following few minutes. I heard this over a shop soundsystem last week and it sounded epic then so god knows what it'll be like when it closes someone's set at Fabric (if it hasn't already). Sensational.
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Holy book Batman... Every time I turn around theres another stunning release
popping up from Fred Nasen's superb Belgian label. The next in line is
another one from tech house legends Gareth Oxby and Colin Dale, their third
for the label... (Colin smokes the spliffs, Oxby does the beats... ;)
Regardless, this is some *smoking* hot Croydon gear. Dirty reverbed bass
sits gurgles along underneath layers kooky squelches and hypnotic vox
samples of the title. Breaking away to near dead silence in the middle, this
bumping, twisted tech groover will mess with heads. Over on the flip,
Fashion Dubplate mines a Tribalation vein with some quality dub tech...
But its all about the A for me on this one. Top tune, Fred!
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This track is like the last cream cake on the plate - you really shouldn¹t indulge in it again, but you just can¹t help yourself. Perverted house dripping in electro stylings which falls ever-so-elegantly short of Œnew wave¹. The original mix is a sexily syncopated affair which would have Brett Johnson blushing into his mixer - crisp snares and spliced and diced breathy vocals create a hot¹n¹sweaty vibe while the bassline sits on it all like the proverbial cherry. Lovely deep synths add welcome warmth to the production. The flip boasts a second mix which packs an irrestistable almost Œnu nrg¹ vibe. Oozes character and class - feels like this one could be a biggie.
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These producers (and this label) are surely France's best kept secret. This
is their 7th release and every one has been a winner, if sometimes a little
tricky to track down. As with all their other releases, both tracks showcase
is simple, dirty electronic (tech) house music with the emphasis on bass
heavy chug. And let's face it, everyone needs a chugger. A serious heads
down work out.
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I live to be surprised by the labels I know and love... And Alex Deans
Freaked imprint is one. Since the early "Urban" release, a sinister,
swinging tech killer, I've enjoyed the labels diversity. This time its Texas
boy Demarkus, serving up two cuts... Get Closer (with dub mix) is classic DL
fare, all deep lush chords and well produced noodlings. But stop the presses
- on the flip we have the stunning "Music Is Life", a growling slab of big
room house! Shades of Shaboom and MAW clash in a slamming New York
arrangement. Hot bass burbles underly tribal chanted snips and jamming sax
riffs, the percussion is insistent. This will go over anywhere, hot house
tuneage from east to west! Check it out next month.
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This superb Craig mix originally came out in 1993 but has long been deleted and consequently hard to get hold of, so well done to Real Soon for having the sense to reissue. I really shouldn't have to say much more to convince you of this record's worth (it's 69-era carl craig, for god's sake), but the beatless "version 1.25" is apparently previously unreleased and bonus track "source" on the flip is the sort of quality, piano-driven, old-school house that can still drive dancefloors wild eleven years on. Absolutely essential.
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As it (sadly) seems Nuphonic is no more, it's been left to Danny to issue
this sublime mix on his own label. Good thing too as it was only previously
available on a cd album and well deserves some attention of its own. The
original (which is included here) was, imo, one of Nuphonic's best ever
tracks (alongside "Flim Flam", "In the Trees" and Swag's mix of Tiny
Trendies for example) however Wang and Brennan deconstruct it completely,
retaining some elements but taking it firmly into percussive space-disco
territory featuring loads of clever new instrumental bits (including a
section of electric guitars). Quality material.
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This album opens in a rock and roll style... atmospheres reminiscent
of veteran rockers Plant and Page swirl around sequenced plucked
guitar and minimal percussion on “Intro”. Rithma uses
the rock album tradition of interludes to build and bridge between
the major compositions… snatches of street recordings, self
help tapes, and environment samples place you firmly in his vividly
coloured world.
There’s ambient segues (Over Again), sultry downtempo tales
(Gravity Bouncer), and nods to every West Coast music tradition…
so where’s the dance? Despite his myriad other influences,
Rithma is steeped in the history of house music.
On the singles Love and Music and Flying Over the City, jazz instruments,
rich vocals and funk-fuelled basslines twist around classic club
structures that will move hearts and dancefloors in equal measure.
And just when you think it cannot get better, there is the standout
Sleeping Today. The soundtrack to every post club morning, Rithma’s
own rich, soaring vocal (laid over the sassiest live horn section)
says it all… “hand in hand, we’re gonna chase
through some sick-ass dreams, have a big old shot of caffeine, and
let the sunshine take us away”.
The title says it all, this is music that tells a story. It is the
House album of the year, stunningly produced, orchestrated and instrumented.
A work of exceptional beauty. Buy it for yourself and someone you
love.
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Weighty double pack of brooding high-tech grooves, Iron Box style. It's all
here: the original, in both 4/4 electro guises, is the kind of haunting
electronic funk that is unmistakeably Maetrik.
How they manage to squeeze the
soul in between his industrial-grade beats is beyond me, but superb all the
same! The 'vision' mix takes it deeper still with some lovely eerie chord
and synth work in the breakdown.
Then stepping up we have the one and only
Carl Finlow who graces the package with two top drawer interpretations: his
'point to point' mix features chunky live bass, crisp hats and a building
vibe which retains the soulful vein of the original. The 'point to point
dub' is more straight up nasty, with the tougher sounds brought to the fore.
Both mixes naturally boast crisp biscuit production and flawless
arrangements.
I normally avoid remix double packs like the lurgy, but this
one is all killer no filler, no mistake.
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A duo already much praised in my recent review of their 'Let it go' track
under their Rima guise, this time the vibes are post-drum and bass,
post-electro, post broken beat, and the results are stunning.
The EP opens
with the stark electro stylings of 'Nutuski', all sharp rhythms and snarling
'barely held in check' bass tones, before the subtle chords and string work
mellow the vibes as the track progresses.
Next up is Titonton's remix of
'Secret powers' - a bare-bones shuddering rhythm track, for strong stomachs
only! The flip sees melodic opener 'Battech', techno with a twist, before
the highlight of the ensemble, the original mix of 'Secret powers'.
This is
quite simply awesome: a serious underground melange of soaring detroit
strings, shattered breakbeats and awesome distorted bass tones.
The track
just keeps building and breaking, sustaining a heady atmosphere of toughness
and emotion combined.
Sublime stuff indeed. The broken techno revolution
continues - and it's just found a new convert.
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I'm really liking the deep tech-house of this record. Spacey fx over a
simple sustained drone with breathless but subdued vocal sample. Gentle but
works so well. Deep but still pumpin soumehow. Nice for the AM. Flip for a
more jumpy track with nice synth pad with a dave angel kind of feel that
picks it up quite a bit, while still retaining the deep flavour of the ep.
i I'm feeling this for the summer vibes.
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How good is that new Phonogenic record on 20:20??!!
After the last Phonogenic I took a punt and bought the
new one unheard, something I don't often do. So I was
well pleased to chuck it on the deck and see that it
lived up to expectations.
The title track "Togetha" starts off all dreamy disco
before dropping into a smooth retro synth harmony that
the likes of Falcon,Braxe and friends could learn a
thing or two from - it's catchy, but not right in your
face. Unfortunately it's spoilt somewhat with a
fairly pointless and repetitive vocal sample - but
realising the error of his ways a dub is included to
keep grumps like me happy.
Flip it over for an amazing Detroit house remix of
"Generations" from Jesper Dahlback. This really is
stirring stuff, starting off low key and working it's
way up to fantastic climax that could really make a
big impact in the right hands. It's in some way
reminiscent of some of Fabrice Lig's material, but
more focused on the here & now.
And to get even more bang for your buck , the record
is closed out with "Truth & Reconciliation", a bumpin'
bleepin' deep cut that's up there with top class MFF
or Classic output.
Total respect to Mr Salmela for two of the strongest
12s I've bought in the last 6 months.
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This is a sleeper from May, and apparently quite poorly distributed. Victor at
BPM had to pull teeth to convince to listen to it, and I'm so glad he did.
The A1 Kicks off with a nice, simple analog beat, lovely keys and pads and a
super-tasty vintage vocoder hook..."moonshine...lights turn brighter..."
Tasteful and well-placed FX lead to a resonant analog bassline with a great
major-minor chord change. Already I'm sold, but wait, there's more! Keys
and stabs build up to a perfectly arranged chord change at the break, with
deep pads and these lead synths that sound like they were pulled straight
out of Orbital's classic "The Box" (!!!) Then, BOOM, another chord change
to a new major chord bassline and the vocal hook comes back...Sweetness.
And did I mention perfect, sparkling production with seemingly all sounds
coming from analog synths. Flip it over for the more '80s sounding but still
awesome "Pure Emotion" and a slowed down edit of "Moonshine." I hear
PlanetXUSA and Juno still have this one, so you better hurry. And whatever
label licenses this tune first is gonna have a huge hit - you listening label
folks? Get there before Defected does! This is the melodic tech-house
that people need!
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As it (sadly) seems Nuphonic is no more, it's been left to Danny to issue
this sublime mix on his own label. Good thing too as it was only previously
available on a cd album and well deserves some attention of its own. The
original (which is included here) was, imo, one of Nuphonic's best ever
tracks (alongside "Flim Flam", "In the Trees" and Swag's mix of Tiny
Trendies for example) however Wang and Brennan deconstruct it completely,
retaining some elements but taking it firmly into percussive space-disco
territory featuring loads of clever new instrumental bits (including a
section of electric guitars). Quality material.
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Well well Omid; something of a return to form with your latest release on
Hooj. Thankfully gone are the days of those very boring, anonymous tribal
prog tracks you were banging out on an alarmingly regular basis; instead we
have a glorious revival of the warm deepest-of-house vibes so wonderfully
expressed on "Sounds from another room" (one of my favourite albums of all
time).
"Doubt" is a real early morning anthem with wicked male vocals carrying the
gospel aided and abetted by a sumptuous backdrop of minor string lines and
delicious key changes. This is effortlessly classy stuff; the chorus is
hooky in that unobtrusive way so that before you know it, it's got under
your skin. There's nothing clamouring for your attention, just refined deep
vibes. This one is going to last and last.
The second twelve carries mixes by Danmass and Brooks, both making excellent
use of the vocal, with the latter providing a superb sparse elecro-house
interpretation.
Well done Hooj.
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Better get the richter scale out to measure the low end on this one - an
altogether more techno direction for Mr Dell while maintaining those tough
tribal accessories. A lengthy buildup with chopped hi-hats gives way to
weighty bass sweeps and bongos, before all hell breaks loose on the drop:
the dirty sweeps are offest by a fat hollow bass riff, almost reminding me
of old Metalheadz gear, before the beats slam back in for an extended heads
down flow. Another breakdown two-thirds in introduces stabs Jeff Bennet
himself would be proud of. Absolutely slamming!! The flip sees Mr Dell turn
in another bass odyssey again with a more polished and technical feel
compared to his Tribalation output. Nice one!
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Definitely one of the more notable releases from Eddie in a while, along with
his forthcoming collaboration with Terry Francis on Lifted. This showcases
a major leap forward in his production in my opinion, especially the A-side
cut "tileefuoynac." Bit of an obvious title really, as the track is built
around a reversed sample of the bassline from the Mr. Fingers cut, and an
airy female vocal that sounds very Indian. I also love the percussion break
in the middle - this cut will get everyone all loved up, then give them room
to breathe. Classy and wierd at the same time. Soul Is Life on the flip
is more of an end of set, uplifting tech-funk workout with lots of feel-good
keys and a speech about "soul music." Sounds awesome in the mix.
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It's been mentioned but I had to give it a proper writeup.
New kid on the block Scott Pace comes up trumps with a killer first release
for Honchos! Ex Dallas, now San Diego bassed, Scott is part of the Grin
Music family alongside Demarkus Lewis, Josal, and several others.
The A is a deep, quirky number entitled "Acid Baby", which uses (you guessed
it) baby samples!
What could have been a very crap concept for a tune has been perfectly
executed here, with wicked, laid back riddims, springy stings, and a tight
arrangement that doesn't overwork the idea. The bassline is memorable, and
the atmospheric pads just so. Nice!
Flip it over to the B, and rather than finding some good filler, there's a
top shelf floor rocker! "I Need You" is tracky Chicago jack with tech bass,
with the catchy vox samples perfectly selected and programmed. Scotts stabs
and subtle club atmospheres on this cut put this one at the front of my box.
Run to your store and buy this record right now if you don't already own 2
copies.
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Montreal electro fanboys Tiga and Mateo Murphy drop a late night
joint on the A, "Man Hrdina", which is my pick of the cuts.
Best described as orchestral acid house, this is a moment of
deep electronic contemplation. "Hot in Here" is less of a track,
more of a song, featuring Nelly's famous vocal (sung by Jake
Shears), in a clean electronic house format. "Hot in Dub" is
a Dub in the true sense, tape delays and overdriven bassnotes.
Glorious cover art too. Definitely one to check. |
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To be filed under 'dangerous' - this particular meeting of tech-house
minds produces two slam-jams laden with all manner of production
effects and percussive cleverness; haven't really been into
Smithmonger's previous stuff yet his electronic sound coupled
with Mr Coles's get fucked garage-bassline sensibilities produces
a soundclash that definitely contravenes some health and safety
regulations. As Jane would say, one for the boys! |
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Unfortunately I haven't been able to search down the original
(Todd - help), but if these remixes are anything to go by I
NEED it. "Cum closer" begins with a barely-in-hearing-range
bass pulse that sustains throughout the track, and builds slowly,
but never too much, to produce a slow, seductive number perfect
for very early or very late. The vocals are just soooo sexy.
Even my wife was shaking to this, and she's a self-confessed
edm-phobe. On the flip "I Cannot" is a more uptempo number,
but still beautifully restrained. Great stuff - the only negative
thing I can say about this 12" is that the labels are reversed
- slightly confusing in those more bent moments. |
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Trapez enter their third year and keep raising the bar. This
ep comes from Donnacha Costello (of eire) who has previous form
for force inc, mille plateaux, d1 and kompakt, so I was anticipating
good things, but nothing this exceptional. Two long mixes of
the same track are provided, the first kicking off with a simple
crisp kick underneath a beautiful, floating - almost drone-like
- synth wash. Hi-hats are added before an old-school sounding
bassline kicks in. And thats it - the track just grooves on
for another eight minutes or so, dreamy and spacious as you
like - kind of Estelle Montenegro meets Baby Ford. On the flip,
there's a slightly more dubbed-out version but the a's the one
really. Special stuff. |
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By far the best thing I've heard from this label in quite some
time. Tuomas Salmela from Finland tops everything previous I've
heard from him with three tracks of lovingly arranged analog
tech-funk. The long side recalls Swag in Primitive Drumprints
mode, with rolling bass and analog stabs aplenty. Flip it over
for two more great tracks, one in a more teched out disco vein
and the other a hypnotic acid track draped in warm pads and
ghostly synth sweeps. The quality of the arrangements on this
record can't be emphasized enough - he manages to pack so many
different sounds into each track without ever overwhelming the
mix. In ads for virtual analog synths, they should just say,
"See this record." Release of the month, so far. |
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These guys have some balls, since the B1 is a blatant rip off/rearrangement/remix
of Maxwell's "The Urban Theme." In any case, they borrowed heavily,
and the result is "Diggin it Out", and excellent funky & deep
track that will be huge since everyone will instantly recognize
the hook. New vocals on the back end add a dash of original
flavor. The B2 "Wanderlust" is more shuffled, quality deepness.
Both of these are going on rotation. The A "One Thing" employs
a bit more vocal, both male and female. Think deeper releases
on Large, fun but rather overground - I'll be sticking with
the B side cuts. |
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I bought this unheard and while not disappointed, maybe I've
come to expect a little more from Naked & Miguel Migs. However
it's solid house gear with one track/two mixes by MM and two
mixes of Kaskade's "Brighter Day". "You bring me up" features
vocals by Lisa Shaw, who has appeared on several prior Naked
releases, and they aren't breaking any new ground here. But
what you get is MM's usual quality in a Petalpusher vocal mix
and a dub. Not a must have but fans should check. On the flip
is Kaskade, and the original mix uses box-standard percussion
(read boring) with the full vocal (Joslyn this time) and a little
jazz guitar over the top. Quant injects some life in to this
track, turning in a funked up, breaky affair, bringing the live
bass to the forefront with some rapid fire bongos and a wavering
synth line. The jazz guitar remains but is used more effectively
with a bit of horns after the 2nd break. |
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Bought on Eli's recommendation and still getting in to it. This
is growing on me, with the innovative use of vocal samples fading
& twisting in and out. Leaning slightly toward the tech in tech
house sound-wise, the pace is decidedly house and several tracks
will easily find homes in housey sets, including one standout,
"Us". A robotic vox sample is repeated with a female snippet
counterpoint, over a bouncy, conga laden house groove. Throw
in a couple of little snare drops and some light filter work
toward the end and you have a track to move any floor. Overall
plenty to choose from here, definitely worth a listen. |
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Don't let anyone
tell you otherwise... Tony Thomas is the king of pumping grooves.
No other current artist manages to achieve the level of quality...
while releasing enough 12's to sink an aircraft carrier... ;)
I always start out with a skeptical ear on any new Thomas cut,
but as in this case, am often won over by the infectious jack,
the twisted vocal samples, and super-dooper club friendly arrangements.
"Like It" is the keeper, taking one of his familiar tweaky female
vox samples and wrapping it round a swinging percussion loop
and minor key bassline. Sure, the mold is familiar, but hear
this one on the floor and you'll be asking yourself why it isn't
in your bag. Irresistable tech. |
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I've been a big fan of this guy for awhile, as have many of
us on the list. I think this release has poised him for much
wider recognition, for while its not his most outstanding work
that I've heard, its on a far more widely recognized label.
Apparently these have been flying out the door at Primal, and
bought by people who wouldn't have looked twice at one of Jeff's
records on Triebstoff or even Poker Flat. And from what I hear,
he's got a huge number of releases in the kitty for the coming
months. Anyway, this is great stuff regardless from Bennett,
and quite nicely varied as well. "Forcing" combines the heavy
duty tribal house beats familiar to Jamayka buyers with Jeff's
awesome synth programming and deep melodic basslines. This track
will KILL on a system. "Immortelle" on the inside is my choice
here - imagine Bennett going deep house! Love deep synth chords
over swinging beats and nicely done guitar work. Flip over for
"Minimize," skankin' dub house with a progressive flavor that
will go down a tea in the darker sets. "Disconnecting" is more
in the deep house vein once again but less successful than the
track on the A. All in all a fine peice of work and a great
introduction for the masses who may have been sleeping on the
Next Big Thing. |
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Surprisingly little mention of this
treasure anywhere. Maybe Svek is out of fashion these days?
Three cuts of great electronic music here. "My world" is uptempo
deep house that strongly recalls Larry Heard's recent productions.
Great vocal too, and the production is nicely pared down -
you definitely would have heard this one in a Terry Francis
set 4 years ago. The inside cut is some wierd noodly jazz
shit, but flip it over for "My World (Night Drive)." Bo selectah!
Flips the original on its head with a heavy electro beat that
strongly recalls, well, Model 500's "Night Drive." The vocals
are given a great vocoder treatment, and the bassline is given
a nasty edge with some nice 303 work late in the track. Don't
be fooled though, this isn't your typical electro workout
- file in the same place with the Birdy remix of The Persauder
and Boxsaga "New York, New York." The inside cut here is nice
too, breaks with strong sounds recalling the Detroit-edged
drum and bass on labels like Breakbeat Science. |
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More
late night fare here, something we've not seen on RM for a few
releases... probably since Dano and Halo's stellar "Show You
Love". New roster addition (and fellow listmember!) Tuhin takes
some lush synths on a flight over laid back, walking tribal
percussion, and a lush bassline. The title vox sample floats
throughout, and the arrangement leans on the sparse side, not
overworking any of the rich sounds. The filp side delivers a
similar vibe cut, which I don't have a name for at the moment
(help?) and a remix of the original on the B2.
Sexy stuff, this is a promising record from a new face... good
work Tuhin. |
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Hungry Dave
And Shifty drop the tech bomb on their own Geek Recordings!
The A is a pumping, spine tingling London tech cut, atmospheric
and clubby. The B references Dave Angel circa "Tales..."
for a deep, emotive detroit influenced club jam.
One of the best big room records of 2002 thus far! Keep an eye
on Spincycle, who have plenty more material coming in 2002,
including releases on Oblong and 20:20 Vision.
As for Geek, the label has four releases in the pipe - Metta
& J.T Lurrve "Chemise/The Method", Derek Carr
"Dancefloor/Destiny", another one by Spincycle called
"Rattlin'", and Incubu "Lost weekend", tipped
for a possible Silverlining remix... keep your eyes peeled. |
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Simply
awesome mix album by yet another of the burden tribe. [there
are five of these guy's apparently]. Anyway this is slammin',
proper detroit house and techno mixed superbly as you would
expect. Featuring nine unreleased tracks, four by the ksr man
himself. But the killer track for me on the whole album is one
i've not heard before..kevin saunderson's dub mix of 'this means
that' by randolph paul. apparently released on kms, does anybody
know how old it is and if it's still available? it's absolutely
wicked. A must have in my opinion... |
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There's
already a bog-standard Murk tribal mix (complete with drumroll)
of this floating around on white as well, but this is an "official"
End promo.
The Mr. C vs. Murk mix is surprisingly good given Murk's recent
track record of Robbie Rivera- style cheese - big system latin
house with lots of sweeps and energy without being over the
top. The really killer is on the flipside though, with an Impossible
Beings mix. Asad and Ravi really seem to be
getting more work lately - suddenly there's Silverlining and
Impossible Beings material surfacing all over the place. This
particular track combines their immaculate production and sounds
with a killer female vocal that is bound to have both underground
and crossover appeal. Nothing too surprising if you're familiar
with the rest of their catalog, but all the right elements are
there.
Slammin' tech bassline, too. |
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The label sticker has a portrait
of Bernard Edwards, and reads w/ the following quote: "In
a hundred years, they'll probably study grooves like they study
quantum physics" (Nile Rodgers).
"Now Phreeq" is an ill update of the tune "Le
Freak", with a choice synth loop of the originals hook;
which races like a Shumaucher. I feel bad giving the review
like this, but please trust me - it's got "Dance Floor
Killer" written accross it's chest.
Anyway, i'd like to know more background about this record;
because it rolls like German ballbearings and hits like a Mack
Truck... |
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Hard,
heavily compressed one/two kick/clap, deep and heavy bassline
in a minor key, simple and soft
chords, and just the right amount of female vocal to fill out
the track. most of the vocal is a one syllable
delay that echoes thruoght the song with a filter/phase effect,
and is sometimes replaced with a
male voice. Add lightly flanged hats, crisp congas and eerie
bells that would make Succulant proud. i'll be playing this
one a lot.
The flip has a chicago house number and a great more-than-just-a-beat
track with minimal one-hit
bass alternated with keys, long, drawn out whistle sweeps, and
the occational "oh yeah."
Definitely worth a listen. |
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Without you is the bomber
with tough beats with a harry choo choo romero tribal vibe with
nice ascending filter sweeps, dark ominous patches playing a
curious tune and builds that are subdued but bounce around when
the intensity is high. sort of a mix betwen his collaborations
with la cienda honduras meeting the subliminal sound. I dig.
The other side is a bit more on the prog tip but still in keeping
with the flava the title track lays down. |
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