W - Luxus Varta (In Abstracto)

 

Title: W

Artist: Luxus Varta

Label: In Abstracto

Cat Number: IA02

Genre: Electro

1: Cloud Study

2: Elevation

3: Never Land

4: Cloud Study (SC-164 Remix)

If there was ever a time to make introspective electro then the past year was probably the best. The genre has always been deeper than often given credit for, and this release by the redoubtable Luxus Varta is definitely one that transports mentally every bit as physically. ‘Cloud Study’ evokes some of the carefree abstraction inherent in its eponymous activity, while ‘Elevation’ has a harder edge, but a similar dynamic. This is ramped up a little on ‘Never Land’ which crystallises the melancholia that runs through the release. SC-164 departs from the mainframe, scooping out the original’s vital organs, in order to leave a skeletal interpretation of whirring percussion and vital signs.

Cobalan - Blutch (Astropolis)

 

Title: Cobalan

Artist: Blutch

Label: Astropolis

Cat Number: AR14S1

Genre: House

1: Cobalan

2: Cobalan (Mézigue iclc Remix)

3: Cobalan (Lauer Remix)

The original of ‘Cobalan’ is an orchestrated break beat symphony that contains elements of hardcore and rave, very civilised though. Sunshine music innit. Lauer’s remix plays with similar tropes, but flies under the radar, holding something back. That can’t be said of ‘Mezique icic Remix’ which is pacey and pounding, the percussion rising and falling in the mix to the accompaniment of an annoying whistle. It’s ok, but nothing feels fully fledged.

Soul Searcher - Underground Evolution (Ugly Music)

 

Title: Soul Searcher 

Artist: Underground Evolution 

Label: Ugly Music

Cat Number: UGM015

Genre: House

1: Walk On Water

2: Soul Searcher (Joe Claussell Remix)

This is a reissue paired with a new version. The original of ‘Walk On Water’ first appeared back in 1996 as UGM008, and was released alongside ‘Soul Searcher’, both tracks being credited to Underground Evolution feat. David Brown. ‘Soul Searcher’ was a classic at Body & Soul, so Joe Claussell was enlisted to provide a remix. David Brown’s vocals feature on the original version of ‘Soul Searcher’, but not the dub. Joe Claussell’s remix elongates the original, and gives the vocals more clarity than in the original, iand altogether provides a sharper version. ‘Walk On Water’  is pacier and  could easily come off as a piece of prime time organic techno. The original of this release goes for a not inconsiderable sum on Discogs, and it’s easy to see why. Timeless stuff.

Bare Essentials

verdant-recordings · Bare Essentials

CSL Late Shift

verdant-recordings · CSL Late Shift

CCL / March 17 / 8pm-9pm HÖR BERLIN

Mosaic Mix Series 058 Joaquin Lledó

 

Steve O'Sullivan_MOSAIC · Mosaic Mix Series 058_ Joaquin Lledó

Love (Or I Heard You Like Heartbreak) - Prequel (Rhythm Section)

 

Title: Love (Or I Heard You Like Heartbreak)

Artist: Prequel

Label: Rhythm Section

Cat Number: RS035

Genre: House

1: I Need Your Love (Intro)

2: When Love Is New

3: Violeiro

4: I’ll Never Stop Loving You

5: All I’m Missing Is You

6: Love Is Love (Interlude)

7: I’m In Love With You (Interlude)

8: I Tried To Tell Him

9: Unaware Of Love

10: And That’s The Story Of Their Love (Short Version)

11: Love Is feat. Cazeaux O.S.L.O
12: I Don’t Know When I’m Going To See You Again (Outro)

There’s a lot of love to go around on Prequel’s conceptually amorous album, and it comes drenched in strings, melancholia, bittersweet longing and a range of styles which cover a gamut of musical bases all of which are unmistakeably H.O.U.S.E. Having said that, this collection inhabits more than muscle memory. It could easily come off as a little self-indulgent in places; ‘Violeiro’ goes down a bit of a Brazilian dead end. However, it’s not the only track that does its own thing without disturbing the consistency of the bake. The album is full of other wonderfully evocative moments. ‘All I’m Missing Is You’ is a simple call and response couched in refined filter disco. It’s depth of detail sets it apart. ‘And That’s The Story Of Their Love (Short Version)’ is a tranced out piece of Ron Trent inflected deepness which takes the listener on a voyage down their own stream of consciousness.  ‘Love Is feat. Cazeaux O.S.L.O’ does its own thing and evokes the spirit of seduction in the process. The intros are great, but could they have been better placed? What isn’t in question is the album’s ambition, scope and polish. It’s a wonderfully symbiotic collection, exploring the connections between love and loss and managing to make both of them sound equally appealing.

Splinter - Caprithy (PKGE)

 

Title: Splinter

Artist: Caprithy

Label: PKGE

Cat Number: 

Genre: Breakbeats

O1: Press Any Key

02: Channel 3

03: Splinter

04: Press Any Key (Shedbug Remix)

05: Splinter (Farron Remix)

Why music like this has come to soundtrack the last year is anyone’s guess, but the sound of fractured dreams and beats sous vide is superabundant right now. And how you like this served is just another specification to be satisfied. Coming from hardcore roots and wrestling with refinement, or not, is one way of distinguishing taste I suppose, although the lines are blurred somewhat here. All the tracks deliver, and while I’m struggling to place one above the other its probably better to just listen and go with the flow. In saying that however, I do favour the frictional grind of the remix over the original of ‘Press Any Key’, and Farron’s remix of ‘Splinter’ is possibly the most dynamic track here, but it’s all good. Because ‘Channel 3’ hisses with suppressed power and the release does have a kind of panoramic perspective from start to finish. Which is nice.

Mike Banks / Underground Resistance Interview

 

Dreaming Live الحُب الحُب · 🛸 Mike Banks / Underground Resistance

The Dark Wheel EP - Morphology (Cultivated Electronics)

 

Title: The Dark Wheel EP  

Artist: Morphology

Label: Cultivated Electronics

Cat Number: CE038

Genre: Electro

A1: Sorace

A2: Teogra

B1: Quidra

B2: Orrere

A well-paced electro EP, is a joy to listen to. There should be depth, variety and a hidden sense of menace. Whether breakdancing in a public space, or sitting down quaffing armagnac, the haunting synthetic threat should always be present. So I’m delighted to say that all these qualities and more rise to the top on this release by Finnish deviants Morphology. I often think beyond the realms of my own mind when listening to tracks such as these. They are evocative, forward-thinking and a product of their environment. Far from being escapist, music like this pulls the mask off the matrix while soundtracking a trip to the supermarket. And that can’t be bad, can it?

ALFOS EBS 20 - Sean Johnston (19-03-2021)

 

Hot off the press.

A Sangre Fría - T Fried (Discos Pato Carlos)

 

Title: A Sangre Fria

Artist: TFried

Label: Discos Pato Carlos

Cat Number: DPC017

Genre: Techno

1: A Sangre Fria

2: El Misterio

3: Mad Shakira

4: Visitantes

5: Wild Jam

6: Si Me Buscas, Me Encuentras

Tfried, aka Toto Friedlander is a producer from Concepcion in Chile and ‘A Sangre Fria’ is a mini album which dissipates and delights in equal measure. The tracks are all very much floor-focussed and wonderfully uncompromising. They never veer into gratuity though, keeping a solid structure throughout and resisting the temptation to get weird for the sake of it. There is an engaging variety of tempo and even though the pace is relatively simlar throughout, tunes like ‘Wild Jam’ ‘El Misterio’ and ‘Visitantes’ throw a spanner in the works to ensure the path isn’t always a linear one. It’s the industrial grind of the title track and the hollowed out funk of ‘Si Me Buscas, Me Encuentras’ that I like the most though, which might be something to do with the fact that I am definitely one of those people who appreciates a beer and a sandwich with homemade mayo.

Looking Through Windows - Last Magpie (Sounds Good Sound)

 

Title: Looking Through Windows 

Artist:  Last Magpie 

Label: Sounds Good Sound

Cat Number: SGS001

Genre: Deep House

1: Looking Through Windows

2: Looking Through Windows (Youandewan Remix)

The original mix of ‘Looking Through Windows’ is marked by breathy vocals and a strong bass vertebrae which combine together to produce a bittersweet chunk of deep house. It’s a subtle tune which could very well be mood-defining, depending on its strategic deployment. The remix is more upfront and energetic, and occasionally carries a similar sense of wistfulness as the original. And it’s this background element which is its most interesting feature. 

Loose Gears - DMX Crew (Hypercolour)

 

Title: Loose Gears

Artist: DMX Crew

Label: Hypercolour

Cat Number: HYPELP019

Genre: Electro/IDM/Coldwave

1: Unconnected

2: New Sty

3: Torpedo Tube

4: The Bombardier

5: Solar Transit

6: Wetware

7: Imaginary Beat

8: Dejected Ambient Twerp

9: Xpansion 2

10: Loose Gear

11: Sounds Good

Ed DMX comes correct with his fourth album for Hypercolour, a collection that does more than satisfy the thinking person’s electro proclivities. For someone who’s been around for so long and gained such a pedigree in the process, it’s obvious that he has many strings to his bow. Within this collection, he flexes a variety of electronic musical muscles, taking in Italo (‘Sounds Good’, ‘Loose Gear’), IDM (‘The Bombadier’), ambient/bleeps (‘Xpansion 2’, ‘Dejected Ambient Twerp’), electro inflections (‘Torpedo Tube’, ‘Wetware’, ‘New Sty’) and some which exist on then Kuiper Belt of beats (‘Solar Transit’, ‘Imaginary Beat’). The trouble with this sort of sonic categorisation is that when I listen again, I’m going to change my mind and reclassify. Notwithstanding that possibility however, a thread of futuristic thought and occasional whimsy allows the listener to find common ground within all of these compositions that grow more compelling on each listen.

ALFOS EBS 19 - Sean Johnston (12-03-2021)

 

March 2021 Chart

 March 2021 Chart

Bridge Of Spirit – Janeret/Miroloja (Joule Imprint)

Loose Gears - DMX Crew (Hypercolour)

Soul Searcher - Underground Evolution (Ugly Music)

The Dark Wheel EP - Morphology (Cultivated Electronics)

W - Luxus Varta (In Abstracto)

Rindler Horizon - T/Error (LDI Records)

A Sangre Fría - TFried (Discos Pato Carlos)

The Driving Rain - Nico (Midnight Shift)

All The Bleeps - V/A (Fun In The Murky)

Before This -  Ø [Phase] (Modwerks)

Mr Fixie & Friends EP - Mr Fixie (Right Angle Records)

 

Title: Mr Fixie & Friends EP

Artist: Mr Fixie

Label: Right Angle Records

Cat Number: RARV001

Genre: Deep House

1: Track & Trace

2: The Leyton House Track (Silverlining Remix)

3: Purple Gloves

4: Switcheroo (Jeigo Remix)

It’s alright is this, and plays across the deep house divide as well as the breaks hinterland. A game of two halves some would say, well that’s how I would term it. Both ‘Track & Trace’ and ‘The Leyton House Track’ fall into the first category, and although both do what is expected of them, Silverlining’s remix has more depth and messiness potential, with ‘Track & Trace’ opting for a more high end approach. Both ‘Purple Gloves’ and ‘Switcheroo (Jeigo Remix)’ occupy different places on the breaks spectrum, with the former’s haunting ambience and well-developed flange and the bubbling, acidic blossoming of the latter helping each track to evolve in diverging, but equally effective, ways.

Mother's Finest - Shed / March 12 / 8pm-9pm

Tresor 30 Live from the Vault - Objekt / March 13 / 7pm-8pm

Tresor 30 Live from the Vault - DJ Stingray / March 13 / 8pm-9pm

DIM233 - Evan Baggs

Dimensions Festival · DIM233 - Evan Baggs

DUSK123 By Silicon Scally

 

DUSK. · DUSK123 By Silicon Scally

All White Buffs - Detroit's Filthiest (MCEC)

 

Title: All White Buffs

Artist: Detroit’s Filthiest

Label: MCEC

Cat Number: MCEC056D

Genre: Techno

1: All White Buffs (Original Mix)

2: All White Buffs (Will Simpson Remix)

3: All White Buffs (Oliver Way Remix)

After having bestowed ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ on us a month ago, Julian Shamou, aka Detroit’s Filthiest, gives us ‘All White Buffs’, a more straight up techno track. The original version is a piece of sweat-inducing, big room machine funk, which is driven by kicks and keys in the shape of uncomplicated but effective loops adorned with a gelatinous gargle. The Will Simpson remix is more stripped down, and carries an air of quiet menace, while Oliver Way’s remix is the most full bodied and emphatic.

Monolith On Mars EP - Escape Earth (Ritual Poison)

 

Title: Monolith On Mars EP 

Artist: Escape Earth

Label: Ritual Poison

Cat Number: RP007

Genre: Breaks 

1: Dropping With The Force

2: Solar Storm

3: Blasting Rocks

4: Universe Dub

I suppose it’s testament to the influence and power of dub that this is the second review in a row I’ve written which features its many characteristics and is yet so completely different from its predecessor.  Escape Earth, aka BufoBufo and Corporeal Face, spread themselves thinly over these four tracks which, although dominated by break beats take in so much more. There are fragments of the heyday of British rap and rave sirens resplendent in ‘Dropping With The Force’. Both ‘Blasting Rocks’ and ‘Universe Dub’ make use of the aforementioned Jamaican influence in widely diverging ways, the former not being as obvious, while the latter is no less inventive. ‘Solar Storm’ takes the vibe up a notch, with a cohesive, polylayered approach to sonic shapeshifting that should effortlessly tear roofs off.

Insane Sends EP - El Choop (Echocord)

 

Title: Insane Sends EP

Artist: El Choop

Label: Echocord

Cat Number: ECO87

Genre: Dub Techno

1: Insane Sends

2: Some Fall Harder Than Others

3: Insane Sends (Sven’s Angelic Sends Mix)

There are shitloads of dub techno records which all sound exactly the same, but when you here one that hits that sweet spot, it doesn’t really matter how similar it may be to what you’ve heard before. ‘Insane Sends’ is a good example of this. It doesn’t put a foot wrong, having just that right amount of echo as well as a perfect kick and momentum. Sven Weismann’s mix doubles its length, flattens it out and in doing so turns it into a panoramic deep house monster while not sacrificing its overt dubbiness. ‘Some Fall Harder Than Others’ makes use of an arpeggiated flange which bounces it from realms of clarity to those of misty contemplation. 

Duncan Gray - Paisley Dark Radio Mix 06.03.21

Paisley Dark / A Space Age Freak Out · Duncan Gray - Paisley Dark Radio Mix 06.03.21

Voyage De Lux with Alex Downey - 24.02.2021

1BTN · Voyage De Lux with Alex Downey - 24.02.2021

The Volks Podcast 022 : Sonja Moonear

the Volks · the Volks Podcast 022 : Sonja Moonear

BassAgenda 202 Brian & Martin Bonds (aka Strand/Reel by Real)

Bass Agenda · BassAgenda 202 Brian & Martin Bonds (aka Strand/Reel by Real)

Mosaic Mix Series 057 Soela

Steve O'Sullivan_MOSAIC · Mosaic Mix Series 057_Soela

Repetition Is The Mother Of All Repetition - Behrang & Sean (The Transient Nature Of The Disco Business)

 

Title: Repetition Is The Mother Of All Repetition

Artist: Behrang & Sean 

Label: The Transient Nature Of The Disco Business

Cat Number: TTNoTDB002 

Genre: Friction Disco

1: Zemeston Mire

2: Poshtesh Bahare

3: Poshtesh Bahare (Samo DJ Remix)

4: Poshtesh Bahare (Johanna Knutsson Remix)

Records like this grind the gears, literally. Not mine though. Neither discordant nor nadiresque, nevertheless a strange harmony exists within. Both of the original tracks deploy a strange, dawn of time atmosphere which, blending nature with industry, manages to convey a suppressed power that wouldn’t cut it at a quicker pace. I’ve been listening to a few DJ Sundae mixes recently and it’s definitely a sound that falls within his environs. Samo DJ’s production is much cleaner, as is Johanna Knutsson’s, and they each produce something quite singular: more pace and less grind in the former’s case, and a more or less beat less ambience in the latter’s. Both ‘Zemeston Mire’ and ‘Poshtesh Bahare’ come from a strange place where sound isn’t the only feature being fused, while the remixes sound conventional by comparison.

Alex Downey Live at The Quadra EP Release Party 2020-02-08

Alex Downey · Alex Downey Live at The Quadra EP Release Party 2020-02-08