Thursday, May 27, 2021

Track Of The Day: Passion Dance - McCoy Tyner (Blue Note)

Plant43: The Wednesday Alternative Mix

 

Good Times - Moire (Hypercolour)

 


Title: Good Times

Artist: Moire

Label: Hypercolour

Cat Number: HYPELP018

Genre: House 


1: Know Me feat. Demigosh

2: Low Works

3: Doors feat. Demigosh

4: Madgan

5: Dekade feat. Demigosh

6: Zooland feat. Demigosh

7: Ghana

8: R1

9: Vertigo

10:Telefunk

11: Sour Site feat. Demigosh

12: Time feat. Demigosh

13: Lost In Pacific


On ‘Good Times’ Moire has pulled together a range of styles and united them under a soporific umbrella. This is an album cloaked in a cotton wool fug of optimistic ambience, fluctuating with intermittent energy to occasionally remind you that it can physically move the spirit, (‘Madgan’, ‘R1’, ‘Telefunk’, ‘Lost In Pacific’), even if the majority of its dynamic resides in the cognitive back of beyond. The unique vocal talents of Demigosh, who doesn’t always so much sing as croon or yawn tunefully, are a defining feature of this collection and help to frame it as occupying some sort of rem netherworld overseen by a dissipated lounge lizard. It’s an album which, given the events of the past year, the tone and timbre feels very appropriate and perfectly in tune with the pervasive mental state necessary to reconfigure the listening experience.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Numbers EP - Sterac (Mote-Evolver)


 


Title: Numbers EP

Artist: Sterac

Label: Mote-Evolver

Cat Number: MOTE059

Genre: Techno


1: Ghost 37

2: Lost Track 22

3: Rey Fur 2.1

4: Tr-15


Steve Rachmad’s star is very much in the ascendancy right now. That said, it has been for most of his career, which feels odd because he really should be much better known than he is. I’m talking outside the thinking human’s techno circles of course. Maybe his choice of black tee shirt didn’t have a large enough scooped neck at the right time. In any case, here he keeps things resoundingly elemental with four abrasive cuts which sizzle and spark in all the right places. It’s a bit back to basics here, as these tracks lack the depth and sophistication Rachmad has come to be associated with over his career. They’re good examples of what they are, but do feel a bit churned out.

Track Of The Day: Astral Travelling - Pharoah Sanders (Impulse!)

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Track Of The Day: Ultrasound - Floppy Sounds (Francois K Studio B Mix) (Wave)

May 2021 Chart


Likemind 06 – Nuron/Fugue (Likemind)



Ostara Part Two – Upswellings (Mosaic Digital)



Roentgen - The Hacker Vs Commuter (Cultivated Electronics)



Venting Steam EP - Mat Carter (Varial)



Stolen Time EP – Ohm/El Choop (Ranges)




Reflections Of Yesterday – Al Bradley/Scott Hallam (Reflections Of Yesterday)




Landscapes EP – R Hitect (r. hitect)





Epileptix EP – The Abstract Eye (Neroli)




Both Sides Of The Story – Vlad CAIA (Uvar)




ElectroHop 1 – DJ Di’jital (Trust)



Monday, May 17, 2021

00006 - Ste Roberts (STE)

 


Title: 00006

Artist: Ste Roberts

Label: STE

Cat Number: STE00006

Genre: Techno/Electro


1: Queen Bee

2: Dominated Until 5am

3: Mr Hyde

4: Jumping To The Beat Of Your Shadow


Functional wonky stuff here on Ste Roberts’ eponymous imprint. ‘Dominated Until 5am’ is a  break beat propelled track which  makes use of the well-worn ‘Women Beat Their Men’ sample. ‘Jumping To The Beat Of Your Shadow’ is disorientating, druggy electro. ‘Mr Hyde’ a stripped down minimal techno roller that undergoes a few personality changes when it may have been better not to bother. And ‘Queen Bee’ an atmospheric but farting attempt at injecting some gravitas. Very hit and miss.

Track Of The Day: Let's Get Small - Trouble Funk (4th & Broadway)

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Ostara Part Two - Upwellings (Mosaic Digital)

 


Title: Ostara Part Two

Artist: Upswellings

Label: Mosaic Digital

Cat Number: MOSAIC DTL04

Genre: Dub Techno


1: False Realities

2: Snow Dawn (Fletcher Revision)

3: Snow Dawn (Hidden Sequence’s Roots Dub)

4: Ostara (Owain K’s Skip n’ Dip Mix)

5: Ostara (MOOR Remix)

6: Ostara (El Choop Rework)


‘Ostara Part Two’ follows hot on the heels of last months premier portion and is a great excuse to give exposure to a raft of artists currently dipping their toes in the deep, placid dub techno waters. ‘False Realities’ is a wonderfully solemn way to begin proceedings, wrapping an almost beat less, depth charged emotive backdrop around an evocative spoken word sample, very much in the vein of Cabaret Voltaire’s ‘Low Cool’. Then we have ‘Snow Dawn’ and ‘Ostara’, both remixed from April’s outing. What I really like about these tracks is that they all offer something a little bit different from each other while having a dynamic approach. Fletcher’s Revision of ‘Snow Dawn’ is probably the most laid back, but it still packs an understated punch. At the other end of the beat spectrum we have El Choop’s rework of ‘Ostara’, which brings the pace built up over the preceding pieces to a nice head. Whether this is deliberate programming I don’t know, but it works. A great release in which every track stands out. Digital only on Bandcamp.

Track Of the Day: Mr Gorgeous (Mood II Swing Mix) - Smoke City (Jive)

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Mr BC Chit Chat

 


Mr BC is someone I actually know, so this makes him unusual as far as subjects for interview go on these pages. We haven't bumped into each other in person for a long time though since he relocated from Cambridge. Anyway, imagine my surprise when he turned out to be an artist of some repute, and making music that's good too! Having stayed in touch with him through the miracle that is social media, I thought that the release of his debut album marked the ideal occasion to get him to spill the beans a bit on everything in general and nothing in particular. Cheers for doing it Bob!


Could you introduce yourself and explain the reasons behind the name “Mr BC”?


Hello! I’m Bob Salmond, currently a resident of Leeds having moved here five years ago from Edinburgh. In “real life” I’m an immunologist at the University of Leeds. The name Mr BC is a silly name I gave myself when setting up a soundcloud account about 8 or 9 years ago and, unfortunately, it’s now too late to change.


How did the partnership with tici taci begin?


I’ve been a long-time fan of the label and met Duncan (Gray) through friends about 5 years ago or so. He did a remix for one of my early EPs and over the last few years, I’d done a couple of remixes for the label and chatted to him quite a bit, mainly online, sharing ideas for bits of music and so on. I’d send him unfinished tracks and we worked on some ideas together. Round about the start of “lockdown 1” last year, he suggested I released something with Tici Taci.


You’ve just released your debut album. How would you describe it?


This is a strangely difficult question for me to answer! I suppose it’s instrumental acid house, with hints of disco, techno and indie thrown into the mix. Or something like that. Basically, it’s the 10 best tracks I could come up with last year, sequenced in a way that’s, hopefully, coherent. 


The tracks cover a range of different bases.  Which were the most enjoyable to work on and do some sounds come easier than others?


There was no deliberate plan to be “eclectic” or anything like that but it’s true the tracks do cover a few sounds/styles. I find it a bit boring to make the same track over and over so try a few different things to keep myself amused as much as anything. On the second point, I don’t persevere very long if I’m not enjoying the process or getting nowhere with a track. That said, I probably enjoyed making the tracks that were mostly based around live instruments more, particularly Invisible College and Sleeping Demon. As a not-very-good player, getting a guitar or bass part down that sounds OK is more of a challenge and so a bigger personal achievement to me than programming midi on a laptop plugin. Not that there’s anything inherently superior about one approach above another I hasten to add. Many of my tracks are mainly programmed-midi-on-a-laptop-plugin!


Do the ideas in your head have any similarity to what you produce?


Sometimes! I’ll generally start with a vague idea of what I want to do at that particularly moment. Maybe an acid track or a more disco thing or just because I heard something on the radio that gave me an idea; but that’s not always what ends up coming out. For example, the original idea for Yen Again came from me youtube-surfing and watching some videos of Brazilian samba drummers. So, the rhythm track is very vaguely samba-influenced but the music is pretty far removed from samba! Plus, I’ll often leave projects and forget about them for months or even years. The keys part in “Chutzpah” I found in an old file from 2015, with no recollection of it whatsoever. Other times the idea for a whole track comes together in minutes. It’s all a bit mysterious, really.


How did the pandemic determine the creative process?


For me, I’m not sure it did to be honest. I’ve been working from home since March last year and have had home-schooling with my kids and so on, but I don’t think that’s either impeded or enabled me to make music. I guess I might’ve put a bit more time into it, because, in lockdown, entertainment options have been a bit more limited than usual. I definitely made more music in 2020 than at some other points, but in the first few months of 2021, under the same conditions, I’ve done very little so far. So not much of a personal effect, but I totally understand that some people have really struggled whilst others have been freed up in terms of having more time to devote to music or other creative outlets.


Have you always made music that is close to the tici taci aesthetic? 


Apart from mucking about with guitars with friends as a teenager, I only started trying to make music about 8 or 9 years ago. My initial attempts at electronic music were in a fairly derivative acid house type style - I probably wanted to sound like various Tici Taci releases but didn’t have the knowledge or skill to execute them. I suppose I’ve been making tracks for a number of years that were in that sort of chuggy/ALFOS tempo so not a million miles away. I was certainly chuffed when Duncan and Lloyd (The Long Champs) asked me to do a remix for Tici Taci back in 2017, and again a couple of years ago. Whilst I’ve used live bass and guitars in previous releases, I’ve definitely used more “live” instruments on the album. That’s something that Duncan actively encourages for Tici Taci and it’s been quite enjoyable getting back into playing bass regularly. 


What is the target audience for the album, and your music generally?


I don’t tend to think about that too much, but I think it’s fair to say the people that go to an ALFOS night would be prime target audience, particularly the over 30s. That said, the immediate target audience is actually a very few like-minded friends – if they like it, or at least say kind things about it, I’m happy with that. 


How valid is dance music at the moment, taking the pandemic and the mass closure of clubs, live music venues and festivals into account?


Well I’d say that dance music is best heard on a sweaty dance floor in a darkened club, which hasn’t happened much for the past year or so. And there’s a good case to be made that dance music has a shorter shelf-life than other types of music – there’s been so many fantastic releases in the past year that’ll probably never be heard in a club because by the time they open again there’ll be hundreds of more recent releases. Which is a shame. But a good record can be enjoyed anywhere. Plus in the past year, instead of going out, we’ve all been tuning in to Sean J’s ALFOS EBS nights and other similar live streams. Not quite the same as “being there”, but the music’s been pretty ace. 


Who are your main influences?


Big influences are all the classic 80-90s Detroit techno records, particularly Underground Resistance and Red Planet. Also, 80s acid house with a bit of New Order. More recently, the type of records you might hear played at ALFOS, particularly producers like Duncan and the Tici Taci “roster”, Rich Lane, Jason Peters, Craig Bratley, Zakmina, Damon Jee (to name a very few). But all sorts of weird things can spark can idea – I’m currently working on a track for which I’ve “borrowed” a chord progression from an Iron Maiden song. It’s unlikely that the finished version will be mistaken for Bruce Dickinson and co.


What do you listen to in your free time? Could you list a top 5 of anything in general and nothing in particular?


I’m still a rock/indie fan at heart, same as I was as a teenager. This past couple of months, amongst other stuff, I’ve been enjoying new albums by the Hold Steady and Dinosaur Jr. Also an old blues album by Junior Kimbrough (All Night Long) which is great. In terms of electronic music, I don’t listen to a huge amount at home but enjoy Sean’s EBS broadcasts. My days of being a trainspotter are largely behind me! 


Top 5 of anything and nothing:



Faded – The Afghan Whigs. My favourite song off my favourite album (Black Love) by my favourite band.Crush (Future Bones remix) – Duncan Gray. My favourite track from Tici Taci changes regularly but this is consistently in the top 5. Just keeps on building.



The Deliverer – Pergon. A peerless acid banger from the early 90s. This style of techno became very cliched and formulaic but when done well, like here, hard to deny. One of the most satisfying build-ups (or drops as they say nowadays).



Thrasher – Neil Young. If I had to pick just one artist’s back catalogue to listen to, it’d be Neil Young’s. Again, impossible to pick a favourite song but this is particularly lovely and from one of his very best albums (Rust never sleeps). 


Hi-Tech Jazz – Galaxy 2 Galaxy. UR is my favourite label of all-time and Mike Banks my favourite producer. As with all my other picks, so many to choose from, and this is undoubtedly one of his best. 


Track Of The Day: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) - Talking Heads (Sire)

Monday, May 10, 2021

Real_Techno presents DJ Di'jital (Direct Beat/Trust/UR)

Mechatronicast #19: DJ Di'jital

 

Fear On The Dark Planet - Umwelt (Midnight Shift)

 


Title: Fear On The Dark Planet

Artist: Umwelt

Label: Midnight Shift

Cat Number: MNSX023

Genre: Techno


A1: Fear On The Dark Planet

A2: Accelerating Universe

B1: Ravenous Horde

B2: Raiders Of The Final Frontier

B3: Gate Of Nothingness


If you like it claustrophobic and abrasive, not to mention symphonic and dissonant, then Umwelt has something just for you. ‘Fear Of The Dark Planet’ is just an article, a preposition and an adjective away from Public Enemy’s magnum opus, but couldn’t be further removed. The track titles give an indication as to the chaos that awaits, and as organised as that may be, it’s an uncompromising romp through a dense, acidic pounding (‘Ravenous Horde’); raw, sensory electro imaginings (‘Fear On The Dark Planet’ & ‘Accelerating Universe’); the simultaneous grind and soar of ‘Raiders Of The Final Frontier’; finishing with the comparatively tame, but menacing ‘Gate Of Nothingness’. Hard as nails, but eloquently expressed.

Voyage de Lux with Alex Downey & Billy Nasty - 28.04.2021

 

Track Of The Day: Wild Times (Mayday Mix) - De Lite (Circa Records)

Saturday, May 08, 2021

ALFOS EBS 23 - Sean Johnston (07-05-2021)

 


EBS Clip
Camí de Sa Veleta
Mehmet Aslan - Beasts
Medlar Aerial WAV
Nostalgia Kenda
Port Chastel Jacques Satre
My Friend Dario - Sunset Outro
Sound of the Lonely City Planisphere
Colonisation Arabian Panther
Gimme Da Space Vox A Strange Wedding
Jack Butters Feat. Terry - Still Got The Feelin'
Pete Bones - Tsunami Surfer (DG remix)
TGF-Silence
My Friend Dario - Desertico
Close to Paradise Soulwax
SRI (Andi Hanley Rework) North Of The Island
Ademarr Disco Ball (Lebollet_Remix)
My Sleepless Darkness Javi Redondo
Endlessly (Original Mix) Warehouse Preservation Society
Wanowan Efem Asa Moto
Patenipat Charlotte Adigéry
Medlar Iguanadon
DG - May Your Toes Kiss The Sand Again
Jack Butters - Drowning In Acid
WeGreetYou ZillasOnAcid
The Lambs Suffer New Hook & Perel
Night Skies (KiloWatts Midnight Drive Remix) Patchen
Always Up Arthur Johnson
Coyote_Will We Ever Dance Again
Duncan Gray - Red Janet
Xanga Temple
Muquifo ROTCIV
Wrong Way Alex Aguayo
Proton Edit 5 (Disco Adjustment By Conor) Conor
Falling Angels Rise 1969 feat. Ryan K
Renato Ratier - Jamaicanese (Phil Kieran Remix)
Harrison Fjord Freestyle Man
Medlar Elephant Bingo
Cosmic House Inner Axes
David Holmes & Raven Violet - LOVE IS A MYSTERY
lights up Flight Facilities
Love Machine II Temple
Rave Therapy Feat Nadia Anderson Younger than me
Rythmo (Cosmo Vitelli K Hole Remix) Javi Redondo
Sueno Latino Cutmaster G
wanna bang kluentah
We Are The Law Róisín Murphy
Zakir - Money Caster (Iñigo Vontier Remix) Iñigo Vontier
Zakir - Money Caster (Short Version) Zakir
Italo Cósmico Inner Axes
Sasha - A Key To Heaven For A Heavenly Trance (Night Dubbing Mix)
Wéi Bolis Pupul
Make It Happen Roman Flügel
Pro One Coyote
Love Machine Temple
Star Stuff Rebolledo & Roman Flügel
The Affair feat. 1403 (Marcus Worgull Remix) Joone & Victor C.
Wörkstrom - Teacupstorm
Yasha F - Game With Imagination Hardway Bros Remix
The Vendetta Suite - Purple Haze, Yellow Sunrise
Mermaid WhoMadeWho
Cliffbanger Storken & Brynjolfur
FLORAL (BADWOLF REMIX- CONJURO
kappov djs pareja
Poser (Tony H's Deep Slapper Remix) Longstocking
Ademarr Sonos_Italic (Ricardo_Ruben_Remix)
Holding On Circle Sky
Carte Blanche (Original Mix) Whitesquare
Crooked Madame Róisín Murphy
Poser (Johnny 2 Shots Remix) Longstocking
Wem (Perel Remix) Foreign Guest
Wig Song Adrian Lux feat. Kamohelo & Jelly Crystal
Disko (Extended Mix) AM1R
Purpose Andre Kronert
Alpes (Superpitcher Remix) Para One
Meru Weska
Bunker (Terr Remix) Can Love Be Synth
Tango (Original Mix) Scuba, DOMiNii
In The Dark Turn Off The Lights Mix Casbah 73
Erol Alkan - Automatic (Palms Trax Remix) - Phantasy Sound Erol Alkan
Enchodus Coyote
Poser Longstocking
Walkin' On Sunshine (Alan Dixon Remixes)- Rockers Revenge (Alan Dixon Love Attack Remix)
Breaker (Original Mix) Posthuman
United Together (Mr. G & Duncan Forbes Remix) Heather Small ft. Lol Hammond
La Perla Sofia Kourtesis
Cold Beat Double Sided Mirror (Hardway Brothers Meet Monkton Noch Einmal Remix)

Track Of The Day: Requiem - Killing Joke (EG Records)

Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Interlinked EP - Plant43 (Plant43)

 


Title: Interlinked EP 

Artist: Plant43

Label: Plant43

Cat Number: PLANT43005

Genre: Electro


A: Interlinked

B1: Ancient Voice

B2: The Silent Flock


Plant43, aka Emile Facey is one of electro’s most prolific and most recognisable producers. His sound is many layered, dramatic and emotive, it is also occasionally conceptual, as in this release. ‘Interlinked’ is a work which is intended to evoke memories of The UK’s membership of the European Union, as well as expressing both sadness at its leaving, and hope for the future. And without trying too hard to shoehorn feelings into tenuous links, it can be argued that the tracks here convey a range of emotions and poignancy enough to capture the desired context. Both ‘Interlinked’ and ‘Ancient Voice’ do an excellent job of depicting a grandiose electro wistfulness, while ‘The Silent Flock’ is a downbeat chin stroker. All the compositions are made for contemplating things that might just be beyond the reach of mere mortals though, and are elegant soundtracks for a world currently out of control.


Track Of The Day: You Did It , You Did It (Live - 1965) - Roland Kirk

Tuesday, May 04, 2021

Metamorfosi Remixes Vol. 2 - Joseph Capriati (Redimension)

 


Title: Metamorfosi Remixes Vol. 2

Artist: Joseph Capriati

Label: Redimension

Cat Number: REDIMENSION014

Genre: House/Techno



1: Goa (Carl Cox Remix)

2: Spirit Brothers (ANNA Remix)

3: New Horizons (Francois K Electronic Dub)

4: Love Changed Me (Mathew Jonson Remix)

5: New Horizons (Sterac Electronics Italo Remix Vocal)

6: Goa (Carl Cox Deeper Remix)

7: New Horizons (Sterac Electronics Italo Remix Instrumental)


Volume 2 of 4. Projects such as these, be they good or bad, always elicit a certain rhetorical question. Why? Were favours called in big time? Or was it a case of overt generosity on behalf of the remixers? Maybe it’s just me. In any case Vol. 2 is less immediate and dynamic than Vol1 but it still has enough going for it to pique interest and seize the synapses. ANNA’s remix of ‘Spirit Brothers’ is Jeff Mills on the Copacabana. Francois K’s Electronic Dub of ‘Spirit Brothers is discofied Manu Dibango inspired Afro heaven, which is why the saxophones sound so good. Sterac’s pair hit the spot and show his undoubted versatility, I would have like the bpm count up a little, but hey, it’s all good. Carl Cox’s efforts are dire, formulaic edm. While Mathew Jonson really highlights the vocals in ‘Love Changed Me’ to come up with a dreamy piece of garage. On the whole, like all similar packages, no one DJ will play all of these, but its nice to have the choice.









Track Of The Day: Speed of Dark (Andrew Weatherall Remix) - Emiliana Torrini (Rough Trade)