Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Trans Afro Express (Remixes) - Jerome Sydenham & Fatima Njai feat. Mario Punchard (Rekids)
Title: Trans Afro Express Remixes
Artist: Jerome Sydenham & Fatima Njai feat. Mario Punchard
Label: Rekids
Cat Number: REKIDS186
Genre: House
A1: Trans Afro Express (Gerd Janson ‘Dance’ Mix)
A2: Trans Afro Express (Gerd Janson ‘Dance’ Instrumental Mix)
B1: Trans Afro Express (Ricardo Villalobos ‘242 Free’ Remix)
This isn’t the first time ‘Trans Euro Express’ has been remixed, and it won’t be the last. Here it’s given an alternative title, but that’s far from enough to distinguish it alone. The vocal in Gerd Janson’s ‘Dance’ Mix is a repetitive piece of distorted deadpan intonation. It’s one of those vocals which feels such a part of the track that the inclusion of an instrumental seems a bit pointless. So it’s left to plague raver Ricardo Villalobos to rescue the package with a suitably abstract rhythmically loping version. Say what you like about his choice of African party venues, it won’t stop him reconstituting time and space in the cause of the remix.
Monday, August 30, 2021
Sunday, August 29, 2021
Saturday, August 28, 2021
Friday, August 20, 2021
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Terra - The Palmer Initiative (Hot Haus)
Title: Terra
Artist: The Palmer Initiative
Label: Hot Haus
Cat Number: HOTHAUS061
Genre: Break Beat/Trance Rave Euphoria
1: Terra
2: Black Fire
3: Shadow Self
There’s an all-encompassing euphoric vibe going on here in the UTTU organisation’s latest attempt to leave no electronic music base uncovered. The tracks fall into neatly into the ravey/acidic breaks category, (‘Terra’ & ‘Black Fire’); and trance (‘Shadow Self’). Breaks seem to be the majority shareholder in current dance floor trends, so it’s a question of if anything new is being brought to the table. The answer is no, but that doesn’t mean to be dismissive. Both tracks in question are extremely well-realised and show a great amount of imagination. They hit all the right notes as far as atmosphere and sound design are concerned, combining said elements to form finished articles which are emotive ambassadors. ‘Shadow Self’ is one of the best recent attempts at trance I’ve heard. It’s value is in its restraint and scope. There are hints of the best of the genre, and the Goa-ometer never goes into the red. Sometimes tracks like these don;t know when to quit, the strength of this package is its reserve.
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Antera - Jarren (Apron)
Title: Antera
Artist: Jarren
Label: Apron
Cat Number: APRON45
Genre: Very Eighties Synth Funk Wooziness
1: Intro
2: Zaiah
3: Antera
4: Fye
5: 4 U
6: Deja Vu
7: Kang
8: Gina
9: Whittier Blvd
10: Devotional Melody
11: Devotional Melody (Spice Adams Mix)
Jarren made this record “ as an ode to his family’s upbringing and surroundings that left a lasting impression in his early years.” Well, I can’t really comment on that as I don’t know anything about him and I’m far too lazy to do my research. What I can say is that the cover of ‘Antera’ features Tower Bridge, and this is the least London-inspired album I’ve ever heard. Not that I’m suggesting a connection between anything here. Like a lot of Apron’s output, this album feels like it was made in the eighties and is to be appreciated wearing tight Speedo’s, languidly reclining next to an oversized swimming pool, stoned and biding your time for the consumption South America’s finest dust in preparation for endless disco dancing. It’s a metaphysical launch pad brazenly tickling the senses, propelled by handclaps, drum machines, electronic battle licks and soporific keys, all designed to usher you into the type of disco which peaks with the chopped and screwed parallel universe of Ford & Lopatin. Most of it is just a bit too pacey for G-funk, but it ploughs a similar woozy furrow, and is just as addictive.
Monday, August 16, 2021
Lost Time - Nullptr (Distorted Sensory Perception)
Title: Lost Time
Artist: Nullptr
Label: Distorted Sensory Perception
Cat Number: DSP004
Genre: Electro
A1: Adrift
A2: Islands
B1: First Light
B2: Lost Time
If you like your electro bittersweet, wistful and floaty, then this 4 tracker will grant your adjectival three wishes. As deep as you like and emotively top heavy, Eddie Simons’, aka Nullptr, latest will have you as deep in a trance as you like without being under the spell of bullshit. The more linear compositions, like ‘Islands’ and ‘First Light’ are as good as anything I’ve heard from contemporaries like Cignol, Plant43 and Sound Synthesis, each having that layered subtlety and suppressed power that could propel them forever if need be. ‘Adrift’ and ‘Lost Time’ bookend this quartet in a less fluid, but no less moving style, making use of more pronounced beats and bass to further differentiate between darkness and light, the latter being a more solemn, glacial journey. Stunning stuff.
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Saturday, August 14, 2021
Friday, August 13, 2021
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Potatoland - Jerome Hill (Accidental Junior)
Title: Potatoland
Artist: Jerome Hill
Label: Accidental Junior
Cat Number: ACJ157
Genre: Minimal House
A1: Quibble
A2: Chicken
B1: Potatoland
B2: Bleeper
Jerome Hill follows up last year’s ‘The Pob Routine’, with this majestic four tracker on Accidental Junior, and gets things going by apeing label boss Matthew Herbert on ‘Quibble’, a jaunty, minimal house track that could have come from the master himself. ‘Chicken’ is very Dance Mania/DJ Deeon. ‘Potatoland’ is a track that was made while Hill was spending time on an organic vegetable farm, and is the result of a collage of samples extracted “in the wild.” Another Herbert approach and one that again, pays big dividends. Finally, ‘Bleeper’ is a loping, uneven groove that manages to remain cohesive in spite of the bleeps being fired across its bows.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Purple - Glenn Astro (Tartelet)
Title: Purple
Artist: Glenn Astro
Label: Tartelet
Cat Number: TART050
Genre: Abstract Groove
1: Penduloop
2: Purple
3: Out Of Office
4: Flux
‘Penduloop’ is a great opener. One of those tracks that draws you in with its simplicity and carefully layered minimalism. Sound slides into the mix and is left there to add another layer to the groove foundation. ‘Purple’ has more body, but is constructed along similar lines. It’s robustness contrasts with a pervasive feeling of lethargy and laziness. There’s an electro slant to ‘Out Of Office’, the off beat percussion of which contrasts with the otherworldliness and together with the bass produces a track which seems like its struggling with itself to exist. ‘Flux’ is too urgent to properly dance to, but also feels bogged down in electronic primeval sludge. This is not a bad thing per se, and sort of summarises the general vibe I get from this release as one of deceptively simple sound design and contrasts.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Route 66 - Gettoblaster & DJ Deeon (Hot Haus)
Title: Route 66
Artist: Gettoblaster & DJ Deeon
Label: Hot Haus
Cat Number: HOTHAUS058
Genre: Trackiness
01: Give It To Me
02: Knockin’
03: Route 66
04: Twerk It
What I like about this release is that although it bangs it out, it does so with finesse and reserve. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s the style I like. There’s a control over the wonkiness which, although far from excessive, manages to thrive by emphasising the funk. This is the only way to stop this sound from being played out. That doesn’t mean startling originality though. ‘Twerk It’ you’ve heard a thousand times before, but have you heard it exactly in this way? No matter what the familiarity with these motifs, a fresh twist is always possible. And that’s the same with all the tracks here. The beats are given a new leash of life by means of a subtle tweak to unleash them on a suspecting public with superior production technique ensuring positive results.
Monday, August 09, 2021
Engines Of Creation - Carl Finlow (Avoidant Music)
Title: Engines Of Creation
Artist: Carl Finlow
Label: Avoidant Music
Cat Number: ADDO13
Genre: Electro
1: Engines Of Creation
2: Dead Centre
3: Sonic Six
4: Reckless
Carl Finlow spews out four more tracks of otherworldly goodness which are as electronically elegant as they come. None of these compositions pull any punches and each engages in a high tempo game of funk chess with the listener’s third eye. Impossible to pick a favourite as they’re all boss sci fi soundscapes. However, ‘Engines Of Creation’ ‘Sonic Six’ conjures up images of nascent insect menace, an essential prerequisite for the discerning electro aficionado. ‘Dead Centre’ is jet-propelled B-boy petrol par excellence, while ‘Reckless’ has enough of a woozy feel to keep the listener pleasantly off-balance and on guard. Lovely stuff!
Saturday, August 07, 2021
Friday, August 06, 2021
Thursday, August 05, 2021
International Problem - 1310 Space Project (Seclusion)
Title: International Problem
Artist: 1310 Space Project
Label: Seclusion
Cat Number: SEC002
Genre: Techno
1: International Problem
2: International Problem (Blaktony Global Issue Remix)
3: Kismet
This is a solid and assured second release on Seclusion, by its founders. The title’s track original is a powerful, yet subtle linear track with more than a whiff of Jeff Mills when he’s on one of his more interstellar jaunts. Insistent percussion drives synths from the outer limits above which a voice tells us that something is very wrong. Blaktony’s remix is electro, as you would want, and is very good. It has the suspension of a Citroen CX and the bounce of the best mattress. It is, annoyingly, just shy of three and a half minutes long though. ‘Kismet’ is also a solid piece of sound design. However, it is very close to the original in tone and temper, which is all very well, but a little bit more variety on a three tracker with two original versions would have been better.
Wednesday, August 04, 2021
Harmony Of The Spheres - MOY (Batrachian)
Title: Harmony Of The Spheres
Artist: MOY
Label: Batrachian
Cat Number: BTR004
Genre: Beats Across The Spectrum
1: Nautilus
2: World Grid
3: Vector Space
4: Cyber Weapon
Weaving a dream-like way between break beats of varying frequencies: which see them occupy a mystical netherworld, (‘Nautilus’); gather pace into electro symbiosis, (‘World Grid’); propose a grandiloquent blend of rhythmic characteristics with dramatic mood swings, (’Vector Space’); and dip their toes into hardcore (‘Cyber Weapon’). MOY’s ‘Harmony Of The Spheres’ certainly comes correct as far as variety is concerned. It’s a release that has something for everyone, as long as that certain something is wrapped up in break beat metaphysics and that certain someone is into out of body experiences within the alleys of their mind. Which is nice.
Tuesday, August 03, 2021
Monday, August 02, 2021
Wild Calling EP - Alinka (Balkan Vinyl)
Title: Wild Calling EP
Artist: Alinka
Label: Balkan Vinyl
Cat Number: BV35
Genre: Techno
1: Wild Calling
2: State Of Mind
3: Control
4: Control (Johnny Aux Mix)
5: Control (Nightwave Digital Exclusive)
There’s a confidence about this release which, tempo-wise, could bridge the gap between techno and disco. Except for Nightwave’s interpretation of ‘Control’, which,is the most unrestrained cut here. Johnny Aux’s mix is a minimal, burbling beast that doesn’t ever get out of second gear, but still manages to be pervasively menacing. The original version of said track could hold its own in any situation, sticking a flanging 303 to layered beats and an insistent percussive garnish. ‘State Of Mind’ makes its moves in a similar fashion, with the addition of a level of syncopation in its second half. And ‘Wild Calling’ makes use of a spoken word and more concave beats. Hard, but not hard, if you understand.
