Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Neka Neka Remixed - Ex Ponto (General Purpose)
Title: Neka Neka Remixed
Artist: Ex Ponto
Label: General Purpose
Cat Number: GP005
Genre: Discoidance
A1: The Middle Path (Tolouse Low Trax Version)
A2: Ex Ponto (General Purpose Version)
B1: 20/44 (Sacha Mambo Version)
B2: Stuck In Oberon (Berkay Mete Version)
Well, what a pleasant throwback this is. I’m saying this while listening to ‘The Middle Path (Tolouse Low Trax Version)’ which is a presentation on international gestures with the backing of a fuggy tribal dirge reminiscent of that employed by 23 Skidoo throughout ‘7 Songs’. ‘Ex Ponto (General Purpose Version)’ is a low key piece of acid chug underpinned by a kick, a mysterious vocal sample and organic percussive rubbings. It mixes the ominous with the funky and, as such, is perfectly balanced. ‘20/44 (Sacha Mambo Version)’ is an uplifting piece of electronic folk which recalls many a disembodied moment from rave’s sacred sunrise, while ‘Stuck In Oberon (Berkay Mete Version)’ is a literal Turkish delight; full of eastern promise and much more than the sum of its parts. All in all, this is a fantastically diverse and profound release which ends the year on a high and will be a hard one to follow, no matter who tries.
Monday, November 29, 2021
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Friday, November 26, 2021
Always A Work In Progress
Autumn, when the air turns damp and everything feels like the inside of a Nigel Slater book. My decks are living life in reverse. Having been mothballed during some renovation work, they are eagerly waiting to emerge, atlas moth – like, from their metaphorical cocoons and to spread their wings once more. And it’s at times like this, after a prolonged break, that one begins to think of a possible new direction where playing other people’s music is concerned. Having been at this end of the scale for most of my life, I like to think that I know a thing or two about playing music. But do I? What qualifications does one need? What technique? The turntable is an instrument but whatever comes out of it is determined by more than one factor. I am conspicuously arsed about this too. Not just anyone can play a record and sequence a set. Also it’s been said many times before that watching a DJ play is irrelevant, you should be dancing. Dancing is great innit, but what if you don’t want to and you’d prefer to watch the DJ play? (Recently saw a fatuous Twitter thread where a DJ was bemoaning other DJs dancing behind the decks. What’s better, having a good time or moodiness? And what’s the correct way to enjoy yourself?) Doesn’t he/she deserve as much attention as someone playing a musical instrument? I daresay the answer to this will be largely “no” as there is a general misconception that DJing is not a drain on any sort of talent. Being a DJ is a polyvalent venture. Playing whatever you want, albeit within reason, is every bit as interesting as playing a musical instrument. I never found the idea of being in a band that attractive, even though I regret not learning an instrument (there’s still time). Interminable practice sessions of the same songs over and over again . . . never found it appealing. Like a lot of kids I doubt I considered the hard work involved in making it at any level. Far better to construct a set and a mood honed from years of playing music on various media in various closed spaces (mostly) to appreciative captive audiences. Subtlety is the key, and patience. The Romanians and their ilk go for the long game, which means rhythm and restraint. It’s not all about banger after banger thank god, and mood building is as effective in the groove-led minimal scene as anywhere else. However, the minimal aesthetic nowadays is anything but, with bass thankfully playing a bigger part. It’s when it gets too gossamer clicky that it becomes boring. This was the case the first time around. In the first wave of this much-maligned configuration a lot of what was released was rightly slated for lacking variety and funk. I think it’s fair to say though that this has changed a lot in recent years and it’s only the reputation of the DJs that stereotypes them; not the music they play. These chaps are not the only people to play long sets however. A shift slower and you have Sean Johnston whose A Love From Out Of Space (ALFOS) EBS sets have sustained many a space cadet through lockdown and beyond. The ALFOS aesthetic is wonderfully suited to the patient approach, allowing a linear funk to unfold layer upon layer courtesy of an eclectic philosophy that allows anything within reason, as long as it doesn’t exceed 122bpm. It’s often a source of conflict to me that I like all of the music discussed thus far equally, but they are poles apart sonically. The pantheon of electronic music is large, and I like it all, give or take some stuff. Having said that, I wouldn’t play it all, and find the act of creating a vibe with whatever music there might be to hand more difficult than it’s cracked up to be. It’s not beyond me by any stretch, but it’s much maligned and trivialized by those not in the know. It isn’t a case of playing records together of course. It’s paying the right records in the correct order within a certain space and time. Some tracks sound better in certain circumstances than others. I run a lot, but don’t always listen to music. When I do though, it’s never ambient. If what I’m listening to doesn’t match my pace then what’s the point. This is not a mindset limited to exercise, it is transposed to every aspect of conscious life. What fits the bill shopping in the supermarket may not when running a 5k. The nights are drawing in and listening to music while running in the evening can be dangerous. You can leave yourself open to all sorts of tomfoolery. I don’t like it. Too many opportunities to exercise the accident prone side of your character. This is why soundtracking your walk is better. I’ve just started listening to the last instalment of Eric Cloutier’s ‘The Arsonist And The Architect’ mix series. Every one of the is a belter and made even better by the little imperfections left in the recordings. The most recent one, ‘Fulcrum’ is all tribal techno loops and is a masterclass of blends, volume control and audio trepanning. So this art never ceases to amaze and intrigue me. I just wish I could find the time to engage with it more.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Monday, November 22, 2021
The Mirage Remixed Pt. 3 - Sonarpilot (Sonarpilot Audio)
Title: The Mirage Remixed Pt. 3
Artist: Sonarpilot
Label: Sonarpilot Audio
Cat Number: SAMP9
Genre: Dub Techno
1: Cathedral (Echologist Reshape)
2: Imperium (Brendon Moeller Dub)
3: Cathedral (Brendon Moeller Ambient Dub)
What we have here is trio of tones and textures courtesy of Brendon Moeller Rather like three small, perfectly formed cupcakes, these are baked to perfection and veneered with only the finest dub icing, each offering descending in intensity and grandiosity compared to what went before. That doesn’t mean that ‘Cathedral (Brendon Moeller Ambient Dub)’ has been reduced to the size of a sonic pea, compared to the Jersey Royal that is ‘Cathedral (Brendon Moeller Ambient Dub)’, and the aubergine-sized ‘Cathedral (Echologist Reshape)’. Rather that their audiomotive emphasis becomes less urgent depending on their respective contexts. Each track creates its own panoramic soundscape however: with the intense, chilly, bottomless blast of track 1, giving way to the frictional western-influenced melody of 2, while the beatless ambience of 3 feels like ‘Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space”, if you know what I mean.
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Friday, November 19, 2021
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Stalk, Leaf & Bloom - Deadbeat & OM Unit (Midnight Shift)
Title: Stalk, Leaf & Bloom
Artist: Deadbeat & Om Unit
Label: Midnight Shift
Cat Number: MNSXLP002
Genre: Dub Techno
A: Root
B: Stalk
C: Leaf
D: Bloom
It’s dub techno Jim, but not quite as we know it. With an emphasis very much on the dub, which is distinguished by its technological engagement, this double pack plumbs the depths in a methodical and forensic way. There is a pervasive roots ambience to the release. However, it becomes more interesting when it ventures outside this zone into more a more synthetic environment. The use of the 303 on ‘Stalk’ is restrained and profound which even the abstracted flute warbling over the top can’t displace. ‘Leaf’ is very much the same. A meditative journey which locks your brain into a journey along the lateral line of your subconscious. ‘Root’ and ‘Bloom’ play with more conventional roots and dub tropes, the former being more conventional in that respect than the latter. What the brain is compelled to do when listening to these compositions is to scrutinise every detail and imagine new meaning in them. Something that isn’t easy to achieve, but because of the way disparate elements amalgamate, feels natural and a pleasure.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Fight To The Finish EP - Detroit's Filthiest (Defrostatica Records)
Title: Fight To The Finish EP
Artist: Detroit’s Filthiest
Label: Defrostatica Records
Cat Number: DICA018
Genre: Electro
A1: Get The Strap
A2: Secure The Bag
B1: Failure 2 Launch
B2: Motor City Blues
Marketed as “. . . four no-frills up-tempo tracks that fuse electro, ghettotech and jungle as only Detroit's Filthiest can.” This release on Defrostatica is Julian Shamou’s fourth of the year and possibly his best. The beats are uptempo and electro dominates, even though the pace suggests ghettotech. ‘Motor City Blues’ however is very much conscious drum and bass, and is positively mellow compared to the other three tracks, having a horn, vocal whispers and bearing more than a passing resemblance to ‘Pulp Fiction’ by Alex Reece. The remainder of the EP reflects the environment in which it was probably produced. Urgent, razor sharp beats blend with a hostile science fiction ambience and the pace being rapid means the funk is furious. ‘Failure 2 Launch’ allows for a little light relief, being the most syncopated track of the three and that with the most air beneath its wings; whereas both ‘Get The Strap’ and ‘Secure The Bag’ are tracks to drive quickly along dark freeways pretending you’re Knightrider and not giving a shit.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Hors d'Oeuvres Vol. 2 - Mark Flash (Detroit Techno Funk Association)
Title: Hors d’Oeuvres Vol. 2
Artist: Mark Flash
Label: Detroit Techno Funk Association
Cat Number: DTFA-002
Genre: Techno
1: One Way Ticket To Mars
2: They Can Hear Us
3: They Can See Us
‘One Way Ticket To Mars’ is a lovely piece of orchestrated, symphonic Detroit tech-funk. It reminds me of Aril Brikha’s finest hours. Tight, insistent and crisp production. Both ‘They Can Hear Us’ and ‘They Can See Us’ sound like two sides of the same coin, the latter bottoming out on an eternal grinding loop while the former hits the high end and, in doing so, crams as many recognisable Detroit hi-tek hooks as it can. These are all well-produced tracks and will fire up the floor, but there is no doubt that imagination is in short supply.
Monday, November 15, 2021
Beyond The Reach Of Time EP - Regis (EPM)
Title: Beyond The Reach Of Time EP
Artist: Regis
Label: EPMmusic
Cat Number: EPM24V/EPM94
Genre: Tekkers
A1: No Love From Above
A2: At The Side Of Silence
AA1: Beyond The reach Of Time Pt 2
Semi-mythical Perry & Croft devotee Regis comes correct once more with some tracks which are (gasp) 20 years old. As has been said before on these very pages, most recently with reference to ‘Thought’ (Suzukiski), this is either timeless stuff, or the music isn’t progressing very much. Either way I like it, which is all that matters really even if we are very much preaching to the converted. ‘No Love From Above’ is very much big room tribal business, with a nice line in dampened kicks emphasised by crisper flourishes. ‘At The Side Of Silence’ has the kick in full flow again, but this time more syncopated along which something jars off-key in a very cohesive way, if that makes any sense. On listening to ‘Beyond The reach Of Time Pt 2’ I’m surprised to find out that it is, essentially, a continuation of the previous track, which gradually fades to a whisper in order to let more dramatic electronic soaring take precedence.
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Saturday, November 13, 2021
ALFOS EBS 29 - Sean Johnston (12-11-2021)
ALFOS EBS 29 12/1121
EBS Clip
The Summerisle Six This Is Something (Rico Conning Mix)
Imperium (Brendon Moeller Dub) Sonarpilot
Blaupause Freakazzé II
Tsé Tsé Tushen Raï & Neskeh
Satin Touch CheapEdits
JAMES BRIGHT - MOONSCAPE
Rocco Universal - Sleepwalking In Silom
The Mechanical Man - The Last Train For The City
Domo Mehmet Aslan
The Summerisle Trio - Willow's Song
Dj Steef & Mr. Bard - Macho City Dub - Love Saves
Feel Fly - Esperanto
The Sky is Empty Scadta & The Virginia Valley
Future Beat Alliance - Memory Sketch
Franz Scala - Overflash
Dj Steef & Mr. Bard - Extraplatte
Split Secs - Accept The Answer
Scratch Massive - Closer ft Chloé - [DŒLD Remix]
Der Krautback Die Orangen
Gallo - Abysso (Calm's Mellow Mellow Acid Remix)
Ilya Santana_Sirius B Master 12 (ok)
Fango - A + B (Oddysee)
Achroma (feat. Mr. Z) CheapEdits
Keeping Distance (Sinchi) Nomenklatür
L.ove Captain Of Your Heart
Paris From Above Tonarunur
Sentre - Trousersnake_BirdUP!
TMO JAM IV
Dance Cole Baby
Rejoins Moi (feat. Lizaé) Gleb Filipchenkow
Sentinelle (feat. Sainte Nicole) Gleb Filipchenkow
Thrill Me Jezebell
Tosh Jimi Bazzouka slow edit Fluke
Holiday (Instrumental) Confidence Man
Propaganda (Ecar Edit)
Plastic Animals Laaar
Komodo_Vanquished Angst [Viscera_Transmissions]
14 Again (Valentin Huedo Remix) Rheinzand
We Are The Axis_(Hardway Bros Scrutton St Via Crucifix Lane Remix)
Don't Run We Are Your Friends Bjorn This Way
Duncan Gray - Temps Perdu (id!r remix)
Bluer Than Blue (Mr G's 'Time To Sweat' Remix) Duncan Forbes
Power - Floorplan Remix (Extended) TSHA
Monolito Alejandro Paz, Nuclear Digital Transistor & Kabinett
Springs Laaar
Auf Togo A LittleBitDeeper EachOther Remix
Les Yeux Orange - Amantes Cosmicos
TMO Melodic Jam
Soleil Toujours Benedikt Frey
Woman in the Window (Red Axes Club Mix) Perry Farrell ft. Jim Morrison
Martin Lefteri - Spooky Action
Acid Summer Undo
My City's On Fire (Club Edit) Jimi Jules
Come to Me (Original Mix) DMX Krew
What The Hell (Original Mix) Âme
Some Lights Red Axes
Holiday (Erol Alkan Rework) Confidence Man
Forever In A Dream John Noseda
BRUISE WHEN PIANO S ATTACK
Everybody (Extended Mix) Club Social
Clapping Song Justin Vandervolgen
Detox Your Feelings Pitch Down
In The Jungle (Bullion Remix) Man Jumping
Crossing for a golden blanket Bawrut
Friday, November 12, 2021
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Tuesday, November 09, 2021
Colin Wilson via Paul Morley Evokes Nostalgia
Inside The Microbeat - Sync 24 (Cultivated Electronics)
Title: Inside The Microbeat
Artist: Sync 24
Label: Cultivated Electronics
Cat Number: CE040
Genre: Electro
A1: Oriental Sunset
A2: Inspired Law
B1: Drunk On Delays
B2: Inside The Microbeat
C1: Sluper Smashed
C2: The Arrival
D1: Haunt Times
D2: Solvent Flavours Revisited
E1: Lightwire
E2: Avoid The Ploid
F1: Spatial Racing
Phil Bolland, aka Sync 24, is the brain behind Cultivated Electronics; a trailblazer for electro and a major reason for the genre’s current state of good health. After a slew of split releases with other leading lights on CE, the time has come to release his debut album. The physical release is triple different coloured vinyl and features a print from award winning animation director and street artist Will Barras, along with the by now ubiquitous tote bag. Phew! Well, there’s no point in not going on a multi-pronged attack on the occasion of your full-length bow is there? As far as the music is concerned, the bulk of the content is made up of uptempo electro which, in turn, is a mix of the floor-friendly and the wonky. There is a conspicuous funky veneer to everything however, with the pace only dropping on tracks like ‘Haunt Times’ and ‘Spatial Racing’. Others, like ‘Sluper Smashed’ and ‘Spatial Racing’ keep the pressure on, but go down a slightly more unorthodox route, jacking off the beat in order to loosen the wild style constraints a little. Album opener ‘Oriental Sunset’ throws the gauntlet down immediately with a wonderfully syncopated voyage into the heart of the bass, and this is only amplified by sundry other offerings. ‘Drunk On Delays’ is indeed a fitting evocation of the headspins and ‘Inside The Microbeat’ one of exploratory beat surgery. What this album does very well is operate on the eponymously onomatopoeic. The track titles almost instantly justifying themselves within the space of a few beats. I like that, no matter how contrived it might seem to others. Strangely, the tunes with the most insect menace ‘Lightwire’ and ‘Avoid The Ploid’, are a couple I can’t figure out the idea behind. Not that one is needed. I suppose I shouldn’t be looking for meaning in everything, should I?
Monday, November 08, 2021
Atoms To Atoms - Zodiac Childs (Zodiac Wax)
Title: Atoms To Atoms
Artist: Zodiac Childs
Label: Zodiac Wax
Cat Number: ZW005
Genre: Parallel Rave
A1: Submersion
A2: Circuits
B1: Basic Process
B2: The Gevil (Zodiac Childs & Baraqiel)
C1: Kepler Track Two (Zodiac Childs & Baraqiel)
C2: O To The M (Album Mix)
D1: Breach
D2: Goblin (Zodiac Childs & Baraqiel)
E1: Champion Rush
E2: Critical Sign
F1: Northern Fury
F2: Channels
Striking a balance between conceptual rave and primal soup, ‘Atoms To Atoms’ is a polished and layered tilt at documenting a moment in the hardcore continuum’s existence by time stretching that instance in order to allow it to attain cosmic proportions. ‘Kepler Track Two’ with its Carl Sagan samples being an obvious nod in this direction. The tracks generally function on a foundation of intergalactic synth swathes and embrace break beats of varying intensity as their prime source of momentum. There’s an awful lot of it going on, but here it’s raised to the level of symphonic, (‘Breach’), as well as elemental (‘Goblin’), a photon torpedo of a track, its bass firing shock waves across synapse fault lines. There are more fractured, chasmal episodes, such as in ‘Champion Rush’, ‘Circuits’ and the standout ‘Basic Process’, adding to the overriding, universal feel of expansion and eventual rupture. It’s not an easy state to define, as there are so many cliches to avoid. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue for this composite Hadron Collider of pulse systems, which finishes with the post-rave stylings of ‘Channels’, a track which eloquently recalls hazy late spring sunrises and elicits onomatopoeic optimism.
Sunday, November 07, 2021
808 State On KFM 10/4/90
Following the sad news earlier today of the passing of 808 State's Andy Barker, here are three parts of 808 State's legendary radio show broadcast on KFM Radio, Manchester back in the day. These recordings were worn out during the summer term at The University of Sussex in 1990 and are object lessons in how to sound like you're really having fun during a broadcast. RIP Andy and thanks for the music.
Saturday, November 06, 2021
Friday, November 05, 2021
Thursday, November 04, 2021
Requiem For A Rave - Posthuman (Balkan Vinyl)
Title: Requiem For A Rave
Artist: Posthuman
Label: Balkan Vinyl
Cat Number: BV50
Genre: Techno
A1: RMX
A2: To The Place
A3: Hate
B1: Ultrareal
B2: Fontalic
B3: Proof And Fade
C1: Tunnel
C2: Rushing High
D1: MCRD
D2: Homecoming
D3: Take Me Back
Reading the press release for this, I feel I’m missing out by not having the cassette version which was “recorded as a radio broadcast and features full narration throughout, plus shout outs from fellow DJs and artists.” Besides being a great concept, it does feel in memoriam. Of course this is the intention. However, the music therein is anything but defunct, The drums really roll on tracks like ‘To The Place’, ‘Hate’ and ‘Fontalic’. The breaks are crystal clear and clean on ‘RMX’ and ‘Ultrareal’. ‘Rushing High’ is neither one thing or the other, metamorphosing from low key acid into into a euphoric battering ram and there and back again. This takes talent. ‘MCRD’ is robot hardcore; ‘Homecoming’ is beatless suppressed power and ‘Take Me Back’ has that sunrise in the fields with gentle hippies feel, the type of track that, more than any other on this album feels tailor made for coming up on beans and touches base with more cultural reference points than other track on the album. This is a sonic stream of consciousness that documents a key cross cultural moment, stretched and polished by modern production techniques. A resonant rave draped collection skilfully pieced together by a master craftsman, Time to dig out your Fantasy FM, Rave FM and Centreforce tapes.
