Friday, September 30, 2022
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Purple Edge - Helmet (Private Parts)
Title: Purple Edge
Artist: Helmet
Label: Private Parts
Cat Number: PRIVATEPARTS01
Genre: Techno
1: Purple Edge
2; Early Riser
Apparently featured on Craig Richards’ ‘Fabric 01’ comp, which must be about 20 years old now, ‘Purple Edge’ has been rereleased, not only for a new audience, but a new age. And it’s the latter that is the true gauge of its timelessness, or some may argue, lack of musical progress. Emerging in the mid nineties, techno’s “golden age”, as some like to call it, tracks like this, and their templates, are elegant in their simplicity and make us wonder how far the music has moved on. In any case, it’s a great piece, reminding me of a particular producer who had a John Thomas obsession and whose hallmark driving style overdubbed with all sorts of effects is instantly recognisable, to me at least. That’s ‘Purple Edge ‘ for you. ‘Early Riser’ is a more laid-back pumper, breaking down into a darkside linear throbber. Lovely stuff, and cheaper than what it’s currently going for on Discogs.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Evacuation Procedures - Pinz Pelz (Dance Is A Fetish)
Title: Evacuation Procedures
Artist: Pinz Pelz
Label: Dance Is A Fetish
Cat Number: DIAF001
Genre: Techno
1: Evacuation Procedures
2: Precautions
A pair of functional techno tracks that cover a range of tones and textures is what we have here. ‘Evacuation Procedures’ is a big room acid stomper which owes an obvious debt to ‘Acid Eiffel’, (as do many others). This is a good thing inasmuch as although that track will never be bettered, anything that tries to rival its ambience, depth and momentum and doesn’t come off sounding contrived is to be applauded. So that’s what we have here, albeit with a little bit of muscle. ‘Precautions’ is a more restrained, haunting piece with innate syncopation and groove. It’s just as driving as the title track, but is lighter on its feet and feels like cybernetic be bop, if that makes any sense?
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Mana Burn - Dynoman (Dynoman Music)
Title: Mana Burn
Artist: Dynoman
Label: Dynoman Music
Cat Number: DYN09
Genre: Dub/Minimal
1: Mana Burn
2: Ocean Glider
3: Made To Move
4: Inversions
5: Endorphin Squeeze
Dynoman conjures up images of impossibly tall Japanese robots, so I hope one of them is behind this release because it would make so much sense for a cyborg to be behind such a synthetic approach. Dub techno does sound the same, but can be full of subtlety and surprise, and I guess it’s the deftness in manipulating these elements that pays off. So, although ‘Mana Burn’ and ‘Made To Move’ are pretty much as one would expect from the genre, they are still well-constructed, melodic tunnels of oblivion. ‘Ocean Glider’, Inversions’ and ‘Endorphin Squeeze’ utilize tried and tested elements but in a more precise, syncopated fashion; with the dubbier elements supporting the sharper edged minimal funk arrangements. I’ve just found out that “Mana burn is an obsolete game concept in which a player would experience loss of life for having excess unspent mana when a phase ended.” Something I am totally unfamiliar with, but possibly of relevance as far as the underlying concept is concerned. Whatever that might be however, this is a great release with ‘Endorphin Squeeze’ standing out that little bit more due to its compelling, propulsive moodiness.
Monday, September 26, 2022
Friday, September 23, 2022
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Hectic/Amazon Dust - Robert Hood (M Plant)
Title: Hectic/Amazon Dust
Artist: Robert Hood
Label: M-Plant
Cat Number: M.PM44
Genre: Techno
A: Hectic
AA: Amazon Dust
New stuff from Robert Hood is always a cause for celebration. The Detroit don as a discography which is second to none and can lay claim to having one of the most distinctive sounds in techno. I’m not hearing it here though. ‘Amazon Dust’ is said to be reminiscent of his Monobox aliias, which was last seen at the tail end of 2021. I like it, as much as anyone can like a piece of competent bug room techno. ‘Hectic’ is a brain melter whose one redeeming feature is the siren that blast sporadically. It’s aptly named, but feels contrived. Hood still has the edge over most when it comes to making this stuff, and if this is where he is now then fine. However, it does feel formulaic.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Freq EP - The Shen (Shen Music)
Title: Freq EP
Artist: The Shen
Label: Shen Music
Cat Number: SM001
Genre: Deep House
1: I Miss You
2: Everybody
3: New Day
4: Freq
The Shen, rather like The Stig, feels like an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, parcelled up in preposterousness. However, unlike (his/her/their) slightly more famous simulacrum, The Shen speaks through the medium of jack. Pounding percussion, along with vocal cut ups, are a common factor across most of the landscape of these tracks, but there’s nuance as well. ‘New Day’ is probably the most restrained, but every feature amplifies itself regardless. Another melodic distraction is the off-key, slightly abstract keyboard noodling, that is pervasive across the package. And, together with the aformentioned elements, a wonderfully, minimal layering occurs, the result of which is a coalescence of the minimal, warehouse sound, something that draws heavily on Relief, Cajual, Murk but, more than anything else, Mood II Swing and Basic Channel. This is the nuts from start to finish and the best thing I’ve been sent since break beats started going out of fashion (thankfully).
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
A Temperança - Yen Sung & Photonz (Paraiso)
Title: A Temperança
Artist: Yen Sung & Photonz
Label: Paraiso
Cat Number: PARAISO009
Genre: Techno
1: A Temperança
2: A Temperança (Gravity Mix)
3: Akasha
4: Akasha (DJ Satellite Afro Remix)
In their original forms, both ‘ A Temperança’ and ‘Akasha’ are acid slow burners that drive themselves forward by virtue of their insistence and moodiness. ‘Akasha’ flips the switch about two thirds of the way through to blossom into a tribal stomp, while ‘A Temperança’ maintains its shape while descending further into the dark. It’s tempting to say that the ‘DJ Satellite Afro Remix’ of ‘Akasha’ turns up the tribal notch, so I will, and it does, but it also transforms the track into a druggier, messier workout for the graveyard shift. There’s less of a difference between the aforementioned original and ‘A Temperança (Gravity Mix)’; but certain elements are brought into sharper focus, as well as being rubbed up hedonistically against each other. Yen Sung & Photonz really deliver on this, the third release on their label which effortlessly delivers on dank, dance floor victuals.
Monday, September 19, 2022
Chimes At Midnight ll
Jodey Kendrick – Tottenhoe Castle red kites view (Clone Dub)
Stasis – Of All The Worlds (Detuned)
Hidden Sequence – Three Days Cooler (Mosaic)
Dynoman – Endorphin Squeeze (Dynoman Music)
Valen – Skyscraper (Joule Imprint)
Rinaldo Makaj – Voyager 1 (Irenic)
.xtrak – Multiplexor (7th City)
Strings Of Death – Simple & Hold (Vigram)
Haron – Rotate (Jeremiah R Remix) (BAKK)
Sansibar – Scully (Earth People Remix) (Kalahari Oyster Cult)
Gary Gritness – Sodium Sulfur (Hypercolour)
Arnold Steiner – Mood Sequence (Metroplex)
Zobol – Meridian (Carl Finlow Remix) (Melodize)
Cygnus – Very Super Natural (Biosoft)
The He-Men – Evolution 1 (Tone Dropout)
Chant Down (Steve O’Sullivan’s Recycled Dub) – Bluetrain (Lempuyang)
Chaton & Hopen – Life Is Wonders (Donato Dozzy Reconstruction) (Plak)
Serp Ozeydin – Tears Of The Vale (Haventepe Remix) (Petra)
Tracey – Earthrise (Voyage Direct)
Thor & Ohm – Skuggerhverfi (Ohm Series)
Mielafon – Concord (Mixcult)
Barbara Alvarez – Soy Trez (BRYZ Remix) (WAPM Records)
Continental – Flying Dub (Recit du Voyage)
Moxx – Time Is Running Out (Yoshi)
Feelin’ Cosy – Sweely (Hidden Hawaii)
Peace Division – Body & Soul (Low Pressings)
Ex-Terrestrial – Vanilight (Priori Rezone)
Stojche – Raison d’Etre (A.R.T.less)
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Friday, September 16, 2022
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Acid Dub Studies ll - Om Unit (Self Released)
Title: Acid Dub Studies ll
Artist: Om Unit
Label: Self Released
Cat Number: ADS002
Genre: Acid & Dub Innit
1: Melted
2: Camo
3: Strange Brew
4: Electroacidspringwater
5: Pursuit
6: Valium Tempo
7: To The River
8: Acid Tempo
9: Liberation
10: Springdub Meditation
Om Units second volume of ‘Acid Dub Studies’ is a collection of murky glimpses through the various pervasive layers of both the responsive and subconscious, the longest cuts weighing in at just under four minutes long. The nature of the beast is such, however, that time feels stretched within, making length largely irrelevant. Moreover, as one piece segues into the next, is there an end in sight? Before you know it, these densely grinding vignettes become a distant memory, but remain crystallized on account of their intelligently manipulated riffs and melodies. It’s an undulating collection, with ‘Camo’ quickly picking up the pace after the dawn-of-time fug of ‘Melted’, and after it drops into frictional despondency, reviving itself again slightly by way of ‘To The River’. In the main however, this is a depth charged set of tracks which are deft in their execution allowing for mulitple moods to be evoked. It’s a sunny day outside, and this is music for the void and abyss, but I’m finding reasons to be optimistic while listening to it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Dance Trax Vol. 41 - Cyberphunk (Dance Trax)
Title: Dance Trax Vol. 41
Artist: Cyberphunk
Label: Dance Trax
Cat Number: DANCETRAX041
Genre: Tracky Syncopation
1: Analysis
2: Intarder
3: Rebound
4: Voltage
Incorporated in to the words that come with this release is “draws inspiration from the minimal techno blueprint created by artists like Daniel Bell & Todd Sines back in the early 1990s”, which more than says it all as these tracks come off like they’ve been made by a tribute band. They are great though, and effortlessly incorporate house into techno I them most minimally funky way. Across all tracks there is hallmark rolling percussion and rhythmic squeaking, the combination of which allows for literally anything to be layered on top. That’s for the DJ to decide I suppose. However, there are occasional embellishments, such as the creaking accordion on ‘Voltage’ the annoying fly on ‘Analysis’, Landstrummesque flanging on ‘Rebound’ and the pervasive layering of ‘Intarder’. Intense and confrontational, but also fiercely funky, this release is top drawer and proudly flaunts its .xtrak influences.
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Monday, September 12, 2022
Euro Disco Weapon - Mark Mckenzie (Kouncil Kuts)
Title: Euro Disco Weapon
Artist: Mark Mackenzie
Label: Kouncil Kuts
Cat Number: KNCL009
Genre: Pulsing Italo Robodance
1: Metallic
2: Lust In Oscillation
3: Euro Disco Weapon
4: Euro Disco Weapon (Extended Mix)
This, the ninth Kouncil Kuts release and the first by label boss Mark Mackenzie is one that apparently “stray from the usual sound on KC.” Not being familiar with the label’s output until now means that I can avoid saying things like “an interesting change of direction” and just concentrate on what a great piece of uplifting synth disco ‘Euro Disco Weapon’ is and lament the fact that the so-called “Extended Mix” doesn’t go on for longer. ‘Lust In Oscillation’ and ‘Metallic each have more than a whiff of mid-period Yello about them, which is no bad thing, the former being the more upfront driving throbber, and the latter the hypnotic, moody epic soundscape into which bombs can be dropped. More of this sort of stuff please.
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Saturday, September 10, 2022
Friday, September 09, 2022
Thursday, September 08, 2022
Sexworker EP - The AM (Deeptrax)
Title: Sexworker EP
Artist: The AM
Label: Deeptrax
Cat Number: DPTX-031
Genre: Techno/Electro
01: Intercosmic Lap Dance
02: Let Me Be Lonely
03: Sex Worker
04: Black Galaxy
Ah, the ‘Sexworker EP’, whose track titles conjur up images of renegade androids giving out free gobbles in an upside down Mos Eisley Cantina. And if the tunes don’t conjure up images of robot depravity, then what will? For the most part this is a fifty/fifty techno/electro EP, with ‘Intercosmic Lap Dance’ a piece of creeping dread and by far and away the best track here; and ‘Sex Worker’ a slightly more linear robo funk workout, occupying the electro corner. Occupying the techno headspace are ‘Let Me Be Lonely’, with its soaring turbo bass driven vacuum cleaner riddims, and ‘Black Galaxy’, a collaboration withTrack Masta Lou of Scan 7. A track that feels like a thunder storm breaking out, but could be funkier if it dropped the bpms a tadge.
Sonic Footnotes
Although one of my biggest regrets is never having learnt a musical instrument, (yes, I know there’s still time), I don’t think that there’s any better way of playing music than being a DJ. There are the obvious benefits: not having to play the same instrument all the time and being able to diversify into relative infinity should you so want. Practice is very important in order to improve, and mixing should require the same amount of it no matter what. Anyone who thinks they can just turn up somewhere with the same bunch of tunes time after time having put in little or no effort beforehand in order to hone skills will get seen through. In any case, this last month I have mostly been listening to anything guided by the hands of Sean Johnstone, similarly Alex Downey, Skatebard at Lente Kabinet, Bassiani DJ Nobu, Duncan Grey and Rubsilent’s stupendous Avenue Red poddy (the latest). And during time spent with these soundscapes, I have never stopped wondering and contemplating the skill involved in constructing and conveying the respective sonic missives. It annoys me that playing carefully selected records in a logical/melodic sequence on specific set ups, the result of which elicits an emotional response still isn’t taken more seriously. Other, associated stuff also annoys me, such as a lack of track lists for uploaded mixes, as well as a huge amount of DJs never posting sets because “you should come and experience me live”, not taking into account, of course, the expenditure, difficulty and absolute impossibility of the vast majority being able to do so. Houghton was a thing recently, (in case you didn’t know), and rightly so. A DJ centred festival where the music takes control. Tickets for the whole weekend were £230, plus parking. Hats off to Craig Richards for what was for many, a transcendental experience. Money well spent for an exclusive event. It would be nice to think the occasion could reach more though through sets being posted, or at least accessed in some way that doesn’t contravene any copyright and possibly helps a good cause. I would love to have gone, it’s not far from where I live, but I’m always on holiday then. Might have to think more strategically next time. Having said that, once at such an event, where do you go, what do you do? So much to see and listen to. I hope it’s not like a wine tasting where quality can become overwhelmed by quantity and everything merges into a huge aural agglomeration. I doubt it though. It must be like swanning around a tastefully arranged sonic smorgasbord, cherry picking groovy nuggets as you go. In any case, I’m one of those boring people who finds the very act of playing music to be an alchemical and deeply fascinating experience. Format is of no relevance whatsoever, and differences between it/them have contributed to the most fatuous argument in virtually any context in living memory: ie vinyl trumps all. This of course is bollocks. It’s also environmentally unfriendly in this day and age. I love the stuff, have a lot of it and still like to buy the odd bit. However, digital has been the way forward for a long time now and the frustrating habit of labels releasing only vinyl surely can’t continue for much longer. I really have no time for this purism. Keeping it alive for the digging is cool, and if punters want to be ripped off on Discogs let them be. No one’s putting a gun to their heads. However, if everything was already available, the situation wouldn’t exist in the first place. Anyways, watching a DJ is possibly a more interesting pastime if they’re spinning vinyl rather than WAVs. What are they doing, nothing of any real consequence as a spectacle. Should they be dancing while they do it? There have been berks sounding off on Twitter about this a lot recently, who gives a shit? A lot of the reason for this is the elevation of the DJ from dank, dark corner to centre stage. There is no performance in playing music in this way, except to dance, which isn’t the same thing at all; but there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s pretty natural. There’s no skill in it though, unlike that of playing music through the requisite hardware, along with the aptitude to choose the correct music for the correct time. Cultivating a crowd is of almost equal importance, unless the DJ in question wants to live in a vacuum. I’d be interested to know if the online clamour for “track id(s)’ is still in any way replicated in real life. I remember being a pain in the arse with Derrick Carter, Marl Farina, Tom Middleton, Andy Weatherall (to name a few). Completely battered skywards so I didn’t care, I can only wonder what they thought of me. Myself and John Hassay once dragged Derrick back to Andy Mac’s place in Brighton after a gig and pummelled him for tune info for a good few hours before disappearing into the early morning sunrise. He was great and didn’t seem to mind a bit. Practically every Instagram film post relating to a set tough inevitably collapses into the track id conundrum. This is particularly redolent on posts which include sets from the Romanians (Raresh, Rhadoo, Pedro Insperescu and tons of others; Praslea, Dan Andrei, etc . . . ) as well as Uruguayans (Nicolas Lutz, Omar, DJ Koolt). Others are rising, or have already riseninto that same firmament (DJ Masda, Binh, Eli Verveine spring instantly to mind). Sean Johnstone and his sporadic ALFOS EBS broadcasts are not just notable because they are brilliant in every way, but also because they often come with a complete track list. I mean digging is great innit, but nothing beats a track list which turns the listener onto something he/she can readily find and possibly buy. Artists like Maelstrom and DVS1 have come up with imaginative ways to ensure that the artists behind the tunes get at least some recompense for their work, through mixes classified as NFTs and Aslice (a software-based project that seeks to pay producers on the basis of their music being played in sets) respectively. Without such initiatives, or the simple act of acknowledgment, artists will remain largely in the shadows and unrewarded. In any case, no one seems at all arsed by this. Maybe preserving track anonymity is far better than making sure the artists in question get paid? I suppose a lot of the DJs in question might argue that because a lot of the stuff they play out are old, then it doesn’t matter much as the artist isn’t releasing any more and isn’t in a position to benefit. It’s not a good look though, as far as I’m concerned. In an industry that relies on mutual back scratching and the financial benefits of which are relatively meagre compared to other work, it would be really good if everyone stopped thinking about themselves, ditched the petty competition and realised that the idea behind releasing the music in the first place to let as many people hear it as possible. Wasn’t it?
Wednesday, September 07, 2022
Dreaming EP - Timothy Clerkin (Insult To Injury)
Title: Dreaming EP
Artist: Timothy Clerkin
Label: Insult To Injury£
Cat Number: ITI#020
Genre: “Rave Meatiness”
01: Dreaming
02: Tour de Trance
03: Jangala
04: Broken Wing
05: Dreaming (808 Mix)
06: Dreaming (Radio Edit)
07: Jangala (Radio Edit)
Breaking out of the rave polytunnel with a variety of frequencies to suit any temporary autonomous mood, the ‘Dreaming EP’ is a sophisticated piece of modern rave synthesis that never pushes the red, but plays within itself to stunning effect. It’s a little bit of a game of two halves though, with ‘Dreaming’ and ‘Jangala’ on one team, and ‘Tour de Trance’ and ‘Broken Wing’ on the other. The title track is perhaps the most upfront here, by virtue of its rousing hardcore synthesis of vocals and breakbeats topped off with wobbly squirty synths. ‘Jangala’ evokes ‘Pacific State’ in fragments, but has a meteoric velocity to it, unlike the more tranquil original. ‘Tour de Trance’ has ALFOS written all over it. It’s a chugtastic piece of space disco which is elegant in its simplicity, while ‘Broken Wing’ is a denser, slightly pacier track with a vocal that I feel could have been left in the shadows a little bit more. The ‘808 Mix’ of the title track synthesises the original at the expense of the breakbeats and turns the track into something texturally different, but no less effective. Proper post modern, cross-pollination tackle this.
Tuesday, September 06, 2022
Monday, September 05, 2022
Ethereal Tubes EP - Baldo (E Beamz)
Title: Ethereal Tubes EP
Artist: Baldo
Label: E Beamz
Cat Number: E-BEAMZ042
Genre: Techno
1: Dreams Of Glass
2: Ethereal Tubes
3: Ex Machina (Trance Mix)
4: Ex Machina (Power House Mix)
5: Drive
This release from Baldo, whose “pedigree within the European electronic music community cannot be under stated.” Is a collection of rampant floor fillers which are implicitly garnished with bleakness and uncertainty. This may not be apparent when dancing under its pervasive influence, but all is not sweetness and light here, and a feeling of being slightly out of kilter with reality is difficult to shake. In other words it’s druggy, like a lot of the best dance music is. Choosing favourites is hard as this is strong across the board, but I am quite partial to the vintage underground garage grooves of ‘Drive’, as well as those of the title track. These two tracks are trancier than the Trance Mix of ‘ Ex Machina’ which is a little cliched compared to the superior Power House Mix. ‘Dreams Of Glass’ is break beat defined and, as such, is ok. The housier stuff pushes this release in all the right directions though.
