Track Of The Day: The coastal Commission - Bring Down the Walls (Pacific Coast House Recordings)

 

Superior minimal/dubby west coast house from the turn of the century. So much good music came from that region around that time. All of the trailblazing tribal house on the likes of Siesta and Tango, and then the more purist house on this short-lived label, and others like Tweekin’. The coastal Commission was a chap called Sam Robson, whose career seems to run in parallel with the longevity of Pacific Coast House, and other splinter labels. Apparently about to get a new leash of life sometime soon. And nI guess by more purist house what I’m doing is separating the likes of this from those other labels which relied on a highly percussive, intense sound. This is almost the opposite. However, it’s not Kerri Chandler.

All Night Long at Cobalt Studios 30.01.26

 

MANFREDAS · All Night Long at Cobalt Studios 30.01.26

Track Of The Day: Starlight [Intrusion's Unreleased Tape Session]

 

This is free on Bandcamp at the moment, so there’s absolutely no excuse not to own it. Wonderful, sinister ambient dub that is fit for any occasion. Weddings, bar mitzvahs, you name it, there’s a place for it. Could this be the backdrop for a new interpretation of ‘West Side Story’ in which the aJets and The Sharks fight in slow-motion to this Beatles morass? Sort of like ‘The Matrix’ meets ‘Bugsy Malone’? What waffle.

Lewski - Rotational Drift (United Identities)

 

Title: Rotational Drift

Artist: Lewski

Label: United Identities

Cat Number: UI017

Genre: Electro

1: Rotational Drift

2: NaddD

If I’m correct, and I often am, ‘Rotational Drift’ marks something of a return to action for Lewski, not having put anything out for a few years now. Anyway, this is a double header of redoubtable quality. It’s quite fast, uptempo electro, but not straying into the excessively rapid and so preserving its funkiness. Both tracks showcase a multilayered, imaginative approach to beat pharmacy which reveals itself on continual listenings. The title track has a very appealing, soaring synth that feels raw on top of the angular beats and below the vocal stabs. ‘NaddD’ is a little bit more in control of itself, but no less powerful going for the jugular with the concave, synthetic steel bass drum balanced with a sense of the infinite relayed through a sonic sleight of hand that makes it feel like your floating in space. These tracks are way too short though. They’re an endless source of fascination.

Luxus Varta - Noise Figure (Shipwrec)

 

Title: Noise Figure

Artist: Luxus Varta

Label: Shipwrec

Cat Number: #Ship076

Genre: Electro

A1: Building Peaks

A2: Lizardous

B1: Silver Girl

B2: The Resetter

The latest release from Annecy’s finest Luxus Varta, finds him on Dutch label Shipwrec for the first time since 2017’s ‘Aquamarine Puzzle’. The world was a very different place then and, I think it’s fair to say, this release is also a little bit different from Mr Varta’s previous efforts. There’s still an underlying sense of darkness and a feeling that listening to this stuff at any other time except the winter might not be appreciating its true worth. However, the beats certainly feel tougher and the funk less frozen. This is evident from start to finish. ‘Building Peaks’ deploys urgent, asymmetric beats that feel like fully charged whip cracks. ‘Lizardous’ is a slow and sure contrast between a cascading sonic glimmer and an enveloping low-end, with of which coalesce in order to reach a state of controlled euphoria. The pull of ‘Silver Girl’ is in its dissonance. Everything initially feels chaotic and it doesn’t really settle down, but if you’re already buckled in there’s a sense of destiny. And then there’s ‘The Resetter’ which puts a final, slightly more industrial flourish on a release, the direction of which feels like a goth/b-boy sound clash.

Track Of The Day: Herbert - Thinking Of You (Phono)

 

I remember when the Herbert series, 1-4, came out. I was living in Paris and dividing a lot of my free time between commuting to various record shops. There was Rough Trade (where I spent by far the largest amount of money), and BPM in Bastille, and Salinas in Montmartre. And for whatever reason I think I bought this release in the shadow of The Sacre Couer. These releases were revolutionary for the time, anticipating minimal house/techno by a good few years, while adding a depth that, with so few tools on show, has yet to be equalled. What is most notable about these releases though is their effortless swing and natural funk. The kicks, in particular, take you to another dimension.

Track Of Yesterday: Captain Beefheart - Tropical Hot Dog Night (Virgin)

 

‘Tropical Hot Dog Night’ features on ‘Shiny Beast Bat Chain Puller’ which is the album that turned me on to Beefheart. It would be a lot cooler to say it was ‘Trout Mask Replica’, but I’m not that old. So I got into everything else in retrospect. This particular track, along with ‘When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy’, where probably the two most played tracks on this album in the hip bedrooms of Wallasey in the late 70s and early 80s. What I love most about this track is it’s organised chaos. It’s a psychedelic mambo the likes of which will never be equalled. It does go a bit weird towards the end though.

Track Of The Day: Fred P - Sonic Tour (Syncrophone)

 

Another journey from Fred P. No one makes deep house quite like he does. Dubby, cinematic and eminently danceable; ‘Sonic Tour’ is a great example of his style. Hypnotic, multi-layered and immersive. Wonderful mixing fodder and a great highlight. It’s the type of track that has me wondering what goes through the mind of the creator of such a piece on an everyday basis.I guess he goes to the supermarket from time to time? There’s an active transcendent brain layer that not everybody has. And for those who thing this all sounds the same, get in the sea!

Track Of Yesterday: New York Dolls - Jet Boy (Mercury Records)

 

One of the great TV rock performances, nicely rounded off by Bob Harris’ smirkingly said “mock rock’, I was alive when this was broadcast, but not kicking. That is to say my knowledge of music extended to what was on Top Of The Pops, but not much more. Even so, Bowie, Roxy Music, T-Rex and The Sweet provided some idea of what was possible. Penetrating below that superficial veneer wasn’t easy until punk came along and opened a lot of eyes. And The Old Grey Whistle Test was always shown way past my bedtime so I found out about all of this retrospectively. And they were managed by Malcolm McClaren as well. All things aside though, this is one brilliant track. The Stones’ influence is clear, if not purely stylistic, and the essence of punk ism also there, a good three years before it became a thing. Lovely stuff.

Yoyaku Inshore Session: Helena Hauff

 

Track Of The Day: Serge Gainsbourg - Melody (Philips)

 

The first track from ‘Histoire de Melody Nelson’, Serge Gainsbourg’s Magnum Opus. A very abstract, stream-of-consciousness composition on all fronts. At least that’s the impression it gives. The strings dive in and out, the bass furtively underlays it all and the guitar embellishes with electric flourishes. The total effect is a mesmerising one that condenses swinging London into a French man’s packet of ciggies. The sixties really happening in the seventies of course.

Track Of The Day: Nicholas Barnes - Sakura Tree (Lempuyang)

 

Following on from Pepe Bradock’s ‘Sakura Incident’, this is Nicholas Barnes’ contribution to cherry blossom mysticism. It’s good, uptempo dub techno. The type that throws shade but not in an intimidating or threatening way. There’s plenty of movement between darkness and light here, and it’s the type of track that was keeping me company a few hours ago when I completed a cross-country circuit in the driving snow along with around 500 other mentalists. 

Track Of The Day: The Velvet Underground - All Tomorrow's Parties (Verve)

 

Possibly the most intense, psychedelic sub three minute track in existence. So full of secret dimensions that it’s impossible to calculate then all. The funny thing is that I always thought this song went on for much longer. And it has such a medieval feel to it. You can imagine it being sung in the hallowed halls of royal castles. Proper procession music and one of the signposts of my youth.

Yoyaku Instore Sessions with Robin Ordell

 

Track Of The Day: Lakur - Concrete Love (Joule Imprint)

From the same Gallic direction that brought you Janeret, and other kindred spirits like Camelia, Lakur make the type of tranced-out, hypnotic deep house tat can elevate any set with a sense of groove and swing. It’s music to get lost in. Gossamer profound (not a new brand of condom). Some say that music lie this lacks a b it of edge, but we can allocate that to the others. Great when you’re coming up on some boss beans.

DJ Stingray 313 b2b Moodymann at Draaimolen Festival 2025

 

DRAAIMOLEN · DJ Stingray 313 b2b Moodymann at Draaimolen Festival 2025

Track Of Yesterday: Wynton Marsalis, 'Moto Perpetuo' (Niccolò Paganini)

 

While coming back from a day in London at the end of the afternoon, I was listening to Radio 3 sand this came on. Absolutely amazing. I was knackered at the time, but nothing to what Wynton Marsalis must feel every time after he plays this. “How does he breath?” Is the question I was asking myself throughout.

Track Of The Day: Abacus - We Cookin' Now (Guidance)

 

So many incredible releases on Guidance. A label that, after the prevalence of Casual and Relief, went even deeper into the Chicago sound. That’s not to say all its artists came from the windy city. Austin Bascom, aka Abacus, is from Toronto and is arguably responsible for more than one of the label’s standout releases. ‘We Cookin’ Now’ is such a track. Immediately plunging the listener into a percussive dream state, it manages to be both deep and intensely visceral at the same time. No easy feat. This is the second track I’ve featured from this EP, ‘Opinion Rated ‘R’’ , was a while back. And aI’d put them all up if it didn’t look more like promotion than good taste. I mean just the chord change alone in this track is worth shelling out for. It comes just before the 3:30 mark.

Track Of Yesterday: Pepe Bradock - Sakura Incident (Avatisme)

Pepe Bradock makes undefinable beats. Sitting somewhere in-between the con Crete and abstract, but more abstract than concrete. ‘Sakura Incident’, is one such track. Dreamlike, but not completely within form, it occupies the headspace that calibrates nostalgia while simultaneously ruminating on the shape of things to come. There are also sonic references to mid 1990s ‘French touch’ productions, specifically the high end activity; the duck-like noises/vocals, and strings (if that’s what they are). All good in a miasmic sort of way.

Dj set @ secret location in Seattle 01112025

 

marcopassarani · Dj set @ secret location in Seattle 01112025

Fear-E - Descent Into Ascension (Snapshots of a Mental State) (Posh End Music Records)

 

Title: Descent Into Ascension (Snapshots Of A Mental State)

Artist: Fear-E

Label: Posh End Music Records

Cat Number: PEMLP02

Genre: Jackin’

A1: Loopy Fiasco

A2: Doom Merchants

B1: Aces High

B2: The OK Express

C1: McCarthy

C2: Escape Room

D1: Ground Control

D2: Otherworldly

As its title suggests, this collection of tracks was recorded while Fear-E was in the throes of depression. “I just turned my phone off for a month and went all in on it. Influence-wise it’s right across the board from French house to Nitzer Ebb” And these influences are apparent immediately. ‘Loopy Fiasco’ is pure Roule and is as uplifting as can be expected, given that it travels at close to the speed of sound. That and ‘McCarthy, a tribute to the late Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb and a track full of layered insect menace, bookend three other tracks. ‘McCarthy’ sounds like prime ‘Step To Enchantment’ Mills, albeit a little tempered and is, as such, not bad at all. What lies between ranges from the heaviness of both ‘Doom Merchants’ and ‘Aces High’, to the relative airy electro of ‘The OK Express’. That said, the latter still has a lot of heft and is nothing but full-bodied. And going back to the Mills influence, and that of early Robert Hood as well, we’ve got ‘Escape Room’,and ‘Otherworldly’ which are pure Detroit mid-nineties minimalism. ‘Ground Control’ is not an outlier here, having more in common with ‘Doom Merchants’ and ‘Aces High’ than the other tunes, but it soars higher than they do as a result of some cerebral synth stabs. For Fear-E sitting in a studio rearranging his funky entrails and auditory grey matter must have been a therapeutic experience.And this is all good stuff. However, I have no idea what it says about his mental state.

Track Of The Day: Automat - Am Schlachtensee (feat. Blixa Bargeld) (Bureau B)

 

Another one culled from Sean Johnson’s most recent ESB. This one comes in a couple before the EL EF OH edit and is a percolating, teutonic monster. The very essence of next level hell. If Hieronymous Bosch set his paintings to music, then this is one possible soundtrack. It’s midnight creeper, a dystopian heavy breather. Lovely out-of-body chug from Germany.

Track of Yesterday: Julian Cope - Kolly Kibber's Birthday (Mercury)

 

Listening to this brings back all sorts of memories. Mainly those of a vast relationship, the other half of which was a big JC fan. The name comes from a character from Graham Greene’s ‘Brighton Rock’ which was in turn inspired by an English playwright. The track itself is a multi-layered piece of folk-tinged rock in which Cope portrays himself as some sort of renaissance everyman transcending normal life experiences in the process of revealing his innermost desires. Aside from the pretentious claptrap I’ve just felt compelled to write though, it’s a hypnotic excursion.

Track Of The Day/ EL EF OH - el ef oh (Jona's Gleadless Valley Acid edit)

 

This is great, as heard on Sean Johnston’s most recent ALFOS ‘EBS’ Mix. LFO goes chug thanks to one of a series of versions by TELL EDITS. Nothing more to say really, except that it does the business.

Track Of Yesterday: Ollie Drummond - Thwink Tice (Brixton Row)

What I like about this is its pervasive seediness. On the surface it’s a shuffling groover, but there’s an undertow of friction and filth. I don’t know much about Ollie Drummond. However, on the strength of this, which was released at the end of last year, he’s definitely got his finger on that warehouse groove pulse and is one to watch. The chasmic sonic background is also a big plus. There’s. Nothing like getting down in a messy environment with the unsettling sound of low end sirens going off all around you.

GLOK/Timothy Clerkin - Alliance Remixed (Bytes)

 

Title: Alliance Remixed

Artist: GLOK/Timothy Clerkin

Label: Bytes

Cat Number: BYTES33

Genre: Cosmic

01: Empyrean (FROID DUB Remix)

02: AmigA (bdrmm Remix)

03: Nothing Ever (Tom Sharkett Remix)

04: Scattered (Yu Su’s Scattering Cross-Section)

05: The Witching Hour (Richard Sen Remix)

06: E-Theme (Legowelt Rave Filter Remix)

07: Nothing Ever Reprise (Xylitol Remix)

08: AmigA (Timothy Clerkin Jungle Mix)

09: The Empyrean Hour (Timothy Clerkin Mix)

Well worth the wait this. An album full of reinterpretations of 2024’s ‘Alliance’ which, while excellent, was always crying out to move in tangential directions. The FROID DUB remix of ‘Empyrean’ sounds like something the Lost ones would soundtrack their cylindrical wanderings to (Beckett innit). Magnificent 303 squelches like popping, muddy geysers. I’m taking the two ‘AmigA’ mixes together, obviously because they’re drum and bass, or are they jungle? (Paging Amol Rajan). Timothy Clerkin seems to think so. It’s much harsher than the drum and bass from bdrmm, and has a bit more vim and vigour. Both keep the chiming overlay motif, with Clerkin amplifying the chorals and bdrmm taking the sub bass to the bridge. Both great and sufficiently distinct. Tom Sharkett utilises break beats and a singular synth to support the bittersweet vocals of ‘Nothing Ever’. While the ‘Xylitol Remix’ of the same track once more dips the listener in the sheep dip of drum and bass, or is it jungle? I’m guessing somewhere on the genre’s asteroid belt. Richard Sen’s version of ‘The Witching Hour’ is the most chug-friendly track on this release so far. And I’ve definitely heard this before at some of the right places. Brilliant logo funk cauterised by hubby overtones straight from the krautrock firmament. ‘’E-Theme (Legowelt Rave Filter Remix)’ delves into Detroit for its template and while it’s at it, overlays itself with enough woozy auditory embellishments to induce a sonic hangover. There’s more than an ambient, disembodied whiff of being caught inside an hallucinatory lost frontier while listening to ‘Scattered (Yu Su’s Scattering Cross-Section)’. It’s impressionism perfectly evoking the parts other drugs cannot reach. And everything seems to coalesce perfectly at the last during Timothy Clekin’s remix of ‘The Empyrean Hour’. A wonderfully dissonant romp through a myriad of the best bits of ‘The Empyrean’ and ‘The Witching Hour’, which combine to create some sort of chugtastic offspring. Lovely stuff. 

Track Of Yesterday: Jani Ho - Track 8 (DJ Agitated Edit) (Dolly)

A piece of hard, rigid techno for you here. I heard this the other evening, running in the pouring rain and listening to Steffi’s Dekmantel Selectors Mix. This track comes from her label, Dolly’s 15th anniversary compilation and, although I have yet to listen to the other tracks, this one sounded splendid and took my mind off the soaking that I was getting. Dolly has always been a label I’ve leapt my eye on, and the size of that compilation can only mean that there must be a few more decent tunes on it. The last two sets I’ve listened to by Steffi have pointed in a hard direction, which is fine as long as its well-programmed. Fortunately she doesn’t; disappoint.

Track Of The Day: Kevin Johnson - A.T.O.N.E.M.E.N.T. (Version I) (DNH)

Deep house coupled with preachy spoken word overlays can often come across as cliched. Not this though. ‘ A.T.O.N.E.M.E.N.T.’ comes in two versions. Version 2 is a bouncier, more uptempo mix, but I prefer this one. It’s more stripped down and more dissonant which seems to have made every element denser and more defined. The spoken word is used very sparingly and lends drama when it emerges. Super deep for dayz.

Track Of The Day: Synthetic Science - Sheltered Circuits (Exploding Plastic Inevitable)

This comes from the ‘A Soul For A Soul’ EP on David Holmes’ EPI, named after Andy Warhol’s & Paul Morrisey’s pre-psychedelic rave precursor happenings which featured The Velvet Underground. It’s a piece of characteristically emotive idm, the best examples of its type being produced in The UK in the early to mid nineties. Anything with that sunrise vibe tempered by fizzing break beats and synaptic sizzles is always a sure fire winner in the analogue warmth department. I was about to put this for sale on Discogs, but have since changed my mind.

Track Of The Day: Herbie Hancock - Future Shock (Columbia)

Something mellow and funky for your Sunday afternoon. Herbie Hancock electrifies Curtis Mayfield’s classic. And, while not necessarily improving in the original, takes it in a slightly different direction by tweaking its giblets and even throwing a self-indulgent guitar solo in that doesn’t feel at all out of place. Loose and languid.

Track Of Yesterday: Master H - Magic K (Soma)

A great mixing track, and a deceptively complex one as well. It’s Geiger counter - like synth stabs overlaid by all manner of transcendental sonic embellishments. It’s value will almost certainly climb on Discogs due to the fact that it features in Jane Fitz’s 2025 Houghton set as one of the stand out tracks. It evokes other memories for me however. It was released in 2000, so was already 8 years old when I was last in Barcelona for the off-Sonar parties and spent the Saturday might of that weekend at The Macarena, a small club off Las Ramblas, at an all-nighter with Master H and Funk d’Void playing. The night was distinctive for me wandering off early, well at around 4am, and getting mugged shortly after. This happened, in spite of all the warnings and me seeing the muggers well in advance. I literally walked into it. More pick-pocketed than mugged, as there was no violence. And I have to applaud the perpetrators. They saw me coming a mile off and were very professional. Anyway, this track is elegant in its simplicity and a relic of that night, well the bit within the club’s walls.