And what exactly would that be? If your in the world of Peace Division then we’re talking tribal, techie, driving, dark and druggy. This stuff rode the crest of a wave 20 or so years ago, more than giving the west coast artists who were dominant at that time a run for their money. The production is so on point; crisp and layered like a freshly baked millefeuille. Incredibly effective, still stands up today. Drop this at peak time and watch it explode. Elemental house music for the heads. Keep it locked.
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
STEDIT - 06 (STEDIT)
Title: STEDIT06
Artist: STEDIT
Label: STEDIT
Cat Number: STEDIT 06
Genre: Techno
1: Slow
2: Justify My Love
Edits are all the rage, and these two are edits. Of what I have no idea. Are they even what they claim to be, if indeed they claim anything. Maybe I’ve got the wrong idea and we’re just talking tracks here. Both bits are as basic as they come, and therein lies their charm. Deceptively strong and subtle, an anguished kick powers through. Both tracks are strident, minimal skankers that feature deeply embedded spoken word/vocals which float above the bass like a respiratory mist. ‘Justify My Love’ has more about it than ‘Slow’, which picks itself up after pausing for thought half way, reenergising itself in the process. And they’re both lovely layers for the mix; jerky but fluent. Somnolent but dynamic.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Track Of The Day: Coco Steel And Lovebomb - You Can't Stop the Groove (Warp)
Not as seminal a release as its predecessor, ‘Feel It’; nevertheless, this one is just as infectious and dynamic. ‘You Can’t Stop The Groove’ is a masterfully produced piece of early nineties house music that could only have come out of The UK. The eponymous vocal sample intones intermittently as a deceptively minimal groove, embellished by rave traces, stomps the dance floor into oblivion.
KiNK - Vacation (Perc & Bailey Ibbs Remixes) (Hypercolour)
Title: Vacation (Perc & Bailey Ibbs Remixes)
Artist: KiNK
Label: Hypercolour
Cat Number: HYPE107
Genre: Techno
1: Vacation (Perc Remix)
2: Vacation (Bailey Ibbs Remix)
Not having heard the original of ‘Vacation’ I can’t really tell you how much it has been altered by these two remixes. Not that it matters a jot, as these “straight up techno bangers” almost certainly bear little or no resemblance to it. The Bailey Ibbs Remix really travels. It’s got funk down its shit stoppers and bed bugs in its grinders. It’s a great piece of machine funk characterised by some off beat percussion and I would play it pitched dolwn a little, but that’s just me. Perc’s version is for when you don’t give a shit. Don’t try and dance to it, you can’t. Shake your shoulders and hope for the best. Rhythm is wasted on it, primal movements only. Is this what is played in the sex vaults in Berghain?
Monday, October 30, 2023
Track Of The Day: Abe Duque – What Happened? (Abe Duque Records)
Great release this, and it was a tussle to either nominate this, or the equally excellent ‘Disco Lights’ on the flip. Anyway, while all three tracks definitely sound like they were recorded at the same session, it’s this one that goes out on a limb a little bit more than the others. Blake Baxter’s vocals are characteristically tantalising, and to think this came out in 2004! If ever a track was of this time and place, then here we are. What makes me laugh is that “Sonar, what happened?” is said in the exact same year as when I made my only visit to the festival, which was excellent. Having said that, I went the next four years but just partied at the ridiculous amount of beach events that make up the “Off”. I suppose this came out during a particularly fertile period for minimal, a lot of which was awful; but the words are prescient, and while they may sound like an old man yelling at clouds, are relevant.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Track Of The Day: Turturu - Ratting Club Stories (Audiomutz)
From the recently released ‘There Is No Creator’, this tune comes backed with two versions of the title track which, while both very good, aren’t on this one’s level. More recently it’s been Barac’s set which have been standard bearers for the Romanian minimal sound, and he’s taken it in a very singular direction. Creating world’s where lucid dreaming is a vibrant facet of the dance floor. The tracks are percussive, druggy, self-propelling and once in the mix, trippy and elastic. Often characterised by layers of spoken word vocal samples, they are at their best, when they drive with purpose. A lot of what used to pass for minimal was guilty of having no low end and being self-indulgent. Not so this stuff. In the hands of a master craftsman/woman, these compositions are the building blocks of new worlds. Listen to almost any of Barac’s online sets if you need convincing.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Track Of The Day: M.R.E. - Key Thirteen (Fluid Electronics)
A very recent release, and one I picked up on courtesy of a 214 mix from last month. This sublime piece of electro is one of the standout tracks and is all about mood and a relaxed, diffusing euphoria. Very melodic and with a nice low end, this is a subtle, mesmerizing composition which is versatile enough to be mixed in at any point in a set, peaking at all the right moments and maintaining a fine line in emotive contrast.
Friday, October 27, 2023
Track Of The Day: Davidovitch - Cellophane (Kompakt Extra)
Another day, another track on Kompakt. And while I remarked yesterday that ‘Timecode’ was my favourite track on the label, I had my fingers firmly crossed behind my back. As you can see, this track is on Kompakt Extra and I can’t believe it came out in 2006. I have memories of walking along the beach in Barcelona Off Sonar, and sauntering past Michael Mayer playing this track at an outdoor bar. Fast forward 16 or so years and this, along with another, was recognised in Ivan Smagghe & Chloe’s set at Covenanza. I couldn’t place it at the time so it annoyed the hell out of me. Then I came across a thread on the ALFOS Facebook page where someone had posted a clip of it being played there. Davidovitch didn’t produce much and, despite his Slavic sounding name, I believe he’s Swiss. However, this absolutely boss piece of sublime space disco that bounces along to an irresistible riff is difficult to improve on. It feels like it has scraped the essence of italo, hollowed it out into a disco echo chamber, and recomposed the constituent raw materials into more refined dance friendly weapons. At least that’s what I tell the ladies.
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Track of The Day: Justus Köhncke: Timecode (Kompakt)
Go back 15 to 20 years and Kompakt ruled the wave. The German label, which is still going strong, was heading boocoo playlists and was the last word in achingly cool electronic pop crossover, without actually doing much crossovering. This track by Justus Kohncke is my favourite on the label and pretty much typifies the whole vibe the label was trying to spawn at the time. It’s not techno, no matter how broad a church that may be, rather disco reimagined with more intelligent machines and a completely different turn of the century ambience. The pace is just right, you could dance for days to this track, and it gives off a bittersweet aura so thick it envelops you.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Track of Day: Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band - Sunshowers (RCA)
Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band was a forerunner of Kid Creole & The Coconuts, with August Darnell and Coati Mundi bridging both. “The concept of the group was the re-creation of a '30s jazz-swing band, Ã la Cab Calloway, with witty lyrics, a disco beat and lush disco arrangements and orchestrations.” This continued with Kid Creole who achieved global success. This track comes from their debut album, which also includes ‘Cherchez la Femme’, their biggest hit. ‘Sunshower is a harmonic tour de force and a Cory Daye tour de force. Definitely one for the slowie slot at the end of the night, even if it’s got bounce.
Various - Next Wave Acid Punx Deux Chapter 3 (Eskimo)
Title: Next Wave Acid Punx Deux Chapter 3
Artist: Various
Label: Eclectica
Cat Number: 541416667030D
Genre: Not Categorising
1. Boy Harsher - Machina (feat. Mariana Saldaña) (Dark Remix) *
2. Silent Servant - Non Fiction *
3. J.W.B. Hits The Beat - Body On Body (Curses Revamp) *
4. Hungry Boys - Toi *
5. Autumns - Repeat Prescription *
6. Nuovo Testamento - Heartbeat (Curses Remix - Edit) *
7. Buzz Kull - A Place (That’s Meant To Be) *
8. Soft Crash - Dolce Morte *
9. Dame Bonnet & Mufti - Pleasure Dreams *
10. Ultra Sunn - Night Is Mine
11. Neu-Romancer - Burning Eyes *
12. EVA - Industrial Hope *
13. Andi vs Randolph & Mortimer - Formidable Truths *
14. Zanias - Tryptamine Palace *
15. The Hacker - Monopoly *
16. Paradox Obscur – Evo-Devo
These gargantuan collections, three in total, are the result of careful curation courtesy of Curses. These compilations have such breadth and range that it is impossible to do them proper justice in the form of a micro review. So, why bother writing one in the first place? I suppose that if someone send me a release like this for free then I’m obliged to say something. And, after having received the first 2 and said nothing then number 3 demands that I at least give it the time of day. So, for whatever reason music like this is currently enjoying something of a renaissance. I remember going to clubs in the 1980s, like the State and the System in Liverpool, where genre mash ups were the norm and everyone felt the better for it. The range of tuneage temptation was vast and the programming was rarely questioned. I didn’t experience these tunes on a continental dance floor (except at The Dschungel in Berlin, December 1984, where the only record I can remember being played was ‘You Spin Me Round’ by Dead Or Alive. How’s that for coming full circle pop pickers?) Now what comes closest, particularly on these shore is ALFOS and its cohorts. Anyway, we need stuff to dance to which is “Timeless music that can be romantic, dreamlike and ethereal one moment, then veer into dark, industrial sounds the next”. I suppose that many may say that music like this lacks soul, without stopping to think that soul can be defined in multiple ways. The tracks on this compilation speak to me in a visceral way, and have influenced so much. I can hear ‘Step To Enchantment’ loud and clear in the grooves of ‘Repeat Prescription’ for example, that of ‘Industrial Hope’ is EBM template while the balance of ‘Machina (feat. Mariana Saldaña) (Dark Remix)’ is perfect. This is music that both finishes you off, and leaves you full of hope.
Friday, October 20, 2023
Track Of The Day: Mood II Swing - Move Me (Music For Your Ears)
Picked up at FNAC Montparnasse towards the end of my life in Paris and on red vinyl too, when people say that Maurizio influenced Mood ll Swing, it’s this track that I always think of. You need go no further than the beats, pure Basic Channel, whether by accident or design. Of course the spoken word takes it to another level, making it more memorable and compelling you to listen to it with more scrutiny. Minimal house before the genre was conceived, and still the gold standard.
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