Monday, January 31, 2022

Track Of The Day: Grape (b) - Donnacha Costello (Minimise)

RA.817 OKO DJ

 

Hidden Intention EP - Anika Kunst (Symbolism)

 


Title: Hidden Intention EP

Artist: Anika Kunst

Label: Symbolism

Cat Number: SYMDIGI014

Genre: Techno


1: Detox

2: Addictions

3: Hidden Intention

4: No Stress


Anika Kunst is a new name to me, but Symbolism and Ben Sims are not. So I have no sense of trepidation when embarking on this latest listening experience. Having said that, I would still like to be surprised to a certain extent.  It has to be said that everything is as it should be. Four tracks of hard edged techno which, in spite of their pace, still have enough funk to fill the void. Clearly taking cues from Mills and Hood respectively; ‘Addictions’ and ‘Hidden Intention’ are crisp, detailed workouts with more than a hint of disorientation. ‘Detox’ does the invertebrate scuttle very well, and ‘No Stress’ is a powerful warp powered drive into a metaphorical black hole. 

Move Closer verdant-recordings

 

Friday, January 28, 2022

Verdant Session 22_1

 

Track Of The Day: Don't Scandalise Mine - Sugar Bear (Coslit Records)


Hip-hop or hip house? I'm going for the latter. A fiendish blend of rapping over 'Once In A Lifetime'. This was the first record I remember hearing upon entering my first orbital rave, all the way back in 1989 at Biggin Hill. Prior to getting in I had held my hands up to the token police presence in surrender, pockets loaded. They just laughed and waved me through. Hopelessly outnumbered, they couldn't have done much under the circumstances without causing a riot I suppose. I remember a lot about that night, particularly long and involved loved up conversations with various ICF members about how amazing our mutual teams, Liverpool and West Ham are, and a sudden influx of models around 4-5am on their exit from some London clubs. The fairground outside and I think Paul Oakenfold might have been playing. Maybe.

CMOKAST017 LIVE: Vladimir Ivković (LIVE at Club Tunnel)

 

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Track Of The Day: Ghost Rider - Suicide (Red Star)

Homegrown Dubs - Bluetrain (Lempuyang)

 

Title: Homegrown Dubs

Artist: Steve O’Sullivan

Label: Lempuyang

Cat Number: lempuyang01

Genre: Dub Techno



01: Bubble Up

02: Go With The Flow

03: Two Foot Terrorist

04: Straight To The Back


Dub techno doesn’t always hit the spot, and to the untrained ear can seem to be the easy option. In the hands of a virtuoso however, it can elicit hitherto unknown pleasures. Steve O’Sullivan has been at the coalface longer than most and has honed his craft to perfection, so any release of his deserves your attention. This is the first release on a new label named after an area on Bali famous for its temples, monikertastic! ‘Go With The Flow’ and ‘Two Foot Terrorist’ are tracks of uptempo, chasmic excellence. Both have energy and depth to spare, they also both feel very clean and pill friendly. Both ‘Bubble Up’ and ‘Straight To The Back’ are two sides of the same coin; the latter bringing the former up to speed by deploying an energetic pattern of beats to support ominous, razor sharp dub stabs. This is very good indeed and an object lesson in how to speak within more than one dimension using the language of spatial manipulation.

Monday, January 24, 2022

Track Of The Day: Sunshower - Nami Shimada (Creme Organisation)

Hardcore Rubble - Tim Reaper (Sneaker Social Club)

 

Title: Hardcore & Rubble

Artist: Tim Reaper

Label: Sneaker Social Club

Cat Number: SNKR033

Genre: Hardcore


1: Outer Realms

2: Heavy Duty

3: Agony Tonight

4: Bulletproof


The tunes put out by Sneaker Social Club inhabit more than one parallel world. And this release from Tim Reaper is the soundtrack to the voyage through a black hole. ‘Outer Realms’ is frenetic drum and bass which is elevated from ordinariness by the sheer amount of activity within its grooves. It’s deep, Kuyper Belt madness. ‘Heavy Duty’ initially feels like the score for a fever dream, until it bursts out all guns blazing. ‘Agony Tonight’ provides some much needed levity in the form of an animated hardcore/dancehall rave up, while ‘Bulletproof’ manifests the skittish, cartoon side of hardcore underpinned with multiple low end frequencies. It’s a madly imaginative release that fires on all fronts.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Track Of The Day: Colonial Mentality - Fela Kuti (Kalakuta Records)

Hurrican Kick - DJ Badshape (Defrostatica Records)

 


Title: Hurrican Kick

Artist: DJ Badshape

Label: Defrostatica Records

Cat Number: DEFR006

Genre: Techno/Drum & Bass


1: Hurrican Kick (feat. Stormskater)

2: PMS (I am tired)


DJ Badshape and Defrostatica Records  are  products of ye olde worlde eastern bloc; straight outta Leipzig. Home of Lokomotive, birthplace of Wagner and, on this evidence, determined to make their marks with an uncompromising take on techno and drum and bass. There’s not that much that hasn’t already been done as far as these fraternal genres are concerned. However, Badshape still manages to wring out some original riddims from the sonic mangle. ‘PMS (I Am Tired)’ is a steady stomper which thrusts its way through the rave-soaked nether regions of your mind and carries a melancholic message (I have no idea what is being said throuout though). ‘Hurrican Kick (feat. Stormskater)’ is a sparse drum and bass excursion that features the spoken word imperatives of Stormskater. It whirrs around your mind like a pissed off eagle, until it’s had enough and perches. Both good tunes and fifty shades of black.