Saturday, April 30, 2022
Friday, April 29, 2022
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Murder Is The Number - dynArec (Cultivated Electronics)
Title: Murder Is The Number
Artist: dynArec
Label: Cultivated Electronics
Cat Number: CE041
Genre: Techno/Electro
A1: Stop & Stall
A2: First In Motion
B1: Specialized In Anything
B2: Lowest Perceived Legitimacy
French electro veteran dynArec debuts on Cultivated Electronics with and immediately proves that experience is the most important qualification for any job with a rip roaring record that comprises four ball busting cuts that show off his textured approach to manufacturing quintessential machine funk. ‘Stop & Stall’ is heavy, but bounces with all the vitality of a perfectly proportioned pair of devil’s dumplings. ‘Lowest Perceived Legitimacy’, on the other hand, shows a lightness of touch and an inclination to space age storytelling. Both ‘Specialized In Anything’ and ‘First In Motion’ run rampant over established patterns of syncopation, with the former having a similarly thudding feel to ‘Stop & Stall’, but more irate. And the latter more toned down and refreshingly jarring on all the right places. These two tunes feel a bit less restrained. However, ‘Stop & Stall’ is, for me, the best tune here and the one that could start a fight in an empty room.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
3D World EP - Stephen Brown & Fossil Archive (Fossil Archive)
Title: 3D World EP
Artist: Stephen Brown & Fossil Archive
Label: Fossil Archive
Cat Number: FAUK012
Genre: Techno
01: Control C
02: 3D World
03: More House
04: Travel
Get your techno trousers on for this one lads. However, while doing so, keep in mind that it’s not all banging four to the floor attack beats. Within these grooves there is much subtlety and imagination. Stephen Brown, an artist from north of the border whose output should be an essential element of every machine funk collection, teams up Fossil Archive, aka Roberto, for a quartet that oozes depth and class. ‘Travel’ is an understated gem. All suppressed power, it never quite lets rip throughout its length, and that’s its attraction. ‘More House’ sounds a little like ‘Wax 10001 B’, which is no bad thing as it’s one of my favourite tracks by Shed and brings back fond memories of me playing it to a completely battered dance floor. ‘3D World’ is a power pummel alongside wispy, stellar synth lines and gurgling bass, and ‘Control C’ is minimal sonar bleep inspired funk. Lovely stuff.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Monday, April 25, 2022
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Friday, April 22, 2022
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Hotel Solaris - Longhair (Permanent Vacation)
Title: Hotel Solaris
Artist: Longhair
Label: Permanent Vacation
Cat Number: PERMVAC242-1
Genre: Disco
1: Monday Funday
2: Sponge Bob
3: Planets & Orbits
4: Pixie Crop
5: Feathered Flip
6: Telemark
7: Angry Professor
8: Techno Power
‘Hotel Solaris’ is the conceptual name of a real hotel that “stands as an escape symbol from the real world”, something that many of us were compelled into imagining during the pandemic. However, while the world’s events do nothing to quell a desire to get away from it all, there must, I suppose, be a cut off point where for better or worse, reality prevails. This album soundtracks the conviction that such a place could exist and goes full pelt into assuaging any guilt whatsoever that could emerge from this escapism. Both ‘Monday Funday’ and ‘Sponge Bob’ are breezy, uptempo tunes that exude sunshine and relaxation, and borrow African pop guitar licks and strident optimism respectively. ‘Planets and Orbits’, the first single, is a bit more out there and uses effect-laden spoken word as an added layer to an already densely constructed disco synth monster. Tonally, the album reminds me a lot of ‘Nepotik’ by Uj Pa Gaz which was released on Tici Taci almost two years ago, a work of uptempo sunny disco that was more than the sum of its parts. Tracks like ‘Pixie Crop’ and ‘Feathered Flip’ serve to reinforce this, while ‘Angry Professor’ sees a pressure drop into dub, in contrast to ‘Techno Power’ which isn’t particularly extreme, but is as full on as it gets here.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Beyond Low Earth Orbit - DAWL (UTTU)
Title: Beyond Low Earth Orbit
Artist: DAWL
Label: UTTU
Cat Number: UTTU119DIGI
Genre: Bleeps & Bass
01: Beyond Low Earth Orbit
02: Hysteria
03: Axis
04: ESP
05: Pocket Universe
Dawl has been an essential producer for the last few years, reshaping the bleep sound into his own image, his tracks expertly twist space and time, bending it to his will and refreshing the genre. As such, UTTU seems a natural home for his productions. All of the tracks here owe a debt to the Warp sound of the late eighties/early nineties whose time, it would seem, has come around once more. ‘Pocket Universe’ feels like LFO circa ‘LFO’, had they opted to go further down the more obvious dance floor direction, as does ‘Beyond Low Earth Orbit’, but with less bass propulsion. The percussion is more emphatic on both ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Axis’ while that on ‘Axis’ meets the echolocation sonar vibe halfway. There isn’t a beat wasted on this release and, strategically deployed these five tunes should enhance any like-minded set. Keep it linear and groovy, and then break it up a tadge with some well-placed steel city inspired inflections. That’s what I plan to do anyway.
Monday, April 18, 2022
Remixed - Acid Arab (Crammed Discs)
Title: Remixed
Artist: Acid Arab
Label: Crammed Discs
Cat Number: cram 2925
Genre: Polyvalent
01: Laba Staifia (Ammar 808 Remix)
02: La Hafla (Delmore Remix)
03: Staifia (Polo & Pan Remix)
04: Ejma (The Reflex Revision)
05: Soulan (Laolu Remix)
06: Rajel (Mr Boom Remix)
07: Stil (Frankie Lluc Remix)
08: Staifia (Acid Arab’s Metal Dance Version)
09: Ras El Ain (3phaz Remix)
10: Nassibi (Golden Bug Remix)
11: Stil (VoX LoW Remix)
A remix package indeed, and virgin territory for me as, even though I’ve heard of Acid Arab, I can’t say I’ve ever listened in much detail. And I suppose a collection of rerubs isn’t really them is it? Not to worry. I enter with eyes and ears and mind wide open. And it’s really very good in parts. The first track to grab me is ‘La Hafla (Delmore Remix)’ which could easily be a staple on the discerning chug dance floor. ‘Staifia (Polo & Pan Remix)’ ‘Laba Staifia (Ammar 808 Remix)’ & ‘Nassibi (Golden Bug Remix)’ have a similar vibe. There is, however, a tendency to overplay the almost comical, at times, mystique in the form of instrumental hooks. ‘Soulan (Laolu Remix)’ is a low slung piece of desert blues that seems to take inspiration equally from Ali Farka Toure and The Eagles, and ‘Stil (Frankie Lluc Remix)’ is a piece of hypnotic minimalism that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Barac set. On the other hand, there are pieces which go in completely the opposite direction, such as ‘Ras El Ain (3phaz Remix)’ which offers a schizophrenic insight into the aural underbelly of Cairo during the graveyard shift. A great album to listen to in it’s entirety and get lost in, in spite of any potetial uneveness due to it’s breadth of diversity, as well as to cherry pick from.
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Friday, April 15, 2022
Thursday, April 14, 2022
The Houghton Blues EP - ARA - U & Radioactive Man (No Static/Automatic)
Title: The Houghton Blues EP
Artist: ARA-U & Radioactive Man
Label: NO STATIC/AUTOMATIC
Cat Number: NSA003
Genre: Electro
A1: Sounds Like Prince
A2: Machines Chit-Chat
B1: What Happened To The Stash
B2: The Houghton Blues
This is the sound of what happens when electro maestro Radioactive Man meets up with one of the relatively new kids on the block, ARA-U. Conceived as an antidote to the cancellation of Houghton in 2019, this funk-filled foray into the duo’s state of mind at that time is a spontaneous and robust piece of work that monitors electro fluctuations with panache. I imagine ‘Sounds Like Prince’ is so named because of the occasional keys that crash in, otherwise it doesn’t sound anything like him. Great tune though, with a lovely ventilated feel. ‘Machines Chit-Chat’ & ‘What Happened To The Stash’ have similar, skittish synth lines throughout their respective lengths and heavy bass. The title track features what sounds like a bass-driven vocal and again, that busy synth sound. It manages to sound both nervous and relaxed simultaneously. It’s possibly the most accomplished tune here and once the drama comes crashing in, has a lovely central European cold war vibe, which is nice.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Monday, April 11, 2022
Europa Centre (The Building) - Foool (Kann)
Title: Europa Centre (The Building)
Artist: Foool
Label: Kann
Cat Number: KANN45
Genre: Deep House
01: EC (U Can Wipe The Tears From Your Eyes)
02: MiniCity
03: Good Moment
04: P.M. Mag
05: EC (ttyfal & Chocolate Grinder Remix)
It’s not enough, and it’s over simplistic to label this release as ‘deep house’. However, I’m sticking with it as house is a feeling and this release does touch the parts others cannot reach. Tinged with nostalgia, the warmer months and a pervasive sense of the no longer attainable, this release from Foool offers the listener a view to an aural landscape created by a cross pollination of styles which all collide together in a coordinated mass of seemingly contradictory interventions. There is a great use of spoken word throughout, which only adds to a skilful deployment of harmonious dislocation. The remix is notably different in tone, being much smoother and linear. It does chime in with the looking back in order to look forward feel of the rest of the release though and, in doing so, seals the optimistic gloss on this very engaging collection.
Saturday, April 09, 2022
Friday, April 08, 2022
Thursday, April 07, 2022
Wednesday, April 06, 2022
Tuesday, April 05, 2022
Monday, April 04, 2022
Wave Length - Hiver (Gudu Records)
Title: Wave Sliding
Artist: Hiver
Label: Gudu Records
Cat Number: GUDU11
Genre: Techno/Trance/Electro
1: The Initiative
2: Vapour
3: Entangle
4: Stateless
“Get the basics right, and everything else will just fall into place”, so sayeth loads of people. The obvious reason that I have also said this is because that’s exactly what Hiver do on this EP, whose defining characteristics are deadpan bass and synth swirls in abundance. It’s an all-out techno/trance attack, apart from ‘Vapour’ which dips its toes in electro. It’s hardly relentless though, which is good as there is a general emphasis on melody and funk. This comes through best of all on ‘Entangle’, which uses a combination of the already mentioned elements to create a record which skirts around the edges of trance while deploying some well thought out syncopation. ‘Stateless’, however, is a pulsing, linear composition which takes the approach of ‘Entangle’ a stage further and threatens to go full on Goa. ‘The Initiative’ is maybe the most conventional techno track here, but its very melody suggests otherwise, conjuring up the flat empty landscapes of the steppes, it’s panoramic cold weather music which suggests a more sophisticated context than your utilitarian loops.
Sunday, April 03, 2022
ALFOS EBS32 - Sean Johnston (01-04-2022)
Coyote Outsider Calms Mellow Dub
Double Geography Dance Survey_Ruf Dug remix
Stand Your Ground Unknown Artist
Bourbon Street Bonnie & Klein
Look at the Stars Mama (HBMMU deep dive) D:Ream
Look at the Stars Mama (HBMMU dub) D:Ream
Better Rheinzand
Day 2 Rekid
Make Me High Voice Of Art
Player Piano (Original Mix) New Jackson
Jacket (Brother Michael’s Downstairs at Eric’s Remix) Psymon Spine
Black Lodge (Stevie R & Parisinos Remix) Psycho Weazel
Kosmicher Gesant (Original Mix) James Rod
Night Wolf Jamie Porteous
Seabrain - Quiet Village Remix Panoram
Inmovilidad (Just Emma's Golden Hour Remix) monotropa.
The Gin Song Satori feat. My Baby
DanWainwright-ElleRedding_MOTHER_OAK
Duncan Gray - Straight Up The M1
Catch Up With The Sun Lex (Athens) & Locke
Rules Roman Flügel
Wandering Frames - Luca Lozano Remix Panoram
Wiener Planquadrat - 05 - AIV (Tech Support Remix)
Duncan Gray - Brain Cascade
Farrah Durch Tempelhof (Original Mix) James Rod
I Go (Maurice Fulton Remix) Peggy Gou
Duncan Gray - Archbishop Barry
Diario (Original Mix) Superpitcher
Rêve Masomenos
Don’t Look In The Freezer A Sagittariun
Future (Panthera Krause Remix) Sexy Lazer
To Be Free Kota Motomura
Mental Overdirve & Flash Atkins - Where (Daco's Astrodub Mix)
Miss_Represented_-_Party_Animal_(Thomas_Von_Party_Remix)
Elfenberg_-_Habanero_House_(Original_Mix)
Fluting In Space Sexy Lazer
Neutron Dance (Rheinzand Remix) Acid Cowboys
This Is A Dancetrack (Original Mix) Deskee
I Go (Soulwax Remix) Peggy Gou
Euphoria (Sylvan Paul Remix) dOP
Elfenberg_-_Ravers_Association_(Juan_MacLean_Remix)
To The Beat CHAIRNOGOODFORBACK
RICHARD SEN - My Definition Of Funk
We Are Phuture (Sidney Charles Remix) Phuture
Eden Burns - Wetwork
The Mind Blanks At The Glare A Sagittariun
MachoCutie - Kawasaki Love Foundation (Aleito Remix)
Italominati (Shubostar Remix) Romain FX
Brent Lewis - 1739 (Fantastic Man Remix) Fantastic Man, Francis Inferno Orchestra
Continental Drift (D's 'Ode To All The Cosmic Disco Pixes') Duncan Forbes
Hapapapa (Original Mix) Enengis
It's Over If We Run Out Of Love Hardway Bros Live At The SSL Du David Holmes (ft Raven Violet)
Get Up - Original Mix Maxxi Soundsystem
THE TIME IS NOW (Extended Mix) DONT BLINK
U Rocked My World (Pete Herbert & Tristan da Cunha Remix) The Glimmers
Rise (Mike Simonetti Remix) Conclave
Bicep - Opal Fourtet
