Track Of The Day: 51 Days - Paper Moon (Touche)

I had to check to see if I hadn’t already posted this, because I was sure I had. And it so often features in many people’s top ten deep house tracks it’s almost become a bit of a cliché. It’s anything but though. My copy was a gift from a long lost friend, who I hope is still out there but seems to have gone off grid. I think he bought it from the Berwick Street Record & Tape Exchange. Is it still there? I have no idea, not having been down to that London in search of records for a very long time. Anyway, produced by the immortal Dobre & Jamez, it has everything you want from a deep house track. Depth (of course), drive, minimal structure and a voiceover that sounds like Barry White marvelling at the results of an experiment, but is all you need to send you over the edge at those critical moments when you’re lost in the space/time interface. They really don’t make them like this anymore.

Maroki - Pit Stop Papi (Shall Not Fade)

 

Title: Pit Stop Papi

Artist: Maroki

Label: Shall Not Fade

Cat Number: SNFDIGI057

Genre: Bittersweet Beat Ambience

1: Pit Stop Papi

2: We’ll Always Have Paris (Maybe)

3: Bigman Icecream (This Is A Song About Vulnerability)

4: Satellite City Showdown

5: We’re Going To The Dinosaur Park

This release from Maroki balances a number of elements that come and go in varying proportions across the five tracks, occasionally coalescing in surprising places. There’s a ghostly, vocal presence; break beats, and a sunlit uplands ambience across the whole package, which segues the tracks into some sort of unofficial sequence. Bookended by ‘Pit Shop Papi’ which is beat less for over half its length, and ‘We’re Going To The Dinosaur Park’ which closes on a similar tone, but with more enthusiasm and energy, the tracks in between each weigh up the wisdom of stepping outside their respective domains with various levels of intensity, and are more structured and solid. This is a moot point though, as I have slight differences of opinion on where each leads every time I listen. A strong release though, that treads a sure path through wistful, gossamer draped soundscapes and the passing notion that this can be a funky experience. 

Dalham - Alive In Wonderland (Golden Ape Records)

 

Title: Alive In Wonderland

Artist: Dalham

Label: Golden Ape Records

Cat Number: GAR003

Genre: Apocalyptic Battery

1: Sonoma Relic

2: Chrome Aberration

3: Midnight Climax

4: Reality Wall

“On this outing is the mighty Dalham. Well known for his unique take and exquisite taste in electronic music, he takes a deep dive into the lysergic electro funk soundtrack to his waking dreams.”

Well, that’s some introduction from the press release. I’m particularly sold by “his unique take and exquisite taste in electronic music.” Don’t we all think we’ve got that? The second bit is more pertinent though, and gives one the impression after having taken in this release that Dalham is a bipolar psychopath. It’s a heavy listening experience and if he’s got these tunes in his head while queuing for a pain au chocolate at your local Lidl, I ‘d be ready to run. The beats are heavy throughout, and mostly of a grinding, frictional type; with ‘Chrome Aberration’, ‘Midnight Climax’ and ‘Reality Wall’ being a tadge slower and feeling more sinister than ‘Sonoma Relic’, which throws some break beats into the mix in a vain attempt at levity. It’s never less than interesting, but also worrying.

Ranges podcast 09 : Alastair Kelly

 

ranges · Ranges podcast 09 : Alastair Kelly