I'm Going To See Kraftwerk

My introduction to Kraftwerk

I got even older last Friday and was extremely happy, and incredibly surprised, to be presented with a ticket to see the Kraftwerk gig at The Royal Albert Hall on the 23/6/17. This, the third of three, was tacked on to the other two last week, but as tickets didn’t go on sale until 10am on the 7/10, was always going to present something of a logistical problem. On discovering the additional soiree, I went straight to the ticket selling site only to see that I’d have to wait a few days to get them. I’d had no idea that Kraftwerk were on tour until I saw loads of happy bods posting contented, self-congratulatory messages on social media, and once my interest had been stirred, all venues across the country were already sold out.

So on Thursday I remember saying to la Wife that if she were to be next to her computer and/or phone at 10am the next day, she should try and see what happened. Honestly, unless you’re tied to a desk the whole day, or ill, or on holiday, how are you expected to sort this. I would be in class, so it would be impossible for me. In any case I remembered to go online at 10:45, during my break which, of course, was too late. That evening I went home, asked Emmanuelle if she’d had any luck, and forgot about the whole thing very quickly.

Cut to Friday night and I’m scoffing canard a l’orange, quaffing a nice Fleuri and steeling myself for cards from the kids. These are not real cards. Rather sheets of A4 folded in half with random drawings on them and slightly less random messages inside; they are cut-ups taken to a whole new level. The illustrations run from robots chasing eels to sharks riding elephants blasting the shit out of each other with ray guns. One of these heart felt missives felt a bit thicker than normal so I dipped in thinking it would be a non index-linked fiver; just enough to buy some ice cream with. I WAS WRONG!

THERE WAS STUFF INSIDE!

(Credit for the photo of the Sounds front page must go to the excellent site run by DJ Food)

(Credit for these goes to La Wife. Merci et bizouxxx)

Windmill Lane EP - Dave Hargadon (Signal Code)

Title: Windmill Lane EP

Artist: Dave Hargadon

Label: Signal Code

Cat Number: SIG010

Genre: Deep House

A1 Back at the Lane

A2 Double Dutch 

B1 Fragmented

B2 Nofreero

There’s an evolving feeling that deep house is a sterile medium whose aptitude for evocation is becoming outweighed by its lack of edge. It’s true that it does seem to be the genre that won’t grow up; its lack of sonic evolution being put down to a constant meandering around the dreamier edges of techno and the outskirts of any galaxy. This EP by Dave Hargadon ticks all these boxes, so it’s just as well that I don’t give a shit about the constrictions placed on genres and appreciate stuff like this for what it is. Very accomplished and satisfying.

Free Trax From Bobby O'Donnell

Concentric Rhythms - DJ Guy (Hypercolour)

Title: Concentric Rhythms

Artist: DJ Guy

Label: Hypercolour

Cat Number: HYPE056

Genre: Techno

1: Love

2: Untitled 3

3: Concentric Rhythm

4: Don’t Hold Back ‘95

5: Through The Galaxy ‘93

6: 20 (Full 16 Minute Version) ‘96

7: Fresh Horizons

8: Bankzappa Dub

Up to now, DJ Guy has been releasing stuff which is around twenty years old, his voluminous sonic archive showing no signs of flagging. Whether this is still the case with this album he’s put together for Hypercolour I’m not sure. Three of the tracks were made in  the nineties, the others date from 2012-2013. Whatever the case, this is timeless stuff from the heyday of rave, the production of which immediately takes one back to a comparative age of innocence. There’s an enormous amount of skill and ability on show here, and the scope of this collection encompasses a profusion of aural stimulation. The other side of all this, however, is that Guy’s output implicitly demands that music of a similar ilk holds a mirror up to itself and asks how far it’s come.

Some Objekt Clips

Modes Of Thought - Steve Bicknell (6dimensions)

Title: Modes Of Thought

Artist: Steve Bicknell

Label: 6dimensions

Cat Number: 126D-01/DS6D-01

Genre: Techno

 
A1: Harmonious Balance
A2: The Moment I Stopped
B1: Messenger Molecules
B2: Behaviour Patterns – Lock 1
B3 Behaviour Patterns – Lock 2
B4: Behaviour Patterns – Lock 3
B5: Early Warning – Lock 1
B6: Early Warning – Lock 2
B7: Early Warning – Lock 3

Better known for his legendary “Lost” parties, Steve Bicknell has always chosen  his moments carefully where his recorded output is concerned. Everything he’s done has appeared on his Cosmic label, slowly but steadily down the years until now. 6dimensions is a new label of his and continues to hold the torch for untrammeled insect menace and other worldly capers. The three tracks all benefit from a delicate hand, and are endowed with plenty of room to manoeuver within their composite layers, with the exception of ‘Messenger Molecules’, which is considerably denser. Then it’s the turn of lock grooves, which each elevate their precedent by the introduction of a subtle new element.

Gazel EP - Mehmet Aslan & Dario Rohrbach/Alma Negra (Fleeting Wax) Notes

Title: Gazel EP

Artist: Mehmet Aslan & Dario Rohrbach/Alma Negra

Label: Fleeting Wax

Cat Number: FW 002

Genre: Esoteric Grooves

1: Gazel - Mehmet Aslan & Dario Rohrbach

2: In The Beginning – Alma Negra

Bonus Track: Oriental Strings - Mehmet Aslan & Miajica

This release brings the disco from the Levant in an interesting way. This is spacey, evocative stuff with a very broad scape. ‘Gazel’ sounds like an inverted, Eastern Mediterranean hallucination might, and it’s relative lushness is mirrored by the bottomed-out percussive thud of ‘In The Beginning’, once it’s built up a bit of momentum. The pair of them share a similar psychedelic vibe, slightly unsettling but also very floor friendly. The bonus track sounds like a slightly cheesy forties big band, its only real similarity it has to the others being its filmic expanse.