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JGM 79 - Best of 2011
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011 | Podcast, Sounds | 1 Comment
1. Afrikan Sciences - Spirals (Deepblak) Buy
Kicking-off Deepblak’s 10 year anniversary was Afrikan Sciences’ debut album, ‘Means and Ways’. The album explored multiple genres, all with a heavy influence of (hi-tech) jazz running through-out. The dance-floor tracks (’Spirals’, ‘Ejercicios’ and ‘NanoRock Skank’) were subsequently released on vinyl. Afrikan Sciences also provided a killer remix of Aybee’s ‘Build Her’.
2. Ital - One Hit (100% Silk) Buy
There was a lot of hype around 100% Silk in 2011. I personally wasn’t feeling most of the releases but the Ital record really stood out for me - simple yet highly effective. All three tracks on this EP are great and have a similar raw energy found on early Chicago records.
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3. Levon Vincent - Revs/Cost (Novel Sound) Info
After a year hiatus, Levon Vincent released two records via his Novel Sound imprint. ‘Man Or Mistress’ was inevitably going to be a huge track for the dance floor, but I preferred the more subtle tracks found on the ‘Impressions Of A Rainstorm’ EP. Either way, both records are essential.
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4. Kevin Reynolds - Liaisons (Nsyde) Info
Kevin Reynold’s debut (released via his Todhchai imprint in 2006) was really impressive. This years follow-up (’Favis’) was a little underwhelming in my opinion. However, the ‘Liaisons’ track released via Nsyde more than made up for it. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 5 years for his next release.
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5. Tin Man - Nonneo (Acid Test) Buy
A real treat of a record, Tin Man’s ‘Nonneo’ caught the ear of many. ‘Nonneo’ saw Tin Man focusing on crisp, driving drum programming while keeping the sparse and emotive 303 bassline fairly restrained, producing both a trippy yet upbeat feel. The flip gave us the excellent Donato Dozzy remix, who kept things sparse and let the bassline breathe, which only added to the trippiness.
6. Vakula - You Cannot Resist (Shevchenko) Info
I was quite surprised to not see Vakula featured on more year end lists. The Ukrainian producer gave us great remixes of Herman’s ‘Rock Your Body’ and Steve Reich’s ‘2×5: Movement 3 Fast’, as well offering up 10 releases of his own material. The ‘You Cannot Resist’, ‘Unthank’ and ‘Picture Of You’ ep’s are all top quality and highly recommended.
7. Ethyl & Huxley - Reflexions (Tsuba) Buy
2011 was a busy year for Aybee and his Deepblak imprint. As well as providing stellar remixes for Ethyl & Huxley, Damon Bell and Afrikan Sciences, Aybee also gave us his own ‘11:11′ EP, a split release with Miles Sagnia as well as the ‘Build Her’ remix ep. Deepblak also celebrated it’s tenth anniversary with the ‘Ten’ compilation, which rounded up highlights from the label.
8. Recloose - Electric Sunshine (Rush Hour) Buy
Following-up from last years excellent ‘Early Works’ retrospective, Recloose gave us the ‘Saturday Night Manifesto’ EP via Rush Hour. Recloose’s first new material in three years, the EP is real return to form in my opinion. Both ‘Tecumseh’ and ‘Electric Sunshine’ are killer tracks.
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9. Floating Points - Arp3 (Eglo) Buy
In two short years, Sam Shepherd (aka Floating Points) has released some of the finest music around. The early part of 2011 saw Floating Points release the excellent mid-tempo track, ‘Marilyn’ as well as the wonderful remix of Daedelus’ ‘Tailor Made’. The latter half of the year he gave us the acid tinged ‘Danger’, with the very nice (yet too short) ambient piece, ‘Miniature 27′ on the flip. The ‘Shadows’ EP released in early December finished off Floating Points’ year in very fine style. Hoping to hear a full album from Floating Points in the near future.
10. Kassem Mosse - Untitled (Workshop) Info
Wonderfully weird deep house from Kassem Mosse on the always excellent Workshop label.
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11. Cosmin TRG - Amor Y Ortos (Fifty Weapons) Buy
A lot of techno coming out of Europe leaves me cold, but 2011 saw a number of producers who piqued my interest, including Romanian producer Cosmin TRG who gave us his debut album, ‘Simulat’ via Fifty Weapons - ‘Fizic’, ‘Ritmat’ and ‘Amor Y Ortos’ being the stand-out cuts for myself.
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12. John Heckle - What Once Was (Mathematics) Info
Another producer that I was surprised at not seeing on more year end lists. John Heckle gave us a fine debut album, ‘The Second Son’ (the CD version was completely different from the vinyl, so essential two albums). The ‘Hard Sleeper’ release was also great but it was ‘The 4th Dimension’ EP that did it for me. Also, on Mathematics was the excellent ‘Traces’ EP by San Laurentino.
13. Mr. Fingers - Finger Fuck (Rush Hour) Buy
Obviously not from 2011, but (for most) these tracks only saw the light of day this year. Compiled by Gene Hunt, ‘Chicago Dance Tracks Vol. 1′ featured unreleased material taken from reel-to-reel’s given to Hunt during the 1980’s, with highlights from Virgo 4, Mike Dunn, Craig Loftis, Ron Hardy and Mr. Fingers.
14. Omar S - Here’s Your Trance Now Dance! (FXHE) Buy
Released at the beginning of the year, ‘Here’s Your Trance Now Dance!’ was no doubt going to ubiquitous. Omar S doing what he does so well.
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15. Kyle Hall - Down! (Wild Oats) Info
On his only release this year, Kyle Hall gave us two raw looped based tracks. Simple, yet highly effective. Hall’s imprint Wild Oats also gave us the debut release from Jay Simon, ‘Faith’, a great rework of Faith Evan’s ‘You Used To Love Me’.
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16. John Daly - Sea Level (Further) Buy
Seattle’s Further Records have released some great music all across the board over the past couple of years. Last year’s amazing Donato Dozzy album, ‘K’, got a much welcomed CD release this year. Other highlights from this year included o1o’s ‘Futurespective’ EP - a collection of Aybee’s headier material from the past few years, as well as the excellent John Daly record.
17. Space Dimension Controller - Max Tiraquon (R&S) Buy
Yet another one that should have turned up on more year end lists. This was billed as a prequel release to next years full length album, but this is really a great album in itself. You can clearly hear Detroit’s influence on SDC but he makes the sound his own. ‘The Pathway To Tiraqoun6′ provides great listen from start to finish.
Direct download: JGM_79_-_Best_Of_2011_1.mp3
John Tejada - Parabolas
Monday, July 11th, 2011 | Sounds | No Comments
Parabolas, the latest album by John Tejada – his ninth studio album and first for German techno imprint Kompakt – finds the Los Angeles producer exploring a more melancholy, subdued direction with an emphasis on melody. Tejada has spent his musical career cultivating many musical styles, from his early techno & tech-house releases on his prolific Palette Recordings label, to the Detroit-esque output on Dan Bell’s 7th City and Moods & Grooves, to the string of minimal-leaning techno released by Poker Flat and other labels in the last decade, as well as more left-field output under guises such as I’m Not A Gun.
Unlike most techno albums, Parabolas is noteworthy because it unfolds like an actual album, rather than a collection of singles repackaged in album form, emphasizing subtlety and nuance. Opening with the smooth, mid-tempo house-leaning “Farther and Fainter,” the moodiness of Parabolas first reveals itself via the next track, “The Dream” – an eerie beatless ambient track that actually may have been better off as the first track. “Mechanized” is, for me, when the album really begins to pick up steam, a sparse, perky melody punctuated by a series of chords and haunting, ethereal textures that feels influenced by Detroit techno – a style Tejada has long acknowledged as a driving force of his inspiration as an artist. “Subdivided” continues on the moody path, its crisp, electro-style beat offset by smooth synth stabs, while “Timeless Space” slows down the tempo and beefs up the twinkly emotional elements with a vintage feel via the use of the Roland TR-808. Tejada drifts back into warm ambient land on “The Honest Man” before propelling forward again with the upbeat track “The Living Night,” its percolating beat offset by dreamy textures and nuanced melodies. Both “Unstable Condition” and “Hollow Hemispheres” feel like salutes to Detroit techno with a similarity to early Orbital, the former incorporating vintage percussive elements amidst a thumping kick drum and chirpy synth textures while the latter delves a bit deeper via subtle polyrhythms. The album closer, “Uncertain End,” feels aptly titled, emphasizing percussive intricacies without much of the emotion that pervades throughout most of the album. It’s a surprising choice for the final track, only because so much of Parabolas seems to bleed emotion. More than 15 years into his recording career, Tejada continues to evolve and reinvent himself, and the fans are the beneficiaries.
Interview with John Heckle
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 | Sounds | 9 Comments
Having found an appropriate home on Jamal Moss’ Mathematics imprint, John Heckle’s raw Chicago inspired sounds has resonated with many. Hailing from Liverpool, the 22 year old Heckle, tells us about his influences, his new album and upcoming projects.
PYF: What’s your earliest musical memory?
JH: Recording some shouty covers of The Beatles with my brother when I was about five or six. We had a tape recorder and some headphones in the mic socket to record, and some pans for drums.
PYF: Your sound has quite an affinity with Chicago - what was your first encounter with house and techno?
JH: Again I think my brother (Bill) had a lot to do with that. He took me to my first rave when I was thirteen, to a night called Bugged Out in Liverpool. He got me into a lot of the music I still listen to today.
PYF: Who are some of your influences (both musical and non-musical)?
JH: I find a lot of bands influential, such as The Smiths, The Beatles and The Doors, and artists such as Bob Dylan. In terms of electronic music, artists such as Larry Heard, Jamal Moss, Jeff Mills, Surgeon and Regis have been massive influences. Also some local DJs (such as Mark Forshaw, Sam Baron, Scott McGill, Binny and my brother most of all) have had a big influence on what music I play now.
PYF: How did you get into producing music? Was there anyone in particular that inspired/ helped you on your musical path?
JH: I started making music on a computer for fun in about 2003, which eventually led to the release of a track on RSB records a few years later. I would make tracks and play them in sets during my residency at Liverpool’s Alcatraz night, which was run by my brother and the guys we lived with at the time. We would spend most weekends hammering music in the house anyway, so making music and starting a night was a sort of natural progression. Anyway, it was at this night that Bill booked Regis to play. Regis forwarded a track I had just made to RSB and it was released a few months later in 2006. That is what inspired me to get serious about music. I think 2006 may have been a little early for me though as I was still only at the stage of teaching myself how to produce the sounds that I wanted to make. So I guess after a while production took a back seat. It wasn’t until a friend showed me the record The Sun God ‘Ancient Echoes’ that I got inspired to make music again; I’d never heard anything like that record. Soon after I started buying the Mathematics records. I was taken by the rawness and unpredictability of most of them; they were something exciting at a time when I was disillusioned with a lot of current trends. Read full interview…
Midwest Electric: The Story of Chicago House and Detroit Techno
Friday, June 17th, 2011 | Interviews, Sounds | 1 Comment
Although a lot of the early beginnings of Chicago house and Detroit techno are well known in Europe, it has largely gone unnoticed within the US for the past 30 years. So, it’s great to see Afropop Worldwide present a well produced documentary that sheds some light on the early scene and key figures of house & techno in Chicago and Detroit. The documentary includes an interview with Robert Williams, promoter of the Warehouse and The Muzic Box, as well as Vince Lawrence (founder of Trax), Juan Atkins and Carl Craig.
Recent records round-up
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 | Sounds | No Comments
Jamal Moss’ Mathematics Recordings has consistently put out great music from new artists. Out of the latest batch of releases from the label, John Heckle’s ‘The 4th Dimension’ is really doing it for me. Continuing in the same vein as last year’s ‘Life On Titan’, Heckle provides four deep, raw Chicago inspired cuts. Mathematics also gives us an update of the acid house classic ‘Lack Of Love’ by Charles B and Adonis. Also, on the Chicago tip, Traxx releases ‘Rhythm Relics’ via his Nation label. A collaboration with D’Marc Cantu and Tadd Mullinix, with the Saturn V cut, ‘The Fresh Heir’, sounding very reminiscent of Virgo 4. Speaking of which, Virgo 4 are featured alongside a whole host of producers on Rush Hour’s, ‘Chicago Dance Tracks Vol. 1′. Compiled by Gene Hunt, the release features unreleased material taken from reel-to-reel’s given to Hunt during the 1980’s, and includes artists such as, Mr. Fingers, Steve Poindexter, Ron Hardy, Farley Jackmaster Funk and Lil’ Louis.
A couple of Detroit pieces I’ve been enjoying. First-up is a killer Scott Grooves remix of Norm Talley’s ‘The Journey’ on Third Ear. I had to check to make sure the credit was correct, as the remix sounds very much like Mike Huckaby rather than Scott Grooves. Omar S gets long time collaborator, Shadow Ray, to remix ‘Here’s Your Trance, Now Dance!‘. Shadow Ray doesn’t deviate too much from the excellent original, adding a rugged bassline and more bottom-end to great effect.
Guest mix for trackwerk
Friday, April 29th, 2011 | Sounds | No Comments
Carl and Scott have provided a couple of cracking mixes for the podcast, and in return they asked me to provide a mix for their trackwerk site. Check out my mix below and visit trackwerk for a tonne of quality deep house and techno.
1. Joy O – Jels (Hotflush)
2. Norm Talley – The Journey (Scott Grooves Rmx) (Third Ear)
3. Ben Klock – Goodly Sin (Robert Hood Rmx) (Ostgut Ton)
4. Daniel P – Discomadley (Cabinet)
5. Chicago Skyway – Heaven (Aroy’s Edit) (M>O>S)
6. Rick Howard – I Won’t Lay Back (Instrumental) (Rush Hour)
7. Omar S – Here’s Your Trance (FXHE)
8. Ricardo Miranda – Urbanism (Rush Hour)
9. Rare Earth – Happy Song Or Dance (Rated X)
10. Bruce Ivery – Bruce Falls (Stilove4music)
11. Kerri Chandler – Syntax Error (Deeply Rooted)
12. Earth People – Dance (Underworld)
13. John Heckle – The 4th Dimension (Mathematics)
