Sounds
Singles, Reissues & Comps (2010 Catch Up!)
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 | Sounds | No Comments
I’ve been slacking off on posting reviews in the first half of this year and there has been a lot of great music released, so here’s a few bits and pieces that I’ve been feeling from the past few months.
Dutch label, Rush Hour, have been on fire this year. Not only have they been putting out new forward thinking music, but they’ve also been responsible for re-releasing classic hard-to-find house and techno. The much talked about ‘Frictionalism’ release from earlier this year, collects Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir’s works from 1994-2009, which is essential, as is the self-titled Virgo album and the Rick Wilhite ep’s. The more recent Boo Williams release collects the best tracks from three ep’s released on Residual in the late 90’s. If you enjoy Boo’s releases on Relief and Djax then this is a must. As for newer material, Tevo Howard delivers his updated acid house sound on the double 12″ ‘Crystal Republic’. Although nothing mind-blowing it’s definitely a grower and the crisp production sounds great. Also worth checking out is the 12″ from FaltyDL ‘All In The Place’. FaltyDL delivers his usual unclassifiable sound that brings together 2-step, house and techno.
If you’re into Nu Groove and the deeper side of NY house, the International Dee Jay Gigolo re-press of the Bobby Konders collection ‘A Lost Era In NYC 87-92′ is a must, complete with cuts like ‘The Poem’, ‘The Future’ and ‘Slackness and Sax’. Another must is Ron Trent’s ‘Altered States - Blak Tech Society’, which collects the three tracks included on the original 1990 Warehouse release, as well as remixes and other recordings from that period. Absolutely timeless and both collections providing much needed relief to original vinyl versions.
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Updating those deep sounds is Oakland’s Aybee and his Deepblak label. The forthcoming ‘Blaktropolis Vol. 2′ showcases new material from label regulars, Blaktroniks, Afrikan Sciences as well as Aybee, and also highlights some new artists; especially interesting is 17 year old Shen 7, who’s track ‘Void’, sounds beyond his years. Aybee also provided the thoroughly engrossing ‘Ancient Tones’ release on Seattle’s Further Records. There’s been a lot of interest around Further and their highly limited cassette only releases. At first I didn’t quite get the cassette only thing and the limitations that goes along with the format, however, a recent Resident Advisor article on Further provides some sound reasoning. For those without a cassette deck, it looks like Further’s vinyl experiment has worked out and we’re going to see the excellent ‘Ancient Tones’ on vinyl.
One of the key players of the genre defying sounds coming out of London at the moment, Floating Points, delivers (yet again) another massive record. ‘Peoples Potential’ has been doing the rounds for quite a while, however the flip side (’Shark Chase’) is where it’s at. It’s relentless jacking drums and bass, sound like it came straight out of mid 80’s Chicago. Absolutely devastating when played on a proper system. Other tracks meant for big systems, Levon Vincent’s ‘Double Jointed Sex Freak’, John Robert’s ‘White’, Mike Dehnert’s Dico EP and of course Wax 003.
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Echospace - Liumin (Modern Love)
Monday, June 14th, 2010 | Sounds | 2 Comments
In my interview with Stephen Hitchell last year, he mentioned that he, along with Rod Modell, was finishing up the next Echospace album. The new album, ‘Liumin’, due out later this month is certainly worth the wait. In the three years since Echospace’s excellent debut ‘The Coldest Season’, both Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell have been busy releasing solo works, building their label and heavily touring, something that evidently has played a big part in the creative process of the new album. Although ‘Liumin’ has all of the signature spacious dubbed-out sounds associated with Echospace, it is a much different affair than ‘The Coldest Season’. Whereas ‘The Coldest Season’ was the product of the bleak midwest winter, ‘Liumin’ is the product of Echospace’s travels around the world - field recordings from Japan run throughout the album. Aside from the first and last ambient tracks, it’s a much more of an upbeat affair with a distinct live feel to it, in fact many of the tracks have been taken from their live shows. Like everything that comes from the Echospace camp, ‘Liumin’ will not disappoint.
Actress - Splazsh (Honest Jon’s)
Friday, June 11th, 2010 | Sounds | No Comments
‘Splazsh’, the sophomore album from Werk Discs head honcho Darren Cunningham aka Actress, picks up from where debut album, ‘Hazyville’, left off, pushing sounds and ideas that where hinted at on the first album. The album is very much a product of what is happening musically in London right now, bringing together a wide range of styles & influences and giving it a unique twist. The album kicks-off with the hypnotic, ‘Hubble’, which (along with ‘Bubble Butts and Equations’) reminds me a lot of the synth ladened sounds of fellow Londoner’s Subway. You can hear echoes of Detroit’s Terrence Dixon and Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir on ‘Lost’ and ‘Let’s Fly’, while ‘Always Human’ and ‘Senorita’ sounds like a mutated Todd Edwards production. ‘Get Ohn’ taps Steve Bicknell’s Lost style of techno (another uniquely London sound). The album even in places sounds like the forgotten soundtrack of a John Carpenter movie. ‘Splazsh’ is a engrossing listen from start to end. Highly recommended.
Four Tet - There Is Love In You (Domino Records)
Monday, February 15th, 2010 | Sounds | No Comments
It’s been a while since I’ve paid much attention to Four Tet, the artist first heralded in the early 2000s for kickstarting the so-called “folktronica” scene because he combined samples of folk instrumentation with electronic sounds. Nearly five years have passed since the British producer released a proper full-length (“Everything Ecstatic” in 2005) under the Four Tet moniker. Instead, he opted for a foray into the improvisational jazz world, collaborating with drummer Steve Reid for four albums(!) and releasing them under his real name, Kieran Hebden. The 2006 two-disc compilation “Remixes” showcased some of his remix work of tracks by disparate artists like Boom Bip, The Notwist, Andrew Bird, Radiohead, Badly Drawn Boy, Beth Orton and many others. Interesting, yes, but “Remixes” simply didn’t have much staying power for me.
It was the 4-song EP “Ringer” in 2008 that caught my attention again. Sparse, minimal and more rooted in techno than anything else Read more and listen…
Pop Ambient 2010 (Kompakt)
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 | Sounds | No Comments
The 10th anniversary entry for Kompakt ‘s annual “Pop Ambient” compilation is yet another example of the consistently solid at-home listening series, proving that not all electronic music needs a dancefloor to resonate.
“Pop Ambient 2010” features a slew of top-tier artists from the German label exploring their more blissed-out, ambient sensibilities, including co-founder Wolfgang Voigt, San Francisco’s bvdub (Brock Van Wey), The Orb, Orb collaborator Thomas Fehlmann, Popnoname, Jorg Burger and DJ Koze and the long-awaited return of Dettinger.
The often otherworldly vibe begins with an ever-so-slight jarring opening via German producer Marsen Jules’ “The Sound of One Lip Kissing,” Read More and listen…
Guest mix for Fine Art Recordings
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 | Sounds | 2 Comments
The good folks over at Fine Art Recordings recently asked me to provide a mix for their SamuraiFM show. You can check it out here along with mixes from Basic Soul Unit, Placid, Titonton Duvante, Fabrice Lig and Orlando Voorn.
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