Smalltown Supersound Norway At Juno Download

Review: A superb Bjorn Torske gets the remix treatment EP from Smalltown Supersound as Todd Terje, Harvey and Crimea X all tackle tracks from the Norwegian's 2010 album Kokning. No stranger to the art of the remix, Terje has been cutting his teeth of late with some killer original material (um "Inspector Norse" hello) but his remix of "Langt Fra Afrika" proves Toddney has lost none of his Midas touch in that department. Retaining the loose Afro groove of the short original, Terje extends the track tenfold, embellishing proceedings with a dizzying concoction of detuned drums, catchy horns, shuffling shakers, samba drums and crazy chants. Up next, Mr Bassett adds some requisite sleaze to "Nitten Nitti" whilst Italian duo Crimea X bring out the arpeggios for a ride to outer galactic discoteria on a brilliantly throbbing take of "Slitte Sko".

Review: Given that they released their first 12" nearly 20 years ago, it's somewhat surprising to find that Cellar Door is the Idjut Boys first "proper" album of original material. There have, of course, been other albums - a 2002 collaboration with Quakerman on Glasgow Underground, 2009's Rune Lindbeak hook-up as Meanderthals (on which they were rumoured to have done most of the work) and a string of typically dubbed-out disco re-edit collections (Phantom Slasher, Noid etc) - but nothing that could be called a definitive Idjuts album. Cellar Door, then, should perhaps be seen as a neat bonus rather than the culmination of a career that has stuttered between sublime brilliance and aloof eccentricity. Listened to on those terms, it's even better than you'd expect. First of all, it's a proper album in the old fashioned sense. Clocking in at under 40 minutes - like many of the greatest albums of the vinyl era - it shimmers with Balearic intent. Heady and intoxicating on one hand, sweet and country-tinged on the other, it's a grown up, radio-friendly set that should please those with a penchant for glistening Balearica. Recommended.

Review: There's been a lot of online chatter about this single-track salvo from everyone's favourite dubwise disco duo, and with good reason. Penned as a tribute to sadly-departed deep house legend Kenny Hawkes, it shows the Idjuts at their chugging, slo-mo best - all dubbed-out electrofunk synths, bubbling clav, clipped disco guitars, vaguely Balearic bottom end and, most thrillingly of all, delicious piano flourishes from Norwegian jazz type Bugge Wesseltoft. It's the piano - a rousing, bluesy concoction designed to tease and tantalize - that makes the track, taking it to heady levels of blissfulness. If the rest of the Idjuts forthcoming LP is this good, we're in for a treat.

Review: Mungolian Jetset's Pal Nyhus, aka DJ Strangefruit, is one of the unsung heroes of Norwegian electronic music. While nowhere near as celebrated as compatriots Hans-Peter Lindstrom, Prins Thomas and "Todd" Terje Olsen, he's been the glue that holds the Oslo disco scene together for the best part of a decade. His project with studio don Knut Saevik is consistently excellent - and fittingly, their new offering Mungoldelics starts with a bang. Opener "Toccato" starts off sounding like a cosmic disco take on Steve Reich's Music For 18 Musicians, before morphing into a thrillingly Scandolearic fusion of spine tingling marimba melodies and trippy, darkroom electronics. There's much more to explore here - a string of collaborations (Balearic types Athana, Norwegian pop singer Unni and electronica/jazz fusionists Jaga Jazzist all feature), a handful of strange new pseudonyms (Knights of Jumungus anyone?) and the occasional original production. It's pretty much a brand new Mungolian Jetset album proper; it doesn't sound like anything else.

Review: And so it lands. Todd Terje launches his new eponymously named label Olsen in fine style with the much anticipated EP It's The Arps. Or should we say Todd Tease as the Norwegian has been dropping lead track "Inspector Norse" since the budding months of last summer! Given that Terje's first original material in some five years resulted in one of last year's highlights with the Running Back released Ragysh, it's natural he would want to leave some space before following up. The first of a series of EPs crafted from using one bit of vintage gear in particular, It's The Arps sees Terje dabble with the intricacies of the Arp 2600 analogue synthesizer as well as pay homage to his favourite Monty Python sketch. This is just as nerdy as you'd expect from a man who recently launched a website with the specific intention of exploring the obsessive studio nature of his contemporaries. The aforementioned "Inspector Norse" is an obvious highlight here, slowly unfurling gorgeous layers of playful synthesis that grapple the simplistic drums with flirtatious delight. It makes for another signature track from Terje which is likely to engender a rapturous reception for many months to come. Alongside it, "Myggsommer" provides a brief, twee interlude into oddball sci fi soundscapes which again prove to highlight the Arp 2600's capacity for inventive and idiosyncratic sounds. From here Terje unveils a two part skywards saunter through "Swing Star" showcasing a more dextrous manipulation of the Arp 2600's melodies across the markedly more rhythmic upbeat first part and expansive luxurious cosmic subsequent endeavour. Whilst "Inspector Norse" is guaranteed to be the one track from this release you will hear in the international discotheques, the remainder of It's The Arps serves as a excellent reminder of Terje's ever growing talent as a producer.