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Check out the video for “Efficient Machine”, the latest single from Kasper Bjørke’s new album Standing on Top Of Utopia.
Artist: Osborne
Title: Ghostly Remixes
Label: Ghostly International US
Genre: Minimal House/Tech House, Leftfield
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
Todd Osborn’s (almost) self titled debut album drew plaudits from across the globe, the American producer lauded for his blend of old and new in addition to his adaptation of varying styles. Such was the appeal of this highly creative, nostalgia-soaked dance album that it has managed to lure a host of respected and influential producers into reworking the original tracks. Such is the quality and ingenuity of those remixes, that Ghostly International has decided to release them on a new EP of their own.
Bullion opens the release with their twist on “Afrika.” The UK based producer swaps African percussion for warm, soulful electro whose humble bass makes it markedly more Americanised than its African influenced predecessor. Bogdan Raczynski’s effort transforms “Ruling” from its deep Chicago sound into a frantic mellay of dots and lines built around a flopping bassline. Lukid brings an ambient and instrumental hip hop feel to what Osborne had woven a dream-like, 1990s sound into “There.”
The digital version of this release also includes Luke Vibert’s energetic, snappy version of “Outta Sight,” not to mention an Arto Mwambe remix of “Wait a Minute.” The Frankfurt duo retain the jazz chords that are merged with disco and funk in the original but give it a deep house makeover for the remix.
These remixes have managed to keep up the standard of creativity and innovation set by the original album – and that’s no mean feat.
Review: Tom Jones
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Fabriclive 50 – dBridge & Instra:mental present Autonomic review
by Juno Plus on 18.02.2010 at 10:53am
Artist: dBridge & Instra:mental
Title: Fabriclive 50
Label: Fabric
Genre: Dubstep/Grime
Format: CD, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Being chosen to do a FabricLive mix CD is no mean feat. Over the years, the likes of James Lavelle, John Peel and LTJ Bukem have made their appearances on what is undoubtedly the most pre-eminent series of mix CDs to ever grace our ears. Now marking their half-centenary, D-Bridge and Instra:mental bring us the culmination of sounds from their respective labels, Exit and Non Plus, and their Autonomic podcast series.
Beginning the sonic journey with the uplifting, sonorous vocal work of Riya (who, incidentally is set for big things this year), in “Seems Like”, and moving through some minimal, downtempo numbers from Stray, Dan Habarnam and Vaccine, things get a bit more quirky and explorative in Consequence Lover’s “Shell and Genotype – Distorted Dreams”. Alix Perez’s “Self Control” is a particularly poignant and beautiful moment in the mix, as are the string of Instra:mental tracks – “End Credits”, “Watching You” and “Fist (Level 2B) mix” – which meld together seamlessly in a stream of sparse, melodic beauty. Separated off from the rest of the mix by two acapellas – courtesy of Meleka – “Go” and D-Bridge – “Inner Disbelief” – this middle section marks the ever-so-subtle movement into dubstep territory, which dominates the second half of the CD.
Here we see the likes of Hotflush head honcho, Scuba featured (with the dBridge remix of “Tense and Eclipse”) alongside the Hessle Audio-affiliated Pearson Sound; Code 3’s “Living Proof” and Skream’s “Fire Call” should also get a special mention, with strong contributions from both dBridge and Instra:mental cementing it all together. It’s a phenomenal selection of fresh, cutting-edge music that sets out to defy genre boundaries and re-introduce musicality, space and depth to production, and exceeds expectations on every level.
Review: Belinda Rowse
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Artist: Billie Ray Martin
Title: The Crackdown Project Vol 1 (Sold Out To Disco: The Crackdown/Fascination)
Label: Disco Activisto Germany
Genre: Electro house/Electroclash, Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
This is a rather starry love-in featuring former Electribe 101 and S’Express singer (and obviously solo star) Billie Ray Martin and Stephen Mallinder, frontman and founder member of Cabaret Voltaire. Produced by the Maertini Bros, this is a two-track preview from a full album coming soon.
Perhaps the impetus for the deep tech-house production might be Billie Ray Martin’s burgeoning DJ career, since she’s currently spinning deep electro and techno around the world. Either way, her huge soulful vocals are still on great form – just one listen to the slinky electro of “The Crackdown” will confirm it. But it’s the cover of Cabaret Voltaire’s “Just Fascination” that is the real treasure here. Given a slow, Lil Louis-styled beat, the song oozes sleaze and soul in equal measure, and polishes over the jagged edges of the original.
The Copycat remix of “Just Fascination” gives it a more thumping, club-ready feel with a sped-up dub version for DJ’s, while the Celebrity Murder mix adds a Frankie Knuckles-sequence for a more Balearic feel. Mash-up kings Divide and Kreate leave the bootlegging for another day on their mix, instead layering the track with some shuffling techno chords that work nicely with Billie Ray’s vocals. And on a chilled tip, Flying White Dots slows things down and creates a beautiful and warm ambient mix that really tugs at the heartstrings – a perfect way to round off this varied but highly enjoyable EP.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Many of those lucky enough to be in attendance at the Red Bull Music Academy’s electronic extravaganza at the Royal Festival Hall last weekend would readily agree Henrik Schwarz and Bugge Wesseltoft stole the show.
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Artist: L’Aryoye
Title: Love 4 A Minute
Label: Faces France
Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
A real gem, this supremely funky and slick nu-boogie bomb will remind you of many things, but will still uniquely burn itself onto your brain after a couple of spins. L’Aroye (aka Frenchman Thomas Arroyo) has already released acclaimed tunes like “Be The One” and “The Meet”, and has been supported by Jazzanova, Patrick Forge, Gilles Peterson and 4Hero to name but a few.
Sounding in equal parts like Change (Luther Vandross’s first disco/boogie gig) and PYT-mode Michael Jackson, the production on this is second to none. Every single note is groomed and smoothed out to perfection, with L’Aroye’s voice sounding soulful but never cheesy.
The release comes with a range of different formats, with the dub and instrumental being as useful as the vocal. With any luck, this should be a smash really soon.
Review: Oliver Keens
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The latest in our series of exclusive mixes from the superb Gomma stable of artists comes from Spanish electro-tinged disco duo Golden Bug.
Artist: Crookers feat Miike Snow
Title: Remedy (Remixes 2/2)
Label: Southern Fried
Genre: Electro house/Electroclash
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Finally, after steadily setting the world on fire from 2006 (starting with their incendiary mix of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck), Italian DJ’s Bot and Phra are almost ready to drop their first album proper, Tons Of Friends, in March. But before that, we’ve got some tantalising mixes of their single with Miike Snow, done with even more friends’ help.
Having had Crookers rework his track “The Bushman”, Magik Johson returns the favour with a vocal and dub mix here. Both tinker with the originals’ core elements, adding a lot of flair to the gliding lead sound that brings in the chorus and adding some dirty distortion to the bass. The dub is even tougher, combining rising acid squelches and bit-crushed leads to mash things up even harder.
Riton has a lot of fun with the tune by adding Baltimore-patterned kicks over a high pitched guitar-like lead that sounds like Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood has stopped by for jam. The vocals and piano of the original are kept in too, but it almost begs to be an instrumental. Cassius slow things down a tiny bit for a more epic/less glitchy version that makes a nice rounded contrast to the other mixes. Expect to hear even more of Crookers’ friends making an appearance when the album drops in March.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Rowdy Italian duo Crookers will officially launch their debut album, Tons Of Friends, on March 6 in the main room at Fire in Vauxhall, London.
Our latest featured chart comes from Crosstown Rebels big cheese and acclaimed DJ/producer Damian Lazarus. The East End lad (he was born in Whitechapel) started his music career as a scribe for Dazed & Confused, interviewing everyone from Wyclef Jean to Gonzo from the Muppets. His debut album, Smoke The Monster Out, was released last year and rapturously received by critics, DJs and punters alike. The album’s third single “Diamond In The Dark“ is out now via Juno Records, with sterling remixes by Parisian trio dOP and Lazarus himself.
Artist: Ewan Pearson/Various
Title: We Are Proud Of Our Choices
Label: Kompakt
Genre: Minimal/Tech House
Format: CD
Buy From: Juno Records
Still buzzing from his much acclaimed fabric mix from a few years back, Ewan Pearson returns with a new compilation for Kompakt entitled “We Are Proud Of Our Choices”. Pearson has been DJing and producing music for over a decade and with his new mix he shows us his fondness for warm and melodic tech-house. Following in the tradition of earlier Kompakt mixes like “Smallville” from Tobias Thomas and DJ Koze’s “All People Is My Friends”, Pearson starts off with a lush pop sensibility – building slowly but deliberately with tracks by Gold Panda, A Ldric, and RMNVN, before he really starts to hit his stride with “Cirrus” by Lusine, and then he begins to up the tempo exponentially as the mix goes on.
After “Cirrus” has limbered everyone up for the dance floor, two great dark house tracks from obscure producers Wah Chu Ku and Yukihiro Fukotomi will no doubt fill the floor with shaking bodies. Other artists of note that’ll keep your booty shaking are Neville Watson, Gregor Tresher, Chris Fortier, and B.D.I. who all offer solid tracks, before Pearson begins to pull the 4/4 beat out of the equation for a cool down period at the end. The last two tracks are sexy, warm, and poppy, featuring female vocals, that suggest the party doesn’t have to end yet. An edit by Pearson of “Fortune” by emerging stars Little Dragon is the mix’s penultimate track, before closing with the Lali Punaesque “Blue Steel” by Bot’Ox.
Pearson seems uninterested in the trends of the moment and sticks proudly to his tech-house roots with “We Are Proud Of Our Choices” – and it proves a solid mix of dance friendly and warm beats, featuring unsung artists you’ll want to know more about after you’ve had a listen. Check it.
Review: Matt Leslie
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Dirty Jesus – Don’t Fuck With My Shit (Black Cock Remixes)
by Juno Plus on 16.02.2010 at 16:03pm
Artist: Dirty Jesus
Title: Don’t Fuck With My Shit (Black Cock Remixes)
Label: Juno
Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco, House
Format: 12″
Buy From: Juno Records
The RV Cock remix of Dirty Jesus’ classic house track “Don’t Fuck With My Shit” starts with the kind of percussion so indebted to Harvey’s life in Hawaiian/LA paradise that it all but dons a loud shirt and offers you a cocktail. However this is soon overshadowed by something altogether more menacing, as dark, slow, spacey synths come to the fore. By the time the ethereal vocals and horns come in, Harvey has lulled you into a druggy stupour – and of course this is exactly where he wants you – before dragging you out of it with one final bass drop that is sure to tear the roof off after-parties from London to Honolulu.
Not to be overshadowed, Harvey’s partner in crime Gerry Rooney chips in with his own sterling effort, with squelchy acid house bassline and busy drums. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this track is that, rather than bombarding the listener, Rooney creates a sonic landscape in which every sound matters. This is sleazy-as-you-like disco house – exactly what you’d hope for (and expect) from the inimitable Black Cock crew.
Review: Aaron Coultate
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Artist: Mr C
Title: Lunar EP
Label: Wagon Repair Canada
Genre: Minimal House/Tech House
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
A true legend and survivor, Mr. C has returned after a five year hiatus to drop the Lunar EP, the title of which suggests that the former Shamen frontman has spent most of the time looking up at the skies. The three song titles on the EP reflect the cycle of the moon, starting off with “Full Moon”, which takes you into a spacey place courtesy of some fine acid synth-lines and some slow building strings that join in after a couple of minutes.
The three songs aren’t meant to be a full-blown cycle, but there’s still a nice sense of continuity between the tracks as sounds reappear throughout. Waxing is a darker, more sinister tune with breathy pads in the background. Dark Moon rounds off the interplanetary trip nicely, with an sweet breakdown to a simple bassline. Apparently this EP was the first time Mr.C has produced 100% solo in the studio. If so, it’s a formula he should continue with, as well as the star-gazing.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Artist: Mike Monday
Title: Yoppul
Label: Get Digital/Get Physical Germany
Genre: Minimal House/Tech House
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
This two-tracker is a refreshing and classy release from Brit Mike Monday. Title track “Yoppul” has an addictive filtered vocal that slowly rises over an infectious beat which is minimal, but at the same time sounds like a whistle short of a full-on carnival party. With snares on the one for a funky feel, and layers of percussion tastefully arranged underneath, it really lends itself to a minimal arrangement. The groove is so great, it can carry on indefinitely and still not lose a single body from the dancefloor. It’s fresh as hell and well worth checking out.
Touch is a more Tech-orientated tune, but again the hypnotic simplicity wins you over in seconds. Whispered vocals play call and response with each other over a perfectly balanced beat, while slowly a huge wave of synth pads swells over the top. The simplest of changes through the track become hugely affecting and memorable, always the sign of a quality Minimal House producer at work. These two tracks come highly recommended.
Review: Oliver Keens
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EMI is said to have put Abbey Road recording studio up for sale in a bid to tackle its debts, the Financial Times has reported.
Esteemed UK band UNKLE have announced the details of their new record Where Did The Night Fall, to be released on their label Surrender All in May.
Teddy Presberg – Outcries From A Sea Of Red (Remixed Volume 1) review
by Juno Plus on 16.02.2010 at 12:19pm
Artist: Teddy Presberg
Title: Outcries From A Sea Of Red (Remixed Volume 1)
Label: Timewarp Greece
Genre: Funk/Rare Groove/Reissues
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
Teddy Presberg is an American underground jazz and funk improvisation performer. A guitar player of an incredible talent and blessed with an ability to conjure mass amounts of soul and emotion with his music, Teddy is one of the most exciting acts in an already unrestrained and explosive scene. This compilation is a selection of tracks from his most recent album, Outcries From a Sea of Red that have been remixed and re-edited by Timewarp artists.
Many Timewarp artists have been admirers of Presberg’s work and once approached, have embraced the challenges of fusing his work with modern electronic grooves. Following on from Timewarp Inc’s opening remix of “Bella’s Boogaloo” we get a selection of groove-laden mixes from the likes of Niles Philips, Atfunk, Medras and Quasamodo & Trotter. Each adding their own style and flavour, the overall feel of Teddy’s vintage soul sound remains present throughout. Along the way, we encounter nujazz, funk, disco, house and even elements of reggae and dub. To put it simply, this album has a sound all of its own.
With promises of a second volume already made, fans and musicians alike will be extremely excited to see what sounds can be merged next. If this album is anything to go by, then we can expect even more talented artists wanting to get involved and make their own unique interpretations of the legend that is Teddy Presberg.
Review: Tom Jones
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Dirty Jesus – Don’t Fuck With My Shit (Pete Herbert Remixes) review
by Juno Plus on 16.02.2010 at 09:58am
Artist: Dirty Jesus
Title: Don’t Fuck With My Shit (Pete Herbert Remixes and original)
Label: Juno
Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco, House
Format: 12″
Buy From: Juno Records
With impeccable musical quality control, Paperecordings was, and still is, one of the world’s most treasured record labels. The controversially named Dirty Jesus aka Erik Rug and Marc Collin were one of the acts to release on the label and their classic proto nu disco track “Don’t Fuck With My Shit” was recorded in one take in the studio played with real instruments and mixed down live.
The first of Pete Herbert’s two remixes of this gloriously and unimprovably titled track features a lazy bass guitar bouncing off twangy keys. By the time the tumbling piano lines come in – and Herbert does make you sweat on it – hands are well and truly up in the air.
Part Two, instead of making us wait on the piano, brings it in immediately. It playfully jostles for attention with that addictive guitar hook, and this time Herbert teases us with a bassline that takes nearly two full minutes to kick in. When it does, you have a track that is positively dripping with that sublime piano-driven house sound that is sure to get even the most ardent chin-strokers shaking ass.
Review: Aaron Coultate
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Riva Starr has compiled the latest Defected: In The House mix, to be released next month.
Artist: Caspa
Title: I Beat My Robot
Label: Subsoldier/Fabric
Genre: Dubstep/Grime
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Caspa has become one of the true starlets of dubstep over the past year. There is even an argument to suggest that he has now crossed over into the mainstream, such is his popularity. Despite his increasing fame, his sound still remains the same, grounded in the true underground sense of the scene.
It was last year’s debut album, Everybody’s Talking, Nobody’s Listening! That made the masses pay attention to a DJ that had already been captivating the underground for some time. Maintaining his style that won the original fans in the first place, his sound started to reach a bigger audience. With his own Dub Police night’s residency at London super -club, Fabric in addition to his ever growing remix requests, (he has previously remixed Depeche Mode and Deadmau5 ) it is fair to say that he is a man at the top of his game. Added to that, he is also a highly in-demand DJ throughout the world, famed for dark, bass fuelled sets that set the clubs on fire. However, with all this, Caspa has struggled to find the time to produce again.
However, having now pledged to return to the studio, he returns with his first release of the year, “I Beat My Robot.” Complete with a jump-up, full throttled drum & bass remix of Original Sin’s “Marmite,” the release is strictly for the rave environment. The title track hits it hard with Caspa’s trademark heavyweight sound before his remix finally removes any last hint of sanity that has managed to stay within you.
Review: Tom Jones
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