SECURE SHOPPING
Pitchfork today posted this YouTube clip showing unreleased new material from Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin.
|  |
It must be great being In Flagranti – rightly lauded by the chairmen of the discothèque for their astounding back cat of filth infused cowbell crudities (which stretches all the way back to the days before electroclash) the Swiss duo of Sasha Crnobrnja and Alex Gloor currently enjoy the jetset DJ lifestyle, get asked to remix all and sundry, can hand pick who they want to remix their own tracks and still have the time spare to go though reams and reams and films of 70s porn to shoot pretty hilarious promo videos and cover their vinyl releases in.
2010 started with “Ex Ex Ex”, their last single proper and a slew of accompanying sweat inducing remixes from the likes of Riton, DJ Wool, Headman and Golden Bug that got maximum dance floor exposure from club veterans like Diplo through to young whippersnappers such as Stopmakingme. Since “Ex Ex Ex’s” release the Swiss duo have put out a couple of under the counter edits on the sly (of course all available at Juno Download) and some five months on we now have their latest single.
“Through The Rabbit Hole” sees Sasha Crnobrnja & Alex Gloor, once again working with sultry vocalist Natalie Smash, demonstrate their adeptness at delivering slow burning chuggers along with the more familiar brand of filth inflected uptempo disco jams with the added bonus of some truly genius remixes. The original is five minutes of pure smacked out sex groove with Smash’s woozey vocals wrapped round a lolloping drum beat and a honky tonk approach to arppegiated synths. There’s also a real structure to the track which is sometimes lacking from the majority of music that gets swept under the nu-disco umbrella. The aforementioned remix genius comes in the shape of four truly different reinterpretations courtesy of the new and old guard of Italian discoteria and two British producers demonstrating their prowess under new guises.
Despite being considered as something of an innovator in Italo disco you can count the number of official remixes from Danielle Baldelli on both hands, thus it’s something of a coup on In Flagranti’s part to secure a remix from Baldelli and cohort Dionigi which is all snappy percussion, plonky keys and yet more arppegiated synth. Indeed this could be transported from the minimal wave era that has been documented so well recently via Stones Throw and Angular. A more contemporary Italian reimagination is offered up via supergroup Clap Rules, with a remix that retains the slow tempo of the original and fully demonstrates the nuances of the trios’ production skills – some lovely farty bass on this one.
Justin Robertson’s reputation as best dressed chicken in the discothèque is bettered only by his long list of staunch productions under a slew of aliases – from Lionrock to Revtone – and it is under his latest Deadstock 33s that “Through A Rabbit Hole” gets reworked as an off kilter sea shanty of a remix with a killer bass-line. Matt Waites premiered his Moscow alias at the turn of the year via “Throw Up” on Endless Flight and more recently on Lo Rec’s LOEB offshoot, with his love for the propa haus sound allowed to beam through away from the electro confines of his Nightmoves moniker. His remix of “Through The Rabbit Hole” ups the tempo and is aimed squarely for the dance floor – a neat way to end off yet another superlative EP from In Flagranti.
Review: Tony Poland
|
UK drum and bass duo Commix will release a collection of their own tracks remixed by a select group of techno, house and dubstep cognoscenti, including Marcel Dettmann, Burial, Pangaea and A Made Up Sound.
Rumours abound that London’s Matter nightclub is on the verge of closure, with the venue calling off all upcoming gigs.
The artwork and tracklisting for the hotly anticipated debut from Mount Kimbie has been revealed.
|  |
Cumbia has had something of a revival over the last few years, with its familiar rhythms being used by a host of Brazilian beat makers especially. But it’s specifically Peruvian interpretations of cumbia that dominates this collection from the Vampi Soul label.
The collision of cumbia rhythms and the early 60s beat guitar influences shines though on opener “El Avispon” by Silvestre Montez y sus Guanatameros, featuring loud twangy guitars played in a distinctly South American style. An instrumental with some virtuoso percussion breaks, it’s a delight, as is “Los Orientales” de Paramonga by Lobos Al Escape – a freakbeat tune with vicious wah-wah chords and lead melodies similar in sound to Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western soundtracks. While the focus of the collection is undoubtedly on that distinctive cumbia rhythm, it’s worth also appreciating the incredible guitar playing that runs through the songs on this superb collection. “Viento” by Grupo Celeste for example features some of the most accomplished playing you’re likely to hear in a long while – clearly influenced by native folk melodies yet transcribed to the electric guitar perfectly and played beautifully.
Toward the end of the 60’s, the wider forces of rock clearly made their influence on Peru’s musicians – Los Destellos’s “Guajira Sicodelica” in particular sounds like Cream or The Byrds at times, yet without the big heavy drums and still faithful to the sweet and shuffling cumbia rhythm. This exhaustive collection highlights a fascinating and criminally underrated clash of styles and cultures from the ’60’s and more importantly is full of some fantastic tunes of a strange and rare pedigree.
Review: Oliver Keens
|
|
It’s not all doom and gloom for British music festivals, with Bestival today announcing its fourth consecutive sell out.
In a welcome contrast to the slew of DJing competitions around the world, Audio equipment company AKG is offering ten talented electronic music producers and students a free spot at their summer program in Berlin.
This week Juno Plus gets under the hood of Denon’s new DN-X1600 digital DJ mixer, and finds out how it compares to Pioneer’s industry standard versions.
| |
Having made a tantalising appearance on the excellent Music From Mathematics, Late Invitation make their debut release with three live tracks of retro-vintage house and boogie. Lost Brother, Crouch Dash and Millipede are a three piece outfit from Liechtenstein whose crazy names match their on stage attire. With an appetite for dressing up for live dates, the seemingly idiosyncratic nature of the trio appears to rub off on their music, if this release is anything to go by. They have built their own, inimitable style that wafts in and around deep house but in a nu-disco, dubby, stepping kind of way.
“The Invite” is a warm piece of jacking, disco house led by fat, fuzzy kicks and smudged synth keys. Whatever the track’s low end lacks in upfront potency, it more than makes up for with an abundance of funk. Adding more charm, you cannot help but love the wonderfully simple piano that drops in halfway through. It is “The Late Invitation Theme,” however, the track that appeared on the aforementioned Mathematics CD, where the low end beefs up in spectacular fashion. As the deep sub bass calmly squeezes along, warm synth stabs ease into the mix alongside a blissful guitar motif. It is slowed right down to perfect effect, allowing the track to stew in its own druggy, Chicago disco vibes. “Thus” stretches itself out into an eight minute plus, vintage boogie edit. Full of warmth and emotion, this is a track perfectly suited to the last few tracks of Sunday morning’s carry on.
Review: Tom Jones
|
|
A group of Plastic People lovers from Spine TV have produced this great film showing the importance of the club to the UK music scene, in light of lingering fears the venue may be forced to close.
| |
Few singles get such an illustrious and star-studded cast of remixers. The list of talent on this release is frankly insane and clearly Southern Fried have really outdone themselves here. Topping the bill must be label head Norman Cook, who not only serves up an edit of the acoustic guitar-driven original but also a club remix that uses the sweet and pastoral female vocal to great effect. He loops up the “in the bushes” line in trademark fashion before dropping into a gloriously jacking beat – capturing the original’s slightly cutesy vibe but also giving it a heavy funky swing. NT89, who started out as the Bloody Beetroots engineer, goes in a different direction by giving it a full-on techno makeover as well as lethally altering the pitch of the vocal to create whole new melody lines. Manchester’s Audiofun (another recent signing to Southern Fried) does what his name suggests and mucks about with some wild pitch-shifting before dropping into the solo acapella, rebuilding the tune smartly back up around it again. The mysterious Up & Coming Hasbeens go deep and lowdown on their mix and accompanying dub, layering the vocals over an acid bassline and 909 hats.
Boris Dlugosh turns in an Italo-influenced monster of a mix, matching the fragility of the vocals with a delicate melody and even some harps on the breakdown. The legendary Derrick Carter gets three whole mixes to strut his stuff with, paring things down nicely on the two “Versions” mixes by keeping the funk flowing with some effortlessly perfect drums nestling among the acoustic guitars. His Mo’Bushes mix is a more funky house-styled mix and again, done to perfection. Japanese producer Fantastic Plastic Machine creates a lot of indie-fun with “Bushes”, adding guitars and 4/4 beats and creating something brilliantly poppy yet club-worthy. Yet another change in direction comes from Freeform Five who up the adventurous stakes by adding lap-steel guitars over a nu-jazz beat, and a samba-chorus just for good measure. The range of different approaches taken by this stellar crew of remixers is simply flabbergasting and deserves a thorough listen to take in all this genius at work.
Review: Oliver Keens
|
|
UK techno stalwart Surgeon will compile the 53rd instalment of the Fabric mix series.
Donnacha Costello – Before We Say Goodbye: The Remixes review
by Juno Plus on 17.05.2010 at 14:24pm
| |
When an artist releases an album that immediately gains the respect of critics and fans alike, often their label will look to capitalise on the success with a quick remix package, pulled together to exploit the hype that surrounds the release. However, Donnacha Costello’s LP from March, Before We Say Goodbye, was not just a great album. It was genre re-shaping one, taking techno into a beautiful, emotive and diverse place where it rarely finds itself. Poker Flat, recognising this outstanding achievement, set out to deliver a remix EP that lives up to the original album and the emotions that it stands for. By drafting in Lawrence and production duo KiNK & Neville Watson, they have resoundingly accomplished the task.
Dial’s Lawrence, who like Costello poses a real musicianship in the true sense of the word, manages to glean out yet more emotive depth from the Irishman’s pristine “Leaving Berlin” with smothering strings and a glowing wash of synths. We find the German in a sultry mood as he combines a rich, dubby atmosphere with beautiful melodic structures. As the track evolves, dense strings and softly pumping percussion begin to wrap themselves around the memorable hook of the original. Rush Hour duo, KiNK & Neville Watson turn in a classic acid rework of “It’s What We Do.” Jacking all the way with a cruising bassline and tough drum machines, the duo bring a distinct Chi-town feel to the track but merge it with modern and skilful studio know-how.
Review: Tom Jones
|
|
Belgian disco duo Aeroplane – aka Vito De Luca and Stephen Fasano – have announced the details of the much anticipated debut album, which will be released this September and titled We Can’t Fly.
In news that will make the techno intelligentsia weak at the knees, legendary Berlin label Tresor is set to reissue a slew of landmark releases from the likes of Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Drexciya and Joey Beltram.
Rick Wade, Adonis and Chopstick & Johnjohn all star in this week’s edition of the Juno deep house podcast. Read the rest of this entry »
| |
Mule Musiq, Toshiya Kawasaki’s label from Japan is synonymous with top notch quality house and tech-house. That’s why it comes as no surprise that digital music iconoclast DJ Sprinkles (Terre Thaemlitz) would release such a dark house track on Mule. DJ Sprinkles has carved a name in house circles DJing and making challenging, diverse electronic music since the 80s. DJ Sprinkles was Terre Thaemlitz’s alias when spinning at New York City underground gay clubs in the 1980s.
Born out of the sessions from Midtown 120 Blues, Sprinkles’ exceptional full length from last year, “Masturjakor” precisely lives up to its namesake. A dark string-laden, bass-heavy affair that chugs along opening many strange doors along the way develops into a dirty, danceable slow burner. Behind some of these doors, ticking sounds, birds chirping and the rumblings of a thunderstorm reveal themselves and mesh together into a complex, yet sexy track that feels like a story being told without words. If that’s too pretentious a description for you, fear not…it just flat out jacks.
KiNK and Neville Watson bring their trademark old school, raw dirty house sound on their remix, providing even more jack for your buck (or pound). A Masturjakor dub – which Thaemlitz himself claims to be his favourite version of the track – and bonus beats are also included for those DJs out there who just can’t get enough of an excellent track.
Review: Steve Phillips
|
|
| |
Since 2002, the Soundway label has established itself as a haven for rediscovered funk, rock and disco from around the world. Label boss Miles Cleret has now compiled a personal collection of some highlights so far – the songs that make up Afro-Tropical Soundz Vol.1 – and it’s a first-class trip around various under-appreciated sounds and styles.
Colombian salsa is represented for example by Fruko y sus Tesos, a 70s phenomenon that managed to export their sound briefly beyond their native shores. “A La Memoria Del Muerto” gets pulled out of the crates by Cleret here and it still sparkles today in all its cowbell-driven glory. Elsewhere, the brassy Afrobeat of Ghanaian Ebo Taylor’s “Heaven” will have new listeners riveted to its tight grooves and awesome sax solo’s. Cumbia fans will also enjoy the similarly huge brass on Lito Barrientos y su Orquestra’s “Cumbia En Do Menor”. Anchored down to a steady kick drum, the percussion taps away in a typical cumbia pattern while a clarinet takes the solo. Biguine also gets a look in on “Jet Beguine” by Haiti’s Les Loups Noirs – done at a rollicking, breakneck speed with a tropical organ keeping rhythm in the background. Nigerian band Action 13 also shine with the loose Afro-funk of “More Bread To The People” – again underpinned by organs and chanking wah-wah’d guitars with an infectious chanted chorus that’ll stick in the craw for days. The delights of Soundway’s years of excavating and digging have clearly paid off – this is a very special collection with eleven solid-gold nuggets from around the world ready to be enjoyed.
Review: Oliver Keens
|
|
| |
You can always rely on Ramadanman. The ever-prolific, highly renowned Hessle Audio favourite comes up trumps once again with this beautiful, soulful slice on Hemlock Recordings (the label co-owned by London based producer, Untold, which has seen such luminaries as James Blake, Pangaea and Fantastic Mr Fox pass through its forward thinking, open minded doors already).
Gloopy, distorted, slightly mournful vocals and ticking, hollow beats get “Glut” off to an enticing start. Thumping bass stabs, mechanised drum patterns and melancholic organ-sounding orchestrals are introduced after the two minute mark, with a slow building, gentle crescendo-ing force, interspersed by vocal parts to break up the ongoing movement onwards, ever onwards. Contrasting textures and sounds play off each other here to great effect. Inspiring, deeply moving and delicately articulated, “Glut” is possibly one of Ramadanman’s most poignant and reflective works to date, with a wailing synth slowly dying and trailing out towards the end.
“Tempest” may be familiar to those of you who heard Scuba’s ‘Sub:stance’ mix from earlier on this year. The seven-minute contemplation is initiated by a simple rat-a-tat of wood on metal-sounding timbre. Sonic blips form the basis for a gently evolving, expansive soundscape rife with subtle glitches and atmospherics, which drift in and out of our consciousness. A defiant drum kick interrupts the blissed out subtle euphoria of the first section half way through, marking a movement towards a more punchy, bleepy second phase, yet strangely retaining the ambience that seems to consistently underpin Ramadanman’s productions. It’s tempestuous, but not entirely tempest-like (there’s a distinction to be made here, somehow).
Review: Belinda Rowse
|
|
