Quite possibly the most exciting thing to come out of Norfolk since Norwich City’s 1992/93 Premier League side, young producer Wafa shot into the consciousness of discothèque goers with Ewid Disco, a sterling debut on Sinden’s Grizzly imprint realeased earlier this year. The title tune was described by Sinden as “some kind of bastard Italo track with crazy Super Mario Brothers basslines”, and he was right – it’s a mangled stomper of a tune. But that debut EP is not the only string to his bow – he’s also toured the world as a drummer for the likes of Basement Jaxx, Lily Allen and Kano. Now based in West London, we swapped a few emails about pink wafers, his upcoming releases and how he almost called himself Dub Biscuit.
Artist: Runaway Title: The Fire Below (remixes) Label: On The Prowl Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco, Deep House Format: 12"
You have to take your hat off to Runaway – they’ve certainly been keeping themselves busy. Following hot on the heels of last month’s organ-riffic Broken Man 12” – a heavyweight chunk of NYC house that wouldn’t have sounded out of place booming out of the Sound Factory speakers during Junior Vasquez’s pomp – comes this impressive remix package. The original version of “The Fire Below” first emerged in December last year, backed by a Cosmo Vitelli remix of another Runaway track, “The Poltergeist”. While Vitelli’s remix got some props, it was “The Fire Below” that tickled most DJs’ fancy. Something of a slow burner, it fused the duo’s now famous tribal-influenced deep house beats with soft-centred piano chords, drawn-out builds and some delicious, starry-eyed synths.
This time round, they’ve asked current men-of-the-moment Azari & III and The Revenge – arguably the hardest working man in Scotland – to take care of the remixes. The former provide a trippy, late night version built around the original’s spiraling synth melodies and gratuitous use of FX. The beats are a touch more crisp than Runaway’s, but the effect is at times beguiling – hypnotic and understated in equal measure.
The Revenge, on the other hand, does his best to draw out the original’s retro-futurist leanings. His version is typically playable, fixing ultra-tweaked vocal hooks onto rock-solid beats and the sort of menacing bassline that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Belgian rave track circa 1992. Into the mix are thrown snippets of the original riff, echo-laden klaxon horns and all manner of subtle piano keys. It’s the winner here by some distance. As way of a bonus, digital buyers can get their hands on The Revenge’s ‘Bassline Dub’. Arguably even better than his exemplary remix, it strips the track down to little more than a booming old skool bassline, hurried percussion and the odd reverb-laden klaxon. As DJ tools go, it’s pretty darn handy. Matt Anniss
Check out the new video to Mount Kimbie’s “Would Know”. Directed by highly touted film maker Tyrone Lebon, it’s a wonderfully hazy accompaniment to the song.
Artist: Mount Kimbie Title: Crooks & Lovers Label: Hotflush Genre: Dubstep/Grime Format: Gatefold 2xLP, CD, Digital
Well, here it is ladies and gentleman: the debut Mount Kimbie LP. Released on Scuba’s increasingly influential Hotflush imprint, which was responsible for Joy Orbison’s ubiquitous 2009 anthem “Hyph Mngo” and the groundbreaking Triangulation album from the label chief, Crooks & Lovers is an aural delight from start to finish. Both Dom and Kai have been at pains to insist their sound is not dubstep per se – and although this is true, it’s equally apparent that they wouldn’t exist in their current form without having the genre as a base from which to explore their own sonic territory.
From the trademark vocal snatches and playful bleeps of “Would Know” to the twangy guitar line and wonderfully chopped vocal melody on “Before I Move Off”, the duo create a sonic landscape in which every sound matters, with sparse instrumentation, warm pads and typically delicate vocal refrains produced with intricate poise. There are highlights aplenty, but the melodic flourish of “Carbonated”, which is just so damn warm and fuzzy it’s ridiculous, stands as one of the finer moments – it’s like dubstep meets R&B meets the xx. “Field”, meanwhile, begins with the compressed warmth of Actress before dropping into a mini orgy of bird calls, junkyard percussion, off kilter drums and guitar licks.
A lone snare and sombre guitar brings the album to a thoughtful, beatless close with “Between Time”. In Crooks & Lovers Mount Kimbie have set a high watermark for electronic music in 2010 – the question is, who will be able to keep up? Aaron Coultate
For most, the news came out of the blue: Aeroplane had split up. Announced just a couple of months before the release of the Belgian duo’s debut album, the timing was interesting to say the least. Vito De Luca and Stephen Fasano had met almost a decade ago in Brussels, and went on to release three singles on Eskimo Records before remixing the who’s who of the disco and synth pop world: Cut Copy, Lindstrom, MGMT and most memorably Friendly Fires all received the Aeroplane treatment, securing them ubiquity in the blog world. With underground success achieved, the pair looked set to take things to the next level with We Can’t Fly, due out in September on Wall Of Sound. But with just one pilot remaining, what does the future hold for Aeroplane? With so much to discuss, Juno Plus editor Aaron Coultate caught up with Vito to find out more.
Artist: Florrie Title: Kitsune X Ponystep: Call 911 (remixes) Label: Kistune Genre: Electro House Format: Digital
Clearly destined to be a star any second now, Florrie was previously the house drummer for pop production powerhouse Xenomania before deciding to beat her own path into pop land. Her tracks have been made with the legendary Fred Falke, who along with Alan Braxe gave the world some of the finest French house available (“Intro”, Palladium”, “Rubicon” etc). On this remix package from Kitsune, Falke turns in another mix – this time aimed firmly at the floor. Matching Florrie’s fast-flowing lyrics, Falke weaves a modern Italo backing around it, with Hi-NRG drums and synths carrying it nicely. As with everything Falke turns too, the bass is funky as hell and the production is clean and crystal sharp.
Dutch party-rocker Bart Bmore may well have outgrown his moniker (having progressed beyond making Baltimore-flavoured edits of tunes) and these days throws down huge electro club jams (check out his bootleg mix of Falke and Braxe’s “Intro” as an example). On his “Call 911″ mix, he creates big, punchy chord stabs that fit around Florrie’s chorus like a glove – stacking them while he builds a huge climax around it. Just as soon as he’s dropped a bass-heavy tech beat, he’s back to building up for the next huge drop. French duo Beataucue get even heavier on their mix – messing with Florrie’s pitched-up vocals which get panned viciously while putting the drums right at the top of the mix. Looping the line “Call 911, she’s on the run”, they stack things up for an almighty drop.
His Majesty Andre has kept a relatively low profile since his devastating “Peep Thong” EP became one of 2009’s must-play tunes. With new stuff on the way soon, his mix of “Call 911″ is a welcome return, and as ever, features some brilliant filtering. Slowly bringing up the treble on a short disco sample, he drops the beats and Florrie’s vocals at the same time to really make the tune come to life with a bang! He keeps the momentum throughout without leaving the funk behind, and it rounds off this set of Kitsune-endorsed mixes in style. Oliver Keens
Artist: Bobby Jackson Title: The Cafe Extra-Ordinaire Story Label: Jazzman Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz Format: 12", CD, Digital
As part of Jazzman’s ongoing series of Holy Grail LP reissues comes this incredibly rare album from Minneapolis jazz hero Bobby Jackson. The stories surrounding Jackson are just as riveting as the album itself – a local evangelist of the power and glory of jazz music, he seemingly put his life on the line in a variety of ways to bring luminaries such as Freddie “Red Clay” Hubbard, Roland Kirk and Elvin Jones to Minneapolis and play. Despite all the travails, he managed to record a single album that didn’t even see a release until eight years after its recording. Given all this history, it’s perhaps fitting that Jazzman have reissued it.
Not that Cafe Extra-Ordinaire is a charity case – indeed far from it, the tunes absolutely leap out at you as soon as the needle drops. The frantic, red-raw pace of “Bobby’s Blues” is one of the most unruly yet together jazz vamps you’re likely to hear – essentially a duel between Bobby Lyle’s piano and the drummer conducted at lightening speed. Slower, modal mapping comes through on “Ya Kum Ba” though, which features elegant trumpet and Jackson’s own basswork. “Understanding” is even slower and heartbreakingly beautiful, the slow pace allowing Jackson’s bass to cut through the mix a little more. Though he was only a spirited amateur, he could clearly hold his own among professional company. “Peepin” allows Lyle a chance to shine, while the natural echo that comes off the trumpet during “Fluck Flick” is possibly one of the highlights of the whole record. It’s little things like this that make it clear why Jazzman decided to excavate this LP from the archive – the recordings sound incredibly unique, with a lo-fi quality that gives the drums especially a distinctive edge. For the history, the tunes and the sound, this is a very worthy reissue indeed. Oliver Keens
Mala, Skream, Coki, Benga, Silkie and Joker are among the artists featured in an exhibition of photographs and artwork by Agent 57, which takes place in London this week.
DJ Stingray is Sherard Ingram, one of the Detroit music scene’s mainstays for the past quarter of a century. He is a member of Urban Tribe (along with Kenny Dixon Jr, Carl Craig and Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir), whose legendary 1998 album The Collapse Of Modern Culture is now regarded as a defining moment for Detroit techno. Some twelve years later all four are back in different shapes and forms on Program 1 – 12. Deep house, abstract techno, energetic disco, warm downtempo and even shades of dubstep are explored with a touch of real class. We are delighted to present this featured chart from Stingray, which contains a mix of electro (a mainstay in his DJs sets), techno and dubstep. Or, in the words of Ingram himself: “tools for use in the war against the undead.”
Melbourne trio Cut Copy recently announced the completion (well, almost) of their third album, and to celebrate they are giving away a freebie as a taste of what to expect.
Artist: L-Vis 1990 Title: Forever You Label: Night Slugs Genre: UK Funky/UK Garage Format: 12", Digital
Absolutely untouchable at the moment, L-Vis 1990 just can’t put a foot wrong it seems. His Night Slugs night run with house titan Bok Bok is a world-renowned haven for the current bassy fusion of garage, electro and UK funky. “United Groove” received the accolade of being the ‘it’ tune that everyone wanted to remix last year, and having had releases on Mad Decent, Dre$$ to Sweat and Sound Pellegrino, this essential new EP comes via his own Night Slugs label.
“Forever You” featuring Shadz on vocals is possibly the most poppy thing yet from L-Vis, but that’s not a criticism in any way – it’s an absolutley vital slice of dance floor heaven with Shadz locking his chorus into the groove perfectly by staying locked in one note, matching the stabbing chords beautifully. It’s a real treat, and hopefully could tip L-Vis into the mainstream over the coming months. On a slightly more laidback tip, “Into The Stars” keeps an arpegiated lead running constantly while a melange of beats are chopped up underneath in an outrageously funky way, and a loop from the acapella of the Pharcyde’s “Passing Me By” bubbles away over the top of it all. “Do You Remember” comes over as a more militant sister of “United Groove”, featuring the same style of anthemic, spoken word vocals but this time anchored to a vicious acid-line that gurgles and rises over a sparse soca beat. “Reprise” however keeps things simple and focuses on a clap-filled beat along with some added sparkles of technicolor synthwork that are subtle yet incredibly impressive at the same time. This goes for the EP itself – L-Vis doesn’t overreach in any way, keeps the beats and arrangements razor sharp and the results are frankly awesome.
Artist: M.I.A Title: /\/\ /\ Y /\ Label: XL Genre: Dubstep/Grime, Electro Format: Gatefold 2xLP, CD, Digital
If you look beyond the tornado of opinion and diatribe that has preceded and still surrounds this third album from M.I.A. you’ll find twelves tracks of the most interesting diverse and sonically challenging music from the controversial artist to date. It’s easy to ignore – if you so choose – the cod political references and multitude of pop culture references that pepper the lyrical content as the production work from Blaqstarr, Switch, Diplo and Rusko is just so engaging. It’s the latter that sets the tone with the industrial buzz saw of “Stepping Up” whilst “Teqkilla” is “Galang” updated for 2010 as Maya spits verses over a neck snapping beat pitched deep in hedonistic bass squeals. “Lovalot” sees Frere Jacques reappropriated as bubbling low end dubstep whilst “Born Free”, shorn of it’s controversial video, works better amidst the collage of sounds on the album. The Very Best-esque charm of “Tell Me Why” and the bewitching astral pop step of album closer “Space” both demonstrate M.I.A.’s confidence in her singing and make up for weaker moments such as “XXXO”. M.I.A.’s career has been defined by splitting opinion and /\/\ /\ Y /\ is not about to change that.
Artist: Electric Wire Hustle Title: Electric Wire Hustle Label: BBE Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz Format: CD, Digital
A future-soul sensation from Wellington, New Zealand that have supported Alice Russell, DJ Krush, Peanut Butter Wolf and Dam Funk in their short career, this self-titled album on BBE is their debut and is a bold, brave and very beautiful voyage through all manner of spacey and soulful sounds.
Opener “Waters” provides a thrillingly knife-edged start, with bass and off-kilter drums laying down a downbeat rhythm while singer MaraTK lays down a thick blanket of seductive cooing over the top. “Experience” continues in the same vein, with thumping filter-bass (reminiscent of The Bar-Kays’ “Holy Ghost”) giving it a really hard-hiting and dynamic swagger. Not averse to all manner of sonic experimentation, the drums on “Again” are reversed while a looped and dissonant string-drone gives it an eerie, aquatic vibe. Stacey Epps takes the lead on brilliant “Walk On” which dramatically shifts midway from being a woozy ballad to breaking into crunchy, ’70s-riffing guitars. The slow balladry continues on the gorgeous low-down soul of “Buy Some Land & Put a House On It”, this time seeing MaraTK riding some exquisite Marvin Gaye/Curtis Mayfield falsettos over string crescendos and some huge nu-jazz beats.
While the majority of the album is slow, sleek and very very soulful, there’s enough variety to really make this a distinctive debut. In particular, the addition of Stones Throw mainstay Georgia Anne Muldrow on “This World”, or the fun rocking guitars of “Burn”. The supreme Motown-isms of “They Don’t Want” is yet another highlight – aping those classic drum sounds to perfection, and the closing “Tom Boy” evokes Al Green without sounding cheesy or contrived for a second. A fantastic and very assured debut, this is a must for soul fans – from Smokey Robinson to Jamie Lidell.
Artist: Jamie Principle/ Ace & The Sandman Title: House Of Trax Vol. 3 Label: Rush Hour Genre: House Format: 12", Digital
Does Jamie Principle get the recognition he deserves? In short, no. The man essentially paved the way for two generations of producers from Chicago with “Your Love”, now seen as the blueprint for the genre. Officially released in 1986, it had a lasting impact on the Chicago club scene long before that, with Jamie handing a tape recording to Warehouse DJ Frankie Knuckles in ‘84. “I thought he was a millionaire in Europe somewhere, I didn’t know he was a kid in his bedroom somewhere,” reflects Marshall Jefferson on Principle. “That shit was bumpin,” adds Derrick May.
Two years after the release of “Your Love” came “Bad Boy” (“Baby Wants To Ride” was sandwiched in between), which preceded an extended spell in the shadows for Principle. Here we see this hidden gem get a reissue from Dutch imprint Rush Hour, who have clearly made it their mission in life to dig out and repress all manner of rarities from the Windy City. It’s the unreleased mix that makes for the most fascinating listening, a totally sleazy cut that sounds as if it’s been ripped from the same shoddy vinyl as Trax pressed it on all those years ago. And, in a weird way, that’s part of the charm: Jamie’s sultry moans of “well you make call me a queer, you may call me a freak” are all but lost in a haze of jacking 808s and synths which are deftly manoeuvred to create a melody that sounds as startlingly fresh and catchy as it did 20 years ago. The unreleased version is accompanied by the cleaner original, with a longer intro and better sound quality making it more suitable for club plays.
Also appearing is Principle’s “It’s A Cold World”, first released by Atlantic in 1989, which sees Jamie’s falsetto singing voice backed by analogue bassline and a mono synth line that excels because of its simplicity. It’s essentially house noir – a moody and intense piece of music. Alongside these three sits “Let Your Body Talk”, a relatively unknown effort from Ace & The Sandman. It’s comprised of shuffling synth melodies, tumbling piano lines and smooth vocals lifted from of Page 1, Chapter 1 of the Chicago house textbook – unsurprising for a production team who, under their Virgo moniker, produced one of the most respected EPs in the history of house music (also reissued by RH earlier this year).
Artist: Various Title: Multiverse 2004-2009 Label: Tectonic Genre: Dubstep/Grime Format: 2 x CD, Digital
An expansive and highly influential musical anthology of UK bass music from Bristol based studio and production company, Multiverse Music, as they explore the sonic spectrum between 2004-9 and bring us this comprehensive compilation on the Tectonic imprint. Steeped in dubstep’s past, present and future, Multiverse has given rise to some of the scene’s biggest names (think Bristol bods Joker, Pinch, Guido, Gemmy, Ginz et al) as well as acting as the parent company to a number of key labels in the dubstep-cum-grime-cum-experimental techno scene, including Kapsize, Tectonic, Ear Wax, Caravan and Sub Text.
The compilation kicks off with bold and sagacious intent, flitting from Vex’d’s 2004 classic, the dark, gritty, industrial-sounding “Lion”, and referencing the sounds of Bristol’s early and flourishing dubstep scene, with tracks from way back in 2005 – take Skream & Loefah’s “28 Grams” and Pinch & P Dutty’s debut release on Tectonic “War Dub”, for example. SNO’s siren-touting “Disturbance” provides some respite, with gorgeously rounded beats and jungle flavours, before Skream’s 2006 synth-led, rolling release, “Bahl Fwd” tunes in to a more tripped out, contemplative vibe. Joker gets a good look in with his early grime-y, instrumental piece, “Stuck In The System” (2007), his collab with Ginz, the gloriously aubergine soaked sounds of ubiquitous 2009 Kapsize anthem, “Purple City” and finally “Psychedelic Runway”, which crops up towards the end.
Keeping things varied, The Body Snatchers add in the Benga-style laddish humour with “Big Ass, Mini Skirt”, before a sharp change as an upbeat vocal-led cut from ’09, Pinch’s “Get Up” featuring Yolanda gets the remix treatment from RSD. Then we have the bounce of Baobinga & ID’s “Tongue Riddim”, via Vex’d’s pared down “Pop Pop”, Loefah’s “System” and October’s tropical techno/dubstep crossover “Three Drops” – a stunning track. The flavours keep a-changing, as we approach the end of the album, finishing up with the murmuring, subterranean growling of Emptyset’s “Demiean”. Once again showing the immense versatility of the preconceived, oft wrongly pigeon holed ‘dubstep’ genre, the Multiverse 2004-2009 compilation is one to hold and to cherish for years to come.
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