SECURE SHOPPING
Respected Detroit producer Aaron-Carl has died of cancer.
Diplo offers some interesting and lucid insights into his relentless touring schedule in this nicely shot black and white documentary by film maker Wing-Yee Yo.
A track from Brian Eno’s upcoming album for Warp Records has been made available to stream at the music legend’s website.
Leo Zero has compiled and mixed the inaugural Disconnect release, a new series of mixes from one of our favourite labels Strut Records.
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ESP Institute graces our shelves with the second COS MES 12 inch ahead of what’s rapidly becoming a very eagerly awaited album here at Juno HQ. “Gomez Land” is typical of the Japanese duo’s ability to craft uniquely hypnotic techno music from less than common sounds. If you can imagine the noises of a tropical rainstorm being rearranged to a captivating 4/4 rhythm then your ears will welcome what unfolds on the A Side. The brilliance in COS MES is the ease with which they slip between sounds within the confines of a track, most notably in the mid point section where a gentle but insistent piano riff loops around your brain augmented by snapping kick drums and ethereal vocal edits before being engulfed by a steadily rising acid drone and wood block rhythm. This is rich electronic music that grabs your attention for a different reason with each successive play.
ESP call on TBD, the rising stars of the NYC Disco axis, to give the track some added thump and Justin Van Der Volgen and Lee Douglas duly oblige, complementing the brilliance of the original with a cascading acid line here, heavily dubbed effects to the percussion there and a liberal dose of dynamism added to the bass. All the elements combine with blazing radiance on the mid point descent into industrial white noise. The ascent from this into a demonically insane synth line that rides the track out marks a master class in remixing. Brilliance all round.
Tony Poland
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Ahead of the release of Bot’Ox’s album Babylon By Car, I’m A Cliché indulges us in one last round of appetite whetting via this handsome clutch of “Blue Steel” remixes. The original remains one of the most captivating pop songs crafted by electronic producers of recent times, but there’s plenty of ingenuity shown across the remixes present. Still Going opt for the pulsing overdramatic techno stomp, discarding with the distinctive melody and wrapping a small section of the vocals in swathes of driving synths. Versatile Records’ I:Cube delivers a typically glacial deep house version that makes smart usage of the reverberating metallic melody amidst a sea of tense string arrangements and menacing bass patterns. Para One and Tacteel retain the vocals and elements of the aforementioned melody which reverberate beneath a fizzling bass heavy post hip-hop arrangement. Recent Relish additions Hannulelauri, fresh from Aeroplane chart love, add some cavernous delay to Anna Jean’s vocals and slip them beneath a singular key stab groove augmented by a hip hugging bassline.
Tony Poland
Imperious disco duo Chicken Lips have announced details for their fourth album, entitled Experience Malfunction, to be released on November 22.
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After being a staple on both the Greco-Roman imprint as well as at clubs and festivals for almost two years now, Colin Bailey’s ghoulish, face-painted alter ego Drums of Death finally drops the debut album we’ve been waiting for. As a solo performer, he’s entrancing – both because of his stage make-up, but also because of his one-man ravecore beats that are sung over, and sometimes completely shouted over. Appropriately, “Karaoke” is the first tune on the album, and it ushers in the wave of pop-leaning electro madness with some looped and very wonky vocal drones. “Science and Reason” quickly follows and it’s a chaotic mix of different drum kits, glossy synths and DOD’s multi-tracked and dryly recorded vocals – similar at times to ex-Beta Band singer Steve Mason.
“Won’t Be Long” flips the chipmunk effect midway through on Bailey’s voice, making it rise into a huge looped crescendo that’s clearly something he’s honed through his live shows. “Lonely Days” follows the same trick, building a huge rise midway through while riding some seriously fat D&B-style bass. With the vocals sounding so pleasantly unprocessed and raw for the most part, the album as a whole could almost serve as a document of the riotous live shows DOD has unleashed in the past – such is the intensity of his style. “Creak” however pans out as purely an instrumental though, with a slow horrorcore feeling to the epic synths that’ll have you checking under the bed for lurking ghouls or ghosts. “All These Plans” is a real highlight – a proper indie-club crossover that’s bound to get a lot of play, while you’ll wish all R&B songs had the same thump ‘n’ grind of “Everything All At Once” – featuring some textbook use of off-the-hook arpeggios. The punky, rough-edged quality of Bailey’s vocals work a treat on “Modern Age” – sounding like Mark E. Smith on the verses and James Murphy on the choruses, over a pounding pop-rave backing. Such is the appeal of “Generation Hexed” – an album that seems imbued with that punk spirit of throwing everything at the wall and giving listeners an energy-packed, 1000 miles per hour ride along.
Oliver Keens
Reality Or Nothing, the surreptitious (and now defunct) side project of UK techno dons Regis and Female, will see a selection of rare and unreleased material remixed by the current Sandwell District stable.
Fools Gold drop So Me directed Barbara Streisand Video
by Tony Poland on 29.09.2010 at 10:30am
Duck Sauce “Barbra Streisand” from Mr Goldbar on Vimeo.
Fools Gold have unveiled a music video for Duck Sauce’s eponymous Barbara Streisand video directed by Ed Banger camera pointer So Me which is basically spot the celebrity musician to a thumping Boney M soundtrack.
Jacques Renault is pretty much the go-to man for Juno Plus when it comes to all things disco and house these days. His remix of Midnight Magic’s “Beam Me Up” is up there with the best thing our ears have hear all summer, while his On The Prowl imprint (launched with co-conspirator Marcos Cabral) has served as a neat conduit for showcasing Runaway productions and unearthing gems such as NYC freestyle artist Corinne. Meanwhile the On The Prowl Party Breaks sub label has dropped some seriously cheeky edits, including one particular reworking of Jet Brown that is still on regular rotation in the JP office. Indeed, so much has happened since we caught up with Jacques at the beginning of the year that we just had to call up the Big Apple and see what’s in his record bag at the moment.
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It’s been a hot minute since some classy Toby Tobias has been rotating round our 1210s at 33rpm so there was a tingle of excitement when news of a new 12 from the Rekids fella filtered through. That Tobias has once again indulged his musical schizophrenia to deliver some edit action as Casinoboy on the newly relaunched Tracky Bottoms label is further reason for joy. (The Casinoboy rework of “La Vie En Rose” from the last TB EP in 2008 edges out Mark E’s subsequent version for UTS). The title track “Alreet” is a pleasant enough bump through synth shimmer deepness. “Omniad” shows more production nous, infectious soul claps combining with crisp midtempo programming, with chopped up vocals and dramatic string stabs providing some real heat. The B Side provides more smiles, with a captivating bassline squelch mutating out of the sharp drums and electro synth patterns of “Paradub” – fans of the recent Lee Foss EP on Hot Natured will gravitate towards this one. The reverberating chugging boogie bliss of “Ce Soir” is an equally fine end to this EP.
Tony Poland
Burntprogress will host a one off CDR event at Whitechapel Gallery next month with an exclusive live performance from iconic Chicago house vocalist Robert Owens.
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Camden based producer Blue Daisy first grabbed the attention of Mary Anne Hobbs and other key members of the UK bass music fraternity with his 2009 Strings Detached EP, which created a dystopian landcsape that instantly brought to mind the work of Burial, while tracks like “Hunterz” carried a futuristic swagger that inevitably drew comparisons with Flying Lotus.
Following a recent hookup with Brainfeeder cutie Tokimonsta, Blue Daisy turns to vocalist Anneka for a fresh 12″ on Black Acre. Title track “Raindrops” comes in like a cross between Massive Attack and the aforementioned Burial, with Anneka’s ethereal vocals echoing within a subterranean crackle. The more upbeat, almost tribal percussion on “Blood Petal Roses” soon becomes overpowered by a dread-like atmospherics – intense stuff.
Hugely talented Spanish producer John Talabot gets on the remix, bringing in some lush piano chords and giving the vocals an angelic slant on “Raindrops”, before a house beat kicks in to give the track some dancefloor sheen. Indeed this beat, which comes in and out of the equation over the track’s seven minute duration, is the only real concession to dancefloor customs: this is an EP made with headphone consumption very much in mind. Planet Mu’s Sunken Foal then rounds off the package with a downtempo reimagination of “Blood Petal Roses”, which blossoms into a wonderfully twangy, off kilter freakout towards the end.
Aaron Coultate
A pair of edits of Strictly Rhythm classics by Matt Radio Slave Edwards will see release on his Rekids imprint next month.
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Hot on the heels of their popular EP for Solardisco, US duo Marbeya Sound trade Glasgow for Milano. We’re big fans of Mad On The Moon, the label run by The Heels Of Love, thanks to some superlative releases from Ajello, The Love Supreme and the label bosses themselves and Marbeya Sound’s induction is just as good. Epic space rock riffs set the tone on the cavernous low slung dub of “Blind Cause” with strains of flamenco and soft shimmers of synth riding the most part of meteoric groove. The Love Supreme is enlisted to remix the track and opt to strip back the instrumental excesses in favour of indulging the bass and the drums in a superlative array of dub and delay. Once the psychedelic acid tinged groove kicks this remix really hits the spot. “Gangsta Reedflex” is all about building the momentum with an over the top synth ever rising over the meaty kicks for six minutes. Parma based duo The Mushroom Project add to their growing repute with a deep atmospheric reflex that keeps you waiting a whole three minutes before the brilliantly rusty beat kicks in.
Tony Poland
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A duo that tread the fine line between retro and hip perfectly (with just a little fancy footwork naturally), P-Thug and Dave “brother of A-Trak” 1 are finally back, on top form with their third album Business Casual. The title alone spells out exactly what Chromeo are all about – allusions of kitsch grandeur with tongue lodged firmly in cheek. Thankfully not much has changed with the Canadian pair, and Business Casual still sees them hooked on early-’80s delights like Hall and Oates, Zapp and a host of others.
“Hot Mess” kicks things off with a cowbell-riding, Prince-style beat and an urgent note-hugging bassline that Dave 1 flexes his vocals around. Unusually it even features some sporadic bass cut-out’s, making it sound as though a DJ is at the helm – an odd trick that’s rarely used on albums, but one which shows Chromeo’s affinity among club crowds. “Night By Night” is pitch perfect, right down to the tight reverb on the montage-tastic guitar solo and the interwoven talkbox verses. Single “Don’t Turn The Light On” nicely reminds of the melancholy pop of Angela Winbush’s classic “I’ll Be Good”, again featuring a dramatic and brilliantly OTT glide-synth solo.
The Prince-isms continue on “You Make It Rough”, which sounds like an updated “Controversy” with its rooted basslines and sparse drum machine backing. The boys are joined by a guest female vocal on the classy pop of “When The Night Falls”, which could eerily be an unearthed Madonna & Jellybean tune from 1986. “Don’t Walk Away” gets smothered in strings and sees them move into more disco and boogie territory, specifically D-Train or Change, while “The Right Type” will have movie producers on the phone begging for it to be used over the next closing credits out of Hollywood. Apart from the pacey swinging tempo of closer “Grow Up”, it’s business as usual for Chromeo and that’s no bad thing at all.
Oliver Keens
London label Eglo make a welcome return to the cosy confines of Plastic People this Friday and have invited esteemed producer Charlie Dark to drop a vinyl heavy set.
Modeselektor/ Ramadanman/ Bok Bok – Modeselektion Vol 1 review
by Juno Plus on 27.09.2010 at 14:01pm
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In case you haven’t heard, Berlin based duo Modeselektor, otherwise known as Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, recently announced the inception of a new compilation series entitled Modeselektions, compromising of an 18-track compilation plus 12” releases and a limited edition eight track LP which is due to drop in November. Well, here’s a taster of what is to come, as the pair bring us the first instalment of the series on their own Monkeytown imprint. Featuring the selectors themselves on the first track from the EP ‘VW Jetta’, a purposeful, bouncing, dancefloor-driven beat and glitched out rhythms mark a firm statement of intent right from the off. Refreshing and rebounding with life, the warm, warped sounds are coupled with hissing maraca-like effects and rich, lustrous textures which become more prominent as the tune develops into its energetic and enticing maturity.
Moving swiftly on into the next phase, Hessle Audio co-founder and man of the moment, Ramadanman follows up with the ‘Pitter’. A glorious exploration, which combines some high-pitched squeals with stretched out synthetic manipulations and rousing strings, plus copious dollops of murmuring bass. All the while the onomatopoeic pitter-patter beats build up and break down in a beautiful crescendoing wave of sound. Coming back into focus with more of a driving rhythmic pattern as we enter the final portion of the track, hissing percussion and soaring atmospherics come together to form a cohesive unit. Bringing part one of the EP to a climactic close, Bok Bok draws out a delectable finale. Breathy vocals rattle against cheeky, crackled sampled words in ‘Say Stupid Things’; a shimmering flurry of beats and gently rounded, jingling SFX rumble away with the distorted vocals injecting a short, sharp dose of humour. Sounds rebound off one another in a beautiful musical dialogue here and create an increasing sense of intrigue.
Belinda Rowse
The much hyped Daft Punk soundtrack to Disney’s Tron: Legacy film will be released on November 22, it has been revealed.
