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Various – Pack Mentality EP review

by Juno Plus on 31.12.2010 at 10:29am
pack mentality
Artist: Various
Title: Pack Mentality
Label: Wolf Music
Genre: Disco, House
Format: 12"

The Wolf Music stable – or should we say pack – has accrued a style and substance that belies its fledgling status: Iljia Rudman, Cottam and Session Victim have all adorned previous 12 inches from the UK imprint. The Pack Mentality sampler 12″, despite ostensibly lacking a big name producer, is their strongest release yet, with an unapologetic focus on cosy disco-house.

The A Side features a track that would have featured prominently in our Best Of 2010 coverage had we not slept on it: Fantastic Man’s “Look This Way”. Purportedly a pseudonym for an established Australian producer, the heavily filtered, Eryka Badhu sampling house jam is the stand out track here. The expertly chopped vocal drops in and out like characters in a soap opera, as a broken house beat stutters into life. Sharing the A Side is “Make Love” by Brothers Rice; heavy on the strings and analogue chug, it’s a decidedly more disco affair and complements its partner nicely.

Flip over for an outing from Revenge cohort OOFT; “Just Peachy” seriously challenges the Fantastic Man in terms of sheer quality, although it adopts a more linear approach with looped vocals slowly entering the equation. By the time you reach KRL’s “Machine Code” you might be forgiven to expect a slice of filler to round off the sampler; no sir – a deep bassline, gurgling vocals and demented piano line marks it as one for the sweaty basements.

Aaron Coultate


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Various – Bellyachers, Listen: Songs From East Africa 1938-46 review

by Juno Plus on 30.12.2010 at 12:36pm
East Africa
Artist: Various
Title: Bellyachers, Listen: Songs From East Africa 1938-46
Label: Honest Jon's
Genre: World Music
Format: Digital

Back in the nascent days of the record industry, HMV began a brief campaign to open up new markets in Africa. Songs were recorded, sent to Britain to be pressed and were then sent back as 10″ 78’s as part of a series known as “Native Records”. Despite the rampantly colonial title, the records were aimed at African buyers, with the majority of the songs drawn from Kenya & Uganda and sold as a way to drive both record and gramophone sales in an as yet untapped market place.

While only proving to be a footnote in pre-rock music history, these auspicious recordings have been lovingly excavated via EMI’s archive by Honest Jon – the crate-digging label who have previously struck gold with the excellent post-Windrush calypso compilations London Is The Place For Me. The first in a series of three, this equally wonderful collection focuses on the period between 1938-46 and is peppered with both story-telling minstrelry and the Arabic-leaning sounds of taarab.

As if to almost shock the listener into appreciating the general lo-fi quality of the recordings to come, opener “Wireless” by Ssekinomu sees a flickering ndingidi (a single-stringed fiddle) and a staccato vocal modulate and distort violently thanks to the primitive audio capturing. However, such obscure quality is rare – the following song, Ali & Party’s “Enyi Wa Hiari”, is brittle but still captures the distinctively East African melodies, characterised by swooping violins and mournful vocal intonation. Elsewhere, the folk story “John Geko” is told with stubborn, forceful vocals and an accompanying accordion, while in a similar vein, “Njane Kanini” by Shinda Gikombe is told almost solo, save for some thin handclaps in the distance. The severe lo-fidelity frequently adds much to these outstanding songs – just listen to the sinister, distorted and eroded bell sound on Machakos Party’s “Meselou” for example. There are few things on earth that sound quite so sinister and haunting. Not only is this a fascinating artifact, aided by an extensive inlay booklet on the CD release, it also makes for an incredibly unique and unusual listen.

Oliver Keens


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Juno Plus: New Year’s party picks

by Juno Plus on 29.12.2010 at 12:00pm

With Christmas out of the way for another year, the clubbing cognoscenti are casting seductive glances in the general direction of this weekend. With New Year’s Eve 2010 kind enough to fall on a Friday, many a diary will be bulging with options for the big night (and the night after that, and the night after that).

As expected, London-based revellers will see an almost ridiculous amount of talent arriving in the capital for the weekend for both Friday and Saturday. New Year’s Day promises to be the usual potpourri of bleary eyed ravers who haven’t slept for two days and fresh-looking club heads who are just getting started, and a number of London’s more discerning promoters have catered for this crowd nicely.

In case this all seems a bit much, we’ve selected our favourite parties taking place across Europe this New Year’s weekend – from London to Berlin via Glasgow, Amsterdam, Manchester and Bristol – and given you the lowdown on all of them.

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Alfabet – A/B review

by Juno Plus on 28.12.2010 at 14:52pm
alfabet
Artist: Alfabet
Title: A/B
Label: Rush Hour
Genre: Deep House
Format: 12", Digital

There’s no doubt that 2010 has been Rush Hour’s year. The Amsterdam-based label has long been home to high quality electronic music, but there’s little argument that the last 12 months have been their most successful yet. While even the best house and techno labels will release the odd duffer from time to time, it’s hard to recall a poor release from Rush Hour for the best part of two years.

As 2010 draws to a close, the Dutch super-label has come up with the goods again with this first release from Alfabet, a collaboration between the ludicrously talented Tom Trago and Awanto3 of Kindred Spirits’ Rednose Distrikt. Over the course of the next 13 months, the duo will release 13 two-track 12s/digital singles, making up 26 tracks in total – one for each letter of the alphabet. If they’re all as good as the two tracks here, deep house fans are going to be in for a treat.

Lead cut “Roundabout” is the killer. An 11-minute exercise in Detroit style beatdown – albeit with a Dutch deep house twist – it rises and falls impressively on the back on dense, bongo-laden beats, killer chords and the simplest of echo-laden vocal samples. It’s long, loping and unfeasibly simple – just like the best house music. The faster “Lap The Music” takes a similar approach, utilising similarly long chords and hooky vocal samples to devastating effect. On this evidence, 2011 could be Alfabet’s year.

Matt Anniss


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Creep – Days EP review

by Juno Plus on 23.12.2010 at 15:26pm
creep
Artist: Creep
Title: Days
Label: Young Turks
Genre: House
Format: Digital

It’s hard to find words to accurately describe this debut EP from Creep, AKA Brooklyn producers Lauren Dillard and Lauren Flax. Picking up some hype due to the guest vocals of XX chanteuse Romy Madeley-Croft, Days is a supremely atmospheric record that neatly sidesteps easy categorization. Of course, that alone is not necessarily recommendation, but luckily this is a very special record indeed.

The EP opens with “Intro”, a two-minute ambient soundscape that sets out the duo’s stall impressively. Discordant, chiming synths, crackly atmospherics and skewed hip-hop samples give way to the sparsest of downtempo, dubstep-influenced beats. This is music for dark drives through desolate urban landscapes.

It’s the title track, though, which really stands out. Romy’s outstanding vocals are wrapped up tightly in a freakish, closeted soundscape of foreboding chords, scattergun beats and psychedelic guitars. While some would describe it as ‘witch house’, we’d argue that this is merely next-level horror-pop. It’s certainly beguiling.

The first of a pair of fine remixes comes from Deadboy. Moving into Jamie XX territory, the Brighton-based producer lays down a version of “Days” that cleared owes a lot to the former’s anthemic remix of Gil Scott Heron’s “NY Is Killing Me”. Certainly, it has a similar musical aesthetic – all post garage broken beats, chilling chords and delay-laden vocals. It’s a giant step forward for Deadboy, that’s for sure. The package is completed by a cosy analogue house take from Azari & III, which recasts the chilling original as a bubbling, retro-house groover.

Matt Anniss


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LOL – Me Me LP sampler review

by Juno Plus on 23.12.2010 at 10:09am
LOL
Artist: LOL
Title: Me Me LP sampler
Label: NonPlus
Genre: Dubstep
Format: 12", Digital

Just when you thought you had Al Bleek and Damon Drama’s Non Plus sorted, they go and make a sharp diversion and take you somewhere completely different. The destination? LOL. And no, that’s not a joke. It’s a moniker for three friends, Jamie, Maggie and Katie, who have a “shared a common denominator with London’s night-time economy, having produced records for, interned at, and raved with various drum n bass labels”. Mysterious, although internet forums are awash with rumours that ‘Jamie’ is indeed a high-profile D&Bster (we won’t spoil the secret here though).

Well, it’s the debut single from their forthcoming album Me Me, on the aforementioned NonPlus, which is due out next year. The tracklist reads a little like an Alice In Wonderland list of instructions or perhaps a seductive dance; “Squeeze Me” kicks off with sinuous R&B style vocals and enticing synths with a slow, lolloping half step rhythm, which inevitably drags you in deep like a tidal current of sound. “Dare Me”, on the flipside, mirrors the sonic palette with shimmering, spaced out atmospherics and more glorious, syrup sweet lyrics. Visceral and rather enthralling, it bears the hallmarks of nocturnal dance music with throbbing b-line and infectious, enveloping synth-work, but with an underlying pop/R&B sensibility that shines through the darkness. A far cry from much of the recent NonPlus output for sure, but a remarkable release nonetheless which we urge you to get your teeth into.

Belinda Rowse


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Wolf + Lamb & Soul Clap team up for DJ-Kicks

by Juno Plus on 22.12.2010 at 17:27pm

American DJ duos Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb will co-curate the next instalment of the famed DJ-Kicks mix series on !K7 Records, Resident Advisor has reported.

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Various – Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space review

by Juno Plus on 22.12.2010 at 12:23pm
scientist
Artist: Various
Title: Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space
Label: Tectonic
Genre: Dubstep
Format: 4xLP, 2xCD, Digital

A project that has taken over a year to come into full fruition, Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space is an ambitious and impressive project spearheaded by Tectonic boss Pinch to bring dubstep’s primary influence into the forefront of our collective consciousness. The album sees King Tubby’s protégé, engineer extraordinaire and dub pioneer in his own right, Hopeton Brown aka Scientist, rework twelve exclusive and previously unreleased tracks from the contemporary dubstep landscape and put them back into the context of their heritage. Released as a double disc, with original tracks on one and Scientist’s dubs on the other, it’s a stunning and evocative opus of work, featuring tracks from influential artists such as Kode9, RSD, Cyrus, Guido, Mala, Shackleton and of course Pinch himself.

The album starts with Pinch and Ninja Tune artist Emika’s “2012″. Poignant, melancholic murmurings prevail from the off which Scientist draws out to the max, so that the soft, barely there vocal snakes around the pattering beats like whisps of smoke. Then there’s Guido’s signature synth-led psychadelia in “Korg Back”, bearing all the hallmarks of the sound he has become so known for. Scientist teases this out and adds his own touch, deftly dissecting but not destroying the sounds but rather re-moulding them like warm putty. Shackleton’s “Hackney Marshes” is another stand out, which Scientist re-works to perfection, with its pattering percussion and sparse, hollowed soundscape.

Continuing the journey into outer space, we are taken through the vocal-led whisperings of King Midas Sound, through contributions from Asbo and Distance, to seminal Bristol junglist-turned dubstep don, RSD who adds a more intrinsically reggae flavoured template to the proceedings. This immediately lends itself to Scientists’ sparkle, as he breathes a new life into the original, before we move on to newcomer Jack Sparrow, who shakes things up as we enter the finale. DMZ’s Mala brooding “City Cycle” is another milestone from the final tripartite of tracks and Scientist’s dub version really brings out the warm, fuzzy elements to the fore, before Hyperdub head honcho Kode 9 takes over for the forward thinking, tribal motif of “Abeng” which concludes the album.

Even in the opening few tracks, it is striking how the sounds and rhythms in the second generation of dub’s mutant offspring still retain the ethos of the music of its forefathers – something which becomes more and more evident as the album progresses. The project itself is nothing short of a post-modern masterpiece and its legacy will no doubt live on for future generations to enjoy, contemplate and consider late into the night.

Belinda Rowse



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Vondelpark – Sauna review

by Juno Plus on 22.12.2010 at 11:27am
vondelpark
Artist: Vondelpark
Title: Sauna
Label: R&S Records
Genre: Downtempo
Format: 12", Digital

R&S Records, the #2 label of 2010 here at Juno Plus, have brought us sublime offerings from the likes of James Blake, Space Dimension Controller and Pariah this year, and lo, they come up with the goods once more with this fantastic EP from elusive, little known act, Vondelpark. Named after the famous urban park in Amsterdam – the so-called “Mecca for the Bohemian” – the new R&S signing blend sun drenched lyrics, hazy atmospherics and soft, hissing beats in their aptly named Sauna EP.

“California Analog Dream” provides a delicious entrée, combining blissed out beats, sweeping wave-crashing SFX and evocative strumming guitars in the enticing intro to the EP. Faded out, bleached cooing vocals lull us in to the main tune like a summer ballad from yesteryear. Sepia tones prevail for the main part with gorgeous melodies, delicate percussion and an increasing sense of yearning. “Hippodrome”, up next, introduces a 2-step vibe and more impressive, masterfully executed guitar play with similar watercolour blended vocals washing in and out like distant memories.

Dreamy, relaxing and truly delightful, it’s just a taste of what’s to come. “Jetblag Blue Version” has a more driving, piston-driven garage rhythm, full of Mount Kimbie-esque echoes, blissed out atmospherics and a reverberating soundscape in which The xx-style snippets dance around some more soulful indie moments. “Backflip (In The Sauna)” completes the EP with a beautiful, sonorous passage, full of instrumental flourishes and understated wonder. Spaced out sounds and haunting SFX are punctuated by reverbed lyrics which loop around beats seductively for the duration. An impressive debut here, which undoubtedly rounds off 2010 nicely for R&S. Safe to say, Vondelpark will be one of the acts we’re watching for 2011. Expect a lot more to come.

Belinda Rowse


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International Feel unveil 2011 plans

by Juno Plus on 22.12.2010 at 11:09am

Erol Alkan, Lindstrom, Prins Thomas, Soul Clap and Bubble Club will be among the artists to showcase their wares on Uruguayan disco label International Feel in 2011, alongside new albums from DJ Harvey and Gatto Fritto.

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Cut Copy: Free download, album tracklist revealed

by Juno Plus on 21.12.2010 at 11:05am

The tracklisting for Cut Copy’s Zonoscope LP has been revealed, with the band celebrating by giving away a remix of album track “Take Me Over” by Tim Goldsworthy aka Thee Loving Hand.

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James Blake debut LP details revealed

by Juno Plus on 20.12.2010 at 15:29pm

The artwork and tracklisting for James Blake’s eponymous debut album – set for release in February 2011 via his own Atlas imprint – has been revealed.

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Moog Slim Phatty Synthesizer review

by Juno Plus on 20.12.2010 at 12:52pm

The Slim Phatty is the all new monophonic, two oscillator wonder from the Moog stable. It’s essentially a Moog Little Phatty without the keyboard, although the design and circuitry has been bred from the Minimoog Model D.

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Owen Jay/Melchior Sultana – Memories Of You review

by Juno Plus on 20.12.2010 at 11:48am
owenjay
Artist: Owen Jay/Melchior Sultana
Title: Memories Of You
Label: Underground Quality
Genre: Deep house
Format: 12"

Having done his bit to foster cordial relations between the US and Russia by releasing excellent EPs from Anton Zap and Nina Kraviz, Underground Quality chief Jus-Ed turns his wordly gaze in the direction of the small, unassuming island(s) of Malta. The producers who have earned the affection of Ed is production duo Owen Jay and Melchior Sultana, who lay down four slices of sumptuous deepness in the vein of Fred P. Owen is regarded as one of Malta’s deep house pioneers, with 15 years experience in the disc spinning game that has taken him to some of Europe’s most revered venues (Tresor, Plastic People), while fellow Malteser Melchior (we sincerely hope that is his real name) has a musical background that touches on hip-hop, downtempo, house and techno.

One thing Jus-Ed is known to do before welcoming another member of the UQ family is make a concerted effort to get to know the producers as people, to “suss them out”. “There’s nothing they have to do except for be themselves,” he explains, adding that “if I collect enough positive energy from them, if I feel comfortable with them, I’ll release their record”. It’s a simple and effective policy that has reaped rewards so far.

The Memories Of You EP very much adheres to the Underground Quality audio aesthetic, with everything you hear produced on vintage analogue gear and pressed up onto purple marble vinyl. The A Side is split between the title track and “Days Gone By”, both of which drip with the emotive warmth that anything carrying the UQ stamp demands. The crisp kick augmented by floating synth flourishes on “Memories of You” in particular resonates long after the first listen. Flip over for the eerie melodic shuffle of “Forever”, while the jazzy organ swirls on “Peach” round off a dope 12”.

Aaron Coultate


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Tete – Rotor EP review

by Juno Plus on 20.12.2010 at 10:42am
tete
Artist: Tete
Title: Rotor EP
Label: Innervisions
Genre: Minimal/Tech House
Format: 12", Digital

According to online chatter in Innervision’s official forum, the label’s latest offering is a collaboration between Ame and I:Cube. Irrespective of whether this is true or not, one thing can be said with certainty about “Rotor” -  it reaches the same high standards as the rest of Innervision’s back catalogue. The title track is influenced by micro house rather than minimal techno, as tiny, deconstructed beats underpin icy, crystalline melodies. There comes a point, midway through, where the track breaks down and the trancey riffs build back up to the kind of sublime climax last heard on Chadronnet’s “Eve By Day”.

Despite its undoubted ability to cause dancefloor hysteria, “Rotor” plays second fiddle to “Zuckerzeit”. It sounds like the authors have been listening to a lot of classic Efdemin and Pantha Du Prince, but also the raw house of labels like Workshop. No matter what the influences are, the end result is beguiling: evocative, chiming bells are layered over loose, lurching rhythms and glitchy artifacts. The end result is a complex but captivating arrangement that winds and flows its way towards an inevitable but nonetheless irresistible climax. Let’s hope that there are many more collaborations in the offing from Tete.

Richard Brophy


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This week at Juno

by Juno Plus on 17.12.2010 at 17:15pm

The unshaven and uncouth look was all the rage at Juno this week, what with a surfeit of jolly Christmas parties and the DJ Mag Best Of British awards held on Wednesday.

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Featured DJ Chart: Instra:mental

by Juno Plus on 17.12.2010 at 15:26pm

Last week we revealed that UK duo Al Bleek and Kid Drama – aka Instra:mental – will release their debut album, entitled Resolution 653, next year via their own Nonplus imprint. They first came to the attention of Juno Plus a while back via their genre hopping Autonomic podcast series with dBridge, which allowed them to pursue their passion for the forward thinking end of D&B, dubstep and techno.

This year they combined a Fabric residency with a slew of festival dates, and still managed to release a healthy mix of 12″s on their label from the likes of Jimmy Edgar, ASC, Actress and Kassem Mosse among others. They rounded off a fine 2010 with a gong at this week’s DJ Mag Best Of British awards ceremony in London, taking the prize for Best Compilation for their Autonomic Fabriclive mix.

They’ll no doubt be in celebratory mood at the Eastern Electrics New Year’s Eve party with Damian Lazarus, Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones, Joker & MC Nomad, Roska and more, so we called up the lads to find out what tunes they’ve been feeling lately – expect a few of the beasts listed below to strip some paint from the walls come the 31st…

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Discodeine’s debut album details unveiled

by Juno Plus on 17.12.2010 at 13:46pm

The details of the eponymous debut album from Gallic duo Discodeine (aka Pilooski and Pentile) have been announced, with a release date set for March 2011.

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Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Restructure 2 review

by Juno Plus on 17.12.2010 at 13:09pm
mvo
Artist: Moritz Von Oswald Trio
Title: Restructure 2
Label: Honest Jon's
Genre: Techno, Dubstep
Format: 12", Digital

A taster for the trio’s forthcoming third album, Horizontal Structure, this single sees Von Oswald and collaborators Max Loderbauer and Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay) further explore the notion of merging dub techno with other, previously unconnected styles. “Restructure 2” is a swirling, atmospheric piece, its languid, low-tempo groove accompanied by some tastefully spacey guitar playing and mellow jazzy vibes. It sounds like what would happen if late-stage Velvet Underground were to happen upon Charlie Parker in a wormhole and decide to decamp to modern-day Berlin to do cover versions of Burial Mix. It’s understated, studied and about as far removed from Maurizio’s “Ploy” as one can get, but yet it still retains much of the same cavernous production sound.

The choice of remixer, Mala, is also surprising as it eschews Von Oswald’s techno habitat in favour of dubstep. That said, the Digital Mystikz producer has a credible string of releases for DMZ, Tectonic and Soul Jazz, and like the Basic Channel producer, fully understands the power of the bass. There is also some subtle referencing to the time that Van Oswald first rose to prominence through the use of ‘Intelligent Techno’-era melodies and the ambient outro, but Mala’s remix is all about the tumbling drums and tribal, swinging rhythms.

Richard Brophy


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Jacques Greene – The Look EP review

by Juno Plus on 17.12.2010 at 12:34pm
jacques greene
Artist: Jacques Greene
Title: The Look
Label: LuckyMe
Genre: House, UK Funky/UK Garage
Format: Digital

Breaking out in a huge way, Canadian producer Jacques Greene has impressed a swathe of fans and tastemakers almost overnight. Despite being a mere 21 years old, his delicately euphoric beats have already been picked up by Night Slugs for their recent All-Stars Vol.1 compilation – providing the stand-out “(Baby I Don’t Know) What You What” – and have also been hyped by Mary Anne Hobbs (on her last ever Radio 1 show). Rinse FM, Hud Mo, Floating Points and Ben UFO have all shown him love, and now with this first EP on Glasgow’s LuckyMe, it won’t be long before you’re in the fanclub too.

While he joins James Blake in wearing his unabashed love of R&B on his sleeve, Greene’s tunes are still rooted in house – deep Chicago hooks, acid synths and post-garage beats all abound here. Title tune “The Look” is the most glossy of the set – chopping and subtly pitch-shifting vocal lines into something truly anthemic, while basslines and synths pop and gurgle over a clap-based drum track. With Greene’s arrangement skills shining through, the tune progresses beautifully and succeeds in sounding both familiar (in a 90s garage way) yet also completely fresh.

“Good Morning” however goes into a Detroit zone, fully loaded with tweaked enveloping pads, jacked-up beats and just the right amount of piano – again all arranged so well that there’s never a dull moment. On a future-funky tip, “Holdin’ On” layers snapping percussion and garage-patterned beats on top of subtle vocal chops and more epic pads, while the slower “Tell Me” sports a hypnotic arpeggio that’ll bore its way into your cerebellum after just a few minutes listening. Never a dull moment over the entire EP, thanks largely to a spot-on choice of vintage-meets-future instrumentation, Greene has really set his stall out ready for 2011.

Oliver Keens


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