SECURE SHOPPING
Steinberg have announced a major upgrade to their Sequal system, which will finally host VST support, and includes the HALion Sonic SE workstation and VST Amp Rack SE.
A group of producers selected by former Blur frontman Damon Albarn will release an album made in collaboration with more than 50 Congolese musicians, with proceeds going to Oxfam.
Hotflush boss Paul Rose aka Scuba – or SCB depending on his studio mood – has been tapped up by !K7 Records to curate the next instalment of their revered DJ-Kicks series.
Trouble Vision, the in house clubnight at Corsica Studios, turns three in October and have rightly deemed the occasion worthy of a weekend takeover at the cavernous South London sweatbox for a Double Trouble Vision which features everyone from Blawan to Motor City Drum Ensemble.
Round 16 of the Juno Plus podcast arrives with the enigmatic Chicago Damn at the helm, eschewing all nudges as to his true identity.
In a world where DJ controller technology is governed by the speed at which the software systems evolve, an inevitable stalemate is reached whereby the market floods with legions of perfectly plausible units which do essentially the same thing.
Parisian label Circus Company and London promoters We Fear Silence have given us a pair of tickets to their upcoming label night at London’s Cable, as well as a selection of Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts merchandise to give away to one lucky Juno Plus reader.
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Have bass producers revitalised techno? It might seem like a strange question, but consider the evidence. Cosmin TRG has shifted gradually from dubstep and drum and bass, in the process releasing his best material for Rush Hour and 50 Weapons. Rumours abound that Shifted used to be a D&B producer, and the person behind the mysterious moniker applies a looseness and low end expertise he might well have picked up in his previous incarnation which ensures his current output doesn’t fall foul of rigidity.
To push this argument further, it is also true that the existence of bass music has inspired techno producers to make their grooves more stepping – witness everything from Kalon’s “Born Against” through parts of the Frozen Border catalogue and Peter Van Hoesen’s most recent single, “North 6th”. This ongoing cross-fertilisation is audible on the latest [Naked Lunch] release, a label which more than any other has inadvertently succeeded in muddying the waters (although it has blurred more than the boundaries between bass and techno).
Boddika’s “Grand Prix” bears some resemblance to the current wave of Chicago-inspired tracks – the heavy claps and the underlying acid line are evidence of the author’s interest in that sound – but it’s the woozy bass underscoring the arrangement that really makes it stand out. Accompanied by insidious bleeps and some deft break beats, it’s like a breath of fresh air for those worn out by retro-tribute releases.
It’s not all one-way traffic though, and the label has recruited Skudge to remix Instra:mental’s “Vicodin”. Based on a similar structure to Boddika’s contribution, this time swarming chords rather than the bass that has the requisite effect, as the Swedish duo dive bomb with menacing, swoops. It may not be a game changer, but this release furthers an aesthetic that’s way more interesting than backward-looking techno conservatism – and surely that’s a welcome development.
Richard Brophy
Revered Detroit producer Moodymann – real name Kenny Dixon Jnr – has released a video for his new single, “I Got Werk”.
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RVNG’s FRKWYS series is one of the most interesting projects being undertaken by any record label right now. Encouraging collaborations and remixes between contemporary artists and those that have influenced them, series highlights include Juan Atkins remixing Psychic Ills and a collaboration between ARP and Anthony Moore. This, the seventh entry into the series sees the most exciting line-up of artists yet, with US synth legend David Borden teaming up with Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Laurel Halo, James Ferraro and Samuel Godin, arguably the cream of the contemporary US synth revivalist scene.
The collaboration came out of Lopatin’s and RVNG’s mutual admiration for Borden’s 1981 album Music For Amplified Keyboards and Instruments, and the group formed for this LP is in effect a contemporary reimagining of Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company, Borden’s synthesiser ensemble formed in 1969. In that spirit, the album is very much an ensemble piece; although signatures of each artist can be heard within the tracks (which were recorded in full session takes over a two day period in August 2010), the compositions are wise never to let any one member hog the limelight for an extended period.
The album primarily evokes the kind of natural soundscapes that David Borden’s classic work is known for. “People of the Wind Pt. 1” is characterised by drawn out chords that undulate breezily beneath the surface, though Lopatin’s otherworldly Juno-60 tones are instantly recognisable, punctuating the serenity with the requisite amount of drama. “Part 2” of this track reverses the emotional effect; the structural backbone of the track has echoes of Borden’s classic “Enfield In Winter”, with a dramatic organ tone running beneath, while new age synth flutes lighten the tension. Borden’s music has typically come from a more classical standpoint, and on these tracks his influence is obvious.
“Internet Gospel Pt. 1” is a much more difficult track to get a handle on; the organic nature of the relationship between the performers brings a real sense of chaos into the composition, which constantly pulls off in different directions to the point where it can seem bottomless, one minute it sounds like an Angelo Badalamenti soundtrack piece, the next evoking the swirling ambient of Cluster & Eno. “Part 2” is similarly lacking in gravity, constantly being kept buoyant by what sound like Ferraro’s oddball wave transmissions, complete with chords given monstrous life through pitch and modulation wheels. It’s arguably the most exciting track, building from these experimental tones into the kind of drifting, densely layered textures that make up Ferraro and Lopatin’s solo material.
Most notable throughout the album is the relative absence of arpeggios, probably the most overused element of the language of synthesiser music. It’s something worth noting; arpeggios are so often used as shorthand to cheaply imbue drama or meaning into otherwise unremarkable tracks. Album closer “Twilight Pacific” is a prime example of arpeggios done well; baroque tones sit beneath a sea of slow, breezy arpeggiated drones, whilst managing to maintain an element of uncertainty making it difficult to find your emotional bearings. The best of this type of music undoubtedly shouldn’t force its meaning on you, and as such this collaboration is up there with Cluster’s school of German kosmische complexity.
Scott Wilson
The next release on Optimo Music sees JD Twitch & co once again dig into the voluminous archives of Chris Carter to reissue and remaster “Moonlight” – one of their favourite tracks from the producer on a 12″ that also features reinterpretations from two contemporary Stateside acts.
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Horizontal Ground started off as a typical faceless, heads-down techno series, but under the more recent stewardship of Bethany Skirt, it has become a go-to imprint for spooky, abstract releases. While every second techno producer is rekindling their long-lost love of Coil and Throbbing Gristle - we’ll only believe people who, like Weatherall, have the tats to prove their genuine affiliation to the Temple Ov Psychick Youth – it’s not hard to see that Skirt isn’t just another fellow traveller.
“Track 2” is as spooky as modern electronic music gets, its dead paced beats clanging their way straight up from the factory floor, accompanied by the locust-like chatter and hum of percussive repetition and a tapestry of eerie, static noise. “Racing The Sea” meanwhile, is more ambiguous. This writer was left in doubt about whether Skirt was trying to evoke innocent childlike dreams through her use of atmospheric chords or whether she was trying to conjure up a nightmarish scenario thanks to screeching horror riffs. Or evoke both of these conflicting emotions simultaneously. Irrespective of her intentions, “Racing The Sea” is a challenging piece of music and the pitter-patter percussion and understated bass gurgle provide the necessary framework for her audience to seek their own interpretation.
Finally, and perhaps in recognition of Skirt’s sterling work, German producer T++ (in keeping with the label’s aesthetic, he is assigned the numeric name 20 16 12 21 19 16 12 21 19) also straddles the seemingly disparate worlds of dreamy innocence and robust functionality on his remix of “In The Meadow Under The Stars”, where stop-start poly-rhythms support waves of atmospheric textures.
Richard Brophy
In today’s world it’s becoming increasingly difficult to identify a true analogue synthesizer and even more so to choose the one that caters for your individual needs. Analogue modeling, true analogue signal path and DSP are just some of the confusing terms that the manufacturers throw about, so in this article our resident caped-crusader dissects the attributes of our ten most popular analogue synthesizers, helping you to decide which knobs you should be twiddling.
Whilst the rest of the internet was rushing over themselves to pass judgement on the Bon Iver-Jim Blake collaboration, we were too busy getting excited at the news that Tim Sweeney has finally got round to launching his Beats In Space label, with elusive Parisians Paradis taking the honours of first release.
Native Instruments have trimmed down their popular S4 DJ console to offer a two deck alternative, which saves on space but is equally reliable when it comes to performance.
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It’s interesting watching the phenomenon of popularity, when certain producers, labels or parties can get swept up in a torrent of approval from all and sundry, without seemingly being concerned with such flashy notions as marketing, promotion or branding. As such, the success of someone like West Norwood Cassette Library instills some faith that sometimes, widespread recognition and respect can be based purely on no-frills talent.
What has been markedly noticeable about all the WNCL output so far is that it doesn’t make any daring leaps to re-invent the wheel, tackle trendy tempos or get all post-modern. Instead of using an old template of sounds as so many do today, it’s actually a fearless old-skool give-a-fuck spirit that makes the WNCL output so addictive, so refreshing and so damn fun. On this release, a cheeky mid-nineties vibe is undeniably present, but somehow fuses Strictly Rhythm-style funk with a rolling break, hip-hop stabs and positively modern acid squelches. It’s quite simply a party rocker, with a tongue-in-cheek lyrical spit of spiritual fulfilment. There’s always something overtly familiar about tracks like this, but when the influences are so myriad and then melded so effectively, you’ll waste vital dancing time trying to work out the source.
Karenn, the new production endeavour of latterday R & S alumni Blawan and Pariah, get the call for remix duties and opt for a rough and chunky house reworking. Employing almost industrial hits which keep the melodics muffled and muted, their revision makes for tracky, functional house music as it should be made, as if the Berghain boys weren’t taking everything so seriously all the time.
Oli Warwick
Framed by an arch and surrounded by flashing blue fairy lights in an East End pub’s back room would generally be considered an odd way to see anyone perform, but somehow, in the case of Not Not Fun and 100% Silk artist Maria Minerva’s recent gig at Dalston’s Shacklewell Arms, the whole thing seemed totally appropriate.
Luke Slater will return to Ostgut Ton under his Planetary Assault Systems moniker with a new album, entitled The Messenger, due out in October.
A collaboration between Neil Landstrumm and Optimo’s JD Twitch will see its first release via a 12″ on Instra:mental’s NonPlus imprint.
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There’s no denying that the LuckyMe crew have got their game tight when it comes to sourcing the most iridescent of electronic music to beam out into the murk of the modern age. As such, the crafty signing of Lunice late last year for his debut solo endeavour, the Stacker Upper EP, made perfect sense alongside the likes of HudMo and Mike Slott, exuding an addictive re-figuring of hip hop traditions with a positively modern twist.
Returning to the label for his second official release, the technicolour talents of Lunice have been tweaked slightly, moving away from his reported b-boy roots to tackle a hinterland of styles. One thing definitely still remains, in that the melodic elements in the tracks have a naïve charm with which they snake around each other. Everything is produced so brazenly and with such clarity; there’s no sense of his striving for subtlety or surprise.
However, on the likes of “I See U” or “Juice” there seems to be more of a floor focus at work. The beats and synths are still minimal in their essence, pared down and devoid of excessive effects, but work towards a more mixable end. Dubstep rhythms will certainly afford these tracks a strong chance of providing some light relief amongst darker club material. “Juice” in particular stands out with its dramatic horn stabs and rapid fire snare trickery. “Guardian” reverts back to the hip-hop groove of the first EP while employing vast swathes of positively purple synths, whilst “& She Said” has a midsection that sounds like Art Of Noise’s “Moments In Love” tricked out for playing in a lowrider.
On the remix tip, The Blessings fail to bring much more to “I See U” than dropping an extra sample into the mix. Girl Unit does a better job, stamping his own bassweight calling card on the original with echo-chamber hits and a trancey arpeggio for a dramatic finish to the EP.
Oli Warwick
