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When faced with discussing the music of Ali Renault, it’s hard to choose where to begin. There is of course Heartbreak, his sizeable cadre of solo material and the various labels he is involved with, as well as a radio show and enduring DJ schedule. It’s perhaps for all these reasons and more that it took so long for this softly spoken cat enthusiast to release his self titled debut album – long overdue in many eyes.
Over the years, Holland’s Dexter aka Remy Verheijen has done much to dispel the common if often inaccurate perception that electro producers are a miserable bunch. With tongue in cheek classics like “I Don’t Care” and the good time interpretations of Chicago on the “Boogie Chasers” collaboration with Marco Passarani, his music is often at odds with the stern and angular precision of many of his fellow 808-obsessed peers.
Given his background, it is no surprise that Space Booty remains true to form. On the title track, Verheijen’s love of Chicago house and ghetto electro is to the fore. The result is a groove powered by tingling, insistent 808 drums and underscored by a lunging bass that sounds like it was borrowed from DJ Godfather and then had its tempo halved. That said, “Booty” acts as only a prelude to the real fun.
“Fat Skinny People”, like “I Don’t Care”, is delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. The bassline is rougher and more distorted, and the use of driving percussion in the break will ensure it gets DJ rotation, but at the heart of the arrangement is that vocal. Sounding like a robot force fed helium and Quaaludes, its daft-sounding tones intoning the track’s title are then cut up and placed strategically for maximum giggle effect.
Richard Brophy
Al Bleek and Damon Drama, better known to us as iconoclastic genre-defying duo Instra:mental, first appeared early in 2000 with a collaborative release on Source Direct’s offshoot Demonic. The pair have since gone on to become something of a tour de force in the underground electronic music scene, with releases on Darkestral, Exit, Semantica and their own labels NonPlus and Autonomic (which they co-run with dBridge). They have been attributed with reinvigorating D&B from the roots by borrowing from house, techno, electro, IDM and electronica, slowing it down to create that half time, deep, minimalist Autonomic style (almost a sub-genre in itself, some might say). Now, though, Instra:mental seem to have abandoned D&B altogether in favour of tempos hovering between the 110-140bpm range and Resolution 653 showcases this in a magnificent twelve track opus.
The album starts with the broken arpeggiated sounds of “Sun Rec”. Previously released as a 12” on Semantica last November alongside “Love Arp”, it is a sparkling and incendiary track which segues nicely into “User”, with its menacing muttering lyrics, spaced out atmospherics and thumping drum kicks. Strangely robotic but beautifully bouncy, upbeat electro stomper “8” shakes things up before we are plunged into the calming, blissed out haven of “Waterfalls” and back again to the glitchy, ADHD riddled beats of aptly named track “Aggro Acid”, which reminds us of a bizarre melange of Hud Mo, Arp 101 and Ramdanaman.
“Thomp” encapsulates the eclectic range of Instra:mental’s reference points, beginning as a dubbed out Mala style venture before swiftly developing into a funked up, head-nodding 4/4 fest. “Plok” is another quirky cut, sandwiched between the taught, twitching beats of “Talking Mono” and superb stand out track “Delta Zone (Advance)”, which is rather reminiscent of “Voyeur” – Instra:mental’s acclaimed and much rinsed release on Skream’s Disfigured Dubz. Closing track “Memory Implant” sees a flick back to the established sounds of “Waterfalls”, with whispers, echoes, the sounds of rushing water and an air of mystique that permeates through Resolution 653 as whole. Without wanting to sound too earnestly like part of the hype machine, this really is quite superb – a culmination of Instra:mental’s success to date and an example of electronic music at its best. That is all.
Belinda Rowse
Alex Ridha is a busy boy. Having just finished producing the brand new Chilly Gonzales album, the man known to sweaty dancing throngs as Boys Noize has revealed that he is launcing a sub-label and will be on knob fiddling duties for the upcoming Spank Rock LP.
Like Onra’s first two solo albums, the Parisian native’s latest full-length effort is based on a concept. His 2007 album, Chinoiseries, was pieced together using samples from old Chinese and Vietnamese records he found while crate digging in Vietnam (Onra boasts part Vietnamese heritage). His 2009 album 1.0.8 was inspired by Bollywood music. For his third release, it’s all about paying his respects to 80s and 90s boogie, soul, funk, hip hop, R&B, disco and electro. Surprisingly, Onra does this without a hint of any tongue inserted into any cheek (unlike, say, Chromeo). While Long Distance is a blast from a funkafied past, the French beat maker still has one foot firmly planted in the present by also fusing the kinds of textures and sounds that future funk and leftfield hip-hop producers like DâM-Funk, Hudson Mohawke and Flying Lotus have been bringing to the masses of late.
And when Onra isn’t cutting up sampled R&B vocals to throw on tracks like the standout “Send Me Your Love” or “Oper8tor,” he’s enlisting the help of occasional guest vocalists. T3 from Slum Village reminds us how good the golden age of hip-hop was in “The One.” Olivier DaySoul evokes the spirit of Andre 3000 in “My Mind is Gone” and the spirit of 90s R&B in “Long Distance” (although it’s actually a remake of Carol Williams’ 1986 “Have You For My Love”). Just go ahead and try not to sing along. Reggie B. brings his smooth voice to “High Hopes,” a standout track that also sounds like a ridiculously addictive ode to 90s R&B, but which is actually a remake of the S.O.S. Band’s track of the same name from 1982.
Long Distance is positive proof that good music doesn’t always have to be complex or push any sort of envelopes, and that it’s okay to just be straight up fun. Throw on your high tops and take this feel good summer album to your next house party jam (the 90s kind, of course).
Review: Helen Luu
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.”
Alex Gopher has been making fun, unpretentious electro for more than a decade now, part of a vintage crop of French producers that included Daft Punk, Cassius, Etienne De Crecy and Air. Not one to rest on his laurels, he’s just released a compilation of his newest remixes, which is soon to be followed by a new EP due out this month on his Go4Music imprint. We hunted the Gopher down to find out what’s been lurking inside that record bag of his…
Artist: Mux Mool
Title: Skulltaste
Label: Ghostly International/Moodgadget
Genre: Electro
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download
Having teased listeners with a trickle of singles and EP’s dating back to 2006′s Lost and Found, producer Brian Lindgren aka Mux Mool finally drops his first full-length album Skulltaste, and we’re pleased to say it’s well worth the wait.
With an array of different sounds and styles at his command, Mux Mool creates a deliciously psychedelic roller-coaster ride of an album, with opener The Balled of Gloria Featherbottom setting the tone perfectly via a rush of galloping arpeggios and dirty breaks. While it’s hard to spot influences in such a mercurial and maverick talent (anything goes, from Four Tet to the Cocteau Twins) there’s certainly an appreciation of J Dilla at work in songs like Hog Knuckles, which like much of the album sounds like kaleidoscopic instrumental hip-hop.
Skulltaste’s title track is a weird and wheezing hip-hop shuffle, and Breakfast Enthusiast keeps the trippy mid tempo vibe going, adding lashings of heavy bass into the mix. Enceladus however is pure dancefloor genius though, upping the tempo into the 120bpm’s and sounding similar to German producer Siriusmo’s sideways approach to electro. The dynamic arrangements are what make Mux Mool so special. “Dandelion” starts off thread bare, but then builds to a thrilling mix of strings and chiming keys. “Wax Rose Saturday” switches up styles mid-song, while 1st and 4th progresses from a simple bass and drum groove into an epic and effortless drumroll that will leave your jaw gaping wide open.
On a more glitchy, slo-mo tip “Death 9000″ uses big swathes of ambient vinyl crackle and hiss to create a grainy soundscape which is embellished with retro synths and vicious vocoders. “Get Better John” though is brighter and more uptempo, with 90s style hip-hop drums anchoring buzzing synths that seem to be trying to escape into the stratosphere. Fans of Hudson Mohawke, Flying Lotus and Debruit will definitely dig where Mux Mool is coming from, but there’s really so much great stuff here it demands to be heard by all.
Review: Oliver Keens
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Artist: Chew Lips
Title: Unicorn
Label: Family
Genre: Electro Pop
Format: CD, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
The South-London dance-pop outfit Chew Lips, led by singular front lady Tigs and accompanied by the multi-instrumentalists Sanderson and Watkins, adorned many a “ones to watch” list in 2009.
And indeed the adept boy-girl-boy trio stormed the British electronic dance-pop scene last year. Chew Lips showed considerable songwriting skill when releasing two singles on Kitsune, ¨Solo¨ and ¨Salt Air¨, and have now released their debut album Unicorn through Family. Then they showed considerable guts and left both those tracks off the album.
The result is startling – Chew Lips take us on an astonishing jaunt on Unicorn, consorted by teeth-hurting sweet vocals, striking bass lines, persistent drums and dartly synthesizers. The album locomotes from slow, affective ballads like ¨Piano Song¨ and the somewhat sinister track ¨Gold Key¨ to rhythmic dancefloor fillers such as ¨Play Together¨ and, the most appealing track of the album,¨Seven¨. And although Unicorn provides us a wide variety of flavors and melodies, every track leans heavily on Tigs’ exquisite and severe vocals.
And precisely this combination of vocals and vigorously assembled instrumentals is what distinguishes Chew Lips from the current flood of other electro-pop artists, there’s more acuity to it. Unicorn is a record you’ll want to listen to until you know every sound and strain by heart.
Review: Izza Brouwer
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Artist: Anthony “Shake” Shakir
Title: Frictionalism 1994-2009
Label: Rush Hour Recordings
Genre: Techno, Electro
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
Deep, funky Detroit techno has always been the name of the game for the insanely underrated producer extraordinaire, Anthony “Shake” Shakir. You’ve all heard everything there is to know about the pioneers of Detroit techno- Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May; but “Shake” played a huge part in the development of what’s often referred to as the second wave of Detroit techno (which included Carl Craig, Underground Resistance, Jeff Mills, etc.).
While his peers were forging superstar DJ careers in Europe and beyond, Shakir chose to keep things grassroots by churning out inventive, forward thinking tracks on his own Frictional label as well as on Puzzlebox records, the electro label co-run with Detroit’s Keith Tucker. Just as how Rush Hour Records resurrected the works of fellow, often underappreciated Detroit techno pioneer, Kenny Larkin (The Chronicle, 2008), Frictionalism 1994-2009 provides a rich history lesson with this comprehensive collection of 35 tracks from the last 15 years.
Shakir’s wide-ranging influence on the evolution of techno, house, and electro is on fine display. The syncopated, stuttering beats of “Spectre” and “Simpatico” clearly conjure up a dubstep blueprint years ahead of its time, yet still sound so vitally fresh.
Many classics including “Breathe Deeper”, “Get a Feeling”, and “The Floor Filler” are here in full glory with their lush keys and warm, emotive beats to remind us all how truly amazing the deeper side of techno can get…straight up Detroit style!
Apparently this retrospective is paving the way for future releases from Shakir who plans to start producing more tracks on Frictional this year. This is an absolute must-have for everyone from the seasoned techno connoisseur to the newer generation curious to know where the true motor city sound came from and where it’s heading.
Review: Steve Phillips
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Cosmo Vitelli is a tastemaker extraordinaire (even if he’s reluctant to admit it). His boutique I’m a Cliché label has steadily built a devoted following in its first five years of existence, unleashing the likes of Yuksek, Simian Mobile Disco, Canyons, Azari & III and Runaway on the record buying public. On top of his work as a label chief, Vitelli continues to innovate and surprise with his own productions. The recent Blue Steel EP, released under the Bot’Ox moniker, was described by Juno Plus scribe Tony Poland as “that most difficult of achievements for electronic music producers – a finely crafted slice of three minute pop music”. With a Bot’Ox LP on the way in 2010, we spoke with Vitelli via email about running a label, why Paris is “annoying” and his potential career in A & R.
Alex Metric has unveiled his new single “It Starts”, which features Bloc Party’s Russell Lissack on the guitar.
Remember Ed Banger? French electro exploded into everyone’s consciousness in 2006/07, only to be met with the inevitable backlash that comes with overexposure. DJ Mehdi was – and still is – at the forefront of this scene, but he was around long before the hype, and his quality production means he’ll be around for a while yet. From humble beginnings on the outskirts of Paris, Mehdi has become one of the world’s best party DJs. He spoke to Juno Plus editor Aaron Coultate about Hong Kong brawls, movie soundtracks and his new collaboration with Riton.
We are very proud to bring you our second guest bloggers, Classixx. Hailing from LA, Michael David and Tyler Blake have exploded onto the electro scene in the past 18 months, with releases on French imprint Kistune and remixes for Holy Ghost!, Phoenix and Beni. In their first post, the duo take us on their whirlwind European tour, taking in Amsterdam, Milan, Napoli, Rome and Paris…