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.
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.
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.
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…
