SECURE SHOPPING
Unpicking the truth behind the public façade of Omar S is one of the things that makes him such an enduring character. If we’re to believe what he says, then he cares little for the concept of curation, and new long-player Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself is more of a compilation than a proper album, made up of some of the presumably hundreds of tracks burned onto CD that litter his studio floor under a layer of Nunn’s BBQ sauce and dusty footprints. It’s certainly how his last album felt at times – comprised of some new tracks with a couple of previously vinyl-only cuts thrown in for good measure, it never felt like it was intended as a cohesive listening experience.
Omar S has revealed details of his third album, entitled Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself.
As befitting a month where record companies applied the brakes on their release schedules, December saw a marked downturn in records worthy of inclusion in our monthly feature.
The fact that virtually nothing is known about OB Ignitt has led to widespread speculation that he’s another pseudonym in a long standing tradition of FXHE trickery, and it wouldn’t be the first curveball the label’s thrown at its fan base. After all, it’s doubtful that those Black Eyed Peas were responsible for remixing last year’s joyously anthemic “S.E.X”, and it’s still a bit puzzling that there never really was a “Wayne County Cops” pt. 1 that preceded Ignitt’s rugged analogue collaboration with Omar-S.
Record labels are the bricks and mortar of the independent music industry, the foundations upon which artists and scenes flourish and grow. During 2012 there seemed to be a glut of new labels popping up across the board, and though some made strong statements with their initial releases, our list largely acknowledges the imprints who continue to lead the way for others to follow. The people behind our top labels are individuals we – and many others – willingly place our trust in; their curatorial abilities are integral to ensuring they stand tall amidst a sea of samey musical dross.
There’s short video clip on YouTube that follows Theo Parrish as he wanders the streets of Detroit in baggy acid wash jeans and Adidas shell toe shoes, armed with a recorder, boom pole, mic and windsock. The revered producer records raw sound – hanging out the window of a speeding car, banging on rusted and paint chipped playgrounds, shuffling around sparring boxers and setting up under a damp archway to collect natural reverb, collecting the natural sounds of his city, part archivist, part musician.
Viewed from a superficial perspective it would appear difficult to understand why Keep On is available on FXHE. After all, the logic runs, Omar S isn’t exactly the biggest fan of dub techno. However, as Hess’ second album so articulately demonstrates, he has been somewhat unfairly lumped in with that often-maligned sound. Keep On has no shortage of powerful basslines and foreboding chord sequences or indeed the sense of space and spaciousness that dub techno is endowed with.
Aaron Siegel has thus far occupied an interesting space in the modern Detroit techno landscape. Building up his Fit establishment around distribution for the key labels in the Motor City has clearly placed the man in a strong position among his globe-trotting brethren. One look at the list of imprints he works with says it all; KDJ, Sound Signature, FXHE, Planet E, Underground Resistance, Three Chairs, NDATL, Moods & Grooves. We could go on. However, as a couple of releases for Omar S’s FXHE now attest, Siegel’s talents reach beyond logistics and business, and he appears to be making forays into the production world with some choice collaborative ventures.
FXHE chief Omar S has revealed he has a new album in the works, tentatively slated for release in January 2013.
