Artist: Thomas Schumacher/ Various Title: 8 Years Get Physical Music Label: Get Physical Genre: Minimal House / Tech House Format: Digital
Like the crew that owns and runs Get Physical, Thomas Schumacher is a veteran of German’s electronic music community. It’s no surprise then that his compilation and mix to help celebrate Get Physical’s eighth birthday alternates between old and new material as well as taking some unexpected steps along the way.
Schumacher captures the penchant among former minimal producers for house grooves with the inclusion of the dubbed out drums of Lee Curtiss’ “The Disco Dub” and the rolling rhythm of Delete’s “Lunchbox” and he shows own production prowess in this area with the glorious, disco-tinged “You Got Me”. However, Schumacher is also clearly proud of his past achievements, and midway through the mix, his electro house anthem, “Pleasure Seeker” as Elektrochemie appears. On the subject of electro, fans of the ‘real’ sound of Detroit will be enthused by his inclusion of Kris Wadsworth’s “It’s Time”, which breaks into old school 808 drums and shuffling claps.
Schumacher is also to be commended for another unexpected turn; after dropping the resonating, building chords of Booka Shade’s “Superman”, he then switches to the reflective piano-led pop of Noze’s “Kitchen”, followed by introspective moments from Lazarus, Raz Ohara and DJ T. It’s only in the closing section that Schumacher reverts to the dance floor with the 80s synths and gurgling acid of Lopazz’s “Wasted Days”. It’s an unusual journey, but we should expect nothing less from one of Europe’s most unpredictable DJs.
Iconic Berlin imprint Get Physical will release an 8th anniversary compilation in October, featuring 19 tracks mixed by label stalwart Thomas Schumacher.
DJ Hell will follow the likes of Dixon, Modeselektor, Junior Boys and Matthew Dear in compiling the latest in Get Physical’s acclaimed Body Language mix series.
Thomas Koch, known to the record buying public as DJ T., drew many pats on the back in 2009 with The Inner Jukebox, an album which showed tech house pretenders how things should be done. This year he’s followed that up with the 51st instalment of the Fabric mix series. It’s a big task, not just becasue of his own superlative mixes in the past (most notably the 2006 Body Language compilation), but also because the previous Fabric mix, curated by Dutch producer Martyn, was widely hailed as the most groundbreaking Fabric CD in years. Flora Wong spoke to the Get Physical boss about his disparate musical influences, the pitfalls of running a label and how touring the world inspired his new mix.
Highly respected electronic act Booka Shade will release their fourth artist album this May on Get Physical Music and Co-Op, with a collab with Yello one of the drawcards.
Artist: DJ T. Title: Try To Understand Label: Get Physical/ Kindisch Genre: Minimal/Tech House Format: 12″ Buy From:Juno Records
Appropriately, Kindisch means ‘Childish’ in German. The producers on this imprint have always been encouraged to play around the borders of modern house, to maintain the sense of fun that got us excited about house music in the first place; before ‘chin-stroking’ and ‘trainspotting’ and ‘white-labels’ were in your vocabulary. It’s music for the club, not your bookshelf. David Keno’s recent Feast EP on Kindisch is a good example, fusing jacking bass with dainty minimal percussion.
The latest single from Kindisch comes from the big man himself, DJ T., proving once again that 20 years in the biz and an unrelenting touring schedule hasn’t blunted his studio touch. As a DJ, producer, AnR man and label owner, T’s had his finger on the pulse since before you knew where to look for it. It’s been a bumper year for T, having already released his sonically retrospective album The Inner Jukebox early this year, amid unending tours. T’s new single “Try To Understand” is set to be one of Kindisch’s last releases for ‘09.
Past informs the present here. A classic vocal house runs over typically rigid and sparse rhythm patterns. As Europe heads indoors for the winter, T delivers the soundtrack with soulful, tightly-looped vocals dancing over sucking basslines. Sure to shake the frost off the windows.
Stepping up on remix duty is celebrity ghost-producer &Me, who unexpectedly delivered a huge house bomb this year with “F.I.R” (that tune seriously drops). He takes a swing at the vocals with seriously edgy filters, guiding us through a cheeky two-tiered drop that’s sure to make some dints in the floor. Straight up techno.
Angsty tech-house duo Pierce and Jerl maintain the filter-house vibe but slide in some to-the-point 4/4 drum patterns for instant impact .
Artist: Various Title: Body Language Vol 8 – Mixed by Modeselektor Label: Get Physical Genre: Electro House Format: CD, 2 x LP Buy From: Juno Records
Get Physical’s long running Body Language Mix series has by and large stayed true to the house and techno leanings of the label’s artist output, so it’s a pleasing departure that they’ve handed the reins of the eighth volume to their Berlin neighbours and renowned bass monsters Modeselektor.
In what can be classed as a worthy successor to their 2007 Boogybytes mix, Modeselektor effortlessly slip between genres and tempos, throwing in some classic Psycho-sampling Busta Rhymes amidst the contemporary wonkstep of Joker and Rustie, ingeniously treating tracks like “Kick Drum” from Felix Da Housecat and Boyz Noise’s “Nerve” as tools to bridge between sub genres and finding the space to allow the ubiquitous indie techno crossover track that is Animal Collective’s “My Girls” the space to breath amidst a sea of crunchy bass.
SECURE SHOPPING
