SECURE SHOPPING
Perma masked techno producer Redshape will release a two track 12″ on Martyn’s 3024 imprint later this month.
U.S. based Dutch producer Martyn will follow-up 2011’s critically lauded album Ghost People with a new 12″, entitled Hello Darkness, due out in March.
We’ll save you the usual rhetoric that surrounds these lists – that of it being hard to translate electronic music into the traditional long player format – and we won’t bother dissecting the argument that the modern consumption of music lessens the importance of albums; for our money there’s still nothing more rewarding that settling in and listening to an LP in its glorious entirety.
What we have done, however, is hand pick our 20 favourite albums from the past 12 months. Those of you who traverse these pages on a regular basis will see a liberal sprinkling of the artists and labels we’ve supported all year (and hopefully a couple of surprises too).
We have endeavored only to select albums that have truly moved us, ones that we find ourselves returning to again and again. In our minds 2011 was a vintage year for albums – the wondrous breadth of style and substance in our top 20 testifies to that – and we’ve included detailed descriptions of each release in our list for your reading pleasure.
We have a copy of Martyn’s new album Ghost People to give away to one lucky reader, on 2×12″ vinyl no less.
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That one of this year’s best techno albums has been made by a Dutch dubstep artist and issued on a label owned by L.A. hip-hop figure Flying Lotus says a lot about the increasingly blurred boundaries within which the genre operates. Ironically, the backbone for Ghost People is the purist-influenced Berghain sound that has dominated techno production in recent years. In fairness to Martyn, he makes no secret of this, even going as far to equating his European DJ dates to sonic fact-finding missions that informed the album’s direction.
This should hardly come as a surprise to close watchers of the Dutch producer’s work. Like Cosmin TRG, Martyn’s releases have seen a gradual shift towards straighter 4/4 tracks in the past year, an intriguing progression from his early forays into dubstep, and, before that, drum and bass. It began with “MiniLuv”, his contribution to Ben Klock’s Berghain 04 mix CD, before gaining legs on “Is This Insanity?” and his collaboration with Mike Slott for All City. This was followed by the dense drum shuffle of recent single “Masks”, which is included here.
However, it would be a mistake to assume that Ghost People is merely a replica of unflinching Berlin techno. Instead, Martyn uses it as a backdrop to tease out a range of directions. The title track contains references to the heady rush of rave, while “Twice As” revisits the Dutch producer’s love of Detroit techno as sonic blips and spine-tingling melodies are married to more garage-style shuffling beats – perhaps the track’s title is a nod to the London 2-step institution. On “Popgun”, the producer briefly revisits lurching dubstep territories and there’s even a tribute of sorts to Vangelis on the glistening synths of “Bauplan”. That Ghost People covers so much ground while remaining close to the filtered rumble of tracks like “Horror Vacui” is an impressive testament to Martyn’s supernatural production powers.
Richard Brophy
Brainfeeder have just slipped a rather excellent visual accompaniment to “Vipers” – one of the harshest sounding tracks from Martyn’s forthcoming and rather excellent second album Ghost People.
Electronic music is inextricably linked to urban settings. From Detroit’s post-apocalyptic downtown to the tower blocks of London and Den Haag’s faceless monuments to Eurocracy, the city location is the natural habitat for bass, techno and even the irresistibly wry reapproximations of Italo and electro.
Martyn will celebrate the launch of his upcoming album Ghost People with the first in a series of worldwide events in London next month.
As previously reported, Flying Lotus let loose with the news that his Brainfeeder imprint would be releasing Ghost People, the highly anticipated second album from Martyn, in October. A taste of what to expect arrives via the double A Side single Masks /Vipers.
Flying Lotus has revealed his Brainfeeder imprint will release Ghost People – the much awaited second album from Martyn – later this summer.
A host of new names were today added to the already bulging line-up for Sónar 2011, with LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy joined by the likes of Four Tet, Martyn and Lucy (pictured above).
Dutch producer Martyn has compiled an excellent mixtape for online fashionistas oki-ni that effortlessly draws a line between Miles Davis, Carl Craig, Caribou and more.
3024’s swift West Country takeover is complete! Hot on the heels of Julio Bashmore’s soon to be released equine endeavours for Martyn’s label comes the news that 3024 will be releasing two slices of forward thinking bass music from fellow Bristol lynchpin Addison Groove.
mulletover, Bloc and Deviation will curate the three rooms that make up the first Eastern Electrics soiree of 2011, with DJ Koze and James Holden amongst the first names to be confirmed for the event which takes place at the end of May.
Those of you still recovering from the all round excellence that was Everyone Needs A Theme Tune, Julio Bashmore’s recent EP on PMR Records, should brush themselves down and get ready for more as the Bristolian’s next appearance will be on the 3024 imprint run by Martyn.
Ministry Of Sound have called on journalist Joe Muggs to document the current world of dubstep and its ever expanding hybrid sounds on a double CD mix entitled Adventures In Dubstep & Beyond.
Dutch producer Martyn is the star of a tear jerking video in which he pays tribute to his late father.
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Tiga’s sophomore album Ciao! already boasts impressive names on writing and production duties with the likes of Soulwax, Gonzales, Beck and James Murphy. The latter co-wrote and produced the sincere original “Gentle Giant”, sounding reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys or even more so, Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”. On this remix EP, three more amazing producers are brought together, each offering very unique reinterpretations.
Loving the first entry by the ever-evolving Dutch producer, Martyn. Pursuing either techno, dubstep, garage, or house, he is always fusing many influences, which making his music harder to categorize with every new release. It also makes his music more interesting with every listen. Here, Martyn takes the loopy hollowness of the original and injects it with new life, breaking the elements up garage style, and adding (for lack of a better term) an “Enigma-like” dreamy effect on the vocals.
If you’re looking for the club version go straight for Berlin producer Efdemin’s awesome tech-house mix. He barely allows any of the original material to penetrate the driving 4/4, jacking hi-hats and rippling pulses, except on the break where it comes up for air with Tiga’s vocals “One step and a little touch can change the way you feel tonight”. The subtlety in Efdemin’s arrangement, and careful builds, are hypnotic.
Mathew Jonson’s heavier, spaced out versions offer a dub and vocal (although the vocal is a digital only affair). The dub version is an absolute killer, rocking a heavier beat, while spine tingling analogue synths replace the vocals. It reminds us of The Human League’s “Rock n’ Roll” instrumental or creepy visions of “Doctor Who’s” opening video. Three different yet talented artists all featured on one great release. Succeeds with good remixes, as well as individually sounding like different songs. Surely on this EP, there’s something for anybody, any mood or any place. Solid.
Review: Shingo Shimizu
Martyn, Efdemin and Mathew Jonson have all remixed Canadian electro crooner Tiga’s latest single, “Gentle Giant”.
The Juno Minimal podcast eeks towards it’s 40th birthday with a selection that includes Martyn’ s contribution to Ben Klock’s Berghain mix, some Villalobos from the latest Cocoon compilation and Mount Kimbie’s ‘William’ being remixed by Prosumer and Tama Sumo on the always essential Hot Flush.
