Walking On A Fine Line (feat Roberto Ingram) - (5:58) 124 BPM
Bass Trakk (feat Roberto Ingram) - (5:35) 125 BPM
Debris - (5:44) 123 BPM
Review: Arttu Snellman rose to prominence over the past few years with a series of records on Clone, Philpot and his own Cyblo label. He now takes his highly distinctive sound to Herbert's sub-label. Featuring the vocals of Roberto Q Ingram, the title track resounds to a funk bass and spiky, sharp percussion. It's an unusual, distinctive combination and the sound is loose and murky. "Bass Trakk" offers a similar approach; again, it sees Ingram drawling his way over one of Arttu's tracky, metallic arrangements. On "Debris", he goes deeper to deliver a swirling, hypnotic groove that draws its influence from 90s deep house and dub techno in equal measure.
Review: Arttu Snellman has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Clone thanks to his releases on Royal Oak. However, that arrangement changes as the Berlin-based producer's latest venture for the Rotterdam operation sees him change over to the Jack for Daze outlet. Certainly, his approach is tougher than before; the title track is redolent of '90s techno, with metal-plated percussion providing the backing for insistent bleeps and rubbery sub-bass. On "WD40" and "Bonus Peach", eerie organ riffs prevail, underpinned by sturdy kicks and powerful bass, while on "Dust", Arttu reverts to a harder sound, as insistent stabs are married with an aggressive rhythm track and growling bass.
Review: The second release in the same week from Arttu sees him draw again on classic house and techno influences. The title track draws on the reduced end of Chicago house, with frequency-shifting acid tones unraveling over pared back kettle-drums. "Wiggle Eyez" marks a change of tact and is similar to the release on Jack for Daze, with the Berlin artist drawing heavily on the raw sound of 90s techno to craft a relentless, grinding analogue workout. Closing track "X Ray Shit" is like an amalgamation of these two sounds; based on rattling drums and acid-soaked bleeps, it proves that Arttu is one of the most skillful modern interpreters of timeless music.
Review: Finnish producer Arttu Snellman makes a welcome return to Clone's Royal Oak series with the wonderfully named Evvy Steps 12". Those elder selectors out there who lived through the West London broken beat scene and have the record collection to prove it should certainly check this one! Whether it's by design or default, there is a certain bruk heavy charm reminiscent of Dego, Domu et al in their pomp deployed by Snellman here, with the title track really setting the tone. Heavily swung, with killer bassline squiggles, "Evvy Steps" is topped off with a dusty finish and is the kind of track that will work in many different sets. And the two alternative tracks are just as rowdy!
Review: It's probably fair to say that Arttu has enjoyed a mixed career to date, flitting between deep house and jacking analogue grooves with varying degrees of success. This four-track EP for Clone's ever-reliable Royal Oak offshoot, though, is one of his strongest releases to date. Both "UFO Funkin" and "Passing Out Privileges" rock hard, with warped analogue electronics and ragged 303 acid lines riding hissing, distorted, cymbal-heavy drum machine grooves. There's a chest-puffing intensity and wonky swing to both, with Detroit native Jerry The Cat providing a suitably rambling vocal on "Passing Out Privileges". Two extra-robust instrumentals complete a strong package.
Review: Hitting a strong current of creativity with his relationship to Clone, Arttu is once again dishing out warm analogue goodness rooted in soul and grittiness, and it sure is purdy. "Tune In" is bolstered no end by the authoritative speech from Diamondancer, a righteous soul sister if ever there was one. Meanwhile the track itself rolls on a restrained kind of electro beat matched with soothing chords and smatterings of machine wobbles for decoration. It's simple and utterly devastating. The "Cellar" mix of "Move" on the flip is an instant ramp up in energy, hitting a fizzing and popping spring of old-school Chicago traits expressed in vital new ways, while the "Field" mix opens up the space without lessening the impact of the powerful drums.
Review: 2011 was a great year for Arttu Snellman, with acclaimed releases dropping on both Royal Oak and Philpot. Here he starts 2012 with another couple of impressive tracks, this time for Gerd's 4Lux imprint. "Attic House" (chuckle) has a suitably retro feel, with treacle-thick bass, beats and synth motifs sparring with hissing, Detroit-influenced hi-hats and a classic vocal sample. "Soul Stream" is arguably even more impressive, a kind of tooled-up version of classic Mr Fingers with the addition of Burrell Brothers strings and melodies. Remix wise, Gerd's stripped-down version of "Attic House" is solid enough, but it's the two suitably old skool basement bumpers from Snuff Crew that most impress; the dub, in particular, is decidedly raw.
Review: Lisbon-based producer Arttu Sellman hasn't released all that many records, but those he has put out are rarely less than essential. This second two-tracker for Philpot is another case in point. Both the title track and flipside "Upwards" bear the aural hallmarks and raw drum machine sounds of early house and techno. While the latter is a driving fusion of drifting vocal samples, fuzzy beats and brain-melting acid bass, it still retains the analogue swing and evocative feel of the immaculate title track. While neither track could be described as revolutionary, both offer an attractive package of spellbinding grooves and intoxicating analogue riffs.
Review: Dexter and A Made Up Sound get the Clone call to mess with the material from Arttu's great debut on the Royal Oak label, and naturally the results are a must have. In their original form both "Nuclear Funk" and "Get Up Off It" were the improvised results of a studio session between the 4Lux artist and Detroit vocalist Jerry The Cat. It's a bit of a genius stroke from Clone to enlist two well respected audio technicians like Dexter and Dave Huisman to bend them further out of shape, with the latter's take on "Nuclear Funk" a particular demented delight. Operating under his alias A Made Up Sound, this remix typically smudges the boundaries between genre and rhythm to suit his own needs, reworking the synths to sound like a faltering dot matrix printer over incessantly stumbling drums. Dexter indulges his love of 303 patterns on a remix of "Get Up Off It" that stays closer to the original's origins and makes for a nice contrast to the preceding onslaught.
Review: Sometime Philpot and 4lux artist Arttu arises on the Clone imprint for the first time - and the results are just as good as the Rotterdam label's preceding output this year. Presented as the results of some spontaneous studio jams with Detroit artist Jerry The Cat, there's an undeniable sense of fun to both tracks here. Lead track "Nuclear Funk" is loose limbed analogue house at its finest, with rough hewn drums and a delightfully elastic bassline soon joined by Jerry's inimitable improvised refrain and lolloping percussive textures. "Get Up Off It" is altogether more scattergun, with gleefully disjointed drum machine rhythms raining down on the gloopy analogue bass line before a heavily delayed Jerry The Cat comes to the fore.
Review: Not to be confused with the Julia Roberts classic, the Sound of Nuusic isn't a Bavarian epic but instead a UK underground epic of compilation sized proportions, with a whole raft of underground talents offering up a diverse concoction of jungle flavours. With Conrad Subs making several appearances, his stand-out contribution is 'Leave Dem', with a funked-up loping introduction that's seriously smooth but which quickly devolves into a stuttering balance of breaks and reece bass action. There's wicked jungle contributions from Kumarachi and RMS as well as Sheffield upstart Charla Green, whose knock-down breaks carry some serious weight. This is a must-listen for anyone who likes their jungle music.
