Review: After over 26 years at the forefront of Parisian nightlife, Rex Club expanded their remit in 2015 with the launch of an eponymous record label; typically, it was inaugurated with a dash of Gallic flair by a 12" sporting the collective talents of D'Julz, Phil Weeks and Trus'Me (the latter on remix duties). Fast forward to 2016 and Rex Club present their second 12", turning to one of the most respected names in deep house, Mr Fred P. Last year was perhaps the most productive so far for Fred P, and this creative drive continues apace on this Expressing Dark Matter EP. Holding it down on the A-side is "Wave Patterns" where a restrained groove plays second fiddle to some delightful pads and oh so deep chord work. The B-side pairs up the loose percussive "Continuous Sensations" with standout cut "Unbroken Circle". Vintage Peterkin through and through.
Review: It would be fair to say that Black Jazz Consortium man Fred P is a reliable source of atmospheric, immaculately produced deep house and techno. We can't think of a duff release to date. Certainly, this first EP for Secretsundaze is full of playable treats. Opener "6AM" uses tribal-influenced drum rhythms, mutilated vocal samples and moody electronics to create a dark and hypnotic early morning mood, while "Herb" is a perfect fusion of trippy broken house rhythms, hazy minor key refrains and weighty dub bass. Arguably best of all, though, is "Mile High", a superbly emotional deep house epic full of crystalline chord progressions, sweeping synth-strings and immaculately programmed percussion.
Review: Fred P delivers his second release of 2020 on a label that is tailor made for his tough but soulful sound - Rekids offshoot Stranger in the Night. The title track is a linear, driving affair; powered by a powerful bass drum and featuring a droning riff at its heart, these elements make for a hypnotic fusion. "Construction" also makes effective use of just a few sounds, with a murky bass coming together with dissected vocal samples and brooding synths to create an eerie sound. On "Alphabet City", the US producer goes deeper, with looped chords and sensuous strings unravelling over a jacking rhythm, while "For The Dome" is a beautifully evocative slice of soulful techno.
Review: Johannes Albert's Berlin based imprint Frank Music is on a roll right now. Its new compilation celebrates five years in business and what a way to celebrate, drafting NYC deep house legend Fred P with the sublime "Energy Cloud" (which is one of his best tracks of late in our opinion), Berliner Iron Curtis with the ultra-smooth deepness of "Operater 123" (live mix) and the epic dancefloor drama of "Got The Juice" showcasing Freer and Reilling's typical studio magic as always. The most upbeat offering is by Jena's Tim Toh (who has previously released on Philpot and Ornaments) with "Hidden Beauty" a late noughties style journey in the vein of classic Innervisions, Buzzin Fly or Freerange.
Move D & Benjamin Brunn - "Transit" - (3:06) 122 BPM
REAGENZ meets Thomas Fehlmann - "One Small Step..." - (7:01) 114 BPM
Move D & Fred P - "Building Bridges" - (10:40) 120 BPM
Move D - "Perpetual State" (feat The Poem "Alles Ist Eins" By Thorn Hoedh) - (5:00) 105 BPM
Move D - "Building Bridges" (continuous DJ mix) - (1:05:53) 122 BPM
Review: As his vast discography proves, David "Move D" Moufang is a big fan of musical collaborations. It's perhaps fitting, then, that his latest album is packed to the rafters with co-produced killers. Check, for example, the ultra-deep, woozy and off-kilter "Innit", a superbly dubby and opaque cut made with German rave pioneer D-Man, the intergalactic deep house warmth of Fred P collaboration "Building Bridges" and the semi-orchestrated ambient bliss of Benjamin Brunn hook-up "Transit". His acclaimed collaborative projects also feature: Reagenz (with Jonah Sharp) joins forces with Thomas Fehlmann on the elastic dub techno flex of "One Small Step" and Magic Mountain High (with Juju and Jordash) takes slow-burn, softly spoken deep house/dub techno fusion and runs with it. As you'd expect, the solo tracks are impeccable, too.
Review: Arguably the most recognisable of Panorama Bar's resident DJs, Steffi follows Cassy, Tama Sumo, Prosumer and Nick Hoppner in cooking up the fifth batch of tracks to make the Panorama Bar mix series. Exclusive material comes from Big Strick, Fred P, Dexter, Juju & Jordash and Steffi herself, while other house cuts come from former drum and bass staples Endian (Commix) and Trevino (Marcus Intalex). Other veterans to feature in the mix include DJ Skull with his original '93 pressing "Don't Stop The Beat", while Steven Tang's Obsolete Music Technology chips in with "Latency". Newer sounds come from Fear Of Flying's BLM, US-based deep house producer Chris Mitchell, DJ Fett Burger and Will Martin collaboration with John Barera; one half of Boston outfit B-Tracks.
