Review: For their latest release, Brooklyn's Let's Play House crew has looked far beyond the Five Boroughs, securing a first label release from Uncanny Valley regular Jacob Korn. The Dresden producer predictably hits his stride immediately, wrapping wonky, bass-heavy acid lines around rock solid kick drums and open cymbals on throbbing opener "Wrong Way". There's an altogether looser, sweeter feel about "Old Man in Love", with Korn successfully employing glistening jazz guitar motifs, jaunty piano riffs and all manner of hazy vocal samples. The "Version" mix of the same track is a more stripped-back and bass-heavy, Dub style revision, while closer "My Business" sounds like futurist Detroit techno pitched down and fused with early Italian dream house, which is no bad thing in our book.
Review: Muna is one of Germany's longest-running clubs, and only in recent years did it set up a label arm. This explains why it has attracted talent like Cassy and Timo Maas for previous releases and why this sixth instalment features a rare track from Tobi Neumann. The veteran DJ's "All The Soldiers" is a pumping, pulsating affair that marries Detroit depth with a tight electronic groove. The release also features Poker Flat boss Steve Bug in fine form with the grinding, acid-tinged "Where's The Clap" and a typically deep, swirling groove from Jacob Korn courtesy of the percussive "Mindfulness". It's not all big names though, and the release also features a tripped out vocal house tune from Magit Cacoon.
Review: It's that time again: Sven Vath's powerhouse Cocoon Recordings presents the next volume in its alphabetically themed series and brings out all the big guns in typical fashion. There are many highlights, but for our money we'd bet on fellow Frankfurt homeboys Einzelkind, Robin Schulz & Rhythm Factory who team up for the bouncy, late night tech house of "N.2guts", masked Berlin techno impresario Redshape on the brooding dark journey track 'The Choice", Glaswegian legend Alex Smoke with the funky microhouse jam "Porridge" and of course Ovum Recordings man/Philly's finest Josh Wink with the droning peak time acid trip "Buoyantly Grounded". It will take you ecstatic heights like he has done previously.
Review: Dresden native Jacob Korn has clearly decided that quality is preferable to quantity. Since 2014, he's really cut back on the number of EPs he's put out, with this simply titled four-tracker being his first release of any description for 18 months. Predictably, he barely puts a foot wrong, moving from the chunky grooves, alien melodies, dusty musical touches and pulsing loops of "The Happening", to the low-slung, disco-flecked mid-tempo deep house bump of "Thru The Eye". Along the way, pay close attention to the choppy, post-Soundstream edit-house swing of "Holiday", and the soaring, near-symphonic disco-house heaviness of "Goodbye", which is arguably the EP's most bombastic moment.
Review: At present, it seems that Jacob Korn can do no wrong. Hot on the heels of his brilliant EP1 comes this foray into retro-futurist techno for Uncanny Valley's Shtum offshoot. While something of a surprise to those used to his distinctive take on deep house, Korn is an old techno head (according to the accompanying press blurb, his first unreleased forays into production during the 1990s were in a techno vein). There's a genuine no-nonsense feel throughout, and plenty of audible references to the early '90s; "Backstar" and "Komputermukke" for example, both sound like vintage bleep techno records - all heavy sub, clattering machine drums and sparse melodies. The hypnotic, stab-heavy "Robot's Life Cycle" is probably our pick, but all four tracks are excellent.
Review: The most lauded artist from the Dresden collective Uncanny Valley, Jacob Korn has earned himself a widespread reputation for his satisfyingly detailed and musically complex approach to deep house. His eagerly awaited debut album You & Me sees the producer take a unique approach, collaborating with a different artist on each track, and if anything, the effect of his fine musicianship is only enhanced, from the sublime Balearic tones of opener "The Place", through the dubby organs and crisp percussion of "Friction", the woozy rhodes melody of "The Drifter". As well as the deeper cuts, Korn isn't averse to some good time party jams - see the San Soda collaboration "Punta Del Este" with its bumping piano riff and the choppy, disco-leaning Cuthead collaboration "Makin' Love" for proof of that. Quite possibly the house album of the year.
Review: We have a sneaking suspicion that Jacob Korn is going to be one of the unheralded underground house success stories of 2011. The Uncanny Valley man has already built up a bit of a reputation thanks to some seriously good releases on Dolly, Left of the Dial, Running Back and, of course, Uncanny Valley, but you get the impression that the best is yet to come. Certainly, this first solo release for Uncanny Valley is amongst his best work to date. "She" takes a satisfyingly detailed and musically complex approach to deep house. While it boasts some notable hooks - like the best dancefloor music - the production is far more intricate and densely layered than your average Germanic deep house cut. "Once Love" repeats the trick, building from a dark and atmospheric opening into something almost blindingly bright. By the time it drops into a snappy mix of drunken horns and quietly uplifting melodies, you'll be lost in its delightfully woozy, undulating groove. To compliment Korn's superb originals, there are two remixes of "She". Iron Curtis is up first, turning the intricate original into a delightfully melancholic slab of tear-jerking warm-up house. John Talabot rounds off the package with an excellent interpretation of his own, that strips back the crowded original before building into an intoxicating late night stew of spiralling organs, heady melodies and spooky stabs. It's arguably the better of the two remixes, and caps a near-faultless release.
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