Review: Just as the sounds of minimal faded out of fashion in the late noughties, Hamburg's Dial Records started gaining attention with its signature style of understated house and contemplative techno - a breath of fresh air at the time. Perhaps unbeknownst to many then, the imprint was actually founded at the turn of the millennium, so 2020 marks two decades in the business - and certainly cause for celebration. To mark the occasion, the now Berlin-based label has released a series of various artist EPs commemorating the milestone, and this is the fourth one to bring in the year that was. The label's distinct aesthetic as mentioned before is still present: from Jordan GCZ's "Tongue Twister" providing a rather sensual take on mood music, as well as label chief Lawrence bringing his idiosyncratic take on deep house as per usual on the lush "Pinches". Elsewhere, Katie Drover delivers the hypnotic tones of "Precarious", Valencian mainstay Estrato Aurora teams up with Siarem on the evocative electro of "Acacio" and veteran German producer Joern Elling Wuttke dons the new alias Bachelor Kisses, to give us the mellow shoegaze/road trip vibe of "Brighter Than The Sun".
Review: Still sailing high from a sensational debut record for the giegling label out of Weimar late last year, cosmic house genial Lawrence sees his 2003 album for Dial make it to the download ranks for the first time, reintroducing to a new audience his melancholic, acoustic and simple yet intelligent deep house style! The album harks back to an era where Dial was the label on everyone's lips during a time when it was trailblazing a new and interpretive style of what house music can be. A timeless release that must be revisited and appreciated for the ground it covered. Our pick" If You Can Understand". Don't be absent!
Review: The first compilation on Koze's Pampa label is a lovingly curated affair. It starts with the left field house of Herbert's take on Lianne La Havas and Ada's r&b-infused "You & Me", as well as DJ Koze's own hymnal take on Roman Flugel's "9 Years". Other Pampa regulars like Axel Boman are well represented and he provides the ultra-mellow "In The Dust of This Planet". Equally though, Koze also provides a platform for newcomers to the fold. There's the utterly bizarre, glitch-hop of Nasrawi and Funskstorung's contributions, and at the other end of the spectrum, wide-eyed deep house from Mount Kimbie and Jamie xx & Kosi Kos' pumping indie-dance "Come We Go".
Review: Hamburg Elektronisch is the ultimate ode to the German harbour city's rich musical scene and heritage. A massive compilation comprised of a whopping thirty tracks by the city's legends (Boris Dlugosch, Lawrence, DJ Koze) and young guns (Tilman Tausendfreund, Joney, RSS Disco) alike. There's just so much great music on here but for our money, our picks are Christopher Rau with his sensual and ultra deep "RG En El Casa", Dial affiliate RVDS with the sexy late night groove of "Catwalk", local heroes Smallpeople on "Cricket Orchestra" (ultra deep, this one!) and the undisputed master of the dark journey track Oliver Huntemann with his comeback track "Kiez" that shows us that long before Tale Of Us or Mind Against: it was all about this guy!
Review: Hamburg is known for many things, but now German label Hafendiscko want it to be synonymous with it's cutting edge electronic musical output. So much so in fact, that it's released two compilations in order to get the point across. In the latest instalment, dubbed 'from House to House', we get a staggering 24 house-influenced electro tracks to chose from. Highlights include Suburb's deep and stabby "The Kid', the weird Afro-house of Viktor Marek's "My Favourite Thing", the electro-pop of RSS Disco & Sugarwater's "Lovebird", the spiky diva funk of "Don Harp" by Hish and the creepy grooves of "This Tune Is Unemployed" by Remute.
Review: Electronic music is often defined as being apolitical and entirely self-serving, but in this time of existential crisis for Japan, it shows that dance producers not only have a conscience, but care deeply about the country. There have been a number of initiatives already within electronic music to raise funds for Japanese earthquake/tsunami victims, and the act of helping is the overarching concern here. However, hopefully when you do decide to purchase this Kompakt compilation, you will get the added bonus of ghostly ambience from Marsen Jules and Ezekiel Honig, playful, offbeat house from Efdemin, eerie minimal house from SCSI-9 and Nick Hoppner, and Anontelli's playful electronic pulses - as well as feeling good about supporting a beleaguered nation.
Review: Hamburg based label Dial Records shot to fame in the second half of the 00s with their high brow approach to deep, minimal house and techno. Founded in 2000, they now celebrate their tenth birthday with a new compilation featuring all their usual suspects, aptly titled 2010.
Set up at the turn of the millennium by Carsten Jost and Peter M, better known as Lawrence, Dial remained largely unnoticed at first. It was only the last five or so years that the imprint famed for its sophisticated and emotionally evocative style of deep and minimal house came to the wider attention. Releases such as Efdemin's "Bergwein" EP and Pantha Du Prince This Bliss have garnered them the most attention leading up to today's celebratory compilation. But rather than just collecting the finest moments from those ten years, such is Dial's ethos, that they celebrate with entirely new material, including previously unreleased tracks from the likes of Rndm, Pigon and John Roberts.
Opening the compilation in typically refined style, Phantom Ghost embark on a fittingly theatrical ode to the pleasures of the highlife with the twilight keys of "My Secret Europe." Cultivated 4/4s then take over, starting with John Roberts who brings a classical element into the mix on "Lines." Efdemin explores sensuously deep tribalism on "Time," whereas Kassian Troyer uses layers of sub bass on "Tourist" to get into the groove. Isolee makes a rare appearance with some trippier house moments on "Black Lodge" before Pigon take it unfeasibly deep on "Koto." One of the label's starlets, Pantha Du Prince adds one of the highlights of the release with the enveloping masterpiece of "Fountain Drive."
Dial celebrate their tenth year, and twentieth release, the only way they know how - with a selection of tracks that look unreservedly forward, proving their need to do more than simply sit back on their previous successes. I'm just looking forward to their 2020 compilation.
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