Review: Is Seth Troxler a romantic at heart? It's hard to say, but he does go off on an unexpected rant about 'this thing called love' for his contribution to Love Song. The fact that his vocals are surrounded by a Deetron's cool, trance synths and throbbing, bassy groove, make his utterances sound all the more convincing. Steve Bug has been put in charge of the remixes and does a fine job. Working under his Traffic Signs guise - a project that Bug started some time ago for his Chicago-style experiments - both versions see the German DJ/producer push the track into the kind of grinding, jacking sound that exudes pure carnal appeal.
HECTOR - "Sound Of BPM Festival" (continuous DJ mix) - (1:22:44) 124 BPM
Review: Mexican producer Hector has sure come a long way. From his humble beginnings in London's underground scene, working the counter of London's infamous Phonica record store and becoming a regular at popular London haunts of the time like fabric and T Bar (R.I.P.) he has gone on to international stardom, playing the word circuit and launching his Vatos Locos imprint: the very label which launches this compilation and credited to the highly popular Playa del Carmen festival that he has since become a regular guest at. Highlights on here (and there's many!) not limited to: the hi-tech soul sounds of Carl Craig with his classic "Sandstorms" or Martin Buttrich with his classic from 10 years ago "Full Clip". More recent classics such as Loco Dice's remix of Carl Cox's "Family Guy" and Nicole Moudaber & Skin (of Skunk Anansie) with their explosive "You Like This" getting a rolling rendition courtesy of Paco Osuna. The VL Recordings head honcho appears also, with a bunch of new exclusives: the best being his track "L.A. Kr3w" getting a makeover by Detroit boss man Stacey Pullen.
Review: Australia's Balance Music is known for its quality mixes by the very finest in the underground music circuit. With previous compilations by the likes of New York's Danny Tenaglia, Deetron and Funk D'Void, among others, this is as close to a Fabric mix as you can get without those shiny tin cases. Ex-minimal legend turned all-out techno queen Magda steps up for number 27 in the series, and it's nothing but vibes on this one. Amalgamating shreds of stripped back techno - Marcel Dettmann, DVS1, Samuli Kemppi - together with newer, more underground sounds from some of the most cutting-edge labels around - Marco Bernardi's Sandman project, TTT's Minor Science, XDB and Shackleton - the Minus legend shows why she's still one of the best in the game and a true expert at evolving her aesthetic. A great mix, dig in.
Review: As befits one of the most daring big name DJs, Seth Troxler's latest offering on his label is hard to pin down. "Blackclap" starts with the kind of warped stuttering percussion that defined mmml - possibly a tongue in cheek nod from Troxler - before moving into an effective, stepping rhythm. "Aggression" sounds inspired by his home town, Detroit; a tone-shifting bass unravels over dense drums as a scrambled radio broadcast plays away in the background. In truly unpredictable form, on the flip side Troxler opens things up to some of his close associates; the Thrill Cosby take on Heartthrob's "Signs" is a morose, noisy stepper, while Troxler himself turns Stefan Tretau's "Chittagong" into a stripped back, bleepy rhythm.
Review: Some DJs use the opportunity of a DJ Kicks mix to showcase the eclectic nature of their record collections, while others see it as a chance to give an airing to the dancefloor records that have inspired them over the years. Seth Troxler's selection sits somewhere in between. On the one hand, there are impeccable jazz and downtempo moments from the likes of Sun Ra, Herbert (as remixed by Phil Parnell) and DJ Koze, whose "Bodenweich" is an undeniably atmospheric, off-kilter delight. On the other hand, Troxler has picked out some genuinely brilliant, mostly US-centric house selections; deep, soulful and bumpin' fare from the likes of Butch, Kerri Chandler, Jasper Street Company, Mood II Swing and Derrick Carter.
Review: Seth Troxler takes a break from collaborating with Phil Moffa on the superbly sci-fi Lost Souls of Saturn project to join forces with a far more mysterious outfit. His Play It Say It label isn't giving away the identity of the producer (or producers) behind the Day or Night project, but the suspicious is that he/she/they are big in the game. "Me, You, Us" is pretty darn good all told, with Troxler and his shadowy collaborators wrapping trippy motifs, odd spoken word vocal snippets and a nagging synth hook around a rolling, delay-laden drum track reminiscent of those used by New York's proto-house producers in the early-to-mid 1980s
Review: In January 2015, Seth Troxler and Tom Trago decided to mark the passing of legendary Amsterdam venue Trouw by getting together in the studio. The resultant track - a woozy, undulating, 10-minute deep house epic - was first showcased on Troxler's DJ Kicks mix last autumn. Here, it gets a deserved single release, with accompanying remixes from Prins Thomas and Voyage Direct artist Maxi Mill. The Norwegian producer does a terrific job reinventing the track as a long-slung Balearic disco gem, full of glistening guitars, chiming melodies, percussive breakdowns and heavy, punk-funk bass. In contrast, Maxi Mill emphasizes the spacey elements of the original track, laying down a rolling, Detroit-influenced deep house shuffler.
Review: Continuing his rich vein of production form, the one and only Seth Troxler graces us with another solo release in the shape of Just Back, the latest release from the Tuskegee label he founded with The Martinez lads. Sporting some distinctive Tron-style artwork, this two tracker finds Seth channelling the vibe of '90s house and the Paradise Garage. Up top "CZ" is all about the intensity conjured by those thrusting keyboard stabs and marauding groove, with the drums almost sounding like the smack of lips. "Junkyard Tool" is where those stated references become more explicit and is perhaps one of Troxler's best solo productions in some time!
Review: Seth Troxler follows his recent release on Play It Say It with this fine split release. Working as Young Seth, he drops the deep, dubbed out house of "Moment", while "Relationships" sees him working under his own name with an equally cavernous but acid-laced groove. Then it's back to dance floor business for the time stretched vocals and stripped back rhythm of "Satisfy" and "Still Hot", a tracky affair penned with Shaun Reeves from Visionquest. However, this release demonstrates that Troxler is a restless producer and "Jus Your" is a quirky electro-funk affair, while "Aphrika" is an off beat, vocal led house jam. The release also features an old school house take on Kiki's "Good Voodoo" and Troxler's pulsating take on Fever Ray's "Seven".
Jimmy Edgar - "Hush" (Kyle's Detroit Retro Metro remix) - (6:30) 124 BPM
Tom Demac - "Obstructing The Light" (feat Duncan Edward Jones - original mix) - (6:51) 110 BPM
Review: There's something quite insurmountable about the Hypercolour back catalogue, stretching as it does through vast swathes of quality house and techno material back to 2006. Thankfully the good folk at the label have consolidated some more of the finest gems off those releases and bundled them together for a one-hit fix of high quality gear that sits left of centre. Whether it's Space Dimension Controller remixing Luke Vibert or Rolando tackling A Sagittariun, the tones are rich and diverse on all fifteen tunes, without a single dip in the quality. Our pick would be the angular delights of JoeFarr's "Trapington" with its squashed soul in amongst rough and tumble drum science.
