Review: It's been twenty years since Sven Vath's Cocoon operation set up in Ibiza; since then the label's annual alphabet-themed compilations have also come to define techno's stylistic twists and turns. According to S, 2019 clearly saw the re-emergence of trance in its various forms, from Love Over Entropy's wide-eyed abandon to Stimming's more musical approach - audible on "The Gift That Never Stops To Give". Musicality is also a common theme on the house and techno that features on Compilation S, with Emanuel Satie's "Planet XXX" resounding to melodic chord stabs and Giegling artist Edward's "End Days" favouring chattering samples and a soaring bass - inspired by E-Dancer with a modern, Teutonic twist.
Review: Hart & Tief is a spin-off of DJ Koze's Pampa label. Translated as 'hard and deep', the imprint's aesthetic is audible on its third release, which sees Stimming opt for a more underground sound than usual. On "Frankfurt Main", the Diynamic producer drops cold techno chord stabs and the kind of rumbling, cavernous rhythm that you'd normally associate with producers like Mike Dehnert (interestingly, also a previous contributor to the label). On the flip side, veteran German producer Dave DK ventures even farther down the wormhole. Stripped of melodies, "Saida 222" centres on a rumbling, loosely arranged workout that keeps on grooving.
Review: The Nu Breed series was conceived back in the early 00s as a means of showcasing upcoming DJs of that era, such as Danny Howells and Lee Burridge. Now that the series has re-launched, the same concept applies and the latest DJ to feature is German spinner Oliver Schories. With a focus on deep, emotional house music, he weaves an intoxicating path that moves from the slurred vocals of Rico Puestel's "Volute" and the melancholic piano keys of Black Light Smoke's "Fire in My Head" into driving, techy tracks like Jamie Trench's "It Never Stops" and Oliver Deutschmann's hypnotic minimalism, "Control", before climaxing with Chateau Flight's sprawling remake of AtJazz's "It's Complete". Here's to the next generation of new breed DJs.
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's Martin Stimming resurfaces with his first release in some two years, aligning with Koze's well respected Pampa Records for a two-track release that magnifies "the opposing sides of his studio psyche". Given Stimming has graced the likes of liebe*detail, Terminal M and Diynamic with his considered grasp of dancefloor dynamics, this Pampa debut is a smart move and shows he's lost none of his production panache despite the aforementioned absence. Lead track "China Tree" betrays a spikiness that will suit the dancefloor perfectly, with the primal bassline and raw, unpredictable drums really getting a grip on your attention. Those seeking some melodic sweetness from Stimming will be all over the B-side "Southern Sun" where Piper Davis's subtly affected vocals are woven into the very fabric of a woozy, kaleidoscopic production.
Review: Following news that Ben Watt no longer intends to put out new music on Buzzin' Fly, the compiling and re-releasing of some of the highlights from the label's back catalogue is timely. This third volume focuses on the high point of the label's output, the golden period from 2007 to 2008. The dominant sound here is trancey and melodic, with synth sweeps combined with sensuous strings and woodwind samples. Manoo & Francois A embody this approach on the windswept "Magnetic", where epic, acid-led hooks build over dubbed out drums, while Pedro Madeira's "Long Shadows" moves from lush strings into an epic break down. Despite this approach, there is still space for classic US house, as the dubby drums of Dennis Ferrer & Steve Martinez' version of Ben Watt's "Lone Cat (Holding On)" demonstrates.
Review: The latest instalment of Crosstown Rebels' long-running Get Lost series comes from odd German deep house/tech house fusionist Acid Pauli, a man who looks more like a hairy Open University geology lecturer than a top-flight DJ. Reflecting Pauli's own style, the compilation's 41 unmixed tracks touch on shuffling, eyes-closed deepness, tactile techno, dream house and tongue-in-cheek silliness (the brilliant space-pop of "In My Spaceship" by Jan Turkenburg. More impressively, there are a string of previously unseen exclusives, including excellent tracks from Nicolas Jaar, Nu and Acid Pauli himself.
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