Review: Sante drops his second studio album on AVOTRE. This collaborative project features remixes and guest features from the house scene's biggest acts and it's all rather impressive. Starting out with the tough and dusty warehouse shuffle of "Octave" (Ninetoes remix), Denney's remix of "Never Enough" gets a taste for the acid life where he works that silver Roland box like a you know what!His teaming up with the imitable queen of Detroit Ann Saunderson on "Promises" showed us some jacking and hi-octane techno-soul too. Elsewhere, there's his remix of the legendary Marshall Jefferson anthem "I Believe" and a track with the Stereo MC's entitled 'I Need'. wAFF (Hot Creations) joins the line up of world leading talent with "Interferenze" before the LP is brought to a brilliant close with a remix from long-time friend Sidney Charles called 'Sick Drummer', not to mention Sante's interpretation of Roland Clark's "What The F**K" to boot!
Review: Remix compilations can be a little hit-and-miss, but this one - gathering together five years of eccentric and often inspired reinterpretations from German veteran DJ Koze - is anything but. Koze often saves his best work for the remix domain, delivering imaginative reworks that take the original material into surprising new places. So, Herbert's "If Only" is turned into a sparse chunk of atmosphere-rich late night deep house, Caribou's "Found Out" is blessed with a new sense of wonky, left-of-centre purpose, and Zwanie Johnson's "Golden Song" is given a decidedly Balearic, beatless makeover. Highlights are plentiful, with Koze's dubby, low-slung afro-jazz reinterpretation of Soap & Skin's "Marche Funebre" standing out.
Review: Berlin based imprint Toy Tonics serve us with a new series entitled Mushroom House which will explore some mutant strains of house music, drawing in a diverse range of influences and boy are we excited! Starting out with the legendary Danish trio WhoMadeWho with the deep and smacked out DJ Koze remix of their track "Keep Me In My Plane". Also on offer is Australian act and the Sonar Kollektiv affiliated Jad & The Ladyboy who offer us the jagged and exotic latin flair of "Gervinho", the dark dancefloor drama of Berlin/Mexico collaboration by Munk & Rebolledo "Surf Smurf" (Rebolledo Short version) and Italian duo Alien Alien with the emotive Detroit techno influenced "Uhura" for something a bit deeper and futuristic.
