Codek Records started its journey in 1996 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. The disco-punk rooted label was set up by Swiss duo, In Flagranti. From funky Japanese-tinged sounds of In Flagranti’s ‘Kachi Kachi (Unreleased Funky Mix)’ (feat. Ayakamay) right the way through to In Flagranti’s dark, paranoia-inducing Chicago house trip ‘Voices In My Head (Innovative Treatment Mix)’ (feat. Andrew Edward Brown), Codek continues to push the boundaries of its idiosyncratic sound.
Review: Serial disco-punk troublemakers In Flagranti return with a fresh transmission on their Codek label. It comes from little known curio Jonny Sender and this is one that will appeal to the attendees of Dusseldorf's Salon des Amateurs or advocates of that venue's founding father Tolouse Low Trax. In particular lead track "Zhivago Zhivago" which features the vocals of Elhadj Fall plunged to the depths of the mix whilst Jonny Sender lays down a deliciously sleazy, mid-tempo throb. Who better to remix it than Romania's foremost exponents of electronic psychedelia Khidja? Andrei Rusu and Florentin Tudor have outdone themselves on this remix. The other tracks see Sender trading in a more explicitly disco sound with dashes of house stabs and cowbells, cowbells, cowbells.
Review: Yep, this is another one of those killer single-track salvos that In Flagranti seem so obsessed with these days. To be honest, it's one of their best for a while; a woozy, midtempo cut that sits somewhere between lazy disco-funk, stoner prog and moody nu-disco. This groove itself is authentically disco - with a touch of stoned rock in the guitars and bass - but the stuff layered on top - bittersweet strings, fuzzy electronic noises, all manner of effects -is anything but. The combination works well, though, giving the impression that it'll sound good over a sizeable system.
Review: Serial disco-punk troublemakers In Flagranti continue their obsession with single-track releases, delivering another eccentric but desirable one-track missive. "On The Spot" is a typically curious concoction, mashing together elements from familiar favourites (the break from "Dirty Cash", a dash of vocal from "Somebody Else's Guy", various bits of barely audible AOR vocals), with formidably heavy bass, twiddly synths and some very odd (but rather good) backing vocals. It should be a mess but, strangely, it works. There's little subtle about it, but it's a bona fide party banger. In these miserable times, we heartily improve.
Review: "Eocene" is arguably In Flagranti's most interesting release of recent times, delivering a sweaty, tropical brew of shuffling, low-end house rhythms, deft electronics, cute marimba melodies and a Sting vocal sample. It's loosely based on The Police's "Walking In Your Footsteps", utilising the original's melodies and the vocal hook that dominates the original track. Since the original is definitely Balearic, it's a clever move.
Review: Still reeling from the release of his 'Selftitled' LP last year, Steppin' Wolf is a fully fledged independent artist pushing a curious sound that meets somewhere in the middle of electro, synthwave and post punk inspirations. Having contributed a now rare release to DJ duo MANAMANA's Mana All Nite label (sub-label to KANN records), Steppin' Wolf's music has largely come through independent releases on F.M.O (For Madmen Only). Picked up by Inflagranti's Codek, Come Up, You Fearful Preacher brings together some poetic and industrial angst in "The Torrent Of Words" next to the darkwave acid trip of "Whip The Whip". Shed-like kick drums make it into the the dubby electro-and-Italo mix of "Coyote Boy & The Drums" with a deep and dreamy "A Reason For The End Of Civilization" hitting something super deep and sweet.
Review: Something of a treat here, as disco-punk mavericks In Flagranti drop an exclusive, one-track single for Juno Download. The oddly titled "Restraint Bias" is one of their best cuts for a while, all punk funk bottom end, cutesy organs, dubbed-out disco guitars and addictive melodies. As it builds, cut-up sax lines and string blasts are introduced to frantically push the action along. By their standards it's quite restrained (see what we did?), but it's great fun - and more overtly disco than many of their recent releases. Recommended!
Review: Sleaze disco dons In Flagranti slip out another killer single on Codek, and this time it's some moog-heavy soundtrack business in the shape of "Alemande". Clearly enjoying the freedom that releasing music on your own label affords artists, Sasha and Alex open the track with a slow-mo beat which emerges amid a smoky haze of fuzzy guitar licks. Before long the moog bassline enters the fray to lend "Alemande" a deliciously dense and exotic feel. Big tip as always!
Review: In Flagranti present "Sensory Cue", the latest in their current run of digital-only one track releases. Even if you've followed In Flagranti's career for some years it's unlikely you'll be prepared for just how insane this track is. Combining a stuttering, low-slung squelch with library music melodies and spoken vocal samples that seem to come from 80s television broadcasts, it's quite unlike anything else you're likely to have heard this year, and is simultaneously one of the most brilliant.
Review: Following last week's well-received "Restraint Bias", veteran disco-punks In Flagranti drop another Juno Download exclusive - the similarly worthy "Reminiscence Bump". Whereas its predecessor was jolly, jangly and shot through with a thick vein of disco, "Reminiscence Bump" is an altogether cuter and cuddlier affair. While still retaining some floor-friendly hefty bottom end, there's a delicate feel to the percussion and chiming, melancholic melodies utilised throughout. In Flagranti's usual trademarks remain - live drums and bass, dubby guitar riffs etc - but they're kept low in the mix. It's a wise choice; "Reminiscence Bump" is one of their deepest and most cultured cuts to date.
Review: For the third week in a row, veteran disco-punks In Flagranti drop a single-track Juno Download exclusive. This time round, they're off on a far-out, sample-laden journey that's two parts trippy old skool electro, three parts analogue deep house and two parts dub disco oddity. As you've no doubt gathered, it's fiendishly hard to describe and doesn't fall neatly into any particular category. Yet as with much inspired music, that's part of the charm. There are some strange spoken vocal samples ("Oh yes... oh no!") that add a quirky charm to proceedings.
Review: Fans of In Flagranti must be thrilled with the duo's current productivity. "Clustering Illusion" is the latest cut to drop in their ongoing series of single-track, digital-only releases, and it's really rather good. Typically psychedelic in its outlook, the track blends sparse, experimental electro rhythms (very cosmic disco) with dubbed-out vocal snippets, woozy chords and smacked-out fragments of delay-laden guitar. It sounds like the results of an imagined meeting between Throbbing Gristle's Chris Carter, Codek and Felix Laband, with Todd Terje on production duties. Which, to be fair, would be a dream combination.
Review: In their typically minimal press release for this two-track salvo, In Flagranti simply describes the EP's content as "edit/rework/party tunes". It's an apt description. Lead cut "Beast" delivers a deliciously saucer-eyed trip into vintage Chicagoan deep house territory, cutting up what sounds like a classic Mr Fingers production and layering it with nagging vocal samples, additional electronics and hypnotic, locked-in beats (admittedly with some additional crashing cymbals as the track progresses). "Forty Deuce", on the other hand, is an altogether more celebratory affair, brilliantly looping and chopping a long forgotten AOR disco gem. Think Tiger & Woods builds and blue-eyed soul vocals, and you're close.
Review: Despite being active in the scene for decades, In Flagranti show no signs of slowing down or slipping up. For those who enjoy druggy, off-kilter club cuts, it's comforting to know that each successive EP from the Swiss duo will be as essential as its predecessor. There's naturally plenty to get the juices flowing on their latest four-track missive, from the densely layered hand percussion, dubbed-out spoken word snippets and weirdo samples of "Expensive Wardrobe", to the bustling late '80s warehouse pump of "Soft White Skin" and hypnotic late night throb of metronomic deep house jack-track "Arousing Touch". Bizarre-but-brilliant opener "Rather Sexy" is pretty darn tasty, too.
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