Review: It's time to dive into some Icelandic delights on this one as we are joined by the ever-more experimental sounds of Bjarki, a producer who is no stranger to testing out the weird and wonderful. That's exactly what he does here as he unveils his brand new 'Psychotic_Window' LP, courtesy of K7, drizzled with soundscaping brilliance and a deep understanding for electronic music in general. Across all fourteen tracks, Bjarki displays an incredible depth of sound, from the stuttered percussive clicks of 'MIRA' to the highly digitized arrangements of 'Cool You Peel2' and shiny pad work on 'Psykixk TV'. We would seriously recommend taking this one in on long play!
Review: While most editions of the DJ Kicks mix series feature at least one track created by the artist behind the mix, Kamaal Williams' forthcoming version features quite a few - hence this four-track EP of previously unreleased material. The talented keyboardist, DJ and producer first offers up a brilliant live, full-band version of "Bitches Brew" rich in spoken word vocals, snaking horn lines, frequent changes in tempo and his own sublime keys work, before delivering the stunning, piano-only lament "Shinjuku (DJ Kicks)". He dons his familiar Henry Wu alias to lay down the squelchy deep house hypnotism of "Wivout U" - a track seemingly created for the "We Out Here" festival - before reverting to jazz-funk/jazz-fusion mode on ear-catching closing cut "Strings (ATL)". In a word: delicious.
Review: On the latest instalment of the long-running DJ-Kicks series, Peggy Gou paints a vivid picture. It starts with the widescreen ambience of Space Time Continuum's 1993 debut, "Fluresence", before moving into her own, cosmic "Hungboo" and the niggling acid of Pearson Sound's "Earwig", a contemporary cousin to Plastikman's Musik. There are other endearing oddities here, such as Andrew Weatherall's seductive house version of Sly & Lovechild's "The World According To..." and the raw drums of Kyle Hall's "Flemmenup". Gou has also included a Detroit techno classic, Psyche's "Crackdown", but balances this out with new, unreleased tracks from I:Cube - "Cassette Jam 1993" sees the maverick French producer deliver a frazzled, hazy affair - and Hiver's pulsating, acid-flecked "Pert".
Review: When they were asked to put together the latest volume in the "DJ Kicks" series, Mount Kimbie boys Dominic Maker and Kai Campos drew influence from a recent six-date run supporting Actress. As a result, the 22 tracks they have chosen - here presented in DJ friendly, unmixed form - tend towards the experimental and off-kilter, touching on a myriad of styles (ambient, industrial-era experimentalism, South American influenced tropical drum jams, spacey modular techno, raw-edged peak-time jams, mind-altering acid weirdness and intergalactic electro all feature) in the process. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the hypnotic dancefloor intensity of Stanislav Tolkachev and bleeping body-jack of A Sagittariun, to the skewed warmth of Severed Heads and the dream-like weirdness of their own exclusive contribution, "Southgate".
Review: "!Kollections" banner. Each focuses on a certain aspect of the long-running label's vast back catalogue. The fourth edition, for example, focused on disco. "Reflections", the latest volume, is not as tight stylistically and instead gathers together tracks that tend towards the deep, poignant, beautiful and melancholy. There are many treats amongst the 27 showcased selections, with highlights including an impeccable chunk of string-laden downtempo pop from DJ Tennis and Fink, a dreamy slice of loved-up house warmth from Lone, the bustling, dream house era Mediterranean holiday memories of Mugwump's "God is Gracious" and the thrusting, big room-friendly late night hypnotism of Dubfire's "Dust Devil".
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: Akase is Harry Agius aka Midland joined by Robbie Redway on vocals. "Murmur" is a slice of sophisticated modern synth pop reminiscent of Delphic or The Howling. Rather high production values on here with rich and elevating synth textures supporting Redway's brilliantly emotive vocals. Producer extraordinaire Ewan Pearson lends his hand to two tremendous remixes of the track. The main remix keeps Redway's vocals on this dark chugging epic, with a dirty arpeggio backed by some superb science fiction synth zaps, until another more soulful arpeggio lead joins the fray. Brilliant! There's a dub version for those of you less keen on the vocals.
Review: Brandt Brauer Frick hook up with Frank Ocean producer Om'Mas Keith - one of the brains behind Channel Orange - for this single from their new album, Miami. Gone is the organic sound of yore, replaced by something more electronic and groove-based. Indeed, "Plastic Like Your Mother" is a hyperactive affair, by turns deep and dreamy and mysterious and haunting, but without losing the musical touch that the act have become known for. The vocals help to lend a sense of mystique to the arrangement and it is tailor-made for festival stages and cavernous venues like Berghain where the Berlin trio are used to performing.
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