Review: Tronik Youth's Nein label bring us the debut EP (we think!) from the mysterious Slum 159, a producer with seemingly no online presence at all. In this case he really can afford to "let the music do the talking", though, because if you're a fan of darker disco styles influenced by EBM and electro you'll find much to enjoy here. 'Decade' itself is a fairly unremarkable throbber with a woodwind-like synth sound taking the lead - From Beyond's beefier remix works better, to these ears. But 'Plastic', with its air of 80s sleaze and menace, is really quite distinctive sounding, and Los Fugazzi's moody, prog-tinged refix is a killer.
Dance In My Club (Steve Cook mix) - (8:08) 112 BPM
Dance In My Club (Modernphase mix) - (3:43) 116 BPM
Review: Tronik Youth never stops to take a breath - he's always either posting regular monthly mixes or releasing new jams via his Nein imprint. This latest offering, "Dance In My Club" by Cravero, continues the label's current EBM assault, with the original being a minimal seven-minute techno-pop odyssey in the vein of Daniel Avery. Steve Cook provides a cool laser-driven electroclash retweak and Modernphase goes all out to present an epically moody mechanical trip-out.
Review: Decibels formed in one almighty bonding session at a rave in Northampton. Once the disco biscuits wore off, they found that they still liked each other and set about knocking out remixes that wowed the likes of Pete Tong and Tensnake. Now signed to Nein Records, they're even releasing their own compositions, which leads us to here. Although the original of "Regulator/Moderator" doesn't appear, loads of killer remixes do, the best of which is the 80s 'sophisti-pop'-channelling Bufi mix - if synths could ever be ornate, this would be it.
Review: Neil "Tronik Youth" Parnell has been fairly quiet of late, so it's nice to see him back in action, dropping an expansive EP featuring no less than six remixes. His original version of "Pain Relief" is fairly typical of his heavily electronic, analogue-influenced space disco sound - all undulating synthesizer riffs, relentless drum machine handclaps, wonky vocal samples and hypnotic acid tweakery. The accompanying remixes vary wildy, but are for the most part rather good. Arguably the highlight is the Hardway Brothers druggy, pitched-down analogue techno take, which continues their run of remarkable reworks. Elsewhere, there's a bubbly, nu-disco meets deep house take from DJ Steef that's certainly worth a listen, and a delicious Pet Shop Boys-go-Balearic (well, kind of) interpretation from Ben Macklin.
Review: Neil Parnell (aka Tronik Youth) has been a staple of London's electro scene for about 10 years now. Lately he's been putting out some seriously fine mixes and re-edits, but here he's just dropped a brand new production. "Zulu Whiskey" is a slowly escalating electro-houser with severe new wave/Balearic leanings - always a good thing in our book. There's plenty of remixes too, including Gemini Brothers' deep and fuzzy italo/cosmic workout and, best of all, the filthy and broken EBM thruster of a mix by man of the moment, Emile Strunz.
Review: Given the ubiquity of straight-up disco and boogie edits, it's heartening to see Tronik Youth doing things differently with this fascinating release. The four tracks are decidedly sludgy and left-of-centre, from the dreamy slo-mo Balearica of "Rare Breed", to the clanking, metallic rhythms and curious rock vocals of the strangely stomping "Electric Baby". Best of all, though, are the two tracks that bite old EBM and Belgian new beat jams. Opener "What Is Love" is particularly potent, with mid '80s house riffs riding a deliciously dirty, analogue-heavy new beat groove. The pulsating "Body Heat" - think "Sensoria"-era Cabaret Voltaire with a twist - is almost as good, and one of the most interesting edits you'll here for a while. Three cheers to Tronik Youth for doing things differently.
Review: Given the ubiquity of bog standard disco edits these days, it's always refreshing to hear a collection of reworks that does things differently. The first two installments of Tronik Youth's CTRL+S Edits series did just that, variously offering edits of new beat, new wave, Italo and obscure '80s alternative rock tracks. This third volume offers more left-of-centre tweaks, sensitively edited to provide maximum dancefloor enjoyment. Choose between the cacophonous percussion, woozy synths and rubbery bassline of skewed pop cut "Boat Rocker", the sludgy, slo-mo '80s weirdo rock of "Bunny Boiler" - replete with cosmic effects and Baldelli-ish wrong-speed vibes - and the tongue-in-cheek midtempo Italo silliness of "Roll & Rock".
Review: Londoner Neil Parnell shot to fame with some killer releases on Back Yard in the days when having a pun as your artist name was de riguer (mid Noughties). Since then he's released an album, DJed everywhere and kept everyone happy with a series of regular mixes. Here though it's simply about the music and we get four juicy scalpel jobs including a spaced-out version of Joey Beltram's Energy Flash ("Energy Rash"), soulful synth disco ("Body Wanted") and a storming Italo Disco version of The Safety Dance ("Health And Safety").
Review: We've waxed lyrical before about the quality of Tronik Youth's CTRL+S edit series, and particularly his unusual choices of source material. There's plenty of intriguing choices on this fourth installment, starting with "Yo Yo Body", a thrillingly rolling rework of Dr Felix's 1989 new beat classic "Relax Your Body" (the original was a cover of the KLF's '88 version of "What Time Is Love"; the version edited here is the lesser-known flipside remix, which dispenses with Drummond and Cauty's familiar refrain). "Spy vs Spy" breathes new life into a long-forgotten, Italo-era EBM jam, emphasizing the filthier elements of the original, while "Beta Sex" expertly stretches, cuts and tweaks a sludgy, breathless chunk of coldwave sleaze. The result is another on-point collection of weird and wonderful late night re-edits.
Review: Wow! Here's a collaboration and a half - former Silver City man, Julian Sanza (2020 Vision, Cr2) has hooked up with Future Feelings (Los Grandes, Eskimo, Gazeebo International) for an Argentinean meets Mexican hoedown. The original mix is pure shimmering, sleepy poolside synthpop with that unmistakable Silver City glacial sheen. Remix-wise, Tronik Youth adds some nice chunky electro arpeggiation, Avanti opts for some mid 00s electro-house action and Ben Macklin steers us into piano-led nu-disco territory. With early support from the likes of Cosmonauts, Tensnake and Bill Brewster, it looks like this one's a winner.
Review: Perhaps the most striking thing about Tronik Youth's Control+S Edits series - aside from the undoubted quality of his re-rubs - is its unpredictability. Previous installments have variously doffed a cap to post-punk madness, new beat, EBM, synth-wave and forgotten disco-not-disco. Happily, this fifth volume continues this theme. Opener "Betty Spaghetti" sounds like a long-lost, new wave era proto-house gem (all tactile electronics, wonky drum machine rhythms and hedonistic vocals), while "Coco-Nutz" comes from the weirder end of the EBM/post-punk spectrum. As for Trans-India Express, it sounds like Bollywood producers fantasizing about an unlikely alliance between Kraftwerk, Patrick Adams and Bohannon. It's seriously strange, but also exceptionally good.
Review: Normally home to Tronik Youth and Decibels, Nein has opened its doors to accommodate this debut release by the mysterious Discordance. "Tarantism" is a vicious slice of raw, jackin' electronic body music. Tronik Youth goes a bit Hitman & Her on his cool Eurobeat remix, Tici Taci rustles up a percolating deep and synthy affair before Perdido Key ends things on a trippy, weirded out, almost early Chicago remix. Every one's a winner on this one.
Review: Having spent much of 2014 impressing with his superb (and delightfully eccentric) CTRL+S Edits series, Tronik Youth returns to the world of original production. As you might expect, "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" chugs hard, with psychedelic vocal samples, trippy electronics and twinkling piano flourishes wrapping themselves around a druggy, Italo-influenced groove. It's rather good, all told, and sits somewhere between murky nu-disco and early '90s "intelligent techno" (think Brown Album-era Orbital). The remix package is particularly strong, with similarly psychedelic interpretations from Peza and Two Mamarochos being joined by a brilliantly ragged, armour-clad acid tweak from Los Lopez. Best of all, though, is the Dark Strands remix, which turns the track into a sensual, slo-mo Balearic chugger.
Review: San Sebastian-based twosome Jaime Sagastibeltza and Borja Campion have been doing the rounds for sometime, though their releases have been limited (a single on Is It Balearic, and a collection of edits for Los Grandes). Here they attempt to step up to the next level via an excellent, coldwave and Italo influenced chunk of atmospheric, darkroom nu-disco for Nein. The excellent original version - think Brian Ferry style vocals, relentless low register guitars and murky synthesizer arpeggios - is joined by a quartet of remixes. Arguably most impressive is Factory Floor's revision, which blackens the track further via woozy analogue electronics, bongo-laden rhythms and psychedelic melodies. Elsewhere, Rodion goes all macabre acid house, and Reverso 68 turn the track into a surprisingly cheery Balearic disco chugger.
Review: Hi NRG yet slo-mo, Dark Strands present a chugging single of burning nu-disco with a heavy cast of remixers. The original, however, sits at a low slung 106 BPMs and features all the loved tropes of the genre - up front Italoc synths, breeze block-sized beats, breathy vocals, and yes, cowbells. The Heretic remix focuses its energies on the vocals and synths while adding a gruelling 303 bassline, while Inigo Vontier goes big and progressive, similar to the music of Dusty Kid. Tronik Youth turns the track into an electrified piece of rocking, electro Balearica, and stripped back sensations is the order of the day for DJ ATHome.
Review: Tronik Youth and Jonah Considine's Nein Records now welcomes newcomer William Earl into the fold. They've pulled out all the stops for this introductory EP, with a plethora of remixes to accompany the two originals featured here. "Loveless" is long a slow excursion into dreamy body music, whilst "Elephants" is a totally cool slice of Chloe-style gnawing, buzz saw electro-house. Of the remixers Clandestino opts for a cosmic jack vibe, Hiem go for eight minutes fantastic drone-meets-guitar-shred joy, Kalidasa does laid back Italo-disco and Somerville & Wilson get heavy on the arpgeggiators. Class
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.