Review: Rekids continues to offer up new remixes of Nina Kraviz's eponymous 2012 debut album. Here, they revisit 'Taxi Talk' - a quirky, dusty and evocative slab of off-kilter deep house with typically evocative spoken word vocals by the popular Russian DJ/producer. This time round, Kraviz's drowsy, radio-friendly original is twisted into new shapes by David Lohlein and Sterac Electronics (AKA Dutch techno/electro veteran Steve Rachmad). Lohlein steps up first, turning the track into a ghetto-tech influenced slab of all-action techno sleaze, before Rachmad revisits his 1980s electro roots with a version that sits somewhere between drum machine driven new wave synth-pop, electrofunk and the nostalgic productions of Dam Funk. It's a fantastic re-make all told.
Review: For his latest trick, spoonerism-loving rework maestro V (AKA sometime funk-breaks producer Valique) has decided to offer up a second selection of "Neo Blues" scalpel works. He begins by delivering a chunky, rolling revision of Ann Feebles' rock-tinged gospel-funk classic "Beware", before chugging his way through a pitched-down revision of a weighty T-Rex glam-rock classic ("Jewelry"). This is followed by EP highlight "Holis", an inspired - and suitably epic - "Afro-blues" revision of one of Nina Simone's greatest moments, and the low-slung voodoo-house hypnotism of "Mississippi Lullalby (V's Rendition)". To finish with a. flourish, the Vehicle main man then adds some elastic new drums to Otis Redding's version of "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay".
Review: American house/garage legend Benji Candelario returns with his new single "Higher" (Benji Candelario Thump Mix), a deep and slinky tech house number with a truly bumping bass, euphoric arpeggios and head rush inducing atmospherics. All off course optimised for maximum dancefloor drama. To top it all off, it also features some awe inspiring vocal work by Arnold Jarvis and Nina Lares. Expect to hear this detonating a dancefloor near you soon. To quote his bio "Candelarios signature soulful house/garage/tech sound is the embodiment of his Manhattan upbringing during the culturally vibrant late 70s and 80s" in addition to cutting his teeth at the legendary Shakedown Studios. We're glad to see the return of such a legend.
Review: Russian producer Nina Kraviz gets remixed in three radically different ways. KiNK's take on "Love or Go" is a mellow affair, with dubby drums mixed with a resonating bass and a warm acid bleed leading into a sensuous breakdown. By contrast, Steve Rachmad puts the focus on the dance floor for his reshape. The Dutchman's 'Jack' version is powered by heavy drums and Kraviz' vocal contribution sounds like it has been taken over by a montone robot as an atmospheric filter pushes it into an epic breakdown. Rachmad's 'Scorp' version is far heavier and more stipped back, with tearing acid lines unravelling over metallic beats and the robot reduced to intoning what sounds like 'techno, techno, techno'.
Review: The run of remixes from Nina Kraviz' self-titled album continues unabated, and this time, following sterling efforts from Urban Tribe, Steve Rachmad, KiNK and Marcellus Pittman, it's the turn of DVS1 to step up. On the menu are two opposing reworks of "Best Friend", which expand on the original's whispering vocals with an original contribution by Naughty Wood; the "Forever mix", which fills out the spacious, improvisational original with rigid, dubby organ stabs, firming up the kick for a more dancefloor friendly effect, and the "Dub test" version, which brings the lead in slowly over a gaseous swirl of minimal percussion and billowing bass. The inclusion of Kraviz's seriously weird original rounds things out nicely.
Review: This compilation neatly brings together the many versions of Kraviz tracks that have appeared on Radioslave's label. While the passage of time has not been kind to some of the remixes - KinK's grinding take on "Love Or Go" and the minimal house of Alexkid's 2010 version of "Pain in the Ass" - in the main, it's an impressive collection. Urban Tribe breathe mysterious synth lines and heavy electro-bass tones into "Taxi Talk" and Steve Rachmad's version of "Ghetto Kraviz" and DVS1's take on "Best Friend" represent the more considered end of club techno. Matt Edwards' own contribution should not be forgotten either, and his understated take on "Aus", replete with camera clicks and woozy synths, is one of his finest reworks to date.
Review: Siberian singer/producer Nina Kraviz has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last few years, thanks in no small part to a killer debut 12" (2009's "Pain In The Ass"). Here she drops her long-promised debut album for Matt 'Radioslave' Edwards' Rekids imprint, a collection of unusual deep house, downtempo and leftfield pop cuts with her own unique twist. It's a decidedly atmospheric and forward-thinking collection that mixes her fragile vocals and off-kilter production with live instrumentation and decidedly bass-heavy grooves. It's a wickedly original formula, capable of delivering haunting songs ("Fire", Hard Ton collab "Walking In The Night"), fuzzy floorfillers ("Ghetto Kraviz") and spooky downbeat grooves ("The Needle"). Highly recommended.
Review: For this latest Mr Jones EP by Nina Kraviz, she withdraws any sentiments of ghetto house heard on last year's debut album and turns in something house and techno inspired for Rekids. Her sultry, accented vocals still play a large role in her music however, best heard in the dark house of "Desire", the first track of this double EP. "Mr Jones" begins much the same was as "Desire", but when the beat does drop, it's not as tough, but twice as haunting - complementing the EPs cover art. Kraviz teams up with Luke Hess for the Detroit techno drum track that is "Remember", while "Black White" offers the some respite from the previous productions gloominess with something more festive and tropical. From here Kraviz provides some classic, minimal, and percussive deep house in "So Wrong", which leads perfectly into the club drumming of "Sheer". A superb follow up by Kraviz.
Review: Although its been over a year since the release of Nina Kraviz' debut album, Rekids have decided to joins forces with Detroit's FIT in much the same manner as the Rush Hour hook-up last year that spawned some excellent remixes of Kraviz from Steve Rachmad and Kink. This time it's a Motor City affair as two artists well suited to Kraviz' stripped back style offer their take on her material. First up, Marcellus Pittman takes the trippy, dubbed out tones of "Working" and puts it through a digital blender, turning it into a minimal masterpiece which feels more impressionist collage than remix, dropping fragments around a loose rhythmic framework. Then its the turn of Sherard Ingram aka DJ Stingray, who adopts his Urban Tribe persona to rework the dusty vocal soul of "Taxi Talk", turning it into a throbbing, straight up big room track with early 00s undertones present in its unashamed pomp and neon synths textures.
Review: REKIDS give "Aus" from Nina Kraviz's heralded self titled album its own release. Remixes come from The Rhythm Odyssey, DJ Q and Radio Slave as Matthew E. "Aus" is as low-slung and sultry as it is loose and minimal; King Aus preaching all things house music and freedom in tune to church-like Rhodes. DJ Qu focuses on looping the key elements of NK's original, creating a deep and hypnotic mantra while The Rhythm Odyssey brings the p-funk with a walking bassline in his "Warehouse Tape edit", similar to Mike Dunn's "Phreaky MF". Radio Slave works the bassline in his mix also, but substitutes The Rhythm Odyssey's disco groove for some up beat ghetto-funk, while adding flashing camera samples and random snippets of the warning bleeps a car makes when keys are left in the ignition.
Review: Faze Action teams up with Nina Miranda for the jazzy disco tones of "Vamos Pintar", and the results are magic. This is unabashedly joyous, flamboyant dance music rich with vibraphone licks, synth stabs and a catchy vocal hook about painting, which Max Essa then slows down to a Balearic strut on his "Slo Mo Bubble Dub" mix before offering up a more energetic "Extended Club Mix". The real gem on the record comes with "Paradise 90 Dub", which faithfully champions the Larry Levan school of party music, and everyone knows that means guaranteed club heat.
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