Review: After two auspicious releases on the Swedish label Aniara Recordings, production duo Genius Of Time step up to Clone's Royal Oak series, previously graced by the likes of Space Dimension Controller, Reggie Dokes and Gerd. Taking this esteemed company into account, we don't take it lightly when we say this record is as good as anything we've heard in the Royal Oak series, with "Drifting Back" a jazzy house delight with softly pumping chords making for a jam that wouldn't seem out of place in the KDJ back cat. It's the two following tracks, however, that contain the real heat. "Houston We Have A Problem" combines calming synths, vocal moans and rolling percussion to breathtaking effect, while "Juxtapose" could almost be David Kennedy in house mode such is the tough, raw drum programming, but Genius Of Time add some softly soaring strings, thus imbuing the track with a nice classicist bent.
Review: With Larry Heard and Deetron on the remix, you'd be hard pressed to find fault with this superb remix package. Heard is typically at his melodic, soulful best, offering up two epic reworks that wrap heart-aching piano figures, jazz organs, acid tweaks and darting synths around a faultlessly deep groove. While his instrumental version is good, it's the full vocal version that really hits the spot. Deetron, meanwhile, ups the tempo and the percussive pressure on a pair of chiming, stargazing versions that just ooze Detroit techno flavour. This is perhaps most successful on the Dub, which gets just the right balance between build, melody and straightforward dancefloor oomph.
Review: Sometime Philpot and 4lux artist Arttu arises on the Clone imprint for the first time - and the results are just as good as the Rotterdam label's preceding output this year. Presented as the results of some spontaneous studio jams with Detroit artist Jerry The Cat, there's an undeniable sense of fun to both tracks here. Lead track "Nuclear Funk" is loose limbed analogue house at its finest, with rough hewn drums and a delightfully elastic bassline soon joined by Jerry's inimitable improvised refrain and lolloping percussive textures. "Get Up Off It" is altogether more scattergun, with gleefully disjointed drum machine rhythms raining down on the gloopy analogue bass line before a heavily delayed Jerry The Cat comes to the fore.
Review: Having won some fans with his Hypercolour release, Huxley now leaps to 20:20 Vision to dish out more smooth, feel-good house music. On "Box Clever" a rubbery bass line and steady drum machine beats meet with cheery piano samples for a track that could become synonymous with outdoor grooving in the sunshine. "Atonement" is more inwardly focused, not least in the filtered synth that lends a sexy late-night feel to the track. "Out Of My Mind" switches things up nicely with a cheeky broken beat bouncing off smatterings of Detroit chords for a surprising and addictive groove.
Review: With "Love" as its theme, it's perhaps unsurprising that this newie from Motor City Drum Ensemble is so sensual that it feels like MCDE man Danilo Plessow is actually gently tickling your nether regions with a fine feather duster. Whether or not the idea of getting down and dirty with Plassow floats your boat, "Love" is a particularly fine example of his deep house craft; a virtual hug crafted from live drums, minor key chords, brushed cymbals, melancholic organs and a sweet, sweet vocal. There's a more hypnotic dub, too, in the shape of "Basement Love", which offers a pleasingly chunky alternative.
Love's Got Me High (Marc Romboy Systematic Soul mix) - (6:41) 118 BPM
Love's Got Me High (Jimpster remix) - (6:34) 123 BPM
Review: The prevailing wisdom in music is 'if it ain't broke don't fix it', and we had some trepidation when we learned that there were reworks planned of Terrence Parker's "Love's Got Me High". Despite these reservations, it's clear that Romboy and Jimpster have delivered versions that are respectful of the original and certainly meet its high standards. Romboy's take centres on loose, organic drums and soulful keys, filtered subtly. These elements provide the basis for a sensuous male vocal to intone the track's title. Jimpster's take is trackier and more suited to DJ usage, its hissing, rasping percussion combined expertly with an insistent rhythm, but here too rhodsey keys and crowd screams and yells ensure it has a high soul quota. Check it!
Review: With DJ names like Take It Easy and Friso, it's probably to be presumed that German duo Adana Twins don't take themselves too seriously. That tongue in cheek attitude can be heard on "Everyday", a delightfully loose and languid cut that sounds like a funkier, groovier and, well, slightly less overbearing take on the work of Benoit & Sergio. Despite being propelled forward by a superb synth bassline, it lazily slips from the speakers rather than jumping towards you like a ninja on speed. "Strange" continues in a similar vein, offering a laidback, Soul Clap style cover of The Doors' "People Are Strange". With nice pianos. However odd that may seem on paper, it's actually superb.
Review: The latest release from Fritz Kalkbrenner is in stark contrast to the stage-diving antics of his film-star brother. The title track revolves around a poppy hook that could have been lifted from an 80s hit and then put through some FX. Either way, it sounds familiar and infectious, but Kalkbrenner keeps it in the club realm with a loose break beat and an acid-flecked, squelchy bassline. "Layer Cake" pushes further into the abstract as Kalkbrenner delivers layers of jazzy keys and a humming bass reminiscent of Carl Craig or Ian O'Brien's jazzy work. The beats are understated and the only nod towards the dance floor is the series of thumb-clicking percussion.
Review: Here's a little digital bonus for long-time followers of Dave "multiple pseudonyms" Lee - a long-lost rework of 2002 Z Factor single "Sounds In The Air". The remix itself comes from Soul Purpose, a long-forgotten alternative moniker for Peace Division men Clive Henry and Justin Drake. It's a pretty tasty rework, too, coming on like a cross between skippy UK garage, bassy UK house and the sort of jaunty, funky club fodder that Lee is famous for. The original vocal is used sparingly, allowing the duo to make room for hip-shaking beats and some gargantuan sub-bass stabs. Like vintage funky house, only better.
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: Well-traveled Spaniard Maceo Plex is a snug fit with Crosstown Rebels. The trio of tracks on this quietly impressive EP sound unequivocally current, yet none neatly fit into prescribed genre pigeonholes. "Can't Leave You", for example, sounds like some lost Seth Troxler/Benoit & Sergio hoedown (especially the Tale Of Us remix), but with the addition of extra disco drums, gut-busting sub-bass and classic analogue house touches. It has "Ibiza" written all over it. "Stop Your Hate" treads similar ground, but also includes a heavy dose of mutant electrofunk. It's kinda deep, but also kinda funky. Either way, it's a lot of fun.
Review: Given their recent move towards Visionquest-ish pastures, it's little surprise to find that this latest audio missive from Crosstown Rebels incorporates both live-sounding drums and atmospheric vocals. That said, the delightfully atmospheric "Space Ballad" is still based around a stupendously dubby, sub-shaking bassline. It also boasts enough straight-up house thrills to impress all but the most miserable deep house purists. Even better are the two remixes from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, who throw everything but the kitchen sink at it -including some thrilling analogue bass, gorgeous synth-pop chords and, on the 'Sings' version, their own vocals.
Review: Having enjoyed the sort of 2011 that most producers dream of, hip Spaniard Maceo Plex returns to Crosstown Rebels with another two-track dose of touchy-feely nu school deep house. "Frisky" is typical of Plex's previous work, melding tactile synth bass, stirring strings and half sung, half-spoken vocals to a shuffling, nu-school house groove. It perhaps lacks the sheer power of previous releases, but there's a subtlety and sweetness that's addictive. "Sex Appeal" ditches the strings for bubbling acid lines, but otherwise the formula remains the same - shuffling, soft focus house music tailor-made for dewy-eyed moments of late night revelry.
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