Two deep tripping techno tracks. DVS1 revitalize his own imprint HUSH with his second release focused only on his own tracks and his love for deep and purist techno.
001.Features
Savas Pascalidis – Level Shift [NON011]
DJ Skull – Revenge of The Synth [CHIWAX013]
Ron Maney aka DJ Skull lived in the Southside of Chicago. His musical career started during the summer of 1986, DJing first at basement parties, building his reputation to go on to larger events such as loft and hotel parties, and eventually the infamous Music Box and Power Plant clubs. At the age of fifteen Ron shopped his first demo at Trax Records. There he first met Chicago’s legendary DJ Ron Hardy, working as A&R for Trax Records. Two years, and a new alias later (DJ Skull) later while at the Power Plant, Chicago’s own Steve Poindexter heard a DJ playing one of Rons tracks, and met Ron. Steve was now A&R at Saber Records and invited Ron to release some tracks. So in October of 1991 DJ Skull’s first record ”N.R.G. Music” was released. In 1993, he released the EP ”The Stomping Grounds” on Djax-Up-Beats, which was more noted than the first one. Over the years that followed DJ Skull released lots of EP’s on several labels. He has become well-respected producer and DJ in the Techno industry.
Kel – Kel [7777-006]
Kel, aka Elias Landberg of Skudge, with 3 analogue techno cuts for the 6th release on 7777. Sci-fi acid from the future or the past?
Loud Neighbor – The Fellonship [WT001]
Lionel Weets – Alien Opera [MT052]
Motech Records, DJ 3000’s label heads to another new signing with two tracks by Lionel Weets, taken from his forthcoming debut album, `Stellar Orchestra’. Techno and house producer, Lionel Weets hails from Belgium and yet his style is clearly influenced by Detroit Techno with its deep, soulful and melodic sound, plus that additional funky touch.
Mike Dehnert – Lichtbedingt [104DSR]
Three years after his last full-length album on Delsin, tireless techno producer Mike Dehnert is back with another one. The 104th release on Delsin, entitled Lichtbedingt, counts 12 tracks and is yet another subtle evolution away from the chord driven, functional sound he has championed before now. The album starts off with a suitably sombre intro that features cold, slowly shifting synths. They set an uneasy and moody tone before ‘Construction’ settles into a fat, swaggering. From there you get lost in broken, ruptured, malfunctioning bits of hardware that spit out random hi hats, bleeps and gurgles and then eventually get spat out the other side into a cantering bit of dubwise techno with paranoid vocal snippets. Moving along, the album throws plenty of diverse influences into the mix: ‘Movement’ is freaky and dynamic, skipping and pumping, ducking and diving through all sorts of occult synth sounds and shadowy vocal loops then ‘Single Action’ is like a sledge hammer groove run through with harmonic elements that glint and glisten like diamonds in the rough. Classic sounding Dehnert tracks like ‘ReRe’ remind us where this producer has come from, whilst the breezy house swagger of ‘Emlo’ show us where he might be headed. Key to this album and Dehnert’s output as a whole is, besides the killer grooves, the production: crisp and clean, full blooded and always outstanding, it makes his tracks leap out of the speakers and into minds, bodies and souls without relying on the usual tropes or same old cheap tricks.
Daniel Andreasson – Control [ZPISC]
The Zodiac 44 label returns with its second release, with Daniel Andreasson firing up the 303’s for 3 original tracks. Also includes an absolutely bonkers techno remix by John Heckle of B-side cut “What’s My Name?” and a Andy McNeill remix.
Ngly – Russian Torrent Versions 07 [CCCP007]
Four tracks of gritty club ammo straight outta the East side torrents… from bleep era warehouse vibes to sweaty dub to all out jak madness.
Ken Kojima – Obscure Business Vol. 2 [CHIWAX012]
Analog house maestro Nick Anthony Simoncino returns on Chiwax with Obscure Business Vol. 2 under the Ken Kojima alias.
Tobias – A Series Of Shocks [OSTGUTLP016]
Second solo album from accomplished Berlin based producer Tobias Freund. Continuing his exploration into ‘non-standard’ electronic music, and expanding on the rich sound palette charted in his first LP, ‘Leaning Over Backwards’, this new chapter presents 10 versatile tracks taking us ever further into the purist, evolving sonic world of Tobias. ‘A Series of Shocks is Tobias’ is an impressive return to longtime home Ostgut Ton. Beginning with the beatless melodic pulse of the Steve Reich-influenced “Entire”, Freund works his way through a range of clandestine techno compositions, touching on claustrophobic acid and intense late night thump (“Testcard”, “Ya Po”), scratchy Chicago jack (“Instant”), deeper moods (“The Scheme of Things”) and, most thrillingly, early ’90s influenced intelligent techno. It’s in these moments – “If” and tactile ambient breaks of “Cursor Item Only” – that A Series of Shocks really flies.
R-Zone – R-Zone 09 [RZONE009]
Just a year after starting and the irrepressible R-Zone series is up to release number 9. Again this time there is no real word on who is behind the music, but again it is fierce, searing techno for darkened dancefloors. The barrelling, stomping ‘Down You Go’ opens this EP with blocky metal beats, spares synth lines which bleed in and out of focus and plenty of rattling percussion. ‘Give Me More’ goes a little slower and deeper, with rubbery kick drums forming the base of the track as molten and melted acid gurgles percolate up through the mix. On the flipside, ‘Too Much TV’ is a more elastic groove that undulates up and down with short little acid stabs buried deep within as the bass drops in and out. Supple and propulsive, it’s arresting stuff that gets completed with final track ‘VHC Beats’. Whichever producers are behind the R-Zone series always manages to come up with the goods, so if you like fizzing, textured techno that pulls no punches, this remains the series for you.
Dubbyman – LA Ciudad Interior [DAS005]
La Ciudad Interior EP was produced by deep Explorer artist Dubbyman. He’s mixing electronic music with jazzy chords and some space spherical grooves, giving us a brilliant mixture of different styles and vocals. It took almost one year to complete this three track EP. Dubbyman has been drawing a lot on musician friends for adding a human touch. He has been blessed with amazing vocals by Bjak, Jenifa Mayanja, Gianluca TheHuge, Sinovuyo Tshomela and Debra Jones-Davis.
Decius – Come To Me Villa [MAMSW007]
Decius – Come to me villa. ”If you can’t smell ladyboy sweat while listening to this track then I’m sorry, you have forgotten how to ‘feel”. Decius – Gay Futures. ”Dirty, raw, drug – fuelled house music, for men and women”.
VA – Movements 6 [TRLP9031]
The ‘Movements’ saga started to discover, study, and properly represent great black American music that is at risk of being lost or forgotten. Today, his illustrious label: Tramp Records, proudly releases the 6th volume of this essential series. Though the track listing still contains amazing music you may never hear elsewhere, the series has matured since its first volume. The track selection has become more open minded, compiling ballads and soul-jazz tunes, even proto-disco in addition to the rare funk Tramp fans expect. Tracks are selected in chronological order so that the listener may get an impression of the development of of the art form from jazz to rhythm and blues to rock & roll to soul and of course – funk. As the website states: ”we ain’t going for bootlegs,” so, whenever possible, Tramp sought out and was granted permission to release each track from the original musicians who are very often in their late seventies now. He took that opportunity to interview them about their careers, their groups, and the recording sessions from which these gems arose. The artists’ stories are meticulously published in extensive liner notes which are printed in the included full-color booklet. Their own words illuminate the colorful backstory behind each track.
Seven Davis JR. – The Lost Tapes Vol. 1 [IZWID002]
The Lost Tapes Vol. 1 draws together material spanning some twelve years of unreleased four and eight track recordings from Houston-born Seven Davis Jnr. “once lost in storage via a lengthy hiatus due to drug addiction and depression”. Plucked by Kutmah to appear on the Worldwide Family Vol 2 issued on Brownswood last year, Davis Jnr. has subsequently self released material via bandcamp, dropped a killer house focused 12? on Jay Simon’s Must Have Records and has a record with Funkineven on the way . Brandishing a rough and rugged mastery of drums and a truly soulful vocal, Seven Davis Jnr has the capacity to cover a broad range of styles (a cover version of Prince’s “Controversy” that can be found online is a notable highlight). This much is more than evident on the newly issued collection of works for IZWID, with the bugged out mutant soul of “Sorry” being a stand out track.
Whilst – Everything That Was Was There [OM021]
Post-voodoo, intergalactic grooves, layered and psychedelic, hypnotic and infectious. Formed originally as a jam-based project in the ever-fertile analogue studio ‘Green Door’, Whilst jump seamlessly between free jazz, primitive electronics, dubby post-punk, North African and motorik stlyings, underpinning their sound with a strong punk ethos.
Sven Weisemann – Whatever It Is EP [JAB009]
Just Another Beat with some stripped down house tracks with a lush warm vibe from Sven Weisemann. Crafty, sparse, late night House cut b/w proper, warm House banger.
VA – Kiss The Sun EP [BBR006]
Kiss The Sun EP is a collection of 4 outstanding tracks from artists that know a thing or two about genuine deepness. Featuring Ernie (Minuendo /Deep Art Sounds), Natan H (Ethereal Sound/Manmakemusic), Brian James (Unfocused) and Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana (Moods & Grooves/Underground Quality), BBR06 portrays the distinct Batti Batti sound taking the listener on a warm journey of different textures.
Bacauanu – Bacauanu [PLZ012]
New Romanian project called Bacauanu with some excellent hypnotic Romanian House style on Pleasure Zone label.
