Theo Parrish presents a split release with Sound Signature and Palace Skateboards on the legendary TTT.
001.Features
Crackazat – Candle Coast EP [LT042]
Crackazat with a 3 tracker on Local Talk. Nice functional house tracks ranging from 90’s influenced to more jazzy, all aiming on the dancefloor.
LK – Body & Soul [BD002]
Untzz offshoot Big Doint returns for it’s second installment with 3 solid grooves from LK. Disco/funk drenched tracks with a nice solid house drive.
ASOK – Poltergeist [MOSDEEP018]
Asok is the man behind burgeoning house and techno label Scenery Records, and has released on Deep Space Orchestras Use of Weapons and, though he has firm roots in d&b, has proven himself adept at crafting raw analogue jams that fuse house and techno together the jacking way.
Amir Alexander – The Ghost [FS020]
Amir Alexander comes back to Finale Sessions aided by the vocals of Cecilia Bruun Hansen. Mr Alexander is dropping some cool bass lines here. 4 tracks that appeal to the heads.
Andy Blake & Timothy J Fairplay – B-Ultras [EES005]
A love of new wave, new beat, UK Bleep and Detroit techno all feature in B-Ultras and the aptly titled, Neu Beat. Both cuts are heavily soaked in the pitch black, smoke machine funk and strob-laden fug of Andy’s (and co-hort Joe Hart) infamous World Unknown dancefloor. Running at around 10 minutes the tracks are essentially an examination of acid house’s ideals. Clattering hats, throbbing basslines, stabbing keys and doses of 303. Keeping it pretty simple but all about a pure groove on and on. Backing these up is a remix of B-Ultras from Jamie Paton that accentuates the groove and drags the acid deeper down to some B-boy Dub throwdown – with more to follow from all protagonists in 2014.
Tevo Howard – Boing Pop Remixed [REBLTD004]
DJ Spider & Franklin De Costa – Genetically Modified Tracks [KILLEKILL016]
Berlin operation Killekill continue where they left off with their impressive releases last year, with Genetically Modified Tracks the end product of pairing DJ Spider and Franklin De Costa together. Rhythmically, Spider and De Costa don’t stray far from the 4/4 template but it’s what occurs around it that’s so memorable. It’s no more apparent than on “Buzzsaw” where a sticky wooden block style rhythm is made all the more viscous by the thick bass line, muffled vocals and blurred jazz licks that cloak the channels. Elsewhere “The Unseen” is perhaps the most straight up dancefloor number, underpinned by a sense of impending gloom, which is a sensation shared with the post apocalyptic rumble of opening track “Slithis”.
Vereker – Slain [TTT015]
The Californian Vereker has a CCCP and a couple of the very best LIES, but this stomping, grisly, suspenseful, four-track assassination tops the lot. You get plenty more prep and purpose, and a load more killing.
Murph Tone – Jack Session Remixes [SYNAPSIS009]
Synapsis Records with four Murph Tone Jack Session reinterpretations by Chicago producers Chicago Skyway, G. Marcell, Ike Release, and Steven Tang. Their contributions expand the Jack Session with deep and rhythmic tunes that will rock from warehouse to boats.
Beau Wanzer / NJB – Russian Torrent Versions 5 [CCCP005]
Latest installment of the limited series from the home of Ivan Drago. This one sees another split with Beau Wanzer back at the helm controlling the a-side with more heavy handed beat tracks made for mixing, while the b-side is a very nasty warehouse techno beast by NJB.
The KVB – Minus One [AUK109]
London-based “dark wave” duo The KVB are a productive lot. Somewhat remarkably, this is their sixth album since 2011. It further explores there trademark distant, discordant, murky sound, blending barely-audible vocals and shoegaze guitars with fuzzy tones, clandestine moods and atmospheric grooves. While they can do full-throttle noise – see the growling “Dominance/Submission” and “Something Inside”, which push reverb and multi-layered guitars to their limits – they’re actually at their best when exploring less intense pastures. There’s much of this on Minus One, with the wide-eyed “Passing By”, dreamy “Endless” and clandestine “Kill The Lights” standing out.
Deathday – No Future [MNQ046]
Deathday (formerly Deathday Party) is a Los Angeles based Experimental Post-punk band, formed in Santa Ana, California in 2008 by brothers Alex Guilln and Giovanni Guilln. While the title-track is an unreleased one, instead ”Dropped Into Obscurity” was already included in the Downwards compilation ”Click Heels” alongside with Tropic Of Cancer, Silent Servant, The KVB. On the B side Mannequin asked to the synth-master Legowelt to remix “After Dark”. Seldom has the post-punk revival seemed as urgent as with Deathday, who match their guitar driven dirges with esoteric industrial soundscapes and tape manipulation. Their music is often as bleak as it is violent, with low end cacophony bludgeoning the listener into submission. Lyrically, Deathday often invoke the violent culture hidden beneath the media, as well as explore the crippling aftershocks of isolation and the mysticism of the occult.
Sixth June – Pleasure [MNQ045]
Serbian duo Sixth June – Laszlo Antal and Lidija Andonov – come with a fresh new 5 tracks 12inch EP ”Pleasure”. They play minimal, industrial synthesized music digging into the colder corners of the synthetic 80’s. Sixth June started their musical adventure back in 2007 and they are considered one of the purest talents in the minimal synth new scene. Rising from the obscure music scene in Belgrade, they re-based some years ago in the analog synthesizers paradise called Berlin. Their debut album, Everytime, released back in March 2010 by the German label Genetic Music and the previous EP on Mannequin, ”Back For A Day”, was bringing the band to play to most of Europe. The duo represents perfectly the two sides of the same coin, in fact while Laszlo is producing obscure but expressive, powerful and danceable textures, on the back side the voice of Lidija is living the shape to a wobbling atmosphere you wont escape from. Lidija, apart singing in Sixth June, is a professional actress. Laszlo, composer of all the tracks, instead is an illustrator and music video director.
Hipodrome playlist for 716 Music
Last month I had the pleasure to host Guillaume from 716 Music and he asked me to compile a playlist for his blog. I liked the idea and I took the advantage to promote some Romanian producers.
So here it is 100% Romanian music.
Cuthead – Resteessen [UV019+] FREE ALBUM
“When we selected music for Cuthead’s Everlasting Sunday LP we had to leave out several great tracks due to the limited space on the record. So Cuthead decided to give it away for free as digital only album via our bandcamp site. Enjoy!”
Dj Bone – A Larger Orbit [SUB038]
Label boss DJ Bone mans the controls for the 38th release on Subject Detroit, laying down a typically fierce, three pronged auditory attack. “What He Said” tactfully yet forcefully treads the line between house and techno, cherry picking physiognomies from each side of that ever-blurring line and constructing something fresh but bristling with familiar Subject Detroit elegances. A favourite fixture from Bone’s more recent DJ sets, “I Do” sees bubbling, arpeggiated chords simmer and swoop from foreground to background loosely as one solitary, remanipulated ticking hat keeps things in formation. Watch out for the thunderous, doubled-up drum arrangement that crashes in to the picture out of nowhere! B Side track “Rhythm Soul Funk” is a genuine hard hitter and another that tiptoes between the old school and the nouveau.
Eshu – Chlore EP [ESHU006]
The ESHU label waste little time in matching their 2013 output, issuing a sixth 12″ that sees Roger Gerressen, Jocelyn Abell, Daniel Lekatompessy and Ivano Tetelepta working together under the titular banner across four tracks. Taking a particularly Millsian approach to proceedings, there’s a sense of focus demonstrated that hints the Eshu collective is only getting stronger. The mood varies too with the A Side split evenly between the stripped back and alien on “Cesium” and the creeping and hypnotic “Sulfur” whilst on the flip “Mercury” is one track you could imagine the likes of Dettmann or Rodhad pulling for. The title track closes out the EP on a more downbeat note, with crawling textures offering the minimal amount of forward momentum amidst a foggy coating of static.
Felix K / Rødhåd – Dystopian Remixes [DYSTOPIAN005]
Par Grindvik and Function are invited guests remixers for Dystopian artists Felix K and Rodhad.
Papers – Papers 003 [PAPS003]
The third release from the label and artist Papers. PAPS003 brings a varied 4 track EP, exploring squelchy saw waves, slow and fast acid laden jams and everything else inbetween.
