Two track collaboration EP by Detroit’s Fit and Leipzig’s Gunnar Wendel aka Kassem Mosse. Recorded in Detroit at FXHE Studios.
001.Features
Amir Alexander / Hakim Murphy – Finale Sessions #10 [FS010]
Finale Sessions presents two of Chicago’s finest producers. Amir Alexander is making a big stir in the deep house department, known for releases on his label Vanguard Sound, and brings his vibe to Finale Sessions. ”Eyes Open Mouth Shut” has deep pads and his prototype bass lines makes for a dance-floor killer. ”Bittersweet Memories” has a streamlined bass, drifting pads and flowing synth work makes for a collectve bliss. Hakim Murphy is part of the next generation Chicago heavy hitters and he brings us two tracks that are sure to open many people’ s eyes. ”Hazey Plains In Time” with a deep techno undertone and deep house appeal most def a late night killer. ”Chill” is a chill track to level off the EP with deep chords and a perfect selection of keys.
Hakim Murphy – Wet Analog EP [EPISODES002]
Following up on his guest appearance remixing “Subsequent” on EPISODES01, Hakim Murphy resurfaces from the abyss exploring a sub-aquatic palette of sounds for EPISODES02. This 4-track EP strips back his sound further while stepping up the funk. Limited to 200 copies, including numbered insert.
Steffi – Schraper [OTON058]
Steffi returns with a 12” for Ostgut Ton and shows a much tougher side to her ever-evolving sound. Steffi proves that there is much more to come from her as she produces a fine heartfelt techno sound for this EP, reminiscent of the favorites from not forgotten Warehouse parties where techno and house met on one united floor. On the A-Side “Schraper” combines a clean beat structure and scraping percussion with an epic synth arrangement to hypnotic effect with energy levels cranked right up. The string version of the B-side track “Tank” creates a mellower mood with a deeper bass and subtle bells added for a joyous ride, rounded off with bouncing metallic hi-hats. The beat version of the same track builds with fewer elements, a pumping tool to heat any dancefloor up to boiling point.
Marco Zenker – Twenty-Three [IT015]
The 12″ starts off with Anisa, dedicated to Marco’s lady in mind and partner in wine. The eastern influences from his hood aren’t easy to ignore, and if u listen very carefully u can feel and smell the shisha dust inside the Landwehr street. In a city like Munich it’s hard to rent an extra room for a studio due the extremely high prices, so we all have bedroom studios with the advantage that we can do music whenever we feel to. However our Stressin turkish Neighbour behaves like the pain in the ass of the whole neighbourhood. But we all have a Vision and the Night gives us the support we need to create our own space and our own time within our own spirit on 180 g vinyl from now on with a vinyl only cut on every 12″.
Third Side – Unified Fields [RSTLP001]
The hardware radicalists, that are The Analogue Cops aka Lucretion & Marieu and Steffi, present their unification in the studio as Third Side as an LP including the best productions of the past year and this latest LP serves as both a proclamation of their shared love for the analogue sound and as a breath of fresh air for techno. ‘The Absolute’ kicks things off with rippling snare drums, a warm bass line and a sweet cocktail of atmospherics and effects. Restoration friend, nd_baumecker joins the team on ‘Jackie’, where a chopped up vocal is carried backwards and forwards by an edgy drum machine workout. ‘The Base Of All Matters’ is a progressive, heads-down beat filled with crispy snares and disjointed chords, but the trio really get going on ‘Gauge Fields’ – where a frenetic mixture of synth stabs and effects is swallowed by a montrous, syncopating bass line. Side C begins with ‘Unity’, a powerful techno tool which has recently been remixed by Steffi herself, Blawan and the mysterious Nightjars. ‘Subsequent Stages’ enters lighter house territories but still retains that signature Third Side rawness and minimalism. On the flipside, ‘Fundamental Forces’ introduces a heavy, bumping beat floating over a sea of euphoric voices and distant melodies. Finally, the amptly names ‘Shit On Me’ featuring Virginia (the talented singer and songwriter responsible for the astonishing vocals tracks ‘on the rousing hit Yours’, and on the touching ‘You Own My Mind’, both released on Berlin’s Ostgut Ton in Feb 2011) closes things off with a nasty, twisted percussion which evolves into a more experimental, bass-fuelled anthem for the small hours. Real techno excursions for the coinnasseurs.
Paul Mac – Hotel Insomnia EP [EPM019]
Paul Mac is one of the UK’s real techno veterans, a producer with a sizeable back catalogue spanning a variety of sounds. For this EP, a taster for an album of the same name, he focuses on deep, Detroit techno, but with a twist. The title track is a driving affair, but Mac lends it a musical sound with evocative, breezy chords combined with dramatic string stabs. “Undoubted” sees him go down a more tracky route and its heads-down groove veers close to militaristic, but he keeps it on the right side thank to the clanging drums and crashing percussion. Marcel Fengler also contributes an excellent, wobbly bass-led version of “Insomnia”.
Karriem Riggins – Alone / Together [STH2298]
Stones Throw Records presents the debut solo album from Karriem Riggins, featuring 34-tracks of instrumental hip-hop. Karriem Riggins is a jazz drummer and producer. He is currently musically involved with Diana Krall, played on Paul McCartney’s recent album, and has a long history playing on and producing hip hop alongside J Dilla, Madlib, Common and Slum Village. This title is similar to Madlib’s “Beat Konducta” series.
Upperground Orchestra – The Eupen Takes [DOSER013S]
The formidable Lebanese / Italian jazz nomads release a long player of deepness on Morphine’s new live series. First long player from Upperground Orchestra initiates the new ‘live series’ of Morphine Records. ‘The Eupen Takes’ is a live document clearly showing what the collective is normally improvising on stage, a chaotic but still tight blend of jazz, kraut and electronics, where nothing is previously planned, and analog synths and spaced out sounds melt with instruments in a natural and free approach. The Eupen Takes LP contains the second half of the june 2011 show at the Meakusma stage, Eupen Muzik Marathon.
The Trash Company – Having Fun EP [PPU041]
The Trash Company released its first single in 1979, the follow up didn’t come untill earlier this year. Hot on the heels of Pluto comes this 5 song 12″ EP, containing both sides of PPU 036, along with three new tracks: “Having fun”, “Bigga Man”, and the summertime anthem “I don’t mind”. perfect as days begin to grow shorter and nights are getting longer. Fall will bring a full length Trash Company Lp on PPU / Steady Sounds, collecting unreleased material spanning the late ’70s through the early nineties.
T Mack – Mill Due (The Galactic Funk DJ) [ CM001]
Slamming remastered reissue of über-rare Detroit electro gold ‘Mill-Due’ by T.Mack on tiny label Megas. Incredibly hard to come by, this underground 12” from 1985 oozes funk, soul, boogie and delicious groove with a huge slice of time-defying electro chic. With a super-squelchy analogue bassline, sexy guitar licks and killer beats, it is topped off with Detroit style space-age deep vocals which conjure images of early Juan Atkins productions – this record is a collector’s wet dream! An on-air favourite of The Electrifying Mojo, this is Motorcity electro at its very peak. Essential for fans of electro and techno alike! Do not miss out on this true holy grail of Detroit electro funk.
Bicep – Vision Of Love [FMB001]
After five years of running the highly popular and eclectic music blog “Feel My Bicep”, Bicep started they own label. With the aim of releasing fun and varied music, the only condition the boys gave themselves was to maintain full creative control to take the the label in whichever direction they desired. Their first release follows on a similar vein to previous chart-topping single stripper, deeply inspired by their love of the early US house scene but with a modern twist.
FNM – Verde [STBB001]
Filippo ‘ DJ Naughty’ Moscatello returns to vinyl with this huge piano & vocoder-led house killer, pressed on green vinyl. On the flip, the faster Hustle T remix is lighter, relying on the piano key change hook for a big record.
Quasimode – Hi Tech Jazz [JS12S079]
Japanese group Quasimode are rightly lauded by the world’s jazz and electronic music cognoscenti, with their productions flitting elegantly between the two genres. For their third release on Japanese label Flower, the foursome present the Hi Tech Jazz EP. “Hi Tech Jazz”, as you may have guessed, is a cover version of one of the finest tracks in the Underground Resistance back catalogue, bobbing along with jazzy piano keys, swooning saxophone solos and an undisputable sophistication. Once we flip over, “Seven Colors” featuring Kazufumi Kodama brings a hint of the electronic with a dub tinged rhythm in its pallet to showcase why Quasimodo are so highly regarded.
DJ Jus Ed – 50ty & Lookin Good! [UQ047]
Given his ultra-prolific work rate, there was only ever going to be one way for Jus’ Ed to celebrate his fiftieth birthday – by recording and releasing his seventh full-length proper (his second this year). For those who’ve followed his career to date, 50ty and Looking Good will hold few surprises, but that’s not to say that it’s not worth a listen. His particular brand of deep house is never less than beguiling, while there are enough forays into other areas to keep it interesting. Check, for example, the sax-laden “Man With The Red Face” style wig-out “Becky’s Jam”, or the raw, analogue acid of “OHMY”; clearly, there’s life in the old dog yet.
Torquato & Boghosian – Torquato & Boghosian Remixes [YSD046]
Yoruba presents a selection of diverse and interesting remixes for Torquato and Boghosian’s acclaimed debut. First up, Afefe Iku delivers a much deeper, weightier version of Paradice laden with heavy synth stabs and woody percussive elements. Aybee takes When U Touch Me nto much deeper realms, stripping back the original groove . It’s remarkably simple but flawlessly executed, the chord motif working effortlessly alongside the crisp hats. Atone tackles Zulu Girl and in the process unravels a much more mechanical track, a massive mid-tempo thud dominating over delayed cymbal crashes and ghostly vocals.
VID & Andrew Grant – Inlove / Fear [WRR025]
VID is a new project by Romanian young talent Sorin Rastoaca, know also as EGAL 3. Here he teams up with his friend Andrew Grant for some refreshing beats. A collaboration between Andrew and Sorin really grabs you without letting go with it’s intense subby rumbling groove and tight dubby transitions. “Dinamic” and “Inlove” are testaments of Sorin’s musical integrity yet at early age, and shows obvious inspiration from classic American techno, and modern dub techno, yet still delivering something that is housy and totally current.
DJ Spider / Hakim Murphy – Audio Tagz EP [SYNAPSIS006]
Audio Tagz is inspired by graffiti street art & translated into tones as they tag your eardrums. These throw ups are their signatures, as they take you on an adventure of techno, beatdown, deep house & experimental sounds.
Myriadd – The Way We Were [SIG.MMXII.VII]
Two stunning slices of mercurial and heartfelt British Techno from two outstanding northern producers that cuts across the M62 corridor like a night drive into oblivion. A 10” black hit of space, lovingly designed for the dark, sweaty basements of provincial, post-industrial towns and the cold light of day in the car park of Knutsford Services.
Delroy Edwards – 4 Club Use Only EP [LIES015]
Delroy Edwards steps up with his debut release for L.I.E.S. Musically Edwards takes his influences from that Barney’s Ghetto sound with oversaturated 909 shuffling highs, DX bells, 101 filters and ends up making fresh, and yes, melodic ghetto style tracks that somehow get stuck in your head even without vocals. A unique take on a modern classic with the dancefloor in mind.
