Part 3 in the ‘Warm sounds’ series bringin more raw & highly effective dancefloor workouts, ranging from deep house to looped disco/techno business, reminding a bit of early Anthony Shakir stuff.
001.Features
Trevino – Backtracking / Juan Two Five [TNS002]
Trevino aka Marcus Intalex shifts from the snappy electro of his [NakedLunch] release to two crisp and punchy analogue house cuts that sport the same tendency for strong atmospheres and subtly modulating synths. As with the last release though, it’s the clarity of the beats that make the tunes, particularly on “Backtracking”. Up next, “Juan Two Five” is no less stark in its lavish production, as a sticky pad washes around the rigid jack and deadly bassline. The old skool house march goes on, and the ideas still keep on coming for fresh ways to interpret a classic sound.
Humandrone – Humandrone EP [BRK002]
The second release on Burek presents a young japanese musician – Takaaki Shibuya – Humandrone. Stating he finds his own music to sound like “science-fictional street music”, here we have a treat of four stylistically different house tracks common in their characteristic acid sound from which he draws his inspiration.
Chris Mitchell – Phrenetic EP [VS002]
Chris Mitchell is up next on Vanguard Sound with a solo piece called Phrenetic EP. A four track 12″ that shows off Chris’ versatility as each track has a different style and feel. Some new music from the American south that is making waves as Chris is creating his own sound.
Hoellermann – Extended Play [BAA01]
New Division of Balance Alliance – Chez Damier’s label – with Stephan Hoellermann delivering some proper house music.
Mantra – After Dark [BUNKER3096]
From North Yorkshire, England, more classic ’88 UK dark acid house from Mantra, a full-length lp on white vinyl.
Innerspace Halflife – Cosmology EP [MDREAMS008]
Big sounding chicago acid tracks produced by Hakim Murphy and Ike Release. Ranging from in your face acid to deeper tracks.
VA – Space Jam [JAMTRAXX002]
J.A.M. Traxx is a vinyl only label inspired by synth and analog machines, spacey- hypnotic atmospheres and everything is showing a genuine passion for complex rhythm and going against. This is the second various EP and includes tracks by Punknown, Humandrone, Elec Pt.1, Alternativ 2 and Tiger Mask.
Midland – Placement Remixes EP [AUS1238]
Deep, melodic reinterpretations of the originals by frontrunners Lone and Motor City Drum Ensemble quickly following up the original EP.
Orgue Electronique – Strange Paradise [CRLP009]
A double album by Orgue Electronique aka Brian Chinetti on Creme Organization. What lies here before you is sculpted out of the blood and tears of 5 years of life, and all the dreams, imagination, tristesse and longing that goes along with it. A mesmerizing double album: wholly matured and further enhanced by collaborations with luminaries like Robert Owens, Alden Tyrell and cult hero Fre2k. It’s warm and generous, made up of real emotions, of moments frozen in time and of the impassioned cries of a soul on the run. To finally let it go after so many years is – for all the parties involved – a strange yet exciting moment, not unlike the birth of an elephant baby…. out of a human female.
ViLLan X feat Kold / DCantu – Disparate Implementation [SEQ003]
Killer release on New York’s Sequencias label. Powerful and hypnotic Chicago acid inspired cut on the A and a cool slow building chord driven track layered over raw drum rhythms on the b-side. A pair of artists from two different points along Interstate 94, who have a reputation for the very same. The main body laid down by VILLan X is tight metallic percussion underpinned by solid kicks and a stream of robotic filtered bass, containing unexpected shifts within the frequency register. Foreboding tones and feelings drift towards us across which the disembodied voice of Kold is able to find a platform from which to shudder into our consciousness and pose questions from across the galaxies about the nature of our very being. dcantu carries on the feelings of space, with protracted white noise shots and stabby modulated organ chords, but doesn’t leave it long before setting the pace with solid drums and shifting keyboard funk aimed squarely your body and the dance floor as octave changes force you up and then down again to a backdrop thick with texture. This provides for the body and the mind.
PRPLX – Fabric Of Space [TEMPO001LP]
PRPLX’s entitled Fabric Of Space explores the deeper side of the Breakbeat spectre. Clever drum programming as well as going in a bass shakin’ direction, it reminds us of early Bluenote & Speed days but definitely with a modern touch. These tracks are another testament to PRPLX’s love for the Breakbeat. Also included here is the roadtested Taiga track which starts of deep and hypnotic but surprises you with the harsh amen drop, raw synth and dark male reggae vocal.
Lone – Galaxy Garden [RS1206LP]
Matt Cutler is back with his fifth album, which is an impressive feat in just five years of releasing music. Galaxy Garden starts off on a more esoteric tip with the tropical electronica of “New Colour”, in its sunshine chimes. By the time we get to “Lying In The Reeds” we’re up to a house tempo that harks back to the softer side of early Detroit. It’s when “Crystal Caverns 1991” starts up that we reach the most blatant distillation of old-skool; kicking off a breakstep beat with sweet but punchy 90s synths, the track cuts into a deadly rave motif without so much as a pause in the beat and it’s like being back in, er, 1991. Every track reeks of originality, whether it be the surprising track structures, the superbly detailed production, even the evocative imagery that the music conjures up.
Shackleton – Music For The Quiet Hour / Music For The Quiet Heart [SEPTICCD001]
It’s entirely typical of a revered producer such as former Skull Disco boss Shackleton that some new material from the Berlin based producer should arrive without the necessity for PR fanfare that far too many musicians require. It’s even more typical of Shackleton that Music For The Quiet Hour is just so damn epic in scale and execution. Whilst this digital version doesn’t convey the full brilliance of Zeke Clough’s artistic contribution in the manner the vinyl or CD versions do, it does allow you to focus fully on the music. Largely formed of mesmerizing material produced on an Italian drawbar organ module the producer has been experimenting with for the best part of two years, theses 16 tracks are bristling with the sort of all consuming basslines and unique percussive melodies that Shackleton has made his own and true fans need little more reason to indulge.
214 – Plastic Spokes EP [ELIM007]
Fortified Audio’s first release of 2012, Plastic Spokes EP, has Seattle veteran 214 merging his classic electro style with current UK bass flavours to create a tantalising 4 track ep to wreck dancefloors.
Sepalcure – Eternally Yrs [SEP002D]
Sepalcure follow up last year’s critically acclaimed LP on Hotflush Recordings with a new EP featuring remixes from Kevin McPhee and Trevino (a.k.a. Marcus Intalex), alongside one previously released album cut and one original track. ‘Eternally Yrs’, originally featured on the LP, makes another appearance on side A, followed up by Trevino’s (Intalex’s moniker for his techno and house projects) upbeat and melodic remix of ‘Hold On’. On the flip, Toronto rising star McPhee turns the classic house sounds of ‘The One’ into a crackly, technodriven subbass tune. Finally, the emotive ‘Don’t Cry’ hits hard with the trademark staccato bass and processed vocals that Sepalcure have come to be known for.
CVBox – Analog Amputations EP [UV011]
Number Eleven on Uncanny Valley focuses on the soundscapes of CVBox. Releasing his first solo record, he’s finally able to express his very specific idea of sound somewhere in between meditative Ambient and compelling Techno on the ‘Analog Amputations EP’. ‘Past the Eclipse’ is shaped by echoing choirs at first and mutates then into a serious Detroit Funk killer for self forgotten Techno dancefloors. ‘Counterflow’ starts to roll with menacing drones but quickly surprises with its optimistic atmosphere and an irresistibly catchy synth flute. The flipside starts off forcefully with the oldschool Techno stomper ‘Droid Swift 836’. After that ‘Orience’ floats in a sea of pads without losing the Funk of the CVBoxes.
Special Request – Deflowered / Lolita [SPECIALREQEP002]
Second in a series of releases based on capturing the energy and culture of UK pirate radio but going way beyond that as the project unwinds. From the first highly coverted 12″, “Lolita” makes a return here, but in a ‘Warehouse Dub’ form, while new track, “Deflowered” is tweaked here by the in-demand Kassem Mosse and joined by Mix.
Floorplan – Altered Ego EP [MPM015]
Now Robert Hood delves back into Floorplan for his next M-Plant release called ‘Altered Ego EP’. The title track jacks out from the onset, just the way we like it! Hood’s distinctive rhythmic grooves are intoxicating as ever. With the staccato vocal cut and Detroit-meets-Chicago feeling, we’re back in ‘Baby Baby’ territory. ‘Confess’ shows the other side to Hood’s Floorplan with an opening gospel style piano riff that’s gradually overlaid with Latin percussion and that special Hood kick, to take the church to the party.
Dario Zenker – Cat Stance [T2X021]
Time To Express welcomes back Dario Zenker for his second release on the label. After 2010’s euphoric ”Insirer” Dario increases the tension with ”Cat Stance”. Label owner Peter Van Hoesen provides a rolling remix.
