Soulful, classic and futuristic tracks by Los Hermanos member Santiago Salazar on the dutch Fanzine Records.
detroit
Gary Martin – Post Techno Life [GG050]
After 20 years of experience, Gary Martin couldn’t resist a 12” that is also the 50th release for Teknotika: a label from Detroit that didn’t exactly stick with the game when it switched to the mp3 format. “Basking In Blackness” is a composition of textured broken beat then classic four on the floor old school soul.“Synthotika” is what would happen if a synthasizer could take over an orchestra. A track inspired by Detroit peers no doubt. “Every Bit As Beautiful” goes sensative deep house piano, a lil Latin percussion and soaring Eno-esque synths to top it off. The title is a bit sarcastic, let’s face it, there is no life after techno.
Stefan Vincent – Cynosure EP [ART016]
After his highly acclaimed debut for the Balans label Stefan Vincent has been getting attention and plays from luminaries such as Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier and ART owner Kirk Degiorgio. ART have wasted no time in securing Stefan’s next release – a storming 3 tracker ranging from deep, modern acidic techno of Cynosure to the wide Mills-esque soundscapes of Paranal One and Two.
Rolando – LWE Podcast 194
XDB – Ganivon EP [DOLLY017]
XDB returns on Dolly with the ‘Ganivon’ EP, the follow-up of his excellent ‘Recago’ ep from 2011. XDB is once again delivering the goods, with 3 top-notch contemporary techno tracks filled with his trademark hypnotic melodies, lush strings and solid groovin beats. Favourite is ‘Tonik’ with its classic Detroit-feel and special atmosphere. Berlin/Berghain based Answer Code Request is doing the remix job for ‘Ganivon’, resulting in an effective techno bomb which perfectly combines industrial techno elements with the Dolly feel. ‘Recago’ might have been hard to surpass, but XDB might just have done it.
Stephen Brown – Illuminance EP [ARTLESS2191]
Stephen Brown is an institution when it comes to cutting-edge Detroit Techno made in Europe. He has always been on top of the game since almost two decades and knows how to convince with his trademark hi-tech soul. His new release called Illuminace EP marks the return of Mojuba sublabel a.r.t.less and brings two killer tunes from the vaults of the Realtime label boss, while the a-side with SD1 aims clearly at the dancefloors of our beloved underground clubs, the b-side with Free & Easy comes along with a great portion of compelling emotions and funk.
D_FUNC. – Revalism [SCRD005]
Alexander Kowalski under his new alias D_FUNC., with two dark techno tracks on Suicide Circus Records.
Rick Wade – Defining Deep [HP016]
Rick Wade say “Four new dynamite tracks ready to clear up all this confusion on what deep really means. I call this release, Defining Deep.”
Omar S – FXHE 10 Year Compilation Mix Part 1 [AOS2004]
It’s been ten years since outspoken Detroit house legend Omar-S launched his FXHE label, which is no mean feat for a DIY label. To celebrate the fact, he’s decided to put together the first in a series of mix CDs highlight the much-loved imprints vast discography. Entitled simply 1, the 74 minute vinyl only set takes an entertaining saunter through the label’s bulging back catalogue, showcasing a range of well-known cuts (“Here’s Your Trance, Now Dance” etc) and what the producer calls “some shit [fans] might have slept on”. Predictably, it makes for a sumptuous and suitably groovy blend, moving between bespoke soulful house (Omar-S’s much-loved “Sex”), deep Detroit futurism (Omar-S and O B Ignitt’s “Wayne County Hill Cops Part 2”), dreamy jack tracks (Jason Fine’s “Jack Yo Bodda”) and tactile tech-house (Fit and Gunnar Wendel’s “Enter the Fog”).
Random Audio – Engineers of the Other Space [BELIEF003]
Join the Engineers of the Other Space as they embark on a journey deep into the outer realms of the imagination. Travel to the Outer Space Division and Fall into the Strata.Belief System is proud to present the newly received Random Audio transmissions from Deep Space Central.
RA.403 Kris Wadsworth
Common Series – Common Series 2 [CS002]
2nd release on the Common Series. Kraut Rock, Industrial influences all over. Main track is a massive slap bass with trippy string sections. A truly epic track. Seriously cool 8 minute track on this small 200 copies edition release.
DJ Guy – 20/81/05 [AC004]
Appealing to those who seek a spiritual journey across the many terrains of Techno, this is music not for the faint of heart. All tracks serving a specific body healing purpose – receiving, assimilating and expressing life force energy, A1-20 takes you on a hypnotic trip and should be played at high volumes to fully receive all its properties. B1-81 is a one-way ticket down the river of emotion and will transport you to the 5th dimension if you don’t be careful & finally B2-05 (Edit) is something unquantifiable. don’t be fooled by the short nature of this track, it’s hidden properties allow for an expansive journey through the mind, body & soul.
Population One – Where A Function Of Some Systematically Changing Variables Is Calculated [REDUCTIONFOUR]
Population One serving it up cold and reduced… another totally heavy offering from Terrence Dixon, on his own imprint.
DJ 3000 – Besa [MTCD009]
DJ 3000 releases his fourth artist album ‘Besa’ on his own Motech label. Born and raised in the Detroit enclave of Hamtramck, DJ 3000 (aka Franki Juncaj) was inundated with both the sights and sounds of his neighborhood, a highly ethnic area of Detroit, as well as with the influence of the music of his parent’s native Albania. This diverse collection of influence has molded the current make-up of both DJ 3000 and the vision and direction of the sound that he is producing. ‘Besa’ expands his sound even further with a depth of electronic styles that collage to make his most cohesive work to date.Juncaj discovered the rich history of Detroit techno by going straight to the source.
Nihad Tule & Bauri – 882 [SLBD8479003]
VA – Detroit Beatdown Vol 2 The Final EP [3EEP201403]
Third Ear’s Detroit Beatdown series was instrumental in redefining the perception of Detroit electronic music abroad. Now we come to the final Detroit Beatdown release. Four Detroit artists giving us as good an ep as any of the releases in the series. The tracks by Mike Clark and Rick Wade rank amongst their best, for sure. DJ-T1000, a Detroit producer and DJ known for some of the city’s hardest Techno, surprises with a stripped-back groove that is pure electronic Funk. Wrapping up the ep is Scott Ferguson’s A Groove, a heavy skanking groove with that classic Beatdown rawness.
Terrence Parker – Life On The Back 9 [PLE65361-1]
Classy Detroit house tracks drenched in funk. Soulful tracks ranging from downtempo to more classic Detroit house tracks and disco injected cuts. ”This album is about moving forward through hard times in life to see something beautiful on the other side of difficulties.” quote Terrence Parker.
Chez Damier – Classic EP [SG004/MOJUBAGOD003]
Second official repress from the ever so beloved Serious Grooves label in Detroit. Its time for the Classic EP.
The Hipodrome Of Music 