detroit
Third Side – Unity Remixes [RST015]
The Third Side, formed of Steffi and Lucretio & Marieu of The Analogue Cops, whet the appetites for their forthcoming debut album together with the Unity Remixes EP which casts Blawan, Nightjars and Steffi herself with remixing the ubiquitous “Unity.” The raw, repetitive, lo-fi and beat down rhetoric synonymous with Restoration is naturally deep in the DNA of “Unity”, a rather gravelly sounding subaqueous techno cut, while Blawan’s juggernaut drum triggering is as foundation worrying as his new productions on that Black Sun 12″. On the flip Steffi lays down a smoothed out variant of the original’s abrasive nature and Nightjars take it in exactly the opposite direction with a demented, smudged out remix.
A Sagittariun – Born Under 22 Stars EP [EDREAMS004]
A Sagittariun takes the reins on this recent Elastic Dreams joint. “Wind Tunnel” kicks off making concentric, rubbery movements across an icy dancefloor. The percussion and rhythmic elements fizz like potassium in water across the wax while a thin, nagging acid line infiltrates the cerebrum withouth resistance. “Cyrranus 247” continues the concentric, mind-mangling nature of this EP. Taking an eternity to drop, but building up wooden layers of synth power and hypnotic arps in one of those track that have us salivating at the bit, just screaming for it to drop. Talk about tension and release – this has it all. And again, the sound palette sets this producer quadrants ahead of the rest. “West Of Ophiuchus” has a broken beat with thin, snappy electro snares. Its not far from a Drexciyianexploration expect this time we’re exploring space rather than the aquatic realms.
Redshape Live @ Breakfast Club, Tel Aviv (Isreal) 20.04.2012
Marco Bernardi – Never Ending Similarities [HCS992]
Harbour City Sorrow release Marco Bernardi’s Never Ending Similarities EP, featuring three electro-techno tracks.
Rick Wade – Two The Hard Way [DSR002]
Detroit don Rick Wade hits us off with another killer on Dockside. 2 tracks deep “Two The Hard Way” bristles with low down dirty Detroit moodiness & more than a hint of Jazz, keeping the soul present while packing enough punch to keep the heads down & dancing.
Dez Andres – Things You Like EP [M1SESN102]
New M1 Sessions featuring the work of DJ Dez, aka Dez Andres, or to most known as simply Andres. Dez blurs genres like no other from hip hop to house and all the dirty funk in between.
Jump “Chico” Slamm – Galactic Alignment [RH041]
‘Galactic Alignment’ is the new single by the elusive Jump “Chico” Slamm. While working on a reissue of aforementioned ‘Feel Free’ from Slamm Project, an unreleased recording came to light which immediately lit our fire. ‘Galactic Alignment’ was just too good to remain in the vaults, so it got dusted off and readied for release. Although this jewel has been lying dormant for some years, it sounds very current. Better yet, it has a timeless feel and has the unique appeal to take dance floors both intimate and extravagant.
Big Strick – Resivoir Dogs [7DAYS1006]
The new CD from Big Strick ‘Resivior Dogs’ featuring Omar S, Generation Next and the return of the legend Reckless Ron Cook. As Generation Next sets the tone for a outer-Galactic experience with Sequence 11 the stage is set for pure deepness only products of Detroit can bring. Along side Omar S on Family Affair Big Strick & Generation Next (family as well) has orchestrated a masterpiece sure to please the dance floors worldwide.! And Big Strick brings to you the return of Reckless Ron Cook a true pioneer of the Techno Movement on Night Moves a serious banger that will take your breath away.
D’Marc Cantu – A New World [MOSLP001]
Not long after his debut full length, Michigan resident D’Marc Cantu serves up his next album on the ever-excellent MOS Recordings. Though essentially a house and techno producer, American Cantu often goes further than most, calling on a world of influences to ensure his jacking productions are as far away from standard as possible, yet still do damage on the right dancefloors as have previous EPs on this label, Nation and Crème Organization. His latest offering, A New World, aims to capture, detail and relay many different stories from within the re-born city of Detroit. Across the course of eight tracks, many different moods and styles are explored from dark and abstract to more synth lead and serene. There are plenty of squelchy acid lines and frantic percussive workouts, but so too are there pockets of slower, deeper, dubbier introspection that speak of mystery and intrigue as does the city of Detroit itself.
Norm Talley – Travlin EP [LANDEDREC056]
Three tracks by Detroit’s Norm Talley for the German Landed imprint. Smooth, laid back to driving, warm House EP.
H-Fusion – H-Fusion EP [FIT006]
New 12″ by Detroit’s own Howard Thomas, aka H-Fusion. Howard has previously released on Sound Signature, and this is his first 12″ for FIT Sound. The A side “Wicked Bitch Witch” features contributions from Marcellus Pittman. Twisted, psychedelic dance music that defies genres!
WL-001 – Leave Him Alone [WS003]
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.
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.
Trus’me – The Red Remixes [PN014]
As Trus’me steers himself further into techno territory after his emergence as a champion of funk-rooted house music, this latest set of remixes further highlights how the man has impeccable taste to match his production abilities. DVS1 creates a cavernous beast out of “In The Red”, as a sumptuous metallic reverb provides the centrepiece for fluttering hats and flat kicks in a masterful exercise in techno restraint. Meanwhile Terrence Dixon proves his worth in the world of leftfield Detroitisms with a mesmerizing melodic hook and an insistent yet restrained bassline as he tackles “Shakea Body”.
Albert van Abbe / Der Zyklus – No Comment_0005 [NOCOMMENT005]
John von Neumann’s Universal Constructor is a self-replicating machine in a cellular automata (CA) environment. It was designed in the 1940s, without the use of a computer. The fundamental details of the machine were published in von Neumann’s book Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata, completed in 1966 by Arthur W. Burks after von Neumann’s death.
GB – The Abstract Eye [EGLO023]
New material from LA’s Gifted & Blessed, this time dropping on the UK’s Eglo Records under his The Abstract Eye guise. A man of many names, the ever illusive musician/producer/dj/director. With a fetish for analog hardware, drum machines and synths, GB’s sound techniques, range and versatility separate him from the pack.
Delano Smith – LWE Podcast 121
Keith Worthy – Moments In Rhythm Volume 3 [AES014]
Moments in Rhythm vol 3. was inspired by an in-depth conversation that questioned the level of importance that today’s society does or does not value it’s critical art forms, most specifically music … the universal language, as a means of free expression. From this passionate discussion spawned the composition of an opened ended letter, written in 4/4 format that captures and shares the passion of this conversation, and ultimately asks some questions such as … Is It In You?
Soul 223 – Almost Like It Used To Be [DSR-H002]
Second release on the new house music aligned Delsin series is coming from Soul 223 aka Steve Pickton. He has been producing melodic, Detroit inspired sounds since the mid 90s, most often as Stasis on labels like Peacefrog and Mo Wax.
A keen sense of melodic colour also characterises the four cuts that make up this EP, with the first, ‘Almost Like It Used To Be’ pairing radiant pads with a lolloping house beat and plenty of melted synth sounds. Next up, ‘Arties Mood’ slows to a Moodymann styled pace, layering percussive samples, keys and jazzy motifs onto of a lazy house beat to conjure a perfect sunny afternoon vibe. ‘Heartstrings’ is alive with the sound of the cosmos as it rolls on through organic sounding bongos, sharper claps and plenty of neon lines. Closing track ‘Essex’ has a gummy, gritty bottom end sweetened by more glistening melodies and key work, all the while chugging along at a most inviting deep house pace.
The Hipodrome Of Music 