Four monstrous tracks straight from the basement featuring one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy.
disco
Marge & The Marvellous – A Distant Dance [NMP002]
The second release of No More Pop features an obscure sideproject of the famous dutch minimal synth group “Ensemble Pittoresque”. Originally released on a promo compilation for local bands in 1984 called “De Wassenaarse Slag”, the single “A Distant Dance” is a truly unique journey into dutch synth wave. The composer and producer Ton Willekes and Paulus Wieland teamed up with Marga Visser for the vocals for their last creation before the final end of Ensemble Pittoresque. Besides the original version the record also features a special rework of the original Ensemble Pittoresque Demo of “A Distant Dance”, produced by Murphy Jax. On the remix front, the silvery Celina S resang the vocals for both Keen’s and Flemming Dalum’s remixes, which are shining due to their unique , dreamy and melancholic mood.
Zombie Zombie – Slow Futur [VERLP32]
Original music of the “Slow Futur” show by Elsa Guérin and Martin Palisse, played and composed by Zombie Zombie (Cosmic Neman, Etienne Jaumet, Dr Schonberg), here presented separately from the show.
Slow Futur features two jugglers (Elsa Guérin and Martin Palisse) on a treadmill (8 x 2m) which carries them along a neon light installation which delimits the choreographic space as a kind of space-time tunnel: “the hyperspace”. Their minimalist juggling practice – with 3 white balls each – plays with opposite movements like acceleration/immobility, synchronization/progressive transformation, and thus evokes a way of making the body face the inexorable passing of time. The music of Zombie Zombie, repetitive and floating, as a vector of the choreographic mechanic, mixes analog electronic sounds and acoustic rhythms that rise in intensity in order to bring the two jugglers into a frantic and hypnotic rush, whereas the treadmill submits their bodies
to a movement independent of their will, so becoming an infernal machine. Between abstraction and representation of reality, Slow Futur questions the relationships between human beings, where the individualism caused by the modern world leads to loneliness, as the human condition is reduced to a simple machine which robotic movements are devoid of emotion. Elsa Guérin and Martin Palisse are not only renewing the image of today’s circus but also continuing their research on the choreographic, dramatic and poetic potential of juggling.
Africaine 808 – Everybody Wants To [CHANNEL067]
Africaine 808 drop a fresh single on Golf Channel. Intriguingly, “Everybody Wants To” is something of a departure from the polyrhythmic, global fusion style explored on Basar. Instead, it sees the Berlin-based duo explore the world of synthesizer-heavy space-funk. Of course, there’s still plenty of Latin and African influences amongst the loose and organic percussion, but these seem to play second fiddle to the vocoder vocals, bustling bassline and intergalactic synthesizers that dominate. Of the two versions, it’s the flipside 12″ Disco Dance Mix that really hits the spot, with DJ Nomad and Dirk Leyers extending the groove and emphasizing the superb bassline for greater dancefloor enjoyment.
Mister Ho & Heap – Collision Resistance B/W Veils Of The Beloved [ESP044]
Mister Ho and Heap are ambassadors of the river Danube. This is their first offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, Collision Resistance throws us into the bowels of an underground sex lair with an adrenaline-laden heartbeat for a kick drum, a rough dose of fisting illustrated by the combination of bassline with low-tom and an unrelenting snare that whips us raw into submission. Somewhere in between the waves of punishment we can start to audibly pick up tortured moans of endurance and pleasure, but maybe its time we pull our minds from the gutter, wipe the sweat from our brow and flip the record for a reward. With side B’s Veils Of The Beloved, Mister Ho & Heap deliver us via speedboat to the white isle, coasting along to bouncy staccato bass notes and machine bleeps as a euphoric chord progression puts us in an 808 state of mind. The percussion arrangement and phasing string flourishes are introduced through a filter, opening slowly as if coming up for air from a beautiful blue abyss.
VA – RDY #29 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY029]
Four monstrous tracks straight from the basement featuring one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy.
spAceLex – Les Yeux Orange #62
Trey Risque – A Night With The Boys [PKWY007]
Parkway label returns, taking a first step into the year with a sound that’s skipping winter and spring and squares its silk synth focus on the summer. This time round it’s Trey Risque whose “A Night With The Boys” features an instantly catchy hook worthy of Yazoo which is given more weight by the detailed counter melodies and riffs that fill all the right playful spaces around Nikki’s Kathy Diamond style delivery. For a leerier night out with the chaps, head for the Trail Of Destruction Dub.
The Revenge – Intimate Connection [RGRV017]
The Revenge continues to release forward thinking music on his very own Roar Groove label with the announcement of Intimate Connection – a double EP featuring all new tracks plus special ‘live dub’ recordings from title winning ‘Love That Will Not Die’. Graeme Clark has rebuilt the foundations in the form of Roar Groove releasing his own original material with a range of vocals, tempos and dubs along with esteemed likeminded producers.
Kris Baha – Mind Your Head [PS002]
Old school drum programming on this versatile EP ranging from proto house vibes to wave and avantgarde electonix.
Ste Spandex – Tusk Wax 19 [TW019]
Transmitting from the Orgonite heart of his Levenshulme bunker, zest fuelled mastermind Ste Spandex breaks through the static and reaches the ears of the mighty Tusk Wax, scoring himself a well deserved label debut in the process. Modern melodic spacey disco house tracks.
Africaine 808 – Basar [CHANNEL055CD ]
DJ Nomad and Dirk Leyers’ Africaine 808 project has been responsible for some of the most inventive and enjoyable music of the last few years. It’s little surprise, then, to find that the Berlin-based outfit’s debut album, Basar, is rather special. Built around their now famous polyrhythmic, Afro and Latin influenced drum machine programming, it begins with a touch of snaking jazz, and climaxes with a dense, rising, uplifting Afro-gospel workout that should leave listeners thrilled and breathless. In between, you’ll find 21st century broken beat, delicious downtempo torch songs about break-ups, Juke-influenced Cajun blies bangers, and hard-to-define – but thoroughly engaging – dancefloor wig-outs.
VA – RDY #28 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY028]
Three monstruous tracks straight from the basement featuring one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy. Tullio de Piscopo – Stop Bajon, Eberhard Schoener – Why Don’t You Answer and John Forde – dDon’t You Know Who Did It.
Benedek & Noble – Ocean Side [SE1007]
Rekid – Tuesday Bluesday [POM005]
Matt Edwards’ Pyramids of Mars label is ready to unleash a fifth release, this time featuring three subtle but high impact slo-disco tracks from the boss himself under his Rekid moniker. The title cut opens things up in playful, mid tempo fashion. It has heavyweight, fat bottomed drums trudging below, booty shaking hits in the middle and a subtly funky guitar riff rolling over and over up top: all the necessary parts to tease dance floors into raptures, then. The brilliant ‘Mars’ is even slower, and has a mischievous feel to the low slung bass, the filtered vocal cries and jazzy hats. It’s a cut that is full of Detroit beatdown vibes and will surely percolate through any crowd and leave them desperate for more. Sublime last cut ‘Wave’ is a mechanical, grinding groove that slowly sweeps you up with its raw hits, slapping drums and cacophony of distant vocals.
VA – Time To Set The Night On Fire [01AM]
01AM is the perfect time to start a party and it is the first release of a new label by Afrobot related to his Afrobotic Musicology blog. The record contains 4 edits of music from different corners of the globe: to begin with an epic electro pop nugget from Greece and a heavily cut up Bollywood track on the A side, to finish the journey in Africa on the flip side with a percussive acid jam and a Zulu cult song that screamed for a rework. Limited edition / hand stamped artwork by Frank Koedood on the sleeve.
Nick J Smith – EP1 [RL019]
Nick J Smith has been immersed in the Leeds underground music scene for ages and is one third of the DJ crew and top mixtape blog Clandestino. This EP is representative of the eclectic vibe Nick brings to the trio. The main track ‘Flashback’ bubbles with Chicago style dreamy chug and 90’s rave gaze. Planet Raider is cyborg Manc-talo Electro night driving music at its best and mega Geordie Man Power twists the ‘Flashback’ remix into an impressive and progressive 9 minute bulimic tek belch.
Moodymann – DJ Kicks [K7327]
Following a year that saw the 50th entry in the long-running series released to wide acclaim, DJ-Kicks returns in 2016 another landmark edition. Iconic Detroit DJ and producer Moodymann is at the helm for his first ever multi-artist DJ mix compilation. Born Kenny Dixon Jr., Moodymann is a one-of-a-kind electronic music icon, hailing from, and wholly synonymous with the Motor City. He is an outspoken, impossibly charismatic artist who has been putting a distinctive and soulful stamp on house and techno since the early 90s. Melting together jazz, funk, soul, blues and rock in captivating ways, he is responsible for some of electronic music’s most definitive tracks, EPs and LPs on labels like Planet E, Peacefrog and his own KDJ and Mahogani Music imprints. As able to serve up the sweetest and most sensual sounds as he is the darkest and most depraved grooves, his own unique voice and stream of conscious musings infuse expertly sought-out samples for music that is decisively alive and authentic.
VA – The Very Polish Cut-Outs Volume 5 [TVPC008]
All good things come to an end, and The Very Polish Cut-Outs is no different. The fifth sampler will be the last in the much loved & long running series. For the farewell record, label boss Zambon has selected five unique reworks from top producers from Poland and beyond.
Ketsueki Sākuru – Blood Meridian [GD016]
By Giallo Disco standards, Blood Meridian is something of a curveball. Produced by debutant Ketsueki Sakuru, it cleverly combines the label’s usual synthesizer horror influences with percussion programming that draws inspiration from the throbbing worlds of EBM and New Beat. It’s a blend that works wonderfully well, from the bubbling, rising synthesizer lines and hypnotic rhythms of “The Judge”, to the cacophonous, slo-mo throb of “The Necklace” (all tactile chords and ricocheting drum hits), via the dark pulse of smack-jacker “The Judge”. Arguably best of all, though, is “The Kid”, which sounds like a pitched-down hook-up between John Carpenter and Nitzer Ebb.
The Hipodrome Of Music 