Protect-U @ Comet Ping Pong (Washington DC) 10.05.2014
house
Automatic Tasty – Rites of Wrong EP [COMMUNICATION003]
Wrong Island returns with yet another big hitter, welcoming Automatic Tasty to the fold with a 7 track mini-LP. The record starts with a Cassette Boy style attack on the emptiness of daytime TV before firing into a half hour of psychedelic acid house. From the bleepy funk of A Public Service Announcement to the all-out acid assault of Cheers Curtis this record is like what we think Drexciya would have sounded like if theyd written tracks about the hills and fields of Ireland instead of underwater kingdoms, this is perfect summertime music as good for drinking cider in the Sun as it would be for the dancefloor.
Jorge Velez – Aventuras [CREME1278]
Jorge Velez’s take on the modern stock exchange through the eyes of a Bhopal seamstres ca. 1986 makes -as you can imagine- for a mix of elation and defeatism. Or as some might say, a Tango of Paradoxes.
Crystal Maze – Twilight People [RHYTHM011]
Crystal Maze’s return on Bio Rhythm. Three cosmic techno jams of the absolute highest order, crafted & molded after dark at the Crystal’s analog alchemist lab.
45 ACP – Code 4 [FRQ002]
The 2nd reference for the Parisian based label. No Name Dropping here, just another side project of the man D.K. The house groove is served with rough percussion and and odd beats programming. Strictly for the freakz.
C.P.I. – Tunel / Proseco [HVN021]
Marc Pinol and Hugo Capablanca join forces to channel their shared love for Psychic TV, industrial music and New Beat through 2 murky club tunes.
Matt Tolfrey – Leftroom White 001 [JLW001]
Leftroom announce their Vinyl Only White series. The first release see’s the return of Geeeman and Mosca with their instrumental takes on Matt Tolfrey’s ‘The Truth’ and Sweatshop Boys’s ‘Wide World”.
MZKBX @ Café Moka (Paris) 17.05.2014
Korrupt Data – Cryogene [PLE653671]
Planet E is debuting the so far unknown Korrupt Data with a three-track 12″. Entitled Cryogene – cryogenics being the study of the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures – the sounds here match such a description. The title-track is a highlight and it’s a great electro production made at a speedy house tempo that brims with all the Detroit goodness of an Interdimensional Transmission record. “Drifting Vessels” is a little more broken in rhythm and has that deep sea searching vibe of a chilled out Drexciya track, while “Shimmer” is a reflective, sombre, but also hopeful and cosmic piece of electronic music brilliance.
Maxwell Church – Lab.our 04 [LBRM004]
LAB.OUR 04 sees the return of Torontos own Maxwell Church with 3 raw techno cuts. When not busy as one of the founders of Torontos techno night The Deep North, Max releases music as a solo artist and as one half of The Hermans. Doldruks driving rhythm is anchored by percolating synths and ever changing, melodic patterns. Faxnews is a dubby stomper with synth stabs and vocal snippets. Geosynchronus Orb shows us what acid sounds like on Saturn.
Steffi & Dexter – Warme Hap [DOLLYDUBS004]
Labelboss Steffi hooking up with long-time buddy and musical boy wonder Dexter again. Over 15 years ago they started the Klakson label and the rest is history. Sounding more fresh than ever Steffi & Dexter deliver 3 razor sharp dancefloor bombs that will unite dancefloors worldwide. All the elements are there: aquatic electro arpeggio’s, jacking 808 beats, bouncing analogue strings and basslines, all topped off with that euphoric Detroit techno feel.
Matrixxman – XLR8R Podcast 345
Leigh Dickson – Knoe 3/1 [KNOE3/1]
Beautiful house, techno and electro in the deep aesthetic that we know for the For Those that Know label. First of 2 ep’s coming summer 2014 kicks off with Chimera; a soothing and warm electro cut with soft pads and twinkling lead lines. Aerobatics, originally released on Qube in 2002 slots onto the A2; it meanders into darker territory with saw tooth synth basses, squelchy acid and industrial break beats. Sketch Form on the B-side is a slow tempo house track with chunky distorted rhythms and percussive driven bassline, complemented neatly by swooping square pads and a delicate lead. The Closed Box rounds off the EP with its stripped electronic break beat and late night harmonies.
DJ TLR @ Cartel Kingsday Afterparty, Studio 80 (Amsterdam) 26.04.2014
Rawaat – Day Laborer EP [LT005]
Detroit young gun Rawaat finally steps up with his debut vinyl release for Lobster Theremin. Five journeyed tracks at the overlap between ambient, house, techno and beats with a good dose of left-field, tape-saturated aesthetic and a Huerco S. remix. Classic rave tropes, early Warp influences and psychedelic ambient composition elements are all throw into the pan. This is a wildly varied and startlingly accomplished EP.
Gut Noise – Vicetopia [SUS005V]
Furtive anxiety, jaundiced eyes, a shortness of breath and an over-racked nervous system. The New York born producer Gut Nose has concocted a blunted and dilapidated strain of house music that puts biters to shame with his debut 12” – Vicetopia – for Styles Upon Styles.
Richard Fearless – Higher Electronic States [DRONE001]
Death in Vegas main man and Drone founder Richard Fearless delivers an epic dance track. D’Marc Cantu picks up remix duties on the flip, toning things down in tempo but certainly not tension. This is deep, brooding, suspense filled slow-motion techno creating a wholly satisfying first taste of the meal that is Drone.
Prosumer – LWE Podcast 200
VA – Reiterate Vol. 2 [RMG002]
Reiterate bounds back in the room with a 2nd iteration, this time with edits by JTC, DJ QU & a remix by New York’s Steve-Oh. Strictly dancefloor reworks of Dinosaur, Rafael Villafane, Bee Gees, & Liaisons Dangereuses.
House Of Spirits – Holding On [BIS013]
House of Spirits is the church of sound over which Tom Noble presides, raising the congregation to ecstatic heights from his pulpit of passion. Noble invited musicians to transform his sketches into a dynamic live performance. The resulting studio celebration led to the euphoric “Holding On” for Beats In Space Records. “Holding On” glides on such a joyous, eventful groove that it’s impossible to confine the track to a specific time or place. Strings, seemingly lifted from a 70s Salsoul twelve, soar alongside a gospel choir preaching positivity for souls both lost and found. “Holding On” embraces disco house authentically and timelessly. On the flip, Peaking Lights tucks the heavenly wonder of the original under a dub-worn blanket for an out-of-body dream beam.
The Hipodrome Of Music 