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.
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 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.
Deep Space Orchestra return with a double-header of their patented blend of electronic house music. “Hipster Massacre” is the duo’s response to the bland, instagram-obsessed dancefloors of today. Bouncing along on a wave of droning synths, rhythmic vocal snippets and a floor slaying bassline the arrangement takes us through heavy drum machine sections through to sparse dancefloor ecstasy. “Smoking Bunt” goes on a trippy percussive tip, opening with some lush congas and seductive synth stabs before an arpeggiated melody comes rushing in, transporting us to open skies and huge oceanic landscapes.
Two brand new mutant acid house tracks on Mannequin Records. DUST is a contemporary ouroboros of acid house, combat techno, and late italo, headquartered at infamous psychedelic/art/techno mansion Trip House in the jungles of Deep Bushwick.
Three tracks of pickled, tripped techno-not-techno and crushed house from the Dubliners, backed with a wry remix from Tuff Sherm aka Dro Carey. Mastered by Helmut Erler at D&M, this is a vinyl-only release.
The tenth release on Acoustic Division is coming from Claire. “Perfume” is a techno that sucks the air out of the room and charges the void with an inescapable atmosphere of enchantment and control. Distilled from smoke and mirrors and spun from the hypnotist’s lyre, her machinery leaves its trace everywhere, as fragments of desire dissolve into the presence of total submission.
After more than a decade of releasing raw and emotional house music, Dutch producer and architect Aroy Dee is about to drop his debut album on his own M>O>S label. The man has established himself as someone who creates misty analogue music that nods to a Chicago heyday at the same time as coming imbued with plenty of its own deep emotions, mystic melodies and jacking beats. His M>O>S label has become a go-to outlet for fans of no nonsense house and that tradition continues on this full-length album. Incidentally, M>O>S stands for Muziek Over Steden – Dutch for ‘music about cities’ – because Dee has a close tie to buildings: during the day he works as an architect so has an unrivalled grasp of space, structure and urban environments that surely translates into his well built house music, and more specifically into this debut album. Made with the same hardware that defines the rest of his discography, including his first synth, the Poly 800, which he bought from his friend NWAQ, Sketches is a truly idiosyncratic project.
“For me, my musical output and development feels like an on going history of my life. In this perspective I worked steadily over the last two years on my first full-length album, Sketches. It’s a very personal document, not intended to make anybody happy but myself, which is why it has taken so long. It’s like a diary or ghost-script written about a part of my life and my fascinations, honoring my biggest musical inspirations.”
From the shores of the Great Lakes comes a 3 track floor filler from MI duo 2AM/FM aka JTC & D’Marc Cantu. Confronting the canons of Techno & House head on, this 12″ takes you beyond the dance. Best experienced loud though, preferably in a darkened smoke filled room.
The next release on Contemporary Scarecrow comes from Chicago house legend Boo Williams. This double pack features 8 tracks of quality Chicago house to complete another solid release on this rising Australian label.
The original Adventures in Techno Soul compilation was released back in 1996 with remixes of Ferox tracks from the likes of Derrick Carter, Carl Craig and Kenny Dixon Jr. A full 16 year’s after its follow up “Further Adventures in Techno Soul” comes this 8 track album of new and unreleased material on double vinyl from 8 different and exciting artists. Ferox is proud to welcome established and respected producers such as Fred P and Germany’s Move D to the roster, as well as a welcome return from Affie Yusuf, Nebraska and Bush Funk (Steve O’Sullivan and Winlord X) who were last seen on Soma Records back in 1996. The label is also proud to introduce two new artists, Darren Harris and Spain’s Hoax Believers who alongside label boss Russ Gabriel round off this package of soulful electronica.
Home Invasion is the new label from Real Tone man Franck Roger, a man whose career has scaled the full depths of house music over the past decade or so. Evidently seeking a new challenge, the Parisian’s new imprint promises to adhere to a vehemently underground way of working, with every EP released on vinyl-only terms and produced exclusively on analogue equipment.
We Play House’s Our Beat Is Still New series has been something of a soar-away success, introducing a new generation of DJs to the distinctive, heavily electronic midtempo pulse of Belgian new beat via a constant stream of tribute tracks from contemporary producers. Predictably, there’s more to admire on this fourth and final 12″, not least the bass-heavy throb and rubbery electronics of Locked Groove’s tribute to Belgian new beat/techno legend Frank De Wulf, “El Rio Negro”. Elsewhere, young rave revivalist Innershades drops the moody and intoxicating “Massive Overdose”, while Lauer impresses with the winding synths, juddering drums and saucer-eyed pads of “Planet Barty”. FCL’s stomping “It Began in Belgium” – all cheap electronics and proto-acid tweakery – is also pretty darn good.
The Cellar Boyz ‘Pay Me’ is taken from Ben Cenac’s timeless ‘Cozmic House E.P’ on Thug Records. Pay Me which was recorded in 1986 is the only track from the Cozmic House E.P that had available parts. The stems for Deeper & Deeper, Seems To Me & Who Loves You were never recorded. This was due to the fact that all of Ben’s projects through out the ‘90s were tracked MIDI only at mix down, with only the vocals being recorded to tape. Thug would never have had the opportunity to release Ben Cenac’s Cozmic House 12″ if it had not been for Simoncino. Simoncino did all the A&R for the record. A gift not only for Thug but any fans of Ben Cenac’s amazing productions. With that in mind, Simoncino has provided 2 remixed versions of Pay Me, alongside a remix from close friend Nicholas.
Neo Romantico dance music by Shangri & La. Inspired by a club and a scene that never was, we hear rroto acid, bongo boogie, future reggae and candid club cuts that equals the Fantastic Four. Great sounding music for good looking people.
Spontaneity, simplicity and playfulness, combined with the warmth and solitude of an Ibizan hideaway, not to mention the cold, industrial minimalism of Manuels Ruhr Valley Essen roots all make for an interesting fusion on Es Cub. Take opener Ara Anam for example, we could just as easily be on the Space Terrace as we could at Panarama Bar. Tracks such as Werk and Flux combine hints of clipped minimalism with the driving, analogue synth sounds of say Ame or Baikal whilst About To Fall and El Soplo contain both depth and a certain majestic beauty gained from the simple, stripped back, rolling beats and flowing pads. Far from being the throwaway sketches that Manuel modestly implies, we hear strong melodic motifs and hooky samples appearing throughout the entire LP which brings a unique identity to each track as well as adding a cohesive gel to Es Cub.
