Continuing their quest to unearth deep house gems new and old, Vibes & Pepper introduce the world to Manuel Keyz with a killer four-track workout that makes all the classic moves.
house
Emotion II Emotion – EIIE I [WXC006]
Emotion II Emotion is Portland duo Avalon Kalin (Finesse) and Rafael Fauria (Miracles Club) that blend Garage & Deep House live with gritty samples, FM synthesis, analog hardware, swing and passion. Looking back to the golden age of House Music and pushing it forward as a live art form. Inspired by the best of the 90’s club sounds, they deliver here their first EP full of house killers.
Dwayne Jensen – Night Vision EP [DSR003]
This time Dockside works with Dwayne Jensen, one of Detroit’s true pioneers of house, boss of Fathom Records. Here are 2 excellent tracks of funky deep house with a really serious groove.
Julius Steinhoff – So Glad [SMALLVILLE033]
Julius Steinhoff comes up with his second solo 12inch on Smallville “So Glad”. Steinhoffs soloworks strike even more voluptuary with slightly rapturous pleasure. ‘So Glad’ makes slick moves with sparse chords and a frisky machine beat revolving limber square bass. ‘Slow Movement’ slips down a gear into robust Chicago jack mode and ‘All Of A Sudden’ gets all minimal and sinuous next to the plush late night swerve of ‘Speak No Evil’.
Low Jack – Free Pyjamas EP [DSRH005]
Delsin’s house series is back once again, this time with mysterious producer Low Jack. His Free Pyjamas EP is house, of course, but thick, dense, gauzy textures fill every inch of the airwaves throughout. The title track is a big barrelling loop of warehouse music that has rattling drum fills, muffled r&b vocals and plenty of noise in its heart. And flipping to the bside, ‘LJs Jam’ is even more fucked up, with harsh, raw drums hidden under layers of dust, static and hiss. Various synths add some ethereal light to the backdrop and a vocal struggles to be heard in the midst of all the chaos. Finally, ‘The White Towel’ is a crunchy groove, with melancholic melodies dampening down the sonic destruction all around. Light yet dark, heavy yet groovy, it closes out a wholly arresting EP from this little known talent.
Appointment – Les Appointment Royale [AP007]
The Appointment crew (Emg, Marieu, John Swing and Lucretio) add another file in their already bulging folder marked “buy in sight”. “Track 1” from the Les Appointment Royale EP features all the lo-fi brilliance the label is know for by the way of cut up vocals, Roland symbol crashes and a thrumming bass lines. “Track 2” hits up jazzy party loops whereas “Track 3” gets deep and dirty with a gritty and circular groove. Broken beats, distortion and industrial sensibilities are employed in “Track 4” which rounds out one of their most versatile EPs yet.
VA – Compiled Pleasures, Chapter Two EP [FALKPLATZ009]
Volume 2 in the ‘Compiled Pleasures’ series, featuring some underground key figures and tastemakers. ‘Aim Vinyl’ labelhead Tristen delivers an ultradeep and rolling deephouse track in his very own tradition. Dario Zenker’s ‘Dining’ is an uncompromising lecture in clever simplicity, straight in your face and stomach. Freestyle Man, the finnish oldschoolmaster drops a big synth-peaktime bomb. And British newcomers Dax J and Chris Stanford deliver a dubby and deep dancefloor shaker.
Trus’me – Voyager [PN016]
Ben Klock hypnotizes you with his signature style on Trus’me’s most popular club track to date ‘W.A.R Dub’. Ryan Elliott takes you on a similar journey, looping the fundamentals of Trus’me’s debut release ‘Nards’. Closely followed by an acid workout of huge proportions of another popular Trus’me hit “Need a Job’ by the ever shape shifting Vakula.
Willie Burns – Another Place [SEQ004]
Willie Burns and Aroy Dee on remix duty. Sequencias is slowly building their profile with their outsider house, acid and chicago rooted tracks. “Another Place, Another Time” is an epic track and Willie Burns stepped over his shadow. Trippy and full of tension, slow building without taking the paved path. Aroy Dee is delivering a remix, more in the Chicago direction and adding dramatic strings.
Toby Tobias – Messing With My Mind EP [BRK004]
Toby Tobias makes his debut on Burek. Running away is a classic house peak time tune with a 90’s bass line, wonderful melodic synth stabs and a vocal sample which at its peak simply drives people crazy on the dance floor. Tres Mal wins the listeners almost instantly and has all the requirements to become a hit. Cleverly made arrangement, fat bass line and high quality production are filled with an exquisite vocal of Toby’s close friend Be Atwell. On remix duty we have Croatian house talent Homeboy a and Liverpool’s John Heckle.
Recloose – Andres / Oliverwho Factory Remixes [RH046]
Rush Hour present a new EP including two remixes by Andres and The Oliverwho Factory and a new original track by Recloose. Andres remixes ‘Electric Sunshine’, which originally appeared on the Saturday Night Manifesto EP in 2011, into a laid back and smooth house track for which Dez is so well known. The Oliverwho Factory touches up Magic, which came out earlier this year. Recloose swings back into party mode with his new track, ‘Chamois’.
DJ TLR – Slabs 171
“A live DJ set celebrating the inauguration of James Olsom II as club treasurer, performed at the Hawktree Golfclub, Bismarck North Dakota in the summer of 2012. Over 2,5 hours of intense pure raw rockin house in all its forms, with no attempts to smooth out the moments of pure unhinged madness that drove the bar insane and gave more than a few old hoochies feelings they never thought they would have again. Hey Gopher, just gimme me a paira dancing shoes, a paira ladies and a paira medics!”
Robert Williams & Ron Hardy – Muzic Box [RH122]
This tasty sampler featuring two Music Box inspired edit tracks is a prequel to some very nice things ahead. First up is Derrick May’s edit of Let No Man Put Us Under. An edit that he did in the late 80s, which was directly inspired by his trips to the Muzic Box, where he would hear Ron Hardy play the song. One which marks the direct influence that Chicago had on Detroit dance music. On the flip we find a track from another child of the Box, Gene Hunt. ‘Sound Drome’ is an amazing building drum track that totals over 13 minutes. This version takes direct influence from the Muzic Box and Ron Hardy with the acapella intro that Ron used to play as well. The real insanity starts 8 minutes into the track when the tempo is pitched down (and then back up). The kind of madness that only Ron would create on the dance floor.
Virgo Four Merwyn – Where Are You EP [HOTMIX008]
HotMix Records whit the eighth release, featuring a track by Merwyn Sanders of Virgo Four. The EP includes remixes by Nicholas, Max Essa and K&M.
Bantam Lions – One To One EP [SCN001]
Scenery is the new record label of Stu Robinson, and arrives with a stated focus on promoting talent from the UK’s north west. The debut release from the unheralded Bantam Lions is notable for pairing both original productions with remixes from John Heckle. Liverpool’s finest exponent of rough hewn analogue jack turns in a notably bewitching blend of exotic melodies and rugged drum programming for the remix of “Control Tower Observations”.
Steve Summers – Flashing In The Lights [HOTMIX007.5]
XDB / Kassem Mosse – Ekatem / Omrish [DNP016]
The second release on Diamonds And Pearls in 2012. Two of the most singular and distinct forces in house and techno today, XDB and Kassem Mosse, team up for a special sonic treat. So get yourself ready for two extended journeys into techno, house and beyond. XDB’s “Ekatem” is a driving, rough and ready house track with a beautifully bubbling square bassline and dirty synth work. On the flip XDB is joined by Kassem Mosse for an exploration into the outer reaches of house music. “Omrish” is a gritty-yet-atmospheric jam, full of shimmering chords and floating synth melodies which are punctuated by double kicks and crisp cymbals.
Steven Tang – Midi Deux Podcast #80
![Podcast #80 - Steven Tang [Emphasis-Synchrophone]](https://i0.wp.com/images-mix.netdna-ssl.com/w/300/h/300/q/85/upload/images/extaudio/ef18c377-ef75-4e21-8c64-7c6426f0f131.jpg)
Container – LP [SP025]
The second full-length self-titled album by Ren Schofield’s Container project, “Container” is spare, minimal, Noise-influenced outsider Techno with a rigid focus. The opening track establishes the tonal palette of the record, with bit-crushed rhythms set against a deceptively simple drum pattern. A careening, looped oscillation appears midway through the track and steadily gains momentum and position in the mix. Schofield is adept at making these jarring juxtapositions feel organic and coherent. Standout track “Acclimator” teems with insectoid chatter and whips up fascinating polyrhythms by way of its creative and judicious use of delay. Some may write off Noise-Techno as trendy and topical (and perhaps much of it is), but Schofield’s efforts are well worth a listen.
Tuff Sherm – Pharmacy EP [TTT006]
Dro Carey offers his second release under the dilapidated tech-house moniker Tuff Sherm with this forthcoming 12” on The Trilogy Tapes. Admittedly, the sonics of Tuff Sherm aren’t far from works under DC – the grooves are less broken, the rhythms more hypnotic, but the textures are very much in line with Dro Carey’s dusked, dystopian palette. ‘Pharmacy’ bounces with swirling, nauseated effects, piling hollow percussion atop a thick soundscape heavy-laden with impending grooves. The brief ‘Hydlide’ does a great job of launching into a distorted, earthy loop, before smothering it under a filter to allow for looped melancholic stab to take over. As the initial loop rises to the fore, sandpaper samples rise with it – cavorting with the minimal melody like a maniacal tour guide purposely misleading his group through an abandoned factory. ‘Leg Man’ recalls the playful darkside of Dro Carey’s material, with a thick sub anchoring the track as wickedly off-balance samples peek through the compression, enhancing the swung rhythm of the tune.
