throne of blood

Man Power – Trans EP [TOB049]

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The anonymous Man Power makes his debut on Throne of Blood with the label’s first release in 2015. With “Trans” Man Power turns in a peaktime monster with soaring, frankly uncharacteristic optimistic rushes. Berlin’s Discodromo strips things down a bit delivering a version reminiscent of something that would have smashed up a Wicked party in San Francisco circa ’96. Man Power returns to familiar dark and driving analogue territory on the flip with “Blue Suite.” WT Records mainman Willie Burns closes out the 12” with tearing, arpeggio-heavy mix that pumps things up for the dancefloor.

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Man Power – Trans EP [TOB049]

Hardway Bros – A/B Musique [TOB034]

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Sean Johnston’s Hardway Bros aligns on the Throne Of Blood label with some rare original produce in the shape of A/B Musique, a killer 12″ brandishing some assistance from fellow Axis members Scott Fraser and Timothy J Fairplay. Eschewing the Balearic nature of previous Hardway Bros material, the title track is geared as homage to Belgian New Beat and hits the spot as soon as those hollow drums kick into gear. The aforementioned Mr Fairplay provides some punk funk swagger via intermittent guitar riffage and the vibe throughout is geared towards interplanetary love parties. On the flip, “Shorty” feels a bit darker, with tough multi layered drum breaks and fuzzy edged arpeggiated bass lines gradually teasing out a seemingly never ending fluctuating precession of delay laden acid lines and swirling hypnotic vocal smudges. Scott Fraser turns in a murky basement remix of “Shorty” which is tinged with a machine made melancholia that tastes decidedly Detroitian.

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Hardway Bros – A/B Musique [TOB034]

Bohemian Groove – High Jinks [TOB031]

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Bohemian Groove are taking their inspiration from the infamous Bohemian Club, a conclave of powerful men who met annually at the Bohemian Grove campground in California to plan world-changing developments including the Manhattan Project. The three puppetmasters of the Groove make machine-based body music connecting the dots between house, techno, and something altogether uncategorizable. Now they are unleashing their first standalone dance manifesto in the form of  the “High Jinks” / “Low Jinks” EP, with remixes by Gilb’r and Photonz.

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Bohemian Groove – High Jinks [TOB031]

Call Super – No Episode [TOB029]

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Call Super is an outlet for hallucinatory club music. Swaying from the lean and muscular edges of techno, to the fractured palette of electronica and rough electro his productions share a tendency towards the live and informal. Now Call Super emerges with two tracks that comprise No Episode EP on New York’s Throne of Blood. Both tracks are then responded to, the former by Madteo, the latter by John Heckle. “No Fun” is a grinding bass-heavy groover rooted by its warehouse techno stomp and embellished with trippy melodic flourishes. Queens-based bass producer Madteo takes the original and recasts it in his singularly buggedout, broken and lo-fi style. “No Fool” is a storming dancefloor sureshot awash in noise and menace. For his relick, UK house upstart John Heckle amplifies the original’s halucinogenic circularity into a swirling monster of warped arpeggios and flying cymbals.

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Call Super – No Episode [TOB029]

Maxime & Remain – Ghoulish [TOB028]

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The Ghoulish EP marks the beginning of something new for two veterans of Throne of Blood. Maxime Pasquier has teamed up with Romain Rouffiac aka Remain and this is the first single to emerge from this trans-Atlantic collaboration. As a first statement of purpose, “Ghoulish” leaves little to the imagination with its propulsive rhythms and needling synths. For remixes Maxime & Remain looked to an old friend Sasse. “Unmanned” serves as a perfect counterpoint. Where “Ghoulish” trades in unmitigated dancefloor energy, “Unmanned” is anxious and uneasy, while Darabi turn the track on its head with their stripped back, syrupy slow remix awash in static and noise.

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Maxime & Remain – Ghoulish [TOB028]

Clouded Vision – City Thunder EP [TOB025]

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New release on Throne Of Blood by Clouded Vision aka Matt Walsh and Steve Cook. Opening track “City Thunder” finds Clouded Vision in reflective mood, especially when the track opens up into the core section of warm laser like synths and new age cooing. It’s given markedly more rhythmic urgency by Chamboche, whose uptempo refix treats the aforementioned synth elements with cavernous dub and dices them to fit neatly into his own skipping grooves. On the flip, “Alien Race” replaces warmth with darkness as the track’s throbbing acidic DNA is slowly extracted over a slowed down jak beat, while Turbo fellas Gingy & Bordello take the track further down the rabbit hole on their new jack techno refix.

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Clouded Vision – City Thunder EP [TOB025]

Harkin & Raney – Shakes On [TOB015]

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New York’s dream team, Eamon Harkin and Steve “OneAuff” Raney, return with a three tracker of floor-friendly deep house and techno. “Workin and Steamin” sets the vibe right, combining haunting vocals with a chugging deep house groove. Building onwards, “Shakes On” is a melodic and moody bit of NYC house that proves once and for all why these two are destined for classic status. Rounding things out is a dark and driving dancefloor reinterpretation of “Shakes On” by Glasgow’s Naum Gabo (JG Wilkes of Optimo fame and James Savage). Their version is faithful to the original, yet it twists the vibe into a moody, motorik techno groove sure to fill the dancefloor.

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Harkin & Raney – Shakes On [TOB015]

Bicep – EP2 [TOB014]

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Featuring a deeper take on the analog house sound, “EP2” on Throne of Blood, represents a step forward for Bicep. Midwest rave veteran and analog synth maestro Mark Verbos turns in a tough and stripped back remix.

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Bicep – EP2 [TOB014]

Bicep – EP1 [TOB010]

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Bicep have delivered, for Throne Of Blood, a 12“ that’s old school in feel and still utterly current. Serge Santiago with his partner in Retro/Grade, Tom Neville,  to turn in an edit, rounding out “EP1” into a three track party-starter!

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Bicep – EP1 [TOB010]