For Crimes of The Future number 3 presents the ubiquitous Black Merlin, Trevor Horn heads to Berghain at 3am Friday and stays til Monday. Completing the release Timothy J. Fairplay and Scott Fraser remix together for the first time in the Adrian Tripod mode, taking amazing exotics back deep into early 1990’s New York and kicking it out bonesbreaks style.
A love of new wave, new beat, UK Bleep and Detroit techno all feature in B-Ultras and the aptly titled, Neu Beat. Both cuts are heavily soaked in the pitch black, smoke machine funk and strob-laden fug of Andy’s (and co-hort Joe Hart) infamous World Unknown dancefloor. Running at around 10 minutes the tracks are essentially an examination of acid house’s ideals. Clattering hats, throbbing basslines, stabbing keys and doses of 303. Keeping it pretty simple but all about a pure groove on and on. Backing these up is a remix of B-Ultras from Jamie Paton that accentuates the groove and drags the acid deeper down to some B-boy Dub throwdown – with more to follow from all protagonists in 2014.
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.
After the tense and dramatic soundscapes of Jason Letkiewicz’s Nzambi LP under his soundtrack guise Alan Hurst, Emotional Response have put the tracks to the test for three appropriately oddball remixers. Fellow L.I.E.S. affiliate Terekke turns out a heavily sedated dub of “Nzambi” that rides a pacey house beat but buries everything in delay and reverb. Timothy J Fairplay brings some serious sleazy 80s electro tones to “Parallel Sensations”, complete with predatory vocal and thick ladles of synthy goodness. Finally, Jonas Reinhardt cools off the intensity with a blissful ambient version of “Before The Dawn” which plunges headfirst into a warm bed of melodic drones.
The Hipodrome Of Music 