UK born beatsmith Gold Panda seems to be doing something very right. After releasing on Wichita and Various Production and remixing a wide range of popular artists including The Field, Bloc Party and Little Boots, Panda made his breakthrough with the short but ear-catching “Quitter’s Raga” on Make Mine. His blend of electronica/hip-hop sounds, which bounces between the stylistic poles of Caribou, Boards of Canada and Flying Lotus, has since found favor with Ghostly International which provides a home for his You – EP. The package is rounded out by a raft of remixes and digital exclusives.

“You” picks up where “Quitter’s Raga” left off, unleashing a torrent of chopped and stitched, helium pitched vocals that quiver above a cautious kick and clap combo. Pitting gruff drums against the yearning vocals slots the opening gambit in the same headspace as The Field taking on Flying Lotus — an aesthetically pleasing if not terribly inventive combination. It’s a good starting point for listeners who’ve not yet experienced Gold Panda without building much on his established sound. Instead he packs novelty into the hushed, almost techno track “Peaky Caps.” Here his percussion pops and clicks like a latter day dubstep track but is meshed with soft, faded chords. Plinky synth notes gradually nudge the track into more pastoral territory of sampled “mmm” vocals and almost nursery appropriate melodies, giving off a very reflective vibe that seems most inviting in solitude. The digital bonus track “Kill Yourself On A Beach” starts out promising, rolling sampled pitches off bumping rhythms, but soon loses some of its focus as rattling hand drums and kalimba melodies clamber into the frame. Had it been played more straightforward I wouldn’t be surprised if it made it onto the physical release.

Four producers are then given their chance to reshape “You” as they see fit. Relative newcomer Seams stays closest to the original in tone and construction, opting to swap the heavy drums for thinner snare patterns and chop off some of the dynamic range, but generally leaves “You” easily recognizable. Osborne’s remix offers something luxurious and familiar for the house heads: decked out in relaxed pads and Rhodes chords, it just barely references the sampled vocal line as even more compelling bass lines and evolving hi-hat patterns vie for audiences’ attention. On the digital end of things, Minotaur Shock’s rework is stuffed to the gills with chunky drums, bouncing kalimba notes, field samples and snatches of the vocal. At points it’s quite entertaining and other times it’s just overwhelming, which suggests with more judicious editing it could’ve been quite satisfying. Dam Mantle brings the EP to a close on a dubstep inspired tip, breaking the the original into an unstable maze of fleeting vocals and hyperactive percussion arrangements, all threaded together by whirs and beeps of a computer on the brink of overheating. The You – EP does a good job of making Gold Panda’s sound amenable to Ghostly’s broad audience in a variety of ways, even letting listeners choose what genre they prefer their Panda to be. We’ll see if other labels feel compelled to do the same.

Seattle’s Dave Pezzner may still seem like a new kid on the block, but if you’ve been in the game long enough odds are you’ve heard of his past work as one half of Classic Records signed jaunty house smiths Jacob London. Alongside Bob Hansen, Pezzner brought us discerning dance floor bangers with titles such as “Regular Absorbency” and “Pinecones Are Complicated” starting in 1998. As that project began to wind down, Pezzner relaunched himself as a solo artist with a load of experimentally edged though thoroughly floor-friendly house cuts for Freerange Records and Om. He’s also become quite in demand for remixes, having worked over tracks by Lusine, Milton Jackson, Terry Lee Brown Jr., Mark Farina and Chris Lattner. On The Tracks Are Alive EP, the first taken from his debut album of the same name, Pezzner gets sit back and be remixed by Rozzo, Ryo Murakami, and Jay Shepheard.

Pezzner’s original is a testament to his love of all things just a smidge left of center, a straight up house track that sets itself apart with an inspired sonic palette. Tubby acoustic drums and brusque, streamlined horn stabs set the track on a direct path that goes a bit wobbly as if the elements were warping in the summer sun. It’s somewhat rare for house tracks this weird and singularly fashioned to stomp this hard. André Schmid, better known as Rozzo and as the core member of Mountain People, seems in his element as he takes on the title track. Stripped back to terse, shuffling hi-hats and a bare bass line, the remix pops out of Schmid’s mold with his trademarked minor chord progression fastened on and pointing the way. He also dapples the subtle, snaking groove in vocal snippets dipped in reverb to give the track a more human touch. While not as distinctive or timeless as some of his own productions, the remix holds its own as an early morning mover that’s perfect for DJs looking to pace themselves.

Ryo Murakami takes the track to more stereotypical deep house territory but with enough noteworthy details to keep it feeling fresh and lovely. Opening on spacious organ chords, its reverberating drums gives off a dusty, almost vintage feel that grows stronger as it unfolds and reveals open hats and punchy claps. But what truly sets his remix apart are the sparingly used vocal drops (“Us!” they cry), languid bass guitar lines and hints of guitar noodles that echo the hands-on feel imparted by Pezzner’s original. If listeners aren’t dancing to this there’s a good chance they’ll end up reclining to drink it all in. UK born, Berlin resident Jay Shepheard brings proceedings to a close by remixing Pezzner’s “Find Me.” With a funk inspired guitar lick acting as its rudder, the track straddles the line between funkier and arguably more commercial deep house in a precarious way. Its studded bass line and filtered female vocals provide just enough momentum to keep its slender frame in motion without breaking a sweat. All in all, a quite solid package.

Correction: The review incorrectly noted that Jay Sheapherd remixed the EP’s title track instead of “Find Me.” The text has been edited to reflect this change.

[Crosstown Rebels]

Boston-based duo Soul Clap has seen a dramatic uptick in their stock in the last year’s time. From their humble beginnings on Itzamna Recordings they’ve catapulted up the chain and joined the Wolf + Lamb family, impressing dancers and DJs with their Love Light EP and “I Want You” in collaboration with Le Loup. Well positioned in a time where deep house reigns, they’ve started to attract a wider range of labels, starting with their Action Satisfaction EP for Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels imprint. This release shows just how far this duo has come in a relatively short amount of time, refining the sample-centered house sound to which they’ve cottoned on.

Action Satisfaction opens on the relaxed groove of the title track, wending through Chicago and New York house influences at slo-mo tempos with warm pads, glittering cymbal patterns and spindly but reverberating synth notes all making appearances. But even more than the instrumental it’s the froggy soul vocal line that’s most likely to get audiences smiling, crooning like Errol Brown of U.K. funksters Hot Chocolate fresh out of the shower. Whether the vocals are sampled or original is besides the point as they’re locked tightly into the track without ever feeling forced. A somewhat unexpected remix from Aus Music chap Lee Jones helps the tune fit into more DJs’ sets by upping the BPMs and positioning it for big rooms. Fans of his solo work will recognize the ramped up synth lines that strafe the stereo field like fog machines and laser light shows, although he aims much higher in the pop stratosphere than one might expect and manages something impressive all the same.

“Break 4 Life” is comparatively stripped back, bumping along on an unctuous bass line and threaded together with plummeting strings and abstract vocal exercises, matching the caliber if not the thoroughness of the title track. And finally there’s the almost comical hip-tronica of “Noneadatwhitestar,” redolent of Native Tongues-era boom-bap layered with chord stabs that slap it into the 21st century. Action Satisfaction is without a doubt Soul Claps’ most impressive release to date, summing up the duo’s diverse tastes and offering something for most house aficionados. Hats truly doffed for this one.

Whenever I hear some impressive, left-of-center glacial electronica on a label that begins with “Lo,” my mind tends to jump to the Lo Recordings stable. But one shouldn’t overlook the other Lo’s, especially Lobe Records. Born back in 2007 under the aegis of François Gamaury (aka Franz Kirmann), Roscoe Williamson (aka Arrows!!!) and Matt Watts (aka Debunkt) as a platform for their own projects it’s since released some tasty numbers. For their third release, Lobe looks to Gamaury as he takes his music to a rather beautiful and contemplative place with the help of experimental pianist Tom Hodge. Together they send stately compositions through a digital shredder to come away with something unexpectedly breathtaking — four fractured, but strangely organic tracks which simultaneously evoke thoughts of Autechre, Glacier and solo piano chamber music.

“Piano Interrrupted I” is a glitchy autumnal number with the wavering piano twinkles riding beneath the popping and scratching of what sounds like typewriters and shuffling papers from an pre-industrial revolution office while a mournful, minor key piano refrain rises and wilts within the composition. Part of of its brilliance is the near post dubstep sub-bass which wafts beneath the twinkling highs of the arrangement like if dry ice. “Piano Interrupted II” is a far more dramatic affair. Laced with a warm throbbing sub, this has all the reverb based twinkles, tight digitally augmented percussion and flutes one might expect if Matmos moved into jazzier territory, coming to a close with a rather well placed weeping sax shuffling into the mix to accompany the piano twinkles. Picture “Twin Peaks” era David Lynch and you’ve almost got the mental imagery right.

Being the lovely chaps that they are, Lobe give parts “III” and “IV” away as digital tracks to those who purchase the “7 or mp3s, although both are as beguiling as “I” or “II.” The third of the series blossoms as if an aural daffodil in late spring with a harmonious staccato bass accompanying the simplistic piano line and subdued chimes, yet mid way threatens to become an organic techno cut a la Villalobos, only to return to it’s languid pace. Indeed, I liked it so much I featured it in my Curator’s Cuts podcast. “Piano Interrupted IV” closes the chapter with what sounds like a splintered Hammond organ riff atop some of that cheekier than jowl sub-bass featured earlier, complete with double piano lines which chatter in the background so much suspects it’s a gauntlet thrown down to Booka Shade or Audion to attempt a remix. Apparently this is the first EP of many within this project between Kirmann and Tom Hodge. And I personally must say I can’t wait to hear the rest. Haunting, glistening and, to me at least, infinitely replayable.

[Buzzin' Fly Records]

Coming on like some kind of disparate super group, the Bright Star EP brings together Hamburg-based producer Stimming; the owner of Buzzin’ Fly, producer for ’90s act du jour Everything But The Girl and man behind legendary London party Lazy Dog, Ben Watt; and the vocal talents of jazzy singer Julia Biel. With this much talent you might expect sparks to fly — or fizzle. If you chose the former, one wouldn’t be too far off. But one wouldn’t be too harshly judged for being apprehensive as, to be fair, as I was prior to listening. Without taking anything away from the man, Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly label has tended to lean a little too far to the tracky soulful deep house side for my liking. This is somewhat unsurprising seeing as the aforementioned Notting Hill Lazy Dog party was among the most influential places in London to hear deep house of that ilk from 1998-2003. Indeed, many well known promoters and DJs including the Secretsundaze boys, Giles Smith and James Priestly, frequented the fortnightly Sunday party and one would suspect, were somehow inspired by it. Although the music was good though, eventually it became a canon of it’s own devising — a gilded cage if you will — harking back to the recent past rather than the future. Bright Star, however, is a volte-face.

Stimming has proven on impressive cuts such as “Kakusei” on the Buxton Pipes EP, the underrated “The Anger” on Liebe*Detail, or “Kleine Nachtmusik” for Buzzin’ Fly that he has his throbbing, shimmy inducing, slightly out of the ordinary deep house down to a science. But it’s his skills on the groove twinned with Ben’s pedigree working with vocalists which sets this release apart from the rest. The “Sunrise Mix” is pure Stimming; its bass line bounces under Beil’s Billie Holiday-like tones, which are filtered through what sounds like an old microphone recommissioned from the ’40s. Heard amid flickering drums, perfectly placed clicks and tense, brassy synth notes, it’s a sound that teases a dance floor into a state of frenzy by subtly hinting at a breakdown without giving in. A fine line well trod. The flipside “Sunset Mix” is a much more demure experience. As opposed to submerging the vocals, the jazzy, emotion-laden lyrical content is the central figure among spacious arrangements. It’s placed on a spindly frame of warm if slight pads, organic and wonky bass notes, and golden, slo-mo horns, all of which suggest this side will get more play on the home hi-fi than through club tackle. Despite being a touch predictable for anyone who has heard Stimming develop, Bright Star is as impeccably produced as one would expect from a trio this talented and experienced. I hope there’s more like the precariously perched “Sunrise Mix” in Buzzin’ Fly’s future.

LWE’s Curator’s Cuts podcast series features our reviewing staff mixing together recent favorites and providing explanations for their selections. Contributing writer Jean-Robert Saintil was in charge of putting together Curator’s Cuts 06. We will post the tracklist later in the week, as each curator discloses and describes the tracklist as part of the podcast.

Download: Curator’s Cuts 06: Jean-Robert Saintil (81:08)

Tracklist

01. James Blake, “Buzzard and Kestrel” [Hessle Audio]
02. DJ Ayers ft. GLO, “Got Me Gone” (Cabin Bwoy Remix Dub) [T&A]
03. Architeq ft. Illya Rudman, “Mindgames” (Samoyed Mix) [Tirk Records]
04. Antikue & Takushi, “To and Fro” [Absent Music]
05. Pete Lazonby, “Grandfather Clam” [GHI]
06. Wareika, “Barracuda” [Tartelet Records]
{Airbreak: Kirmann & Hodge, “Piano Interrupted III” [Lobe Records]}
07. John Roberts, “White” [Laid]
08. Mount Kimbie, “William” (Tama Sumo & Prosumer Remix)
[Hotflush Recordings]
09. Stimming, Ben Watt & Julia Biel, “Bright Star” (Sunrise Mix) [Buzzin' Fly]
10. House Of House, “Rushing To Paradise” (DJ Harvey Streets Remix)
[House Of House]
11. Art Of Tones, “The Argument” [Room With A View]
12. It’s A Fine Line, “Do The Hot Tar” [Marketing Music]
13. Roberto Auser & Alden Tyrell, “Blonds & Brunettes” (Robertos Bar Mix)
[Bear Funk]
14. Pezzner, “Philip Parts 1 & 2″ [Freerange Records]
{Airbreak: Actress, “Und U Boat” [Nonplus Records]}

San Francisco-based Michoacan (aka Fernando Miranda Rios) is one of those artists who’ve thus far managed to make a pretty decent name for themselves while remaining mostly hidden from view. No real bio, a couple of Q&As dotted around but bar that, nada. Up until now, that is. Prior to this release Michoacan had been dropping a slew of low slung ’80s disco-pop on the likes of Lecktroluv and Grayhound Recordings, as well as dance floor-baiting cosmic disco cuts for Bear Funk or Tiny Sticks. But with In The Dark Of the Night the game has changed: DFA is involved, videos have been made, and buzz has been growing louder as the record creeps into springtime playlists and mixes.

The original is a slo-mo, cowbell-studded meander through the ’70s dubby disco vaults as viewed from the 21st century. Live drums, dubby bass guitar riffs, simple piano twinkles and the classic cosmic Moog noodles find their way into every little nook and cranny of the track. This is the kind of tune one would normally expect on Bear Funk or Chinatown, though the slightly scuzzy vocal which the anchors the record feels reminiscent of DFA cuts of yore, such The Juan MacLean’s awesome and somewhat underrated album Less Than Human or earlier LCD Soundsystem singles. Not exactly a dubby masterpiece, but a more than welcome edition to the canon. On the flip Italian trio Clap Rules takes it to the dance floor’s center. Opening up with elongated strings it drops into into a sunglasses on, shoulders back throwdown posture. It’s almost as if their idea of staying true to the original was to fit every ’70s and ’80s nod into the first couple minutes, with wah-wah guitar, John Carpenter-esque synths, funky popping bass lines, panning phasers, and claps all vying for space yet, surprisingly, remaining unruffled. If DFA’s recent release schedule is anything to go by the In The Dark Of The Night is the kind of thing one should be prepared to hear a lot of this summer, leaving Michoacan to shine in the spotlight.

[Red Music Records]

Croatian disco DJ/producer Ilija Rudman first appeared on my radar back in early 2007 with the After Midnight EP on Love Is War. Its killer cut bore a distinctly different lean than many records at the time, sounding like a mix between Steve Kotey’s Bear Funk productions and LFO’s rather exceptional electro. By this time he’d been kicking around for a number of years, releasing tracks on his own Red Music as early as 2003. Since then Rudman has slowly risen through the ranks, courting remixes from the likes of Pete Herbert, The Revenge and Mark E over the years. The original “Call Me Tonight,” which dropped in February, was a sharp turn for the boogie — all slapped bass, cowbells and 808 drums. Here, however, he passes the joint to a few of his old friends for a workout.

First up is Greg “Reel to Reel” Wilson who keeps some of the finer points of the original — the cowbells most notably — and throws in a few added extras of his own from the central vocal sample, a slow moving piano riff and a chunkier bass line which make it a somewhat more dancefloor friendly, Hacienda-esque re-rub. Rhythm Based Lovers go all dubby disco on the tune with their “Dub Me Tonight” mix. Keeping the groovy pace and sparseness of the original, they push it further into ’80s electro-funk akin to Chicken Lips with shuffling 808s, knowingly rudimentary ancillary percussion, synth stabs and vamps, the obligatory echoes and a sick additional slap bass line that for some reason evokes thoughts of 80s NY montages. Seems it’s left to Scottish producer Graeme Clark, aka The Revenge, to provide a mix rooted deeply in the 21st century, which he does — kind of. His “1-800 Mix” has all the hallmarks of a classic deep disco house number, though it’s strangely hard to place. Part deep house circa Jon Cutler’s “It’s Yours” thanks to its reverbed funk inspired piano riff, part modern disco for the floor — all pulsating bass lines, synthetic claps and in keeping with the boogie of the original, rustic sequencing and scads of space for each part. No denying it’s a pretty hot mix by The Revenge, however on this EP it lacks the sheer memorable audaciousness of the Rhythm Based Lovers remix. Either way, each of these remixes is worth checking out; I suspect disco kids will be breaking this one out ’til 2012 at least.

Some artists have the luck of being in vogue innumerable times in their career. This can be said especially for the acid loving techno chap Abe Duque. From his brief time as a keyboardist for NYC techno group Program 2 with Gene LeFosse and Victor Calderon in the early ’90s, through to his explosion into the clubs with oft acid soaked solo productions such as stone cold classics like “Champagne Days, Cocaine Nights” on his eponymous label and most notably the 2004 EP What Happened. Indeed, the latter EP was so influential that all three cuts (including “Disco Lights” which gets a retouch on this recent EP), tend to reappear in sets and mixes with an eerie regularity. This EP is simply an extension of his dumbfounding omnipresence.

First up is Oliver Huntemann’s re-rub of “Following My Heart” taken from Duque’s recent album Don’t Be So Mean. And you know what? It’s a dance floor killer — in a good way. Using the vocal hook provided by Virginia as the undeniable focal point for the remix, Huntemann creates a deep house chugger replete with the down and dirty sleaze evocative of much of both his, and Duque’s work. A medley of hidden ticks and subdued tocks straddling a downright disgustingly rolling bass line pocked with effective fades and drops throughout. It’s one of those tracks which makes one want to head out of the house and get sweaty on a Monday night. On the flip Berlin resident and man of a million monikers Jay Haze gets involved. Similar to Huntemann, Haze takes the Duque vibe as his starting point. Unlike Huntemann, he stays pretty close to the original. This is hardly a bad thing; sticking with snippets of Blake Baxter’s original vocals, Haze fills his remix with a near jazzy Rhodes refrain atop a Chi-town inspired groove and sly acid touches which break into the mix around half way in. Dope, but the standout on this package is Huntemann’s remix.

[Get Digital Music]

For the past decade the oft underrated U.K. producer Mike Monday has been busy dropping inspired remixes and tracks which range from understated to bleeding obvious. For those who know his style, the phrase “house music with a splash of humour” tends to ring pretty true. His tracks are all wonk and weirdness twinned with rudely competent production which befits an Oxford music production graduate. And as he’s found his releases on a number of labels of note, from Freerange, Simple, Buzzin Fly and even Om, it’s apparent that label owners are rather partial to his idiosyncratic take on house. This time it’s the Get Physical crew who buy into the Mike Monday experience with Yoppul on their Get Digital imprint. Once again it’s rather impressive, if not as memorable as his releases on Playtime.

The title track begins with a Notting Hill Carnival nod to percussion in the mold of old Africanism tracks such as “Block Party,” albeit a more contemporary version thickened with additional steel drums and a sly wavering guitar refrain. On the flip, “Touch” has sprinkles of the wonk that made his 2006 debut album, Smorgasbord, so interesting. On first listening it sounds like a straight up deep house cut, panning Detroit-esque warm pads over subdued hi-hats and snippets of augmented vocals. Further spins bring out the sting of the late string stabs and heighten the strong hooks in its body moving groove. It’s timelessness appeal is a double-edged sword: Sounding like it could’ve been produced anytime in the last decade gives the record a “lost gem” feel, yet its details are not enough to overshadow the sense you’ve heard this track a hundred times before. Whether Yoppul makes dancers tick may depend on their appetite for a subtle, broken-in sound from a much stranger producer.