At this point in Hans-Peter Lindstrøm’s musical career, audiences know he can go the distance. The Norwegian producer first cruised over the ramparts of Oslo’s relatively small music scene and into DJs’ crates on the backs of lengthy, interstellar disco grooves made for heaving dance floors. Collaborating with compatriot Prins Thomas on their self-titled and II albums, the pair refined extended jam sessions into still sizable explorations of the spaces between funk, prog, and Kraut rock at Balearic tempos. And then there was Lindstrøm’s 2008 opus, Where You Go I Go Too, whose three elongated movements streamlined into one epic excursion through the hyper-colorful depths of his creative vision, rendered with a grandiosity redolent of Vangelis. Going long has its drawbacks as well, like relegating Lindstrøm to niche markets too narrow for such a multi-talented musician. The dilemma he faces, then, is showing he can be concise while maintaining the appealing traits teased out of his lengthier tracks. With long-time collaborator Christabelle by his side, Lindstrøm tackles that challenge on their new full-length, Real Life Is No Cool.
Author Archive: Steve Mizek
Steffi ft. Elif Biçer, Kill Me
One of Ostgut Ton’s greatest strengths has always been the canny A&R work involved in each release. Their ear for talent is nearly unmatched in contemporary house and techno, having provided big breaks for Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock, Tama Sumo and Marcel Fengler, and hosted career milestones by Shed, Prosumer & Murat Tepeli, and Cassy. Yet there is no sign of Ostgut Ton resting on their laurels or their reputation as the label arm of Berlin’s most highly regarded clubs. The imprint’s first release of 2010 is also Panorama Bar resident Steffi’s debut solo single, one so skillfully and confidently produced it all but insures everyone involved will reap rewards for their efforts.
Download: Derek Plaslaiko, The Unforeseen
Chances are that if you heard Derek Plaslaiko’s name mentioned in the last 15 years or so it was in the context of his internationally renowned DJ sets. These days, however, it seems his focus has shifted towards producing music instead of placing it in context. As an appetizer for his set at the Bunker Unsound Edition 1 on Friday, February 5th, Plaslaiko is giving away “The Unforeseen,” his production debut. The tune can also be found on Halcyon’s free Unsound Festival New York Compilation. We also had a quick chat with Derek about the tune, how a long DJing career impacts his productions, and his new focus on making music.
Little White Earbuds Interviews Todd Edwards
Rare is the artist who can credibly claim their music inspired a musical movement; and while New Jersey producer Todd Edwards might not suggest so himself, there are plenty of admirers who would jump at the chance do it for him. His effervescent brand of garage house is the result of a visionary’s ear for making disparate sample sources fit together to create dazzling new melodies — moving mosaics that have influenced producers well beyond the limits of underground dance music. His tracks for i! Records and Nervous and remixes for everyone from St. Germain to Kim English were like a lit match for the U.K. dance music scene’s fuse, setting off an explosion of sample heavy 2-step that’s still smoldering today. Feverish fans even dubbed him Todd “The God,” although as a devout Christian he would likely prefer the title “Man of God.” His faith has certainly colored and informed his music, often in the form of positive, sometimes even praise-styled lyrics. But what might seem like a risky move for music geared towards a largely secular community only further distinguishes Edwards as an artist who believes completely in the messages laced throughout his work and has the guts to be forthcoming about it. After a few years spent on the sidelines, Todd Edwards is back with a raft of new tunes, remixes, and finally a legitimate way to procure his hard to find back catalog. He was kind enough to talk with me via phone about his methods, his message, and the Almighty in his life.
LWE Podcast 41: Juju & Jordash
In an increasingly consensus driven dance music culture, Juju & Jordash let their freak flag fly. More akin to a particularly funky jazz combo or psychedelic rockers than your average production duo, Gal Aner and Jordan Czamanski take a vivid and largely organic approach to making house music that leaves few boundaries left to color outside of. Early on their sui generis sound caught the ears Detroit artists Reggie Dokes and Keith Worthy and garnered releases on their labels (Psychostasia and Aesthetic Audio, respectively) among many others, but the Amsterdam-based pair gained their widest renown with the release of their self-titled sophomore LP on Dekmantel. The present pinnacle of their vibrant, jazz-infused sound found favor with critics and elbowed its way onto several discerning year end lists. It also gave us hope there is much more to come. Gal and Jordan were kind enough to answer a few of our questions between gigs, and put together a whirlwind mix of lush house sounds, industrial textures and ethnic explorations that goes a long way towards explaining their perspective and getting you dancing.
Introducing the Zero-Inch streaming player
In this next batch of reviews you will notice that LWE’s streaming player has been replaced by a new one provided by zero-inch.com, a fantastic mp3 retailer with whom LWE is partnering for a six week trial period. Unlike our own streaming player (which will still appear in reviews of vinyl only releases or releases [...]
Hydronaut/Aquarhythms, Deep In The Feeling/Warm Seqs
Jay Ahern’s name has crept up a lot recently, often in the same sentence as his Hauntologists project with Stefan Schneider or his Cheap and Deep moniker/label born in 2009. Seasoned techno watchers, however, will recognize Ahern as the scene stalwart behind Aquarhythms (who recorded for Astralwerks), Add Noise, and a handful of other monikers dating as far back as 1992. With a new crop of listeners awaiting his next transmission, Ahern offered a personal history lesson that was remarkably germane for 2009’s sonic climate. The “Deep In the Feeling/Warm Seqs” 12,” which features mid-90’s era remixes from Morgan Geist and Carl Craig, feels more than 10 years ahead of its time.
My My & Emika, Price Tag EP
2009 was a particularly quiet year for My My. With Nick Höppner busy managing Ostgut Ton and Lee Jones still riding the waves made by his acclaimed 2008 album, Electric Frank, it’s not all that surprising their output was limited to “Going Going Gone,” their contribution to the All Night Long series, and the Price Tag EP. The last two years have also proven somewhat stylistically problematic for a pair who breathed new life into the sample-heavy micro-house sound as more and more producers spiked their subdued house tracks with sampled snippets. Inviting the Berlin-based producer/vocalist Emika to appear on “Price Tag,” then, seems a fillip for audiences who’ve relied My My for unexpected sounds, providing human depth that’s difficult to evoke with even the deepest sample vaults.













