Just a quick reminder that LWE fave Osborne is playing tonight at Sonotheque, 1444 W. Chicago Ave. He’s supported by Kill Memory Crash and Michna. Starts at 9pm and is completely free! Hope to see you there.

[Connaisseur Recordings] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

Name recognition is a big deal. The deluge of releases landing on stores’ shelves and into my inbox, often from unknown labels and artists, grows ever larger each month. So while I take plenty of chances when deciding what to audition, occasionally the comforts of a familiar name help narrow the playlist quicker than my ears can. Connaisseur is one name which always catches my eye even if the producer they’re releasing is an enigma. Art Bleek (born Arthur Pochon) is one of those unknowns, despite having released for Front Room sublabel Loungin’ Recordings and Resopal Red (is it just me, or are they akin to a tech-house farm league?). “Euphorized,” his three track Connaisseur debut, seems likely to lend familiarity to the Paris-based producer.

The title cut indeed lives up to its namesake as a potent sugar rush liable to get dancers smiling, while pursuing the intersection of tech-house, acid and modern deep house. Its goopy, neon-lit 303 vamp darts playfully through thick, thrumming pads and stereo-panned hand claps, leaving light trails in their wake to stick in listeners’ brains. Expect this one to pop up a handful of times this summer. The B side, however, is a bit less potent. “Night Station” is so spindly and steady even minimal house DJs might shy away from its static structure. Bleek returns to a “Euphorized” style for the closing “Snow Landscape”; consider it the winterly remix. Twinkling bells, loose hand percussion and a wiry 303 romp decorate a jovial bass rhythm, later paring down to cascading bell runs and pumping bass in a decidedly 2008 homage to vintage acid house arrangements. While Art Bleek’s “Euphorized” would have sounded as sweet on any other label, credit is due to Connaisseur for bringing it to my attention. Next time Bleek’s name alone will do the trick.

[Aus Music] (buy vinyl) (buy vinyl)

Since the beginning of my techno/house tenure I’ve been a huge Lee Jones fan. As the driving force behind My My’s Songs for the Gentle album he fused tiny fragments of sound into a cohesive aural statement which displayed how unexpectedly vibrant micro house could be. His arrangement style carried over well to his solo work on liebe*detail and especially “There Comes a Time,” his achingly beautiful Aus Music debut. While my fandom is just as strong, I’ve tended to favor the attendant remixes to his 2008 originals. Tiger Stripes pushed “Aria” to the heights it needed to capitalize on its perfect core progression. Marco Resmann was the one to turn the key on “Man,” Jones’ collaboration with Daniel Drier, to let the tune’s ghosts out of the box. “As You Like It,” his latest single for Aus Music, offers a similar scenario: two decent tracks and a great remix (this time from Recloose) which fleshes out Jones’ latent ideas.

One of the things I love about Mr. Jones is his penchant for wrapping straightforward ideas in unexpected timbres or phrasings. On “As You Like It” he takes a deliberate, if standard issue Jones progression and messes with the song’s internal gravity, flattening rounded pitches which sop up reverb. Matthew Chicoine (aka Recloose), on the other hand, likes a bit more swing and looser shoulders to the rhythms. The remix’s stubby funk bass line, spacious stabs and gleefully played keyb melody conjure a spacey deep house atmosphere. Jones recovers a bit for “The Ice Train Cometh,” a quirky and sample-laden track built on deep wells of floating, aqueous tones and a battery of urgent percussion, as if little creatures prodding clouds to keep up with the wind. For now it seems like it takes a second set of ears and hands to get the best out of Lee Jones. But because I can count on a hugely satisfying accompanying remix working from his blueprints at the very least, my rabid admiration continues unabated.

Chicago’s City Council votes this Wednesday, May 14th on a proposed ordinance which would require promoters of live events to hold a promoter’s license. The city asserts the ordinance is a five years too late response to the stampede which killed 21 people at the nightclub, E2, holding promoters accountable for their events and making sure they have the insurance in the event of any incidents.

The actual text of the ordinance

But the city’s logic is tragically flawed. The ordinance would require already established clubs including Sonotheque, the Empty Bottle, Schubas, the Hideout, Subterranean and many others to purchase the licenses (which cost upwards of $2,000) and $300,000 worth of insurance. The ordinance also applies to everyday folks who want to put on an event at a venue with a capacity smaller than 1,000, as well. That means all the small promoters who book the various house/techno nights around Chicago will also have to pony up to play.

Background and details of the ordinance

Instead of preventing more disasters like E2, this will force more promoters underground and extort promoters who feel they have no choice but to stay legit. It will also make it more expensive to go to venues as promoters have no choice but to pass on the cost of licenses and insurance to audiences. Chicago is notorious for its high taxes and politicians who bankroll lavish wages and endless patronage with their constituents’ cash and this is just one more example. However, this one hits a lot closer to home, threatening to ruin any semblance of a techno/house scene this city has.

DeRogatis’ interview with a City Council sponsor of the ordinance

If you value live music in Chicago of any sort, please take the time to contact your alderman to strongly encourage them to vote against the ordinance. The City Council is rushing this bill through in hopes promoters and enthusiasts won’t have time to organize an opposition. I’ve provided some resources below to help you to find your alderman and be informed about the issue. My thanks to Chicago Sun Times columnist Jim DeRogatis for bringing this pressing issue into the spotlight.

Find your alderman

DeRogatis’ interview with the acting director of the Department of Business Affairs & Licensing

[Ostgut Tonträger] (buy vinyl) (buy vinyl)

Each new release from Ostgut Ton builds on an already impressive list of accomplishments, of which becoming an underground, multimedia empire is only one. Graduating from 12″ singles, double packs and compilations to albums (Prosumer & Murat Tepeli’s irresistible Serenity) proved the still fresh-faced label’s keen A&R eye (not to mention terrifically talented roster) spanned formats with ease. Only a few months later and Ostgut is ready for the next rung on the ladder. Marcel Dettmann’s forthcoming mix CD, Berghain 02, features four previously unreleased tracks from Shed, Tobias Freund, Norman Nodge and Samuli Kemppi. Ostgut has wisely scooped these up themselves and released them as two vinyl-only split singles, building anticipation for what could well be one of the year’s best mix discs. While “Part I” and “Part II” are both fine releases, for the purposes of this review I’ll focus on the latter’s lesser known pairing of Nodge and Kemppi.

Like a painting which requires observer to stand close to drink in all that’s happening, Norman Nodge’s “Native Electric Rhythm” appears a simple and charged techno track and reveals finely tuned layers upon closer inspection. Much of its melody is implied rather than overt, found along the edges of the scratchy rhythm etched into the tune’s burbling low end. Nodge imbues visceral tension just below the surface of the track which occasionally seeps through in the form of bursts of fizzling electric current, as if listeners’ ears came too close to the power line they were carefully monitoring. Only the fourth song Nodge has ever released, “Native” keenly refines the sound of his debut to an equally brain-tingling and body-moving end. Helsinki-based Samuli Kemppi offers his own techno nuance with “Vangels,” though his version displays its details on its sleeves rather than just beneath them. Its tough exterior of accented bass, scuffed synth stabs and delayed pings lays the groundwork for tangled chime syncopations to unwind and cast an foreboding glow upon dancers.

There seems to be no end in sight for Ostgut’s string of top notch releases, and thusfar their ever-expanding roster has proven to be unusually solid proving ground for emerging talents like Norman Nodge, Samuli Kemppi, Tama Sumo and Shed (to a lesser extent). If there’s anything these tastemakers can’t do, I haven’t found an example yet.

[100% Pure] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

While I can’t say I know the man personally, Tobi Neumann strikes me as a social animal, one for whom collaboration trumps solitude any day. He earned his stripes producing for electroclash pioneers Chicks on Speed, Peaches, Miss Kitten and 2Raumwohnung before moving on to more techno/house-oriented pastures. There he teamed with Ricardo Villalobos as Gucci and Thies Mynther (a Chicks on Speed alumnus himself) as Glove. Even his solo activities — DJing and remixing everyone from everyone from Ladytron and Dinky to Robag Wruhe and Dominik Eulberg — are responses to other people’s ideas. Now he’s collaborating with his pal Onur Özer, the hotly tipped force behind last year’s minimal murk fest, Kaşmir, and owner of techno’s greatest bowl cut, as Sensitiva. If the pairing is hard to wrap your head around, take a seat before hearing “Mimosa,” their debut 12″ for 100% Pure.

To try and categorize the duo’s kitchen sink approach to production is impossible and unnecessary, as both tunes climb across genre tags, sound palattes and even types of beat several times throughout their 11 plus minutes. “Mimosa” shifts from the glowing, tribal optimism of the hand percussion-dappled opening to driving techno beats and echo-exploring clangs and glitches as if it were merely crossing the street. The twists and turns continue and loop back through previous sounds before coming to an exhausted halt. Equally adventurous, ambitious and enjoyable is the B side, “Together,” a monster of a track which caresses dancers with one hand while grinding them into the floor with the other. Its bass-heavy trot and assorted live percussion (laptop DJs beware) set an overcast tone which only grows lighter as buzzing synth pulses clear the way for the ethereal breeze of Ilhem’s vocals and hazy strums. It’s one of those tracks which as to be heard to be believed. Ozer and Neumann’s lush and constantly mutating tracks are fantastically compelling, so much so Villalobos is probably jealous he didn’t get to sit in. Further proof that when Tobi is involved, together is far better than apart.

[Spectral Sound] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s tk)

So far the partnership of Daso Franke and Pawas Gupta has proven fruitful. Beginning with their “Night Express EP” for Flash Recordings and continuing on “KKB,” the bubbling builder which stood tallest on the Spectral Sound “Dintf EP,” the pair has definitely shown artistic chemistry. But whereas previous collaborations were primed and ready to be deployed in the club, Daso and Pawas’ “Det” EP for Spectral Sound pulls back for a more introspective feel. Thankfully, that’s where one of British house/techno’s unsung heroes, Joshua Brent aka Schatrax comes in to coax the relaxed A side back onto the dance floor.

In spite of attentive, flick-of-the-wrist woodblock percussion, “Det”’s main progression languidly winds its way to the forefront, slides down the scale and bend even further in a jaw-unhinging tonal yawn. It gradually firms up over the course of nine minutes and is generally quite easy on the ears, if not too easy and unwound. Schatrax, however, wastes no time in revving “Det” up while maintaining the shimmering appeal of the original, though its progression reflects upon itself as if trapped in a prism. This foments momentum and tension, aided handily by claps, rustling hi-hats and a solid kick. The digital version of the EP also includes Schatrax’s bonus beats, which reworks the percussion for a greater bounce and more room on either end for mixing. “Brazil to Detroit,” D&P’s second crack at things, is slightly livelier. Using a larger regiment of percussion, including 16th note snare taps and oddly timed knocks at the window, the tune attempts building a head of steam with a flagging minor melody at its core and is left louder, though not much further down the track. Although the EP is a great opportunity for Schatrax to reappear and “Det” could be stronger if blended with something more muscular, Daso and Pawas’ chemistry seems sedate this time around. Perhaps these well-traveled DJs need some shuteye.

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As a brief post-script I wanted to add that Daso’s “Pars Tensa,” the B side of his “Tinnitus” single for Connaisseur is a masterful blend of techno heartburn, the pleading strums of almost Flaminco flavored guitar strums/finger picking and a swinging house beat. In fact, James Kartsaklis selected it for his recently posted mix. Also, hello Pitchfork readers! Mr. Phil Sherburne offered some kind words for LWE in his Month in Techno column published today; coincidentally, we even share some subject matter.

The Body Politic’s most musically prolific member, James Kartsaklis has blessed us with another DJ mix — perhaps his best yet. He’s keeping the tracklisting close to his chest in order to let listeners’ ears make the decisions instead of a quick scan of his selections. Suffice it to say, though, your ears will thanking you for putting this on.

Download: James Kartsaklis, 2008 Demo Mix Vol. 2 (73:03)

Also, The Body Politic goes for three tomorrow night in post-primary blowout fashion. We hope to see you there!

[Gumption Recordings] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3)

Listening to “Tillmans Uninfluence/Apples,” the latest release from London-based producer Ed Davenport, I can’t help but think he’s the UK’s fresh-faced answer to Boris Steffen, better known as Jichael Mackson. They share an affinity for producing tracks which jauntily tread the fine line between functionality and bedroom listening, and both utilize odd samples (vocals, usually) to keep things quirky. In fact, each of their biggest tracks to date — Steffen’s “The Grass Is Always Greener…” for Musique Risquée and Davenport’s “Eyespeak” on liebe*detail — layered affected vocals against a straightforward backdrop for an unmistakable edge. “Tillmans Uninfluence/Apples,” which arrives on Gumption Recordings (one of only two labels for which Davenport has recorded under his own name), finds Davenport climbing out onto the wire yet again; the results are pleasantly mixed.

“Tillmans Uninfluence” is a complex tune which only grows more so with each passing minute, perhaps representing some of Davenport’s most compelling and thoroughly produced work to date. Thrumming with static electricity and punctuated by hand claps, the tune raises eyebrows with a mutant organ/piano riff rolling forward with an asymmetrical gait. The tension builds further, recruiting swaths of backwards male vocals of increasing volume and knifing upstrokes. The DJ who pulls this off will be rewarded. “Apples” is also a dense thicket of sound, but it grows wobbly, even unwieldy as it stacks layer of warped vocals and whirling, sub-aquatic pings atop an undulating Silver Apples-evoking melody. The digital version of the single includes “Quest For Kicks,” which emulates the Jichael Mackson sound to a fault. A long, detuned and mildly amusing lecture on the pleasure-seeking tendencies of hippies narrates an otherwise vacuous track, leaving its synth line and percussion feeling diminutive in the cavernous sound design. While Mr. Davenport is still working the kinks out of his otherwise engaging productions, releases like “Tillmans Uninfluence” suggest there’s a bevy of strong material forthcoming to test the skills of DJs and dance floors.

Parisian trio dOP doesn’t DJ, rarely spends time in clubs, prefers physical instruments to VSTs, and writes “songs,” not “tracks.” Perhaps their outsiders’ instincts are exactly why Damien Vandesande, Jonathan “Jo” Illel and Clement Zemstov are poised on the cutting edge of house/techno, though their songs barely fit those genres. With releases spread across Milnor Modern, Circus Company and Orac Records so far, the group has exhibited the inventiveness to meld disparate sounds (rap, blues, free jazz, Malian kora, house, experimental pop are a few) into oddly stirring, funky packages with only a modicum of concern for a stylistic classification or hapless DJs. Damien was kind enough to answer a few questions about the group’s origins, their techno education and offer some inspiring words to burgeoning producers.

dOP also recorded an exclusive mix for Little White Earbuds which perfectly captures the trio’s expansive taste — the first they’ve ever done. Tracklisting after the interview.

Download: dOP, Playlist for Little White Earbuds (62:10)

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