Photo by Heidi & Hans-Jürgen Koch

[Mule Musiq] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

Ramping up to re-release their album III this summer, Force of Nature enlisted a couple of high-profile remixers to re-introduce the album. Force of Nature, a Japanese producer duo, keeps their arpeggiators slow and wide-eyed enough to be pretty malleable fodder (a trait shared with M83). So it’s no surprise that “Remixed” is as good as it sounds on paper. Unlike the earlier remix work of Prins Thomas and Matt Edwards – who slowed down Force of Nature’s tracks to emphasize the groove and menace – “Remixed” has two artists ready to speed off into other directions.

For Stefan Goldmann, it means throwing away all the defining characteristics of “Sequencer.” Gone is the heavy throb, the playful imbibing of Jean-Michel Jarre’s “Arpegiator” melody, the slo-mo Doppler EQ effects. Goldmann sounds like he’s still chasing the hiccup and pop of his “Lunatic Fringe.” Rebuilt from the woodblock up, glimpses from “Sequencer” are gradually layered until the remix hits full gear (and full shimmer) in the back third. It’s bucolic enough to be mistaken for Border Community but never gets lost grazing. And Goldmann even gets upstaged by Still Going’s take on stand-out “Transmute.” The original pours arpeggiators on like warm syrup, but Still Going hollows the track out. Leaning hard on the Schaffel, the duo peppers the track with just-there ticks, a delicate soup of delay, and a two-note bass. After Goldmann’s rehaul, Still Going’s remix of “Transmute” might sound straightforward. But the track is pitch-perfect – from the modest start to the monster denouement – splitting the difference between Balearic bliss and ambient house. (post by Nate DeYoung)

Picture via Cualquiera

[Planet E] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s tk)

Though it was considered one of 2007’s decent sized hits, the lack of nuance and by-the-numbers minimal arrangement of Martin Buttrich’s “Hunter” 12″ caught me off guard. After the aptly-titled “Well Done,” “Cloudy Bay” and the ubiquitous “Full Clip,” all of which were deftly chiseled and fitting of Buttrich’s production pedigree, I felt rather disappointed. At the time I ventured that the pressure of releasing solo records as opposed to ghostwriting for Timo Maas or Loco Dice and remixing others might be wearing on him and his music, something he all but confirmed in a recent interview. Unfortunately, his latest release is another step in that direction. “Stoned Autopilot” is Buttrich’s second for Planet E; and like the first which put his name on the map, its steady repetitions look to Carl Craig’s catalog for guidance.

Based on the dearth of ideas and the illustrative track titles (”Stoned Autopilot” and “Cruise Control”), I gather Martin could churn out this style of track like a one man cottage industry. Both sides lean hard on ostinato synth rhythms, but hey, at least there’s a lot melody to adore. “Stoned Autopilot” makes the most of its palpitations by layering harmonizing chords which climb high and tumble down the scale, its rich mid-range tones evoking a hearty brass section. While “Cruise Control” begins promisingly — light melodic flourishes, ringing percussion — it quickly walks onto the ostinato treadmill and plods forward through tense pads until it reaches the other side, only to start anew. The balmy repetitions of the superior “Stoned” are destined to excite a big room crowd and Carl Craig was probably right to sign it for that reason (as only his remixes work that sound anymore); but I can’t help being disappointed at Buttrich’s trajectory. It seems he’s struggling to make good on proven potential and truly put himself in the music for fear too many are watching. Perhaps a secret identity would lure this bashful producer’s talents out of hiding.

Download: Little White Earbuds, April 13th, 2008 (76:41)

You have to know when to hold them and when to fold them. That’s about all there is to be said about this mix. Enjoy.

Tracklisting:

01. Sid Le Rock, “Naked” (DJ Koze remix) [Cereal/Killers]
02. Baaz, “Dirt” [Shtmlaudio Recordings]
03. Jamie Lloyd, “May I?” (Quarion remix) [Future Classic]
04. Matthew Dear, “Sunday Adventure Club” [unreleased]
05. Wareika, “Men Village” (Reboot Women City rework) [Connaisseur Supérieur]
06. Touane, “Chamber” [liebe*detail]
07. Efdemin, “Lohn & Brot” (tobias. remix) [liebe*detail spezial]
08. Gaiser, “Withdrawl” [M_nus]
09. RAJO, “We Are” [8bit]
10. Audio Werner, “Still Jackin’” [Hartchef Discos]
11. Afrilounge, “Tribute” [Connasseiur Records]
12. IT, “Women In Toilet” (Stefan Goldmann Macro Version) [Electrochoc]
13. Jimpster, “Dangly Panther” (Joris Voorn Black Panther remix) [Freerange Records]
14. Rhythm & Sound ft. Paul St. Hillaire, “Free For All” (Soundstream remix) [Burial Mix]
15. Soul Capsule, “Law of Grace” [Aspect Music]

[Modern Love] (buy CD) (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

One characteristic of Claro Intelecto’s music I admire most is its immediacy and visceral structure. You’ll never need a music composition degree to untangle vast webs of overly complicated arrangements to find something to connect with. Starting with his 2004 Neurofibre album for Ai Records, Intelecto (aka Mark Stewart) put forth tunes whose unfussy techno progressions instantly lodged themselves in my brain — as if they’d always been there — while stirring my body. These instincts remained intact, if not further sharpened, after joining Modern Love’s ranks in 2005; his well received “Warehouse Sessions” 12″ series housed a powerful collection of floor fillers with ear-tingling lo-fi textures. But something has changed for Stewart on Metanarrative (Modern Love), his first album in four years. Its terseness (eight tracks, 40 minutes), unfortunate theme and home-listening slant have dulled what initially attracted me to Claro Intelecto, perhaps the result of over-thinking and poppier aspirations for the project.

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Painting by Murocracia

[Drumpoet Community] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

Although Switzerland has been turning out quality producers and DJs for some time now, more recently it seems DJs and fans alike have been clamoring for Swiss exports like they were free chocolate bars — Serafin/Rozzo/Mountain People, Quarion, Deetron, Agnès, Ripperton and Michal Ho are a few who come to mind. Like his countrymen, DJ/producer Alex Storrer only recently garnered much attention after an eight year career spanning a hip-hop album, down-tempo tunes as Lexxodus, and a host of disco cuts and edits for the Bear Entertainment family. Now rechristened as Kawabata (not to be mistaken for Makoto Kawabata of Japanese mind-melters, Acid Mothers Temple), Storrer has found his niche with the Zürich-based Drumpoet Community for his single, “Persuasion.” To complete the Swiss circle, Serafin pops up for another “New York” styled re-interpretation.

Listen to “Persuasion” (Serafin’s Back to New York Re-Interpretation):

“Persuasion” wades into the deep end at a respectable mid-tempo, its chubby synth mumbles growing wider when plied with reverb and struck by sharp and grainy stabs. Aside from vocal samples urging dancers to “move!” Kawabata treads lightly to maintain the relaxed vibe invoked by the tune’s title and its many, many more influential predecessors. Serafin, by contrast, seems eager to start a stir with his “Back to New York Re-Interpretation.” As with his Marcel Wave remix of the same name, Serafin locks together opaque tones of slightly varying shades into a tight groove, revealing melody only as small tones bounce off its glistening hide. It’s hardly a flashy track, but Serafin seems content to sink his attention into deep details like varying hi-hat timbres, grandfather clock chimes and an acrobatic kick drum instead of easy hooks for online browsers. Not that there’s anything wrong with hooks (lord knows I love ‘em), but as the Swiss know well, sometimes it’s what you hold back that’s worth the most.

[Apnea] (buy mp3s)

Miguel Sar, better known as Tadeo, is one of the few producers making minimal techno whose work continually interests me post-mnml glut. His productions are often spiny and spiked with nuanced loops, making for tracks utilitarian enough for industrious DJs and bountifully ear-catching for those who go long and linear. His work for Cray1 Labworks, Alex Under’s Cmyk Musik, Apnea and his own Cyclical Tracks, as well as a boatload of remixes for Dusty Kid, Xpansul, Friendly People, Damian Schwartz and Kevin Gorman (among others) have positioned the young, Madrid-based producer for big things in 2008. The first evidence of this are the two big names remixing his “Cosmos” EP for Apnea: Cassy and Substance (Peter Kuschnereit).

Listen to “IO” (Cassy Moving On Mix):

Experience tells us if you hand Substance a track like the gaseous beauty, “Reflection Nebula 065n,” it’ll return with harder edges and a degree in dub. Indeed, Kuschnereit’s resolute dub reverberations reinforce the open spaces of the original while leaving room for blaring bass tones and melodic stabs to precisely ricochet. That’s well and good, but it was Cassy’s “Moving On Mix” which initially grabbed my attention. She reacts to the loopy and restrained “IO” with some choice loops of her own — a smudged two note riff draped over classic 808 rhythms, and a wordless, sultry vocal line — from which she barely deviates. Slipped between some of the other infinitely oscillating tunes floating around these days, “IO” could cause a small ruckus on the dance floor. Interestingly enough, both on-duty remixers amplify some of Tadeo’s best traits, suggesting that they, too, know the inherent power of his creations. He’s also featured twice on Marcel Dettmann’s Berghain 02 mix out this June. Perhaps 2008 will be the year a broader audience will hear that as well.

I feel like this was recorded years ago. In the midst of major changes [ie. moving - nb] I sat down and recorded this mix inconspicuously before dinner to take my mind off my hunger. I closed the door to my dark, cramped room and disappeared far away from present time and space into another world vast and open like the Antarctic plain. There was no aim or plan while recording this mix, but looking to all the events that have happened since then it seems as if I created a sound track for a turbulent spring that is still tossing me around. All literary hyperbole aside, I hope that I am able to communicate something to the listener. Please listen, I hope you enjoy it. (post by Manuel Sanchez)

Download: Cavalry, February 29th mix (63:58)

Tracklisting:

01. Till Von Sein, “Berno” [Morris / Audio]
02. Alsi, “Springsequence” (Westpark Unit Remix) [Farside]
03. Chaim & James Blonde, “Roxy Feeling” [My Best Friend]
04. Peter Grummich, “Another Day” [Sthlmaudio Recordings]
05. Brauns & Nürnberg, “Delicious” [liebe*detail]
06. Jichael Mackson, “Flatscreen” [Stock 5]
07. Rene Sandoval, “No Haz” [Minuendo]
08. Gel Abril, “Your Face Is A Mess” (Mark Broom Remix) [Be As One Imprint]
09. Sasha, “Park It In The Shade” (Audion Ain’t Got No Friends Mix) [Emfire]
10. Heinrichs & Hirtenfellner, “True Lies” [Highgrade Digital]
11. Efdemin, “Lohn & Brot” (tobias. remix) [liebe*detail spezial]
12. Imek, “Delirante, No Hay Camino” (Tadeo Remix) [Apnea]
13. Melchior Productions Ltd., “Water Soul” [Perlon]

[Skull Disco] (buy vinyl)

Shackleton is consistent. Starting with the first pop of a drum on his singles, the percussion stays round and full, the bass cascades with uncanny depth, the space between is frigid. Shackleton’s sound is dark, opaque. From the elegiac wind blasts of “Blood on my Hands” to the outright menace of “Hypno Angel,” tone and texture hardly vary. The secret is in the drums. Unlike dubstep’s insistence on puncturing tracks with the monosyllable of a snare, Shackleton’s percussion delineates space. Like the rattled pause at the beginning of “Hamas Rule,” Shackleton leans into every tic, leaving negative space cruel and precise. A friend described his tracks as “utterly empty” and it’s true — in the bleakest, unnerving way.

Listen:

As Shackleton’s first single for the Skull Disco in a year, “Death is Not Final” is a change. Gone is his dirge, the place where whimpers turned into growls. Like minimal techno’s embrace of him, Shackleton has returned the favor by adopting the 4/4 time signature. Empty spaces are harder to discern, but Shackleton never sounds lighter. His drums were always insistent, but on “Death is Not Final” they have turned insectoid — shinier, sleeker, kinetic, forbidding. Shackleton only offers a blank recant of a monologue and dubbed Arabic hook to cushion the crawl. T++ from Monolake offers a remix, but his dub and detune of the hook gets lost in the hiccup on the three and four. (post by Nate DeYoung)

[Arearemote] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3)

Sex can be any number of things for its participants; but if the experience is up to par it can become all encompassing to the point one’s sense of time, restraint and self consciousness are thrown to the wind. Relative newcomer Pitto (Geurt Kersjes) has managed to captured that enraptured feeling with his latest track, “Sexvibe.” The Dutch producer has moved away from the piano-laden deep house of his Phil E debut — the flipside to Jackmate’s “Nomads” — and indulged in frothy, massively physical loops on the second Arearemote.

Listen:

In its construction, “Sexvibe” is hardly different from the first house tracks which intertwined loops of disco, funk and soul soul samples. Where Pitto excels beyond the simple formula is in source material selection, starting with a galloping house beat and generously air-thickening bass tone. From there he pushes the tension higher and the dancers harder with hypnotic layers of guitar upstrokes and a woman ceaselessly purring the title (hints of The Mole’s “Border Times”?). That’s just the first half. After a short breath-catching lull, a fierce new loop of interlocking string and horn stabs rises to the fore, an exhilarating blend of sinister and pleasurable tones to get the hands in the air. “Sexvibe” is a whirling dervish of a house tune that intoxicates and distorts as it repeats its seductive mantra; it’s also an impressive second effort for an otherwise obscure producer. I look forward to getting sweaty and lost in Pitto’s future releases as well.

Having survived its tumultuous birth, The Body Politic returns this Wednesday (9 p.m.) for its second attempt to upend the underground techno/house scene in Chicago (it’s closer to Lilliputians lighting matches between a clubbers’ toes, but one step at a time). This month we’re fortunate enough to have excellent DJ/producer/our friend Tyrel Williams spinning with us. Williams collaborates with two others as The Electric Doors (who are rumored to be touring Europe this summer, keep your peepers peeled), produces solo goods and has earned his stripes at Chicago’s legendary house of vinyl, Gramaphone. We hope to see you out on Wednesday. It’s free and the beer is cheaper than usual!

We aim to have more guests in the coming months, so if you’re a quality DJ rolling through Chicago on the first Wednesday of a month, give us a shout.