Despite what seems like a rapid ascent for Hamburg’s Marco Niemerski, the man best known as Tensnake has been honing his craft for over a decade. His breakout Keep Believin’ EP for Endless Flight and 2009 smash hit, In The End (I Want You To Cry) on Running Back sounded so fully realized because he’d worked out the kinks on one-off singles for smaller labels like Trax of Interest, Various Delight Recordings, and Players Paradise, as well as releases on his own Mirau imprint. With the Coma Cat EP, released by nu-disco hotspot Permanent Vacation, it appears Niemerski’s sound has crystalized even further around the neon tone palatte and taut arrangements that brought him many plaudits on In The End.
anton
Nico Purman, Rhapsodies
February 16, 2010 – 11:01 PM
When evaluating music it’s not uncommon for music critics such as myself to overemphasize innovative sounds and structures and overlook the artists who work well inside the dimensions of established forms. Novel thrills get rarer with each year of new releases, with each new software edition, so by setting the bar inordinately high we discount some still worthy releases that are a bit more familiar, especially within dance music. Yet you would be hard pressed to find a full dance floor that expects aural alchemy from its DJs, or a DJ who resists all but the most revelatory records — it’s just not how things work away from our computers. Rhapsodies, a late 2009 release from Argentinian producer Nico Purman was my latest reminder of where my head should be at. Although he’s best known for his tenebrous tech-house on Modelisme, Curle Recordings and Vakant, this record finds Purman unexpectedly tossing his hat into deep and ethnic house rings. His outsider’s perspective lends a lot to these well worn paths, making this one of his most enjoyable EPs.
Roni Nachum, Guest Service Shalom
January 26, 2010 – 11:01 AM
The Hebrew word “shalom” means peace, but it’s also a greeting and sometimes a goodbye. For Roni Nachum, a young producer from Jerusalem, “Guest Service Shalom” is one hell of a hello. His vinyl debut, which so skillfully walks between deep house moods and techno’s edges, arrives care of the shrewd A&R work of Nitzan at Fine Art Recordings. It’s also backed by a superb, decompressing remix by Mark E.
Nina Kraviz, Pain In The Ass
January 6, 2010 – 11:01 PM
Although hip-house is no longer a genre many dancers think about, its demise has not halted the dozens of house tracks whose schtick involves ranting, loosely scripted spoken vocals. Sometimes the master of ceremonies is trying to make a point, othertimes it’s more like being a fly on the wall. I’ve rarely bought into the concept that producers’ conversational prattle is much more interesting than my own; whether it was Villalobos enjoying sushi on “Andruic & Japan,” Diddy pleading for longer tracks on “The DJ,” or the vulgar boasts of Pimp Jackson, these diatribes often seem more distracting than helpful to dancers’ attempts to get into the groove. Nina Kraviz, who was one 2009’s big gainers and was affiated with others as part of the Underground Quality stable, has proven not to be immune from the appeal of chatter, as evinced on “Pain In The Ass.” First appearing on REKIDS owner Matt Edwards’ Fabric mix, the flippant track has been paired with “I’m Gonna Get You” for Kraviz’s solo REKIDS debut.
Oxia, Sun Step EP
November 16, 2009 – 10:01 PM
From time to time I check out Resident Advisor’s monthly Top 50 chart to see how wildly my tastes diverge from those of thousands of DJs who make up its voters. What caught my eye in October’s chart was the unusual sight of one producer, Oxia, holding court from the top two slots with both sides of his “Sun Step EP” for Nick Curly’s 8bit label. The French producer has been in the game since the mid-90s and can claim a handful of singles for Kompakt Extra among many others in his discography, so being a chart topper is not too much a stretch for the versatile, pop-attuned producer. But still I wondered, what would a single have to sound like to so handily grab the big brass stylus?
Marcel Dettmann/Prosumer & Tama Sumo, Phantasma Vol. 3
November 12, 2009 – 10:01 PM
When you’re a label as well respected as Diamonds & Pearls, audiences tend to expect a lot from each new platter. Add boldfaced names like Tobias Freund and Efdemin, the pair responsible for the first of D&P’s Phantasma series, and expectations could’ve burst through the ceiling. Yet after “Vol. 1″ struggled to satisfy as anticipated (largely down to a surprisingly lackluster Efdemin cut), the Phantasma series took a dip into relative obscurity. To be sure, this was listeners’ loss as “Vol.2″ offered “Choices,” a resplendent Matthew Styles and Dinky collaboration and “Machupichu,” a Pier Bucci joint of nearly equal quality. “Vol. 3,” however, is unlikely to suffer a similar fate with Marcel Dettmann on one side and a Prosumer/Tama Sumo collaboration on the other. As the latter has already evinced in the mix (Panorama Bar 02, to be specific), this is a record many DJs won’t want to leave home without.
Tristen/Edward, Along These Strings/Calm
November 3, 2009 – 10:01 PM
More than any other label I know, the Berlin-based White is the antithesis of the white label culture that’s bubbled up over the last few years. Where white label producers obscure their identity, ostensibly to keep the focus on the music, White brings audiences literally face to face with its artists, care of record sleeves adorned with their pictures. Considering their manifesto of “foster[ing] an environment for young artists to play and work, create and destroy,” I suspect their aesthetic is not the result of runaway egos but rather an attempt to reconnect in an era rife with music lacking personality and labels that do little to stand out. The label’s eighth release features the mug of Tristan, a long time member of the White crew who makes his vinyl debut, and Edward, the imprint’s most prolific producer.
St. Plomb, Escape Run
October 14, 2009 – 10:01 PM
Having spent the better part of the last three years on sabbatical from releasing records, St. Plomb (Vincent Kolb to the family he nurtured in the meantime) fiercely assures fans his creative and producing faculties are still sharp on the long awaited return, “Escape Run” on Brut! He was last spotted with production partner Crowdpleaser, zig-zagging around the globe in support of their critically acclaimed and sonically diverse debut album, 2006. So it’s with great pleasure that I report St. Plomb’s latest retains the eccentric, non-linear style which made him such an intriguing producer in the first place.
DVS1, Klockworks 05
September 30, 2009 – 10:01 PM
Private press labels — those insular imprints built primarily to house an artist’s own work — offer something akin to a Fortress of Solitude for their owners. When Shed, Swayzak, Villalobos or Levon Vincent wants to release a record unbound by the expectations of label owners and their bean counters, they retreat to their respective private press labels and turn their unadulterated visions into a vinyl realities. So when such a label invites an outsider into their hand stamped fiefdom it can be interpreted as a sign of great respect towards the invitee. If most label additions are unsurprising (Reboot and Los Updates on Sei Es Drum, Norman Nodge on MDR), the name emblazoned on “Klockworks 05″ is sure to raise eyebrows. The first outside artist released on Ben Klock’s self-styled Klockworks label is the virtually unknown DVS1, a Russian born, Minneapolis-based producer most often affiliated with his Hush promotion company. Any concerns about letting an American (and a Midwesterner not from Detroit, to boot) take the reins will surely be allayed by caliber of “Klockworks 05.”
Baby Ford, Tin Of Worms
September 8, 2009 – 10:01 PM
It’s difficult to mention Baby Ford in 2009 without feeling the need to also discuss the passing of his longtime production partner, Ian “Eon” Loveday. Ford’s Trelik label was established primarily to release his work with Loveday, whether solo or together as Minimal Man. Loveday also lent his talents to the now seminal Baby Ford & The Ifach Collective project. Although the frequency of their collaborations tapered off after the turn of the century, one imagines the bond between them never weakened. All the more reason “Tin of Worms,” Baby Ford’s latest single released only days after Loveday succumbed to pneumonia, feels inexorably linked with his partner’s untimely passing. Production schedules suggest the music was likely complete well beforehand, yet a pall hangs heavily over the release.