Our 19th podcast was assembled by John Daly, Feel Music manager and a connoisseur of dubbed out house grooves. Make sure to add it to your collection before it heads off to the archives on Friday, August 20th at 10am CST.

LWE’s Kuri Kondrak caught up with South Africa’s RezKar two weeks ago, noting the promise of big things to come. RezKar’s newest, one track backed by four remixes on the Running Back label, is significantly more assured, without quite seeming to realize the potential present in earlier efforts. There are a number of very good things in the original mix of “Above the Clouds”: pretty melodies that dance through artful synth arrangements, defying both hands in the air schmaltz and limpid disco house recombinations. This is a good trick to know, and the track generally betrays a good ear and considerate attention to musical quality. But carefully negotiating a divide that has at its one end Gui Boratto and its other Prins Thomas is an insufficient accomplishment for someone whose earlier output promised galloping individuality. If I’m above the clouds when listening to this, it’s more in the familiar way of a twice-weekly Ryanair commute than flying with the angels. These chord structures are too familiar, and the whole thing cries for the flourishes and risk that this producer has been capable of imprinting on his music before. “Above The Clouds” also runs the risk of sounding too close to recent efforts from Donnacha Costello.

The same dilemma affects a lot of the output on Gerd Janson’s Running Back. A loose affinity of taste governs the roster as much as a cut and dry sound. Some tracks — Prosumer’s “Brownstone,” Tensnake’s “In The End (I Want You To Cry)” — have capitalized on that tendency to stretch out towards greatness. But the label is a platform, not a uniform product in the way of Perlon, and that leads to the opportunity to slough off onto it mix fodder instead of outstanding music. Which is an utter shame considering the frequent quality of those who run this label and those who contribute.

John Daly sometimes falls into the same pattern as Running Back. He always shows huge potential but sometimes makes things that are less than the sum of their parts. This is one reason why his remix here should be celebrated. A lovely, questioning Moog riff animates the occasionally complacent original components and gives them an earthy weight and balance. When the track takes flight around the seven-minute mark, it seems to complete a far fuller and more committed narrative. For this reason, Daly’s remix is in a different league from Mystery Boy’s. The latter producer does a delicate job in adding dance floor bombast while staying close to the original. Unfortunately, the fine artifice Mystery Boy shows would have gone further if he had combined it with a fresh perspective on the original. I would wait on RezKar until he decides on a sound that can accommodate his voice, and slot effortlessly into the sets of his European counterparts. Otherwise, it would be too frustrating to see another talented producer subsumed into the flabby, homogeneous underbelly of contemporary boutique house.

If you missed out on Hunee’s debut 12″, the “Tour de Force EP,” and judged his output solely on this release you may not fully believe what I am about to tell you: this man is an artist to be reckoned with. Those three tracks of stunning house screamed quality, from the stutter-scat deep house jack of “Rare Silk” to the Jus-Ed-sampling monologue featured on “Cut Down Trees,” they confirmed he had something new to bring to the table. Nothing could be closer to the truth when you look at his recent 12″ under the Hunch moniker for John Daly’s Feel Music imprint. “Travel The Earth” may not be contain the same enviable balance of DJ-ready rhythms and melodic fulfillment, but does reach for a mysterious blend of organic and electronic abstraction.

The Dance Mania font used on the 12″ is a curious choice for the label artwork considering the music found within. Hunch’s original begins with rain forest atmosphere before a kalimba melody loop enters to form the foundational core of what becomes an African ambient-house excursion. The drum kick eventually emerges augmented by a laconic bass note chug, but it hardly seems central to the proceedings. A breakdown further cements that assertion as a guitar motif reveals further exoticism buried in its bedrock foundation. John Daly’s remix, on the other hand, keeps the original’s ethos intact while taking a more direct approach. The rhythm is centrally focused as Daly uses his trademark hi-hat shuffle to open up the percussion and brings in a rounded bass drum punch and bongos. He subtly weaves in the original’s kalimba and guitar, but the impetus of the structure belongs to the luminous synth pads during the first half and a growing acid line during the second half. “Travel The Earth” certainly isn’t the most conventional follow up but Hunee gets points for taking the road less traveled.

Only three years ago John Daly was just an upstart from Cork, Ireland, whose raw and ready tunes on his own Feel Music made small waves. These days each highly anticipated Daly release (and there are a lot of them) rocks the boat, as his dubbed out grooves for Francois K’s Wave Music, IRR, Plak and Drumpoet Community become fixtures of many house and techno DJs’ sets. The effortlessness of his inviting and varied productions have well earned the crate space. In kind, we wanted to hear what’s pulling its weight in Mr. Daly’s crates, and thus was born our exclusive 19th podcast. Moving from hypnotic deep-house to interstellar disco and future primitive techno, Daly’s set speaks louder than his tight-lipped interview. Strap on your headphones and absorb what the man has to say.

LWE Podcast 19: John Daly (60:05)

Tracklist:

01. Frankie Flowerz, “Break the Barriers” (John Daly remix) [Internasjonal]
02. Ray Valioso, “Groove Memories” [Real Soon]
03. Open House ft. Pace, “Seven Day Weekend” (Motor City mix) [Tu Rong]
04. The Beat Broker, “My Way Or the Highway” [Flexx]
05. DJ Koze, “I Want to Seep” [International Records Recordings]
06. Odessa, “Sketch” [Disco Praline]
07. Tako, “Flotation Dance” [Ambassador's Reception]
08. Brendon Moeller, “Ignition” [Apnea]
09. René Et Gaston, “Pouah! Ours Savant Edit” [a.r.t.less]
10. Saturn V, “Locomotion” [Nation]
11. Creepy Autograph, “The Gray Mans Theme” [Valentine Connexion Records]
12. Lerosa, “Circadia” [Millions of Moments]
13. Unknown artist, “Beyond Jupiter” [Moxie]

When and where did you make the mix?

John Daly: Last December in my bedroom.

What’s the concept behind the mix?

No concept, just music I like.

Who are a few of your favorite DJs and why?

Most of my favourite DJs wouldn’t be names people would really know, guys I would have played with back in the day, that kind of thing.

You sure you wouldn’t want to mention them anyways?

Yeah, OK: Graham Payne, the man who taught me everything I know about real house music, Chilli Philpott, Rico Heffernan, and of course the One Eye, my partner in Feel Music.

What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?

Got some things in the pipeline at the moment.

Chart courtesy of The Economist.

01. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
What more can we say? EP of the year so far?

02. Ben Watt ft. Julia Biel, “Guinea Pig” (DJ Koze’s Vocal Variation remix) [Buzzin Fly Records] (buy)
We’re starting to believe DJ Koze is giving Ricardo Villalobos a run for his money as techno/house’s most beloved auteur. He’s an irrepressible force always undermining the boundaries of dance music and electronic music more generally, often busting out in inexplicably appealing ways. His remix of Ben Watt’s “Guinea Pig” is similarly alluring, a tangled narrative of unstable vocals, shuddering snare hits, lucid marimba notes, disconnected phone numbers and a pumping arpeggio, all held together by the sheer quality of its disparate parts. DJ Koze’s music is so unabashedly original yet ultimately accessible, and each new release only furthers that reputation.

03. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat”
[Drumpoet Community] (buy)
Had we not known it was John Daly’s work when “This Is A Lonely Beat” poured from the PA, we wouldn’t have believed it. His productions are almost always melodically bountiful but rarely outright poppy, which is what he achieves for Drumpoet Community. In fact the only thing that gives him away is the subtle dub iterations ringing the hypnotic churning riff. Otherwise we migh’ve suspected a long forgotten French house master was behind the jittery vocal snippets, snug and chugging percussion and gregarious bass line. And try as we might, masks and all, John Daly’s newest is too infectious to resist.

04. Boris Hotton, “Bon Voyage”
[Troubled Kids Records] (buy)
Boris Hotton has been lurking around techno and house since 2005, but it wasn’t until his remix of Sven Weisemann’s “Slices” for liebe*detail spezial that he gained any visibility. He makes his solo debut on the similarly nascent Troubled Kids Records, and his two originals manage to best remixes from Motorcitysoul and Jesus Gonsev. The sultry “Bon Voyage” is tops in our book, even though it traffics in many “deep house” tropes that have grown vastly overused. Yet his arrangements are more complex and heartwarming, like the way he drapes a vocal over the hardened drums, the way his synth lines and string progressions sweep over the dance floor like a sudden flush of emotion. “Bon Voyage” is unlikely to end up Hotton’s calling card, but it bodes well for future releases and will nicely round out deeper DJ sets.

05. Gruber & Nurnberg, “Traffic” (Agnès remix)
[Bloop Recordings] (buy)
What’s incredible about Agnès’ remixes isn’t just their reliable quality, but how much musical DNA they share regardless of the source material. It’s as if he’s turned his Swiss studio into a factory where the top sellers are elastic synth stabs, billowing pads and segmented diva vocal samples. But for all the homogeny, I’ve yet to find an Agnès remix unremarkable; his version of Gruber & Nurnberg’s “Traffic” is latest to follow the trend. The pinching ancillary percussion spinning cobwebs between solid house rhythms recalls Around the House-era Herbert — a great set of touchstones — and helps an otherwise by-the-numbers remix stand out. Here’s hoping this is one factory the global economy won’t cause to shutter.

06. Dplay, “Huub Sand” [Running Back] (buy)
Until now, Dplay only hit our radar when his star was hitched with Manuel Tur’s, but his ambitious new EP for Running Back suggests he’s a force to be reckoned with even solo. Rounding out a rather diverse and at times unusual release, the title track distills all Dplay’s personality into a simpler structure. Smooth and sober without plodding, its eight minutes are covered with the sheen of humming pads, rolling along at the behest of pneumatic percussion and a pulpy two-fingered progression. We can’t help but think of Global Communication when hearing “Huub Sand,” but it’s a good sound for Dplay, one likely to be heard as the sun warms the dawn sky into a blushing shade of purple.

07. Martyn, Great Lengths [3024] (buy)
08. Point G, “Headache” [Innervisions] (buy)
09. Ben Klock, One [Ostgut Tonträger] (buy)
10. Kode9, “Black Sun” [Hyperdub] (buy)

Check out LWE staff charts after the jump.
Staff Charts

Bill Bearden:

01. Benga, “Buzzin” [Tempa]
02. Caspa ft. Dynamite MC, “The Takeover” [Sub Soldiers]
03. Distance, “Night Vision” (Skream remix) [Planet Mu]
04. MRK1, “Kill Zone” [Contagious]
05. Benga, “Technocal” [Tectonic]
06. Joker, “Do It” [Kapsize]
07. Jakes, “War Face” [Hench]
08. Breakage ft. David Rodigan, “Together” [Digital Soundboy]
09. Rusko, “Moaners” [Sub Soldiers]
10. Starkey, “Gutter Music” [Keysound]

Per Bojsen-Moller:

01. Martyn, Great Lengths [3024]
02. L-OW, “Moment of Truth” [On The Edge]
03. Pier Bucci & Jacek Sienkiewicz, “Skazka” [Recognition]
04. N/A, “Varience III/IV” [Sandwell District]
05. Freund Der Familie, “Sark” (Marko’s La Coupee Mix) [Freund Der Familie]
06. Joe, “Grimelight” [Hessle Audio]
07. Jamie Vex’d, “In System Travel” [Planet Mu]
08. Anonym, “Hart Plaza” [Pariter]
09. Fever Ray, “When I Grow Up” (Scuba’s Straight Down Mix) [Universal]
10. Michel Cleis, “La Mezcla” [Cadenza]

Chris Burkhalter:

01. Isolée, “A Nightingale” [Diynamic Music]
02. Black Jazz Consortium, “Living the Dream” [Soul People Music]
03. Joker, “Digidesign” [Hyperdub]
04. Alex Cortex, “déon” [Pomelo]
05. Anton Zap, “Spain” [Uzuri]
06. Raza, “Gonna Make You Work” [Millions of Moments]
07. October, “My Left Tool” [Perspectiv]
08. DJ Koze, “Mrs. Bojangles” [Circus Company]
09. Shake, “Space Probes” [Morphine Records]
10. October, “My Left Tool” (tobais. remix) [Perspectiv]

Peder Clark:

01. Jus-Ed, “Some New Shit 2 Dub” [Kinda Soul Recordings]
02. STL, “Silent State” [Smallville Records]
03. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat” [Drumpoet Community]
04. Tony Lionni, “Found A Place” [Ostgut Tonträger]
05. Anthony “Shake” Shakir, “Indagoo” [Morphine Records]
06. Dplay, “Tschaka” [Running Back]
07. Culoe De Song, “The Bright Forest” [Innervisions]
08. Leonid, “Shortwave” [Sistrum Recordings]
09. Paul Du Lac, “Kira” [Clone]
10. Newworldaquarium, “Trespassers” (Redshape remix) [Delsin]

Nate DeYoung:

01. Joker, “Do It” [Kapsize]
02. DJ Koze, “Mrs. Bojangles” [Circus Company]
03. Mark Pritchard, “?” [Ho Hum Records]
04. Floating Points, “Love Me Like This” (Nonsense Dub) [R2 Records]
05. El-B, The Roots of El-B [Tempa]
06. Tensnake, “In the End (I Want You to Cry)” [Running Back]
07. Starkey, “Gutter Music” (Instrumental) [Keysound]
08. Tony Lionni, “Found A Place” [Ostgut Tonträger]
09. Matias Aguayo, “Bo Jack” [Còmeme]
10. Precious System, “The Voice From Planet Love” [Running Back]

Todd Hutlock:

01. Âme, “Setsa” [Innervisions]
02. Thabo, “Downstream” [Ornaments]
03. Baby Ford, “Gravy Train” [Perlon]
04. LoSoul, “Up The Beach” [Playhouse]
05. Len Faki, “BX 3″ [Ostgut Tonträger]
06. Minilogue, “Animals” (Luciano remix)” [Cocoon Recordings]
07. Ernesto Ferreyra, “Caleza” [Cadenza]
08. Donnacha Costello, “Gatsby” [Look Long]
09. Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, “Tirsdagsjam” (Lang Versjon)
[Eskimo Recordings]
10. Wareika, “Ascending” [Tartelet Records]

Will Lynch:

01. LoSoul, Care [Playhouse]
02. Black Jazz Consortium, “Structure” [Soul People Music]
03. Dplay, “Browse” [Drumpoet Community]
04. Delano Smith, “Synergy” [Third Ear Recordings]
05. David Labeij, “Lenny” [Sushitech Purple]
06. Wolf + Lamb, “If U Had” (Shaun Reeves edit) [Wolf + Lamb]
07. Anton Zap, “Mon 16:46″ [Uzuri]
08. Jamie Vex’d, “In System Travel” [Planet Mu]
09. John Daly, “This Is A Lonely Beat” [Drumpoet Community]
10. Nick Holder, “Feelin’ Sad” [Sushitech Purple]

[Wave Music]

John Daly has quickly proven to be one of the most promising new producers to emerge over the 18 months. The young Irishman’s productions are as deep and elemental as they are anachronistic, recalling a simpler era of electronic music dominated by artists such as Klaus Schulze (Tangerine Dream), Manuel Göttsching (Ash Ra Tempel) and Cluster. His stylistic ties to electronic music’s roots are what set him apart from his deep-house contemporaries, as his tunes bear the warm and full-bodied mark of analog synths VSTs still struggle to properly emulate. So far this year he’s released a double LP on Plak rounding up his singles for the label and the debut single for International Records Recordings, Areal’s new sub-label. The “Atlantis EP,” Daly’s third for Wave Music, splits the difference between deep-house movers and serene electronic numbers.

“Atlantis” opens the EP with a sense of wonder, both in its gradually unfolding arrangment and its soft spoken, wide-eyed choice of pitches, which gently oscillate and drone under the ribbed texture provide by a fingerpicked guitar line. While Daly follows a more traditional blueprint for “Count Down to Zero” — delayed aquamarine synth jabs and a tightly looped clavichord bass line — the curious nature of its synth lead and subtle effects patterns leave it anything but average. “Don’t Look Down” also hews closely to standards, but its drippy synth line and glinting metallic percussion are genuinely propulsive and catchy. Capping off the EP is its most relaxed tune, the lush and acqueous “Gabriel.” “Atlantis EP” is not John Daly’s most original release, but working with a historically rooted aesthetic always runs that risk. What Daly offers is easy on the ears and well executed, which makes the “Atlantis EP” a success in my book. But here’s hoping his forthcoming album for Wave Music eclipses it with ease.