[REKIDS] In his recent slew of releases, Matt Edwards (aka Radio Slave) has focused rather exclusively on lengthy peak time killers. Over the years, he’s had so many pseudonyms and side projects that, as the bio on his website claims, “If Matt comes up with another two projects he’ll have enough alter egos for every […]
review
A Guy Called Gerald, In Ya Head
August 26, 2008 – 9:08 PM
[Perlon] Gerald Simpson has a rightful place at the head of the electronic music table, a pioneer of acid house, techno, drum and bass, and many spots in-between (including a stint in 808 State). Now making the move to Perlon has apparently inspired our man Gerald to unleash his best single in years. With a […]
La Peña, #1
August 25, 2008 – 5:22 PM
[La Peña] The recent boom in one-off 12″s which share artist and label names with little other info (sometimes a rubber stamp if you’re lucky; browse through a few pages of Hardwax‘s new releases for examples) is necessarily difficult to pin down. Is it nostalgic pining for the faceless days of yore, a way to […]
Nekes, Cristal
August 24, 2008 – 8:35 PM
[Oslo] Of the two labelheads behind Oslo, Frankfurt’s hottest new export, Federico Molinari has always been more visible than his partner, Nekes. Whereas Molinari has released a solo 12″, remixed a handful of tracks, and collaborated with Guillaume Coutu Dumont as The Per Eckbo Orchestra and with Vera for Love Letters From Olso’s inaugural release, […]
Christian Burkhardt, Doubledub EP
August 13, 2008 – 5:25 PM
[Raum…Musik] As a relatively fresh face in the German house and techno scene, Christian Burkhardt’s specialty seems to be the quirky, bad-ass strut. His tracks combine funky beats with misshapen vocals and trippy aural flourishes to create something as sinister as it is playful. And while “Doubledub EP” boasts pretty much the exact same style […]
Alex Picone, Furby Floppy EP
August 12, 2008 – 10:52 PM
[Cadenza Records] Italian producer Alessandro Picone is a newcomer to the Cadenza camp, but from the sounds of his debut EP (and his appearance on label boss Luciano’s recent Fabric mix CD) he should fit in just fine. “Floppy” kicks off with Cadenza’s trademark layered percussion and a croaking bass line (see the cover art […]
Henrik Schwarz, Âme & Dixon, D.P.O.M.B. EP
August 11, 2008 – 6:49 PM
[Innervisions] Any time Henrik Schwarz, Âme and Dixon all grace the same slab of vinyl, chances are it’s going to be a big deal. This precedent was set in 2006 with the quickly canonized “Where We At,” capturing the warily optimistic zeitgeist with a prescient Derrick Carter vocal sample which hung above stirring (and label-defining) […]
Anton Zap, Anton Zap EP
August 10, 2008 – 9:27 PM
[Underground Quality] Hot on the heels of his sophomore release, Russian house producer Anton Zap glows with potential. He made a splash last January with a split called “Real House Music…” on which he upstaged label boss Jus-Ed with a breezy, hummable track called “Captain Rush.” His self-titled solo EP, also released on Underground Quality, […]
Simon Baker, Plastik Remix
August 6, 2008 – 8:50 PM
[Playhouse] Simon Baker and Todd Terje aren’t the most easily anticipated combination. Baker’s big room tech-house anthem, “Plastik,” walked a fine line last year: it combined accessibility with a certain square-shouldered aggression that made it better than it should have been. Unsurprisingly, Terje ups the funk quotient on his remix, but in remaking “Plastik” he’s […]
Marcel Dettmann, MDR 04
August 5, 2008 – 9:55 PM
[Marcel Dettmann Records] As the dark prince of the Berlin club scene, Marcel Dettmann has quite a buzz about him these days. Though he’s been a resident DJ at hotspot Berghain since it opened the first time, he’s a relative newcomer to recorded work, releasing his first tracks in 2006. Now, hot on the heels […]
Slowhouse, Three
August 4, 2008 – 8:59 PM
[Slowhouse Recordings] If house is a feeling, then Slowhouse’s “Three” is a little too pristine and controlled to fit in completely. This is not a criticism; the project has taken the vogue pared-down house of Cassy, et al., and stripped it to the warm essentials. Bridging house vibe and techno precision, the series has hit […]
My My, Everybody’s Talkin’ EP
August 3, 2008 – 8:42 PM
[Playhouse] When I interviewed My My‘s Nick Höppner and Lee Jones a few months ago, they acknowledged the strain of music they released with Playhouse was markedly different from their “Southbound” single for Ostgut Ton, noting that “we’d rather produce something to the occasion.” So few will be surprised that “Everybody’s Talkin’ EP,” their latest […]
Petar Dundov, Oasis
July 30, 2008 – 8:43 PM
[Music Man Records] A limited edition in stylish plastic spot-varnish sleeve and your choice of colored vinyls (blue, silver, and white), veteran Croation producer Petar Dundov’s latest (and first release since February of 2007) visually jumps off the shelves at collectible-minded buyers, but the real treasures are on the vinyl itself. Released as a taster […]
Various Artists, Workshop 05
July 28, 2008 – 9:21 PM
[Workshop] Since 2006, Workshop has released a new EP every six months or so. Sold and distributed by Hard Wax, each EP consists of three untitled tracks, sometimes all by the same artist and sometimes by a varied group. The quality of these releases has been consistently solid: Kassem Mosse’s “Workshop 03” had a stark […]
Toby Tobias, Space Shuffle
July 27, 2008 – 9:58 PM
[REKIDS] Londoner Toby Tobias has been getting his disco on for a long time: his edits have been showing up on labels like Bear Funk for years. And Space Shuffle, his debut album, sure feels like the fruition of long and diligent labor. Most of the album is not dance floor material per se, but […]
The Mole, As High As the Sky
July 24, 2008 – 8:49 PM
[Wagon Repair] The adjective I keep reaching for when describing The Mole’s debut album, As High as the Sky, is “minimal,” even though I feel guilty of a misnomer. There’s nothing sparse about it; and even though the changes are slight, there is definite forward movement coursing through many of its 11 filled out tracks. […]
STL, Musik 4 Life
July 23, 2008 – 9:17 PM
[Something] It’s a somewhat rare feat for a producer’s high output to be matched with high quality, let alone stylistic depth. Stephan Laubner, better known as STL, is one of the few who pulls it off. Already this year he has six new releases to his name, ranging from techno and deep-house to field-recorded soundscapes. […]
Mikael Stavöstrand, Dark Eyes Die A Little
July 22, 2008 – 8:25 PM
[Lick My Deck] As a producer with roots in industrial music, Mikael Stavöstrand has a knack for negative aesthetics. His tracks are lean and mysterious, painting bleak landscapes by means of sinister bass lines, urgent beats and glistening found-sounds. Though Stavöstrand is impressively creative and capable as a solo artist, he reaches full potential when […]
Pitchfork Festival 2008: LWE reflects
July 21, 2008 – 10:56 PM
Photos by Drury Brennan Throughout this past work week, an especially arduous and stressful one by my standards, the light at the end of the tunnel was the weekend’s three day Pitchfork Music Festival. It promised sun, relaxation, friends, music, intoxication and a chance to unchain myself from the computer. What else could I ask […]
Matt John, Teleparty
July 20, 2008 – 9:32 PM
[Holographic Island] Matt and John are the two of the most common names in America. Matt John really deserves to be a pseudonym; remaking “faceless techno bollocks” for the Google age, there are a billion and a half results when searching for one “Matt John.” Even when you dig deep enough, the most common result […]