[Dial]

Phillip Sollmann might be the most impeccably dressed guy in dance music, but his music isn’t nearly as flashy. Sure, the tailoring on his stately and reduced but ultimately floor-ready house and techno is impeccable (and, should you care to take the metaphor further, a gander at his Discogs page shows he only dresses his stuff in the finest labels), but it’s hardly flashy. I sense the man you know and love as Efdemin still subscribes to the belief that dance tracks ought to be judged by the work they do, not the attention they draw to their creator. It’s hardly surprising, then, that Chicago, Efdemin’s 2010 sophomore effort, found itself overshadowed on many a year-end list, perhaps most notably by a record on the same label that owed more than a thing or two to Efdemin’s signature soft touch. Luckily, a squadron of remixers have been coaxing Chicago out of its black turtlenecks and into some brasher duds ever since. And while this latest batch of remixes — featuring Deadbeat, Fred P, Rndm, and Efdemin himself at the controls — doesn’t exactly reimagine the material as a Tavi Gevinson ensemble, at least one of the inclusions may turn some heads.

First up on the A-side is Deadbeat, the dub practitioner whose recent Drawn And Quartered took black many orders of magnitude darker than Efdemin deigns to go. His remix of “Shoeshine,” though, doesn’t so much dip the original in ink as it muddies things up, throwing knots into the bass line and potholes into the percussion. Efdemin’s mulligan of “There Will Be Singing” makes for a relatively drastic realization: the deep chords remain intact, but layers of pitchy drums recast the original’s chilled-backness as a sweaty haze quickly burning off; “Flügelization” might have been a more appropriate tag than “Future Edit.” The flip features the cut most are likely here for, and Fred P’s “Nighttrain” reshape absolutely lives up to the expectations such a meeting of deep house minds drums up. Mr. Peterkin has already gotten a fair amount of mileage out of precisely this sort of zoned-in, circular sound, but until someone else takes house as far down the rabbit hole as he routinely does, I’m not sure it’ll get old. And though Fred has only shaved 40 seconds or so off the original, it makes for one of the briefer nine-minute intervals you’re likely to experience. Oliver Kargl, who shares Pigon duties with Efdemin and appears here under his Rndm guise, doesn’t do much more than streamline and shorten “There Will Be Singing.” But given the three refixes that precede it, dance music fans should find plenty to enjoy, if not (in Fred P’s case) positively slobber over.

2011 will not be remembered as a particularly good year for the world. Between a myriad of horrifying natural disasters, the uncertain outcome of the Arab Spring, political gridlock in the U.S., the EU’s seemingly unraveling state, austerity protests, and a generally ugly economic period, the events of this year have not offered much to smile about. But for dance music fans, 2011 was a year rich with exciting music coming out of house, techno, bass music, and everywhere between and around. While it might not be remembered as the most progressive of years — retro and recently unearthed seemed to be the most popular aesthetic themes — enthusiasts will be able to look back at their 2011 finds and say with certainty that many will still be worth their weight in the years to come. As in past years, LWE’s reviewing staff has devoted a great deal effort combing through the year’s releases to bring out our top 30 favorite tracks of 2011. Your mileage may vary and many great tracks were left out, but for us these selections defined our 2011 listening experiences. Our individual staff lists will be published this Friday.

30. EQD, “Equalized#005-B”
[Equalized] (buy)

2011 was a lean year for René Pawlowitz releases, especially after his fattened 2010 release schedule. In fact, if you put aside his remixes of 2562 and Radiohead, it all came down to one record released in 2011′s waning months — the fifth installment in the Equalized series. Luckily for us, it was a complete reversal from the disappointingly one-note #004 that more than made up for a year’s worth of near silence. Firing up what sound like the same synthesizers that made the first three Equalized singles must-owns, Pawlowitz turned each up to 162 to build one of the year’s most massive tunes. The skanking progression that opens “Equalized#005-B” merely hints at the approaching fury, as a phalanx of similar progressions begin to gallop alongside their leader. The track only grows beefier and more aggressive (in spite of the lighthearted tambourine percussion) until it’s difficult to imagine any more space left in the room for more synths — and that’s when the euphoric melodies wash over everything. Thanks to its late-November release it might take critics and record buyers a few more months to fully absorb this record’s genius, but its impact was already so strongly felt that we at LWE just had to make room for it among 2011′s best. (Anton Kipfel)

29. RNDM, “Hideaway (Dub)”
[Laid] (buy)

Last year, Oskar Offermann and Moomin’s “Hardmood” just sneaked into LWE’s top 25 list. “Hideaway,” actually released the same year, similarly showed the power of bold, carefully crafted percussion, favoring solid basics over audaciousness. This was a sentiment reinforced by its mostly regressive palette. The 12″ itself — the tenth on Dial’s prestigious sub-label – actually offered three nuanced versions. It was this, however –the wisely-chosen A-side – which appeared the most confident with its essentials and consequently, caused the biggest splash. I first encountered it through Oliver Hafenbauer, Live At Robert Johnson’s A&R guy. When I searched frantically for it the next morning, there was no uncertainty as to whether I’d stumbled onto the same tune. Its friendly, warbling synth program and shrugging hats were instantly recognizable. And isn’t that about the best one can hope for with a track of such modest ambition?
(Nick Connellan)

28. Tin Man, “Nonneo” (Donato Dozzy Remix)
[Absurd Recordings] (buy)

Imagine you heard Tin Man’s “Nonneo” on Earth in 2011. (If you followed dance music this year, then this probably isn’t a difficult scenario for you to conjure.) Now imagine that, immediately upon finishing the track, you’re hustled into a spacecraft and launched toward some distant black hole. Your ship circumscribes the event horizon for awhile, where gravity is strong enough to warp time, and then you blast off back toward your home planet, thousands of years having effortlessly passed. After being extracted from your ship by fusion-powered robots, you’re transferred to a holding pen curiously outfitted with some reconstituted artifacts of 20th-century electronic music production (they got the Roland plates right and everything), and a perfectly polite but obviously synthesized voice asks if you might recreate that tune you heard moments before your adventure began. My guess is you’d produce something like Donato Dozzy’s masterful remix, wherein the power of Tin Man’s original is amplified despite so many of its sounds getting lost in the ether. Of course, having the year’s best bass line at your disposal makes losing the rest of your stems somewhere between Neptune and Uranus a rather tasty prospect.
(Jordan Rothlein)

27. Protect-U, “World Music”
[Future Times] (buy)

When the Protect-U duo of Aaron Leitko and Mike Petillo began, they didn’t set out to make easily quantifiable music. And with “World Music” from their second release for Future Times, Protect-U continued to color outside the lines. “World Music” sends us sprawling through a sonic tableau of synth eddies, tapping into how expansive techno can be in the right hands. Starting off with staccato drum programming and white noise salvos from delayed snare reverb, Protect-U take a sound that would be a rushing, climactic tool in most current techno and instead use it to introduce tension and apply texture. It’s followed by a rolling funk bass line, twinkling synth chirps and jutting bleeps that intersect with melodic chord phrasings evoking a meditative calm, before changing gears and ending as a stripped-down cosmic burner. They may have called it “World Music” but where it ends up is closer to the sun. (Kuri Kondrak)

26. Roman Flügel, “Iron Curtain”
[Live At Robert Johnson] (buy)

It’s a tough task to choose the vital tracks from Roman Flügel’s 2011 catalog; everything the producer touches – or perhaps just looks at or thinks about — turns to gold. Even narrowing it down to Desperate Housemen, the EP from which “Iron Curtain” comes, provides only a little help. No doubt a consequence of Flügel’s penchant for FM synthesis, all four tracks showed distinct, separate personalities. And yet, they were all so utterly, unmistakably Roman. Then why select this one? Well, the German wunderkind has made a name for himself by making quirky, playful tracks. And “Iron Curtain” fulfills these criteria better than anything else he produced this year (competing with “Brasil” and “Bahia Blues Bootcamp,” admittedly). The most identifiably “Roman Flügel,” if you will. The main melody was a kind of schizophrenic Melody Pop-esque blooping; a versatile and totally unique timbre with the ability to move from a standing start to melodramatic highs in just a few bars. The track’s bleary pads and shuffling percussion felt similarly distinctive. Vital indeed. (Nick Connellan)

25. Crystal Maze, “Crystal Maze” (Chicago Skyway Remix)
[aDepth Audio] (buy)

When Crystal Maze released their debut, eponymous EP on aDepth Audio some months ago, it was immediately apparent that the four-tracker was not the work of mere amateurs. Indeed its members, Gstring and MarcoAntonio Spaventi — along with Aroy Dee — make up the trio R-A-G, who have released two highly accomplished EPs of their own already. The original title track from the EP is a deep, atmospheric house track, full of plaintive pads, and a bass line that aligns itself with the heartbeat. In the hands of Chicago Skyway the track takes on a whole new life, the bass line transformed, writhing, arpeggiated, insidious. Spanning several octaves, it manages to not just anchor the track but also provides the main melody. All that is required from here is to provide window dressing in the form of some purposeful claps, dilapidated snare fills and overdriven hi-hats. Addressing the balance of the sentiment presented in the original, Chicago Skyway rounds out his remix by incorporating the moody, ethereal pads for sections of the track. Not only does his mix serve to provide some dance floor heat to Crystal Maze’s excellent first outing, but it also ranks as one of the most compelling takes on a retro-futuristic Chicago house sound that was such a big part of 2011. (Per Bojsen-Moller)

24. Martyn, “Masks”
[Brainfeeder] (buy)

Martyn on Brainfeeder: the pairing of the L.A. beat freak (out) kings with the mature, measured, steady Dutchman certainly turned heads this year. And while the wildly experimental label was certainly not the first that many listeners would associate with a Martyn release, the results of this 12″ (and the resulting LP) were both strong and some of the most unabashed and simple 4/4 dance floor tracks Martyn has put his name to. Never mind “bass music” — this is house music: shuffling, bleepy, mildly experimental and imbued with the warmth, humanity and storytelling that Martyn has refined over the past few years.
(Harry Sword)

23. Burial, “Stolen Dog”
[Hyperdub] (buy)

Tucked away at the end of Burial’s Street Halo EP, “Stolen Dog” is one of the more moody and beautiful tracks from this elusive producer. When I reviewed the EP earlier this year, I compared it to Four Tet in terms of it’s melody, but also to the cinema and ballads. There is a very warm and loving quality to “Stolen Dog,” something that Burial’s music often eschews. The vocal snippets seem to coo at the listener, seducing them to just be in the moment with the music. It’s sad, wistful, but also hopeful, like falling in love. Clearly one of the most emotional Burial songs to date, it has a very minimal beat much like his first album, relying on melody and atmosphere to make the connection, showing compositional growth and maturity from the already vaunted artist. (Keith Pishnery)

22. The Citizen’s Band, “West 42nd”
[Live At Robert Johnson] (buy)

Where last year was Arto Mwambe’s biggest to date, 2011 has been a banner year for its two members. It began with an excellent single by Phillip Lauer, continued with the debut of Christian Beißwenger’s electro project with Oliver Hafenbauer, B.H.F.V, and concluded with a long overdue Beißwenger single (all of which took place on Live At Robert Johnson). The lead track “West 42nd” makes it clear why Beißwenger adopted The Citizen’s Band for this new material rather than carry on as CB Funk: this is freewheeling stuff. Its percussion cuts sassy, unexpected patterns in the fluffy, rainbow colored tones that zoom by, transporting listeners to a Mario Brothers’ cloud level where the floor evaporates at will. It certainly keeps dancers on their toes as well, first with a tricky kick deployment and later with a skittering return to beats post-breakdown. There has always been an undercurrent of the unexpected in Arto Mwambe’s classic-indebted tracks, and as The Citizen’s Band, that twisted sensibility steps into the spotlight and demands attention. What’s more, “West 42nd” has no peers to speak of, in house or elsewhere; it’s a sui generis masterpiece that’s likely to remain unique for a long time to come. (Anton Kipfel)

21. Machinedrum, “Come1″
[Planet Mu] (buy)

Being a genius is great and all, but if you can’t communicate your brilliant and paradigm-shifting ideas to us merely above-average individuals, then why even bother? Travis Stewart wasn’t the only producer on his own tip this year, but what’s notable about his, as exemplified by Room(s), was both how utterly alien his thesis was and how tangible its explication. “Come1,” arguably the album’s centerpiece, features everything both non-intuitive and deeply eloquent about Machinedrum in 2011. What begins with barrage of pianos and tambourines quickly reveals itself as something of a rainy-day lament, with Machinedrum’s half-lyrics coaxing honest-to-goodness indie rock guitars up from the bed of funk samples. When was the last time a track that would leave most dubstep DJs huffing and puffing made you tear up a little bit? “Come1″ is unquestionably one of the least expected and most thoroughly original journeys a dance music producer has taken us on this year, but its daring would be all for naught if Stewart couldn’t sell it, and doesn’t he ever. Like one six-minute-plus crossfade by a particularly adventurous DJ, “Come1″ begins one place and ever so effortlessly takes us to one we would never have imagined. (Jordan Rothlein)

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[Dial]

One must expect a collaboration between Efdemin and RNDM to be a special kind of subtle, and that’s exactly what their Pigon project delivers. On their first release in three years — back on original and spiritual home Dial — they offer both explorations in patience-testing sound design and ultra-hushed deep house, a bewitching EP if you can strain your ears enough to hear it properly.

For their first release of 2011, Pigon have split down the middle between the dance floor and the bedroom, the A1 bravely given over to a beatless synth meander (“Dirty Float”) that blurs and smudges like one of Richard D. James’ early lucid dreams. It’s the kind of four-minute daydream that makes for perfect set opening fodder, particularly with its unexpected foray into noise in the last minute, a subtle jolt that keeps it from turning into new age fluff. The track it shares a side with is almost comically hushed, where the fake vinyl crackle is almost louder than drums that sound like they’re buried under miles of prohibitively muffling dust. Flipping over the record reveals another functional track and another beatless exercise; “Sunrise Industry” is more boisterous than its counterpart but still restrained, a sub-aquatic pulse that bristles in the vacuum-sealed void that defines most of Efdemin’s work, buoyed by dolorous bent strings that alight like burning filaments. Closer “Flip Over Pill” isn’t quite as engaging as “Dirty Float,” more of a sound design experiment than a proper tune, but it rounds off an intriguing and surprisingly daring EP off nicely. Sunrise Industry is home-listening house in the least pejorative way possible, classy, elegant, and intriguingly detailed, but still functional (at least half of it, anyway) to work in the sets of DJs with allegiances to the Dial sound.

01. Hercules & Love Affair, “My House”
[Mochi Mochi Recordings] (buy)
Although Hercules & Love Affair is best known as a disco group, Andrew Butler often worked elements of influential American house music into their songs. In fact the band’s first single since 2008 is the spiritual successor to their charged Chicago house track, “You Belong.” “My House” seems to inch forward in time to the late ’80s and early ’90s and integrates touches of a New York sound in its Windy City foundation. Its mellifluous bass and dexterous percussion form a muscular core that pulls the track through live-wire synth hums, vocals exhorting listeners to “Get up! Get up!” But what always sells me on Butler’s compositions is the songwriting. From its ebullient chorus declaring “My house / is in order,” to the clever verses and extraordinary bridge/breakdown, the song has fan-turned-vocalist Shaun Wright belting out an endearing tale about the peace of mind accompanying a stable relationship which doubles as an excellent house track. If you had any concerns about how H&LA would top their early peaks, “My House” should put them to rest with yet another high watermark for the group.

02. RNDM, “Hideaway Lane” (Dub) [Laid] (buy)
Oliver Kargl hasn’t seemed rushed by dance music’s mercurial ways, releasing only occasionally as half of Pigon with Efdemin, and just as sparingly when flying solo as RNDM. Slowly but steadily he’s established himself as a canny house producer with a few tracks for Dial, a tune for Naïf, and a 12″ for Laid. Hideaway Lane, his second, latest release for Laid, represents a leap forward for the Berlin-based producer. The Dub mix emerges as my favorite for bringing together the tuneful bass of the Shine mix and the spiraling, airy treble of the original. With its soothing pads and soft, tuneful synth undulations, the tune conveys a calm that’s only made more inviting by the lathered up bass line. Tender and limber all at once, “Hideaway Lane” strongly affirms the promise of Kargl’s measured ascent.

03. Lone, “Cloud 909″ [Magic Wire Recordings] (buy)
In spite of his prolific nature and the hype surrounding his “Pineapple Crush” track, Matt Cutler aka Lone didn’t really get my attention until the arrival of his late-2010 album, Emerald Fantasy Tracks. Over the course of its eight tracks, Cutler refined the sun-warped house sound of “Pineapple” into something a bit breathtaking. Opening track “Cloud 909″ is exemplary of this; hyper and housey like Underground Resistance’s “Jupiter Jazz” but furnished with a micro-textured sound akin to DJ Koze or Pepe Bradock. The result is sprightly and somewhat dazed by its own ostensible age — exultant and familiar but too singular to be pastiche. It’s a style few producers can pull off and Cutler does so repeatedly across his fourth long-player. I eagerly await his work 2011.

04. Sandwell District, “Speed + Sound (Endless)” [Sandwell District] (buy)
Sandwell District, both the label and collective, first established itself as a bastion for bleak, uncompromising techno. But as time passes the stony facade has crumbled and a more hopeful and melodically inclined face has revealed itself, starting with the sampler EPs and coming to a head with their long awaited album, Feed-Forward. Although critical consensus has lifted “Falling The Same Way” as the album’s peak, I find myself returning to its closer, “Speed + Sound (Endless),” for repeated eardrum massages. As with much of the album you can pick up any number of influences from the tune, mostly from the electronic side of Krautrock: Manuel Göttsching as Ash Ra Tempel, Harmonia, Tangerine Dream, Cluster, or even Kraftwerk. Balmy and pulsing, crested with gorgeous, swelling chords, minute hi-hats ticking along without disturbing the flow, the track gives the listener the sense Sandwell are as content to conjure soothing moods as dreary ones.

05. XI, “Gamma Rain” [Orca Recordings] (buy)
After a very prolific 2010, Toronto’s XI (Christian Andersen to his friends) begins 2011 on an auspicious note with his Gamma Rain/Medicate single for quickly rising imprint Orca Recordings. Side A dominates the proceedings with a hyper kinetic garage tune that imagines frantic sax lines being beamed through a wormhole, their notes and composition turning inside out, ripping apart and smacking back together with cosmic force. Both the interstellar mood and jazzy nature of “Gamma Rain” smacks of latter day Flying Lotus, but its limber yet straightforward percussion arrangements have more in common with garage/bass music than Dilla’s most revered disciple. Reaching uncharted corners of the sonic universe last aimed for by drum n’ bass producers, “Gamma Rain” is an impressive way to begin a year and potentially the catalyst for more concerted interest in XI.

06. Lauer, “Banned” [Live At Robert Johnson] (buy)
07. Audio Werner, “Guteaussichten” [Story] (buy)
08. Tin Man, “Nonneo” [Absurd Recordings] (buy)
09. Obsolete Music Technology, “Latency”
[Machining Dreams] (buy)
10. Roman Flügel, “How to Spread Lies” [Dial] (buy)

Staff Charts:

Chris Burkhalter
01. Digital Mystikz, “Education” [DMZ]
02. Lone, “The Birds Don’t Fly This High” [Magic Wire Recordings]
03. Kassem Mosse, “2d” [Kinda Soul]
04. Moritz von Oswald Trio, “Restructure 2 (Digital Mystikz)” [Honest Jon's]
05. Aardvarck, “Nosestep (Cosmin TRG remix)” [Rush Hour]
06. Rolando, “Junie” [Ostgut Ton]
07. Sandwell District, “Svar” [Sandwell District]
08. Tin Man, “Nonneo” [Absurd Recordings]
09. Area, “So Many Fireflies” [Kimochi]
10. Juju & Jordash, “Quasi Quasi” [Dekmantel]

Luke Hawkins
01. Bodycode, “I’ll Hold Your Hand” [Spectral Sound]
02. Newworldaquarium, “The Force” [NWAQ]
03. SND, “Atavism 2″ [Raster-Noton]
04. Ø, “Helium” [Sähkö Recordings]
05. Flying Lotus, “Parisian Goldfish” [Warp]
06. Moritz von Oswald Trio, “Restructure 2″ [Honest Jon's]
07. Actress, “Purrple Splazsh” [Honest Jon's]
08. Hieroglyphic Being, “Belief and Reality” [Mathematics]
09. Rick “Poppa” Howard, “Do What You Have To” [Rush Hour]
10. Tin Man, “Nonneo” [Absurd Recordings]

Steve Kerr
01. Andy Ash, “Freak” [On The Prowl Party Breaks]
02. Cally, “Wake Oops” [Fear Of Flying]
03. Virgo Four, “Look Into Your Eyes” [Rush Hour]
04. Tony Wilson, “New York City Life” [Bearsville]
05. Elphino, “I Just Can’t” [Somethink Sounds]
06. Roche, “Sk Rhythm” [Solos Recordings]
07. Brooks Mosher, “Intermetro” [Dolly]
08. Kowton, “She Don’t Jack” [Idle Hands]
09. Ital, “One Hit” [100% Silk]
10. Nina Kraviz, “Tanya” [Rekids]

Kuri Kondrak
01. Martyn/Mike Slott, “Pointing Fingers” [All City]
02. Shake, “Trackin” [Fit]
03. Tevo Howard, “The Age Of Compassion” [Buzzin Fly']
04. C-Beams, “Thumbling” [Uncanny Valley]
05. Ever Vivid, “Abandoned Virtues” [Open Mind]
06. BitterSuite, “Squeeze In” [Atmospheric Existence Recordings]
07. Juanpablo, “Dream” (J.T.C. Remix) [Frigio Records]
08. DMX Krew, “Worm Hole” [Fresh Up]
09. Arne Weinberg, “Motive Force” [Diametric]
10. Kassem Mosse, “2D” [Kinda Soul]

Chris Miller
01. Steffi ft. Virginia, “Yours” [Ostgut Ton]
02. Margaret Dygas, “We’re Not The Same” [Perlon]
03. Scuba, “Feel It” [Hotflush Recordings]
04. Tin Man, “Nonneo” [Absurd Recordings]
05. Joy Orbison, “BB” [Doldrums]
06. Tyrez, “Functional Love” [Dolly]
07. Kassem Mosse, “Untitled” [Trilogy Tapes]
08. Sepalcure, “No Think” [Hotflush Recordings]
09. Martyn x Mike Slott, “All Night” [All City]
10. Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana, “Days Gone By” [Underground Quality]

Jordan Rothlein
01. Tin Man, “Nonneo” [Absurd]
02. Steffi, “Reasons” (feat. Virginia) [Underground Quality]
03. Sepalcure, “No Think” [Hotflush Recordings]
04. Pawel, “Kramnik” (John Roberts Remix) [Dial]
05. Lauer, “H.R. Boss” [Live From Robert Johnson]
06. Steffi, “Nightspacer” [Ostgut Ton]
07. Mayhem & Distal, “Frozen Barnacles” [Surefire Sound]
08. Knifeshow, “Hallways” [Fancy Restaurant]
09. Rolando, “Junie” [Ostgut Ton]
10. Margaret Dygas, “We’re Not The Same” [Perlon]

Andrew Ryce
01. Kevin McPhee, “Get In With You” [nakedlunch]
02. XI, “Gamma Rain” [Orca]
03. Croms, “Invisible Cities” [Exit]
04. Boddika, “Daze That Were”
05. Joel Mull, “Holographic” [Truesoul]
06. Salva, “Icey” [Friends of Friends]
07. Steffi, “Reasons” [Underground Quality]
08. Contakt, “Not Forgotten” [Local Action]
09. Mode, “Stepping Stone” [Exit]
10. DJG, “Automatic” [Brownswood]

Jack Scourfield
01. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx, “NY Is Killing Me” [XL]
02. Braiden, “The Alps” [Doldrums]
03. Sepalcure, “Your Love” [Hotflush Recordings]
04. Krystal Klear, “Tried For Your Love (Hudson Mohawke Remix)”
[All City]
05. Vindicatrix, “Hume” [Mordant Music]
06. Bakey Ustl, “A Tender Places” [Unthank]
07. Cassie, “Me & U (Brackles Remix)” [Local Action]
08. Chasing Voices, “Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit” [Preserved Instincts]
09. Katy B feat. Ms. Dynamite, “Lights On” [Rinse]
10. Mzo Bullet, “Casablanca” [New State Music]

[Laid]

I first heard of Dial’s plan to start a deep house sub-label called Laid about two years ago. It sounded like a great idea; a way to bring in a fresh sound in what was then still a minimal-soaked dance music world. Finally in 2009 Dial’s younger brother was born with the first two records from Laid. Of course, a lot happens in two years of dance music history. Laid’s opening salvo comes after deep house has been “revived,” this time with the minimal bandwagon in tow, their vacuousness made only more obvious by all the a cappellas professing “soul.” After a wonderful inauguration by Detriot’s own Rick Wade, Oliver Kargl, best known as Rndm, continues to steer Laid into the deep end.

Laid is perhaps an unexpected home for Kargl’s first solo release aside from his contribution to last year’s “You Are My Mate” comp. His body of work with Efdemin as Pigon is so techno oriented, I figured Rndm to be the techno lover of the bunch. Not so, as “Third Hand Smoke” is house to the core. Its laid back shuffle of kick drums and acoustic percussion takes the tune through a swirl of silky pads, its devastating three note bass line locking everything together. The breakdown is so expertly crafted, anticipation for the bass line creates pure musical euphoria nearly overtaking the casual atmosphere Rndm has created. For me, “Third Hand Smoke” easily sits with “Silent State” as one of the best house tunes produced this year.

On the flip we find Rndm’s “K271 RMX” of John Robert’s “Relate,” which is forthcoming on Laid04. The late night vibes roll on into moody pads, a squelching synth and some pitched down vocals that are actually a nice touch. On a more granular level, the acoustic hand claps add a very human element to the track. A “dub” version of “Third Hand Smoke” rounds out the package, although it sounds quite different from the A side. Aside from the sublime bass line and some bongo hits, “Third Hand Smoke Dub” is a melancholic comedown from the heights of the original. Laid may have arrived late to the deep house party, but platters like the fantastic “Third Hand Smoke” assure fans they’ve belonged all along.

[Beatstreet]

In Marcel Dettmann’s rather enigmatic Discogs bio, we read that he sees techno as “a determination of both his life and music” which continually leads him on a “quest for the optimal track.” It’s a touch ridiculous in its overstatement, but it’s the kind of hyperbole that sheds a very bright light on Dettmann’s productions: he’s a purist and it shows. He avoids clichés, trends and any other kind of excess in his music, continually streamlining his vision in his productions (see his “Scenario EP” with Klock and recent “MDR 04″), remixes (like his work on Ellen Allien’s “Go”) and even his DJ sets, like the excellent Berghain 02 released earlier this year. His very distinct style provides an interesting contrast to the work of Pigon (aka producers Efdemin and Rndm), who have a more sample-based but no less fascinating approach to their brand of minimalism.

The “Kamm/Plain” EP is techno stripped to its barest core. Pigon’s opener is slow and incisive: a soft bass drum drives us through a surreal electronic landscape while metallic buzzes, bleeps and cracks float in and out of the listener’s aural space. It builds expertly and feels like being slowly sucked into a swarm of insects; by the end of the song, the tension has reached an unbearable breaking point — that is, until “Plain.” I don’t know what’s better: Dettmann’s track itself or the simple fact that it comes up next, shattering the tension created by “Kamm” like a hammer on ice. It’s as sparse as any of his songs — he uses only a bass drum, a hi-hat and a distant, two-note melody — but each element’s mechanical, self-contained pulse proves to be the most powerful kind of minimalism. It’s not “tribal,” it’s not trendy and it sure as hell isn’t any worse for it. It’s music whose whole fully outweighs the sum of its parts, music so quietly penetrating it becomes brutal. Both “Kamm” and “Plain” are pure club dynamite; and whether they’re used for making tension or breaking it, they’ll be sure to send shivers down any crowd’s spine. (post by Jeremy Cohen)

[Dial]

Dial had been releasing its lean and emotive variety of techno/house for nearly seven years before breaking to a larger audience, but the recognition could hardly have come at a better time. Last year the Hamburg-based label, owned and operated by Peter M. Kersten (Lawrence/Sten), Turner and Carsten Jost, cranked out two of their best releases to date — Efdemin and This Bliss by Pantha Du Prince — upon which a great deal of praise were deservedly heaped. With fans and DJs craving minimal techno and house infused with feeling (the harbinger of today’s deep-house revival), Dial and its back catalog proved ready, even prescient. Having seen the future, Dial focuses on the present with it’s first release of 2008, You Are My Mate, which re-introduces the labels’ stars over the course of five all new tracks.

The compilation also serves as a launching pad for the hotly-tipped collaboration between Carsten Jost and Carsten Klemann, My My’s DJ arm. Their “CC01 (Detroit)” is surprisingly fully formed, bouncing between fuzzy and clear tones over stereo-panned drums, layered with somber piano chords which linger, and bolted in place by zealous claps and hi-hats (although I could do without the trite “Detroit” vocal sample). Also making his first solo appearance on wax is Oliver Kargl aka Rndm, one half of Pigon with Efdemin. In fact, his “Wakefield” is certainly a highlight of the compilation, which fires off evocative vocal bursts above humming synth pads and squelchy and stunted stabs.

Pigon, however, frustrates on its own contribution. Whereas previous tracks like “Promises” found the sweet spot between repetition and development, “Helios” milks its low key riff and tight tom pattern for too long before releasing slightly spooky synth noodles, which themselves underwhelm. Sten fairs better by offering his take on resonating, Mountain People-eque synth work and rolling hand drum percussion on “Fortune.” For his first track since the album, Pantha Du Prince forgoes beats all together and concocts a sighing ambient soundscape with an almost shoegaze quality about it.

That You Are… closes with Phantom/Ghost covering a Right Said Fred track of the same name is poignant, as its simplistic piano/vocal arrangement and sympathetic gait neatly sum up Dial’s appeal with a bit of cabaret flair. Perhaps that’s a stretch, but if nothing else it shows Dial will still take chances, which has already paid off. You Are My Friend is an enjoyable compilation which portends good things for the rest of the year.