Having run one of London’s favorite parties for the better part of a decade, until recently it had been Giles Smith’s Secretsundaze co-resident James Priestley who was been getting all of the attention. Since teaming up with Martin Dawson (aka King Roc) as Two Armadillos, Smith has seen his share of the limelight as well. The pair have successfully assembled a tidy number of well received twelves that have curried favor with house DJs around the world. If there is one thing Two Armadillos have shown so far in their brief history, it’s that they know how to put a groove together and “Hawthorne’s Theme” is no exception to the rule.
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Kirk Degiorgio, Mass
August 26, 2009 – 10:01 AM
With a techno revival in full swing, most of the attention has been lavished on the re-emergence of Luke Slater. However Kirk Degiorgio’s role in the early UK techno scene and beyond shouldn’t go unnoticed. Alongside Black Dog Productions, B12, Steve Pickton and others, he helped to develop a uniquely British take on what Detroit had introduced them to. What set Degiorgio apart from his counterparts was an upbringing and deep found appreciation for black music forms extending beyond the solely electronic dance format and into the jazz and soul landscape. His encyclopedic knowledge and deep love of older jazz, funk and boogie informed much of what came after his initial techno releases and allowed him to explore those influences in more honest ways. Degiorgio’s multiple albums under the As One alias have provided thrilling moments exploring modal jazz arrangements fused with electronic elements (Planetary Folklore, Elegant Systems and The Message In Herbie’s Shirts), while he hasn’t shied away from song based soul excursions either. His recent influx of releases, starting with “Jitter World” on Abstract Forms and now Mass (the first new material on his newly re-launched ART imprint in 15 years), sees Degiorgio returning to his production roots in prime techno terms, plain and simple.
Audion, It’s Full Of Blinding Light
August 25, 2009 – 10:01 PM
I find it hard to believe anyone reading this site is not at least somewhat familiar with the work of Matthew Dear. His records have been both critical and commercial successes, resulting in bona-fide classics under multiple monikers (Jabberjaw’s “Girlfriend” and “EP2” under his birth name spring to mind immediately). 2008, however, was a disappointing year for Matthew Dear fans, and March’s “Love Letters” as False offered little reprieve. It was as if all Dear’s once-varied identities had simmered down to a similar, stagnant “minimal” sound. With the resurrection of Audion and a series of EPs building up to a full-length album, this has changed.
Marcel Fengler, Twisted Bleach
August 25, 2009 – 10:01 AM
While Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock have each established themselves as like-minded soundsmiths of taut, ultra-functional, ear-splitting techno workouts, fellow Berghain resident and best pal Marcel Fengler remains something of an unknown quantity. He has yet to venture beyond the OstGut Ton mothership, and his two previous releases — murky, Gothic techno rollers pitched towards the latest of late nights — have been amongst the label’s most slept-on releases. But if Fengler has his eyes set on the sort of visibility (and lucrative weekends of globetrotting) his associates have gained in the last few years, something tells me “Twisted Bleach,” his latest for OstGut, might just be his international plane ticket.
Mass Prod, Deeply Cooked Music
August 24, 2009 – 10:01 PM
Italian-born, Switzerland-based analog fetishist Mass Prod made the jump from net labels to pressed wax only recently, but he’s already caught the keen eye of Sweden’s Kontra-Musik, whose records I make a point of keeping tabs on. The catchy melody of “Focaccina,” the summery house track he’s delivered to the label, comes courtesy of a Moondog sample, while much of the credit for the track’s sunshine rhythms presumably falls on the 909 Mass Prod’s nicknamed “The Fox.” Relaxed, gently cheerful, and a bit deep, “Focaccina” is feel-good house and solid early-morning fodder. There’s some build late in the track — keyboards gathering around the sampled melody, and a hail of cymbal kicking up the intensity — but “Focaccina” maintains a light touch and a smooth flow, more interested in winning approving smiles than hands-in-the-air screams.
Soulphiction & Move D, In The Limelight
August 21, 2009 – 10:01 AM
Having already crossed paths a couple times on wax, by way of splits and remixes and label connections, the team-up of collabo-keen auteurs David Moufang (Move D) and Michael Baumann (Soulphiction/ Jackmate) doesn’t come as much surprise. The first fruits of their labor (with further releases already mooted) find the duo mining a shared musical heritage for a miniature set of mild-tempered, organic house.
Zomby, One Foot Ahead Of The Other
August 20, 2009 – 10:01 PM
Built entirely using an Atari synthesizer, a vintage drum machine, a handful of rhythmic themes, and few effects, “One Foot Ahead Of The Other” is Zomby’s crisp new nine track EP for Ramp Recordings. At times samey and formulaic, it makes heavy use of arpeggios and triplets, and is generally more playful than the producer’s previous weeded up material. One might hear this and think “video game music,” but like Quarta 330’s remix of Kode9’s “9 Samurai” it plays like a statement of what’s possible despite such limiting retro tools. The title track, for example, combines pleasant 8-bit sounds with a great 2-step beat ala USL’s “Making Love.” The understated sub-bass is a bit of a letdown, but allows the musical ideas their primacy.
John Tejada, Vertex
August 20, 2009 – 10:01 AM
Since its inception, John Tejada’s Palette label has focused primarily on techno but over recent years has concentrated on the tracky form of the genre. His own work has veered towards that same path at times, with several releases that bore more than a passing resemblance to new school minimal. But 2009 has seen a return to the form of old. This year’s earlier release by Tejada, “Fractals,” affirmed an interest in re-exploring overtly melodic themes with nods to early UK techno and even a jungle reference peaking its head through the techno rhythms. Tejada’s latest, “Vertex,” finds him reaching for a similar trajectory while also keeping the dance floor in his sights.
Donnacha Costello, While in Exile
August 19, 2009 – 10:01 PM
A new Minimise release? After retiring the label earlier this year in response to the minimal boom, Donnacha Costello started the Look Long imprint with the philosophy that music should be produced for the long term, not to satisfy any trends. Yet the only “trendy” thing about Minimise, however, was its name; the label’s 35 releases were full of Donnacha’s colorful and melodic take on techno without once sounding like the now oft-maligned “genre.” Nevertheless, a new label seems to have refreshed the Irish producer, who has revived Minimise after only a couple months away with the digital only release “While In Exile,” available for free on the label’s website or as higher quality files for purchase.
BBH: Martha Wash, Runaround
August 19, 2009 – 10:01 AM
From a completely different era of clubbing when tracks had not quite taken over from the power of a song came one of the great dance floor anthems of the early nineties. Todd “The God” Terry was at the height of his powers; legendary for playing sets on four turntables entirely comprised of his own productions, almost as well known for his unmistakable syncopated snare heavy beats and having a bottomless bag of production monikers. He was already hugely popular for having redefined New York house music, essentially making it what it became, by fusing together elements of disco, Chicago house and Latin. He had already won over Europe and scored large by producing the crossover classic “I’ll House You” by The Jungle Brothers. He hadn’t quite reached the celebrity remixer status he enjoyed from the middle part of the 90’s when he inexorably helped along the career of Everything But The Girl with his anthemic remix of “Missing,” but he was well on his way with a litany of remixing credits to his name of the club stars du jour.
The Memory Foundation, Reptiles In Exile
August 18, 2009 – 10:01 PM
In spite of their name, The Memory Foundation is one of many techno acts whose 90’s heyday hasn’t translated into contemporary renown. The Vienna-born, Berlin-based duo of Michael Peter and Martin Retschitzegger (who’ve produced together under several other aliases including Hi-Lo, Ratio and Glory B) certainly provided enough reasons to be remembered. Their excellent first EP was released by Robert Hood’s M-Plant (the imprint’s first foreign act and third ever record) and followed by “Breakpoint,” one of the first Out to Lunch releases. Assertive but not hard-nosed, melodic yet not florid, repetitive without sounding one note, The Memory Foundation’s Detroit-influenced tracks were a good fit for Hood’s label and the crates of driving minimal techno fans. Yet their most concerted self-preservation efforts — starting their own label, Central, to house much of their material — likely insulated the duo from less savvy fans. After four years of radio silence, The Memory Foundation are back with “Reptiles In Exile,” a new four tracker for Andy Vaz’s generally spot on Yore Records that showcases their housier side.
Seth Troxler & Matthew Dear, Hurt
August 17, 2009 – 10:01 PM
Sometimes you read about collaborations happening in the music industry and they’re almost impossible for your little ears to comprehend. What would really happen if two heavyweights like Prince and David Bowie collided in the studio? What if Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston finally had a musical purging of all their love and talent in a duet? Seeing Seth Troxler and Mathew Dear on the same ticket didn’t quite dredge up the mind boggling fascination of a Prince/Bowie merger or the morbid fascination of a Brown/Houston team up, but I admit there was a fair amount of due anticipation to hear their result.
Onur Özer, Kasmir Remixes 2
August 14, 2009 – 10:01 AM
It’s somewhat beyond me why we’re just now hearing the second remix package for Onur Özer’s Kasmir album two years after its release. Though it might seem a bit redundant, we’ve not heard much from the young Turk since Kasmir, so consider it a long overdue stopgap. Tardiness gripes aside, Özer will have bought himself a good chunk of time by enrolling Isolée and Baby Ford to remix “Innervoice” and “Aida” respectively as their interpretations will keep fans buzzing for some time.
The Result, Niagara
August 13, 2009 – 10:01 PM
The Result have fashioned a 12″ whose delirious stereo carnival antics finds it closest analog in the deep-end productions Matt John cultivated while after-after-hoursing at Bar 25. Catenaccio label owner Benjamin Fehr has a track record of dense and weird productions, like “Better Thrill” and “My Favorite Shop Is Me,” and here his first collab with Falko Brocksieper effectively doubles the trouble.
Scott Grooves, Classic 909
August 13, 2009 – 10:01 AM
Earlier this year, Detroit mainstay Scott Grooves launched a series of records in homage to the Roland gear crucial to the fertilization of techno. February brought the first installment, DeTRoit 808 — the best record I’ve heard all year. In its original version, “808” drew from both the retro novelty of its creation (produced on the titular analog drum machine) and the fluid funk streaming from Grooves’ mind. A technical demonstration from a producer of truly singular sensibilities, “808” was simply stunning. A pair of “Dub Delay” mixes, credited to Panther, teased a breaking-dawn mist from Grooves’ pads. Though Panther’s modifications owed little to what’s typically called “dub techno,” their bottomless-abyss echo and windswept textures were just what I hope for whenever I encounter the genre tag. The second installment (of a planned trilogy) takes on the twenty-five-year-old Roland 909.
Frozen Border, Frozen Border 03
August 12, 2009 – 10:01 AM
Amid the current explosion of stamped white labels, Frozen Border stand apart for being among the truly mysterious. What do we know about them? Frozen Border is a record label and each 12″ is done by a different producer; aside from that, nothing. Their preference for anonymity and austere packaging hark back to the days of 90s techno, and it should come as little surprise the music does as well. Rather than rehashing the past, however, Frozen Border records leap from their 90’s reference points into the contemporary techno scene, resulting in fresh and forward-thinking productions.
Kiki, Good Voodoo Remixes
August 11, 2009 – 10:01 PM
As the cut up vocals intoning the title of “Good Voodoo” slip into your ears, you can almost picture the moment Kiki discovered the sample: Eyes wide and jaw gone slack with awe, BPitch Control staple Joakim Ijäs likely sensed its potential immediately, building a broadly enticing techno structure to house the hypnotic chant and the rest of Chela Simone’s affected vocals. Its spherical synth riff and massive, Carl Craig-inspired pads hit several populist pleasure centers at once, assuring its selection as the first single from Kaiku, Kiki’s sophomore album. But not ones to leave things to chance, BPitch lined up Jay Haze, Chaim and the rarely seen Visionquest trio to put their own shine on “Good Voodoo” to seal the deal.
Moderat, Unofficial Mixes Pt 1
August 11, 2009 – 10:01 AM
Moderat’s album came and went, sounding exactly as everyone had expected while still being a successful and fully satisfying listen. Less successful, however, was the first round of remixes for obvious lead single “Rusty Nails.” TRG fashioned a peaktime remix that was perhaps too much so, while Booka Shade’s version was a thoughtless tech-house workout. Lucky for us, the Fifty Weapons imprint comes up with the “Unofficial” remixes on a limited, stamped white label that give two Moderat’s originals truly exceptional overhauls.
Marcello Napoletano, A Prescription Of Love
August 10, 2009 – 10:01 PM
The catalog of Mathematics Recordings could be reductively portrayed as doggedly flying the colors for a very particular template of analog house sounds while, ideally, asserting new and distinctive individual artistic visions. A mix of seminal pioneers still plugging away and fresh faces mining similar territory, this Jamal Moss-operated label has always, at the very least, been one worth keeping tabs on. New recruit Marcello Napoletano’s background includes some left-field jazz piano, but his new record’s title hints at a far more apparent antecedent: vintage Chicago house from the likes of Ron Trent et al. However, Napoletano’s sound has a raw, unprocessed quality that owes as much to the likes of Adonis or Steve Poindexter (two of the aforementioned pioneers on the Mathematics roster).
Ben Klock, Remixes
August 9, 2009 – 10:01 PM
It may seem like a long time to allow six months to pass since the release of your album before issuing a remix package, but given the strength of the three remixes here I would imagine OstGut Ton and Ben Klock knew exactly what they were doing. For “Remixes” he enlists the expertise of an older generation of producers to interpret his tracks (admittedly the identity of Sandwell District, who appears here as an artist rather than the label, is presently still debatable) and that wealth of knowledge shines through.