[Wolf + Lamb Music] Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: a tech-house appropriation of Maya Angelou’s classic poem “Phenomenal Woman.” Oh, nobody? In the long run, however, it’s not much of a surprise given Seth Troxler’s predilection for 12″ curveballs. If his output in the past twelve months is any indication, picking […]
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2562, Embrace/Hijack
February 16, 2009 – 9:35 PM
[3024] Yes! Another tune that puts the step back in dubstep and this one is exquisite. “Embrace/Hijack” is the latest left turn by Dave Huismans, aka 2562, whose alias is derived from the area code where he lives in The Hague. After a handful of singles and a full length for Tectonic, this latest effort […]
Christian Vance, Tiger Snake EP
February 15, 2009 – 9:43 PM
Ripperton and Sam K’s label Perspectiv got its start in late 2006/early 2007, just as the former was approaching his peak popularity. The imprint pointed its new found limelight at a cast of relative unknowns like Minz, Ndru, Lucy, October and Dachshund, among others. But as Ripperton’s popularity waned post-Lazy Fat People, so did listeners’ appetite for his label’s fresh-faced selection and its singles have gone by mostly unnoticed. That’s a shame, because the end of 2008 was an especially fertile time for Perspectiv, which released a tasty platter from Dana Ruh (backed by an equally sumptuous Agnès remix) and Christian Vance’s debut, the “Tiger Snake EP.”
TRG, Decisions
February 11, 2009 – 9:30 PM
[Tempa] Making his debut on Tempa after catching my ears with refreshingly steppy beats this past year, Cosmin Nicolae, better known as TRG, is pushing the sound forward by going way back in time. Many will compare the 2-step rhythms and ambient stabs to Burial, but a better reference point would be Horsepower Productions’ 2000-2002 […]
Download Paul Frick, “Steal My Heart” (Dub Version)
February 11, 2009 – 7:14 AM
Here’s one rare time when “ask and ye shall receive” actually holds true: After being hounded by enthusiastic DJs and recently egged on by Tape/RA’s Richard Carnage for a dub version of “Steal My Heart,” Paul Frick relented and created one. In addition to trimming Crawford’s clever narration, Frick also fine tuned a few elements […]
Andi Numan, Glass Roots
February 9, 2009 – 9:12 PM
[Curl Curl] As an off-shoot from Moon Harbour Recordings, the Curl Curl label has for the past four years been an Antipodean based venture into releasing deep-house and techno with varying results. The tenth release on the label is the “Glass Roots” EP by New Zealander Andi Numan. It would be easy enough to tar […]
Gowentgone, Under the Bridge EP
February 8, 2009 – 9:17 PM
[Vidab Records] Oliver Deutschmann and Stephan Hill are the producers behind Gowentgone and the Vidab label. As noted on their website, Vidab was founded by the pair as “a platform to express their idea of timeless club music.” On the “Under the Bridge EP,” Gowentgone seem to be wrestling with two interpretations of timelessness: one […]
Wireman, Armour EP
February 3, 2009 – 8:23 PM
[Prime Numbers] In his recent podcast for Resident Advisor, Trus’me surprises the listener by finishing an hour of house with a clunky dubstep number. The track is dark, heavy, and rough around the edges, but somehow compliments Trus’me’s earthy sound quite well. It’s called “Axiom,” and it’s one of the first ever tracks by Wireman, […]
Delano Smith, Sunrise EP
February 1, 2009 – 7:37 PM
Those who insist on being bitter when techno journalism continues to focus on Detroit might as well complain historians of impressionist painting overemphasize Paris, or that fans of martial arts films give too much credit to China. With locally known but globally unsung veteran producers like Patrice Scott, Mike Huckaby, Scott Grooves, and now Delano Smith continuing to release some of the best tracks of recent memory, it’s just an unavoidable subject. So don’t be surprised to hear a voice point out on “Something for Myself,” the lead track from the “Sunrise EP,” that Smith is “from Detroit, from Detroit, from Detroit.” When he adds that “there’s so many sounds; it’s limitless,” it doesn’t just apply to his hometown’s cultural heritage — he might as well be talking about this record.
Tokyo Black Star, Bit Commander EP
January 28, 2009 – 9:09 PM
This is one of those releases where the packaging tells you everything. These guys aren’t called Tokyo Black Star for nothing; leader Alex From Tokyo — get this — is from Tokyo. Collaborator Isao Kumano is a Japanese producer and studio engineer relatively unknown in the English-speaking world, and whose internet presence is somewhat overshadowed by a character of the same name in anime series Red Baron. Apparently, the duo was christened Tokyo Black Star by Kerri Chandler, and their earlier work (including “Psyche Dance,” the first Innervisions release) fittingly bore the influence of American house. With “Bit Commander,” however, the clear reference point is Yellow Magic Orchestra — the only Japanese group ever to appear on Soul Train. The shimmering minor-key melody of “Sepiaphone” aims for the charming simplicity of YMO’s greatest tracks, given grit by nearly bluesy chunks of guitar-like vamping buried in an old-school electro groove.
Kode9 vs LD, Bad/2 Bad
January 27, 2009 – 8:44 PM
[Hyperdub] Steve Goodman’s Hyperdub imprint has been spearheading forward-thinking dubstep since 2004, though as Kode9 he has often been overshadowed by his first and most famous signing Burial. The 2008 release calendar for Hyperdub was marked by distinctively fresh sounding product from the likes of Flying Lotus collaborator Samiyam, Zomby, King Midas Sound and this […]
EQD, Equalized #002
January 25, 2009 – 8:37 PM
[Equalized] In many ways, Equalized can only be discussed as two rubber stamped records, each carved with of a deep understanding of and flexibility with rhythm. The scope of sounds found on their four sides could point to a number of talented, Hardwax-affiliated producers, solo or in collaboration. While the A side of “Equalized #001” […]
Others, Take 1/Take 2
January 21, 2009 – 8:20 PM
[Musique Risquée] As yawn-inducing as the notion of “horn house” may sound at this point, one recent release on Musique Risquée puts brass to use in a way that’s rather novel. Under the moniker Others, Bruno Pronsato and Daze Maxim blur the line between organic and electronic sounds even more than usual, layering horns over […]
MLZ & Pacou, Remixes
January 20, 2009 – 10:22 PM
[Cache Records] Berlin-based Pacou seems to be making a series out of remixing his older material. Last year saw DeepChord and Mike Huckaby both taking at crack at his back catalog with stunning results, and now relative newcomer MLZ (aka Miles Whittaker) has remixed Pacou’s “Minus” (from a 1998 EP on LL Records, recorded under […]
Scuba, A Mutual Antipathy Remixes 3
January 19, 2009 – 9:50 PM
[Hotflush Recordings] With only a small handful of releases to his name previously, Paul Rose aka Scuba stepped up in 2008 with a somewhat slept-on masterwork of an album, A Mutual Antipathy. The remix packages (of which there are now four) have been serving to convert any late comers to the Scuba appreciation group, with […]
John Roberts, Bodywork
January 18, 2009 – 9:38 PM
Eyebrows raised and ears perked up when the close-knit Dial label added hitherto unknown, John Roberts, as the first American on its roster. “Hesitate,” his debut single that cobbled together deep-house movers from deftly manipulated samples and live instrumentation, did not disappoint. You could argue it was the most striking platter the imprint delivered in 2008 (in part because of a brief release schedule). All that in mind, anticipation and expectations for Roberts’ next release are high, and they’re likely to be met (and possibly exceeded) by “Bodywork,” his single-sided 12″ for John Daly’s Feel Music.
Carl Craig & Moritz von Oswald, ReComposed – New Mixes By Ricardo Villalobos & Carl Craig
January 14, 2009 – 8:34 PM
[Deutsche Grammophon] The third volume of Deutsche Grammophon’s “ReComposed” series was a match made in heaven: longtime friends and past collaborators Carl Craig and Moritz von Oswald teaming up to “recompose” classical pieces by Modest Mussorgsky and Maurice Ravel in their own inimitable styles. The resulting LP was one of 2008’s finest, and just before […]
Alex Under, Azul Terio
January 13, 2009 – 9:18 PM
[CMYK Musik] Alex Under has been dominating the harder end of the Spanish techno scene in recent years, his taut, kinetic productions gracing the discographies of Trapez, Apnea and Cmyk. “Azul Terio,” just his second release proper for 2008, finds Under in top form with three straight up floor cuts for the aforementioned Cmyk label, […]
Rustie, Zig-Zag
January 12, 2009 – 9:12 PM
[Wireblock] Rustie’s rise to (relative) fame in 2008 was swift to say the least. Alongside fellow Glaswegian Hudson Mohawke, Joker, and Zomby, he is one of the leading lights of a not-dubstep style whose name is most frequently given as wonky, although sometimes more creatively as aquacrunk, among other things. Hallmarks of this style are […]