[Buzzin' Fly Records]

Coming on like some kind of disparate super group, the Bright Star EP brings together Hamburg-based producer Stimming; the owner of Buzzin’ Fly, producer for ’90s act du jour Everything But The Girl and man behind legendary London party Lazy Dog, Ben Watt; and the vocal talents of jazzy singer Julia Biel. With this much talent you might expect sparks to fly — or fizzle. If you chose the former, one wouldn’t be too far off. But one wouldn’t be too harshly judged for being apprehensive as, to be fair, as I was prior to listening. Without taking anything away from the man, Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly label has tended to lean a little too far to the tracky soulful deep house side for my liking. This is somewhat unsurprising seeing as the aforementioned Notting Hill Lazy Dog party was among the most influential places in London to hear deep house of that ilk from 1998-2003. Indeed, many well known promoters and DJs including the Secretsundaze boys, Giles Smith and James Priestly, frequented the fortnightly Sunday party and one would suspect, were somehow inspired by it. Although the music was good though, eventually it became a canon of it’s own devising — a gilded cage if you will — harking back to the recent past rather than the future. Bright Star, however, is a volte-face.

Stimming has proven on impressive cuts such as “Kakusei” on the Buxton Pipes EP, the underrated “The Anger” on Liebe*Detail, or “Kleine Nachtmusik” for Buzzin’ Fly that he has his throbbing, shimmy inducing, slightly out of the ordinary deep house down to a science. But it’s his skills on the groove twinned with Ben’s pedigree working with vocalists which sets this release apart from the rest. The “Sunrise Mix” is pure Stimming; its bass line bounces under Beil’s Billie Holiday-like tones, which are filtered through what sounds like an old microphone recommissioned from the ’40s. Heard amid flickering drums, perfectly placed clicks and tense, brassy synth notes, it’s a sound that teases a dance floor into a state of frenzy by subtly hinting at a breakdown without giving in. A fine line well trod. The flipside “Sunset Mix” is a much more demure experience. As opposed to submerging the vocals, the jazzy, emotion-laden lyrical content is the central figure among spacious arrangements. It’s placed on a spindly frame of warm if slight pads, organic and wonky bass notes, and golden, slo-mo horns, all of which suggest this side will get more play on the home hi-fi than through club tackle. Despite being a touch predictable for anyone who has heard Stimming develop, Bright Star is as impeccably produced as one would expect from a trio this talented and experienced. I hope there’s more like the precariously perched “Sunrise Mix” in Buzzin’ Fly’s future.

When I first heard Stimming’s debut album, Reflections, in early 2009, his organic, cobblestone house tracks plucked and pulled themselves in a very different direction than his house peers. Of course now 2009 seems like a year besotted in hand drums and organic textures, yet Stimming’s sound still crackles with a unique energy and pluck that’s far more compelling. Take “Silver Surfer” from Reflections, a spidery crawl through Stimming’s string section with melodies that sting like a snapped rubberbands. Seriously, take it:

Download: Stimming, “Silver Surfer”

Stimming appears live at Fabric on Saturday, November 7th alongside Cassy, Sascha Dive, Nikola Baytala, Fuckpony (live) and many more. Thanks to Stimming, Diynamic Music and Fabric for use of the track.

[Diynamic]

Martin Stimming doesn’t sound anything like Villalobos or Ben Klock. None of the records in his increasingly label-diverse discography evoke frozen tundras, k-holes or the post-industrial cathedral of Berghain on Sunday morning. His distinctively unmechanized house grooves are neither a vintage call to jack nor a dive into the depths. The longer I’ve sat on Reflections, Stimming’s debut full-length, the more I’ve realized what an awesome anomaly this young producer’s music is in 2009: his sound decidedly skirts the zeitgeist, but the undeniable quality and sensitivity of his handiwork renders him a perennial must-listen in a dance music scene moving more and more away from the organic tech-house that earns him his living.

Like Loco Dice on last year’s 7 Dunham Place or Martyn on his recent Great Lengths, Reflections is the product of an artist fully realizing the sound he’d been after for quite some time, nailing it like he’s never nailed it before. As RA’s Todd Burns delineated recently, Reflections is at least conceptually personal, an overtly nostalgic release from a producer whose signature sound usually evokes forlorn moments despite its dance floor oomph. Stimming certainly uses the extra minutes he’s afforded here to flesh out his studio prowess. But he also crafts something surprisingly cohesive, a youthful and bittersweet testament to long nights and the rainy days that follow.

Stimming might be wearing his heart on his sleeve more than most in house music right now, but he also brings some of the stranger and most deftly twisted rhythmic sound design in the business to these eleven cuts. On tracks like “Fruits of Life,” “Silver Surfer,” and “Tel Aviv Calling,” Stimming takes classic 4/4 drum programming and swaps in his own non-standard — but taut — samples. 909 hi-hats become clipping shakers and pitch-modulating, marching band bass booms where you’d expect just an efficient kick. There’s an almost 3-D tactility here: if you can’t imagine a drumstick making rippling impact or feel the wind rushing out from beneath these samples, then Stimming wants no part in them. The result is still the hefty bottom-end of club music but more casual and incidental, like it could have been conceived in a café or shaded backyard with friends over drinks. And given the emotional maximalism herein, such approachable production provides a welcome stability.

Yet Reflections works best when it’s at its seemingly least cool. “Sunday Morning” kicks off with that oh-so-recognizable Stimming shuffle. The track’s second half, taking a cue from the peak-time murk of Argy’s rework of Stimming’s 2008 hit “Una Pena,” goes big with an extra-ripping conclusion of overlaid, extra-loud strings and electro vamps. It’s a ballsy way to open your record, but for a guy who thought Rasmus Faber’s orchestral orgy-of-sentimentality remix of Studio Apartment’s “I’m In Love” was the highlight of 2008, its not a huge or unwelcome surprise. “The Loneliness” places schmaltzy blues vocals over ominous bass and gives the hook to a harmonica. It’s the album’s love-or-hate moment, but if you’re like me, you’ll be belting the vocals and drop-kicking disgruntled chin-scratchers by the finish. And even said chin-scratchers won’t be able to deny “The Kiss,” the clear highlight of this collection. Spinning unbridled romance out of deep schaffeling bells and clouds of razor synths, Stimming may have recorded the best Kompakt single not released by Kompakt this year. Like so much of this full-length, a DJ could create many types of moments with this track — peak-time bomb, mournful sunrise, sweaty vamp — but know that each time the crowd felt touched. Cheesy, idiosyncratic, or not, Stimming makes genuine music, and that outstretched hand takes his distinctive blend a great distance.

[Diynamic Music]

Hamburg producer Martin Stimming is on a roll. From his work with Einmusik on the “Mesdames EP” to his split with Matthias Meyer, he’s quietly tricked out a string of excellent singles all summer. “Una Pena,” a tightly wound, live wire of a track that’s been popping up left and right in DJs’ sets, continues the winning streak. It’s impeccably produced with the utmost attention paid to both detail — a smattering of bells, triangles, claves and even drum rolls fill the song’s backdrop — and groove, which snaps, crackles and pops like a bowl of rice krispies. His sampling of Chilean folk songstress Violeta Parra’s “Arauco Tiene Una Pena,” is done just right: softly, sparingly, utilizing only the most beautiful part of the melody and turning its echoes into a rousing horn-meets-kazoo riff (think “Fizheuer Zieheuer”). What a song!

Equally delightful is Argy’s remix, which fills out the original with heavier poly-rhythms, rich synthesizer textures and a whole arsenal of reverb. Argy takes listeners on a mind-fuck percussive journey, layering all kinds of congas, wood blocks, screeches and crashing cymbals over subtle melodic flourishes and a heavy, hypnotic bass line. It’s the kind of driving, pulsing track I would picture overdubbing a descent into someone’s subconscious, with the echoes of Parra’s distorted voice leading the way deeper and deeper into the unknown. Considering the growing impatience for minimal among techno audiences — with criticisms of it becoming, if nothing else, a lifeless, boring mess of a genre — Stimming’s “Una Pena” is a gentle reminder that it can be more than self-conscious drum pitch noodling or hammering on the spooky effects pad; minimal techno can produce some streamlined, booty-bumping club workouts. (post by Jeremy Cohen)

Welcome to the first in our new series of short interviews, affectionately titled Talking Shop. The majority of media and fan attention gets showered on the artists who create the music we love to listen to/DJ with/dance to, and for good reasons. But without the hard work, keen ears and business savvy of label staff, we’d be stuck only streaming tracks on Myspace. The first up is Adriano Trolio, one of the owners of the rapidly blooming Diynamic Music. In its first 10 releases, the Hamburg-based label (which Trolio co-owns with Mladen Solomun) has readily established itself in the house/techno scene with an ornate and infectious aesthetic built by Stimming, H.O.S.H., Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Gebrüder Ton, Solomon and Adriano themselves. They’ve also recently started their own booking firm, fittingly called DIY Booking. Now seemed like a perfect time to ask just how they do what they do.

Please tell me about the beginnings of Diynamic Music. Why and how did you start out? Did you have much experience in the business end of things?

Adriano Trolio: Since we both (Adriano and Mladen) are great fans of music, we have organized parties for many years and produced electronic music for a long time; so it was always our next step to someday start our own label.

How did you select the artists for Diynamic’s roster?

We have regular artists who have built up [their names] on our label and continue to put out new records with us, such as Stimming (formerly of Gebrüder Ton), H.O.S.H. and Solomun. Now we’re adding the boys from Kollective Turmstrasse, with whom we have a very friendly relationship. But in the end it’s always about the music – we have to like it and it has to convince us 100 percent of the time.

Listen to Solomun & Stimming, “Eiszauber” (buy)

Do you get many demos?

As time goes on we continue to get more, and with a select few we’ve come close to signing a new artist; but in the end, unfortunately it didn’t happen. But we look forward to every demo that’s sent to us.

Economically, running a record label isn’t one of the “smartest” things to do. How do you keep Diynamic running with vinyl sales slowing as they are?

I think we do the same sales everyone else does. If anyone has any successful tips, then they should call us!

How important are sales figures to you?

The sales figures don’t say anything about the quality of the music. It is, of course, a big help if a record sells more, because it also means that we’ve reached or won over new people.

What do you think are the advantages of being based in Hamburg?

We just feel really good here in Hamburg and there are a lot of other great artists and labels with whom we have a friendly relationship. We are also very close to our distributor, Word and Sound, which is also based in Hamburg, so everything just fits together very well.

Listen to Kollektiv Turmstrasse, “Wagnis” (buy)

Do you think mp3 blogs like mine help or hurt the dance industry, and why? Do you think blogs have a role in the future of dance music promotion?

It’s hard to say, but there was a great interview with Ewan Pearson on this topic in the new issue of Groove (number 108). He pretty much hits the nail on the head with regards to this situation. There are always new paths that have to be forged [with regards to promotion]. I believe that every form of promotion helps the label a little bit. But usually you only know which way is best in hindsight.

There is no shortage of labels in dance music. What does Diynamic do to stand out from the crowd?

You will always have people who like your music and people who don’t — sometimes more, sometimes less. That’s how easy it is. We only go after artist who we like, and we stand behind that 100 percent.

As technology advances further, vinyl is moving closer to becoming obsolete to many DJs. How do you feel about this?

I find it very sad. It doesn’t make putting out vinyl any easier. I can’t imagine it any other way, and there’s an entire culture that’s in decline. I’m really sour and upset about that.

Do you think the end of vinyl is in sight?

Never. In two to three years from now, vinyl will bloom again. I’m convinced!

What can we expect from Diynamic Music in the next year or so?

In the coming months our online shop (shirts, sweaters, etc.) and our artist agency, DIY Booking, will launch. In the next year there will be a Diynamic compilation with unreleased material and new remixes from artists who are our friends. We’ll also go on the great Diynamic Tour, and of course, lots of new EPs.

[Note: Replies were translated from German and may appear slightly different from original wordings.]