FEATURED RELEASE
Compilation released 14-03-2011 on !K7
The dream team collaboration between Boston's Soul Clap and Brooklyn's Wolf + Lamb began as !K7 records suggested the two duos join up for a mix for in legendary DJ-KiCKS series.
Already apparent in Wolf + Lamb's (Zev Eisenberg and Gadi Mizrahi) production and label output and Soul Clap's (Eli Goldstein and Charles Levine) releases on Crosstown Rebels and Airdrop Records, they embody a unique position within American electronic music - deep and soulful house music with as many influences from funk, disco, r'n'b and pop of the 70s, 80s and 90s as from the underground sounds of Detroit and Chicago.
Ending up as more than just a mix, the collaboration also bred several exciting production constellations such as Charles Levine, Gadi Mizrahi and good friend Deniz Kurtel coming together in the luscious slo-mo disco 'Stay Home'. Amongst the many other exclusive tracks, Soul Clap feat. Charles Levine's 'Lonely C' is another warm heartbreaker highlight, alongside tracks by Nicolas Jaar, Tanner Ross, SECT featuring Ben Westbeech and Slow Hands taking the mood through elegant twists and turns.
Taking the form of a loose hip-hop mixtape, the tracks melt through melodies, beats and rhythms perfectly into one another. The mix succeeds brilliantly in capturing the pure heady emotion of a dancefloor and its afterparties. An unmissable edition in the series.
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MORE ELECTRIC DISCO ESSENTIALS
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Again a mind-blowing release from the Robert Johnson camp, as Arto Mwambe's Christian Beißwenger teams up with Oliver Hafenbauer as B.H.F.V. 'ET 01 - 06' sets sails for uncharted territories as rocking electro beats meet cosmic synths and more outer space weirdness. Essential.
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Prins Thomas signs Japanese DJ legend Ageishi to his Internasjonal label with 'Rain Parade', a delicate organic disco groover. The Prins' own 'Miks' is a more subdued, squelchy acid affair, while Mark E absolutely nails it with a sparse electronic beat, and deep, sputtering chords. Killer!
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Swedish disco boys Martin Brodin and Dumb Dan drop their latest single, 'Gamma Ray'. Perhaps not the most considerate title at moment, but who could have known this a week ago? Includes the up-tempo original, an epic Rodion remix, and our favourite, the slow-grooving 'Balearic Phased Out Version'.
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Produced in Nairobi during the Gebrüder Teichmann's BLNRB workshops Modeselektor's latest outing features Kenyan rappers Nazizi and Abbas, who add some authentic African street styles to the Berlin boys' grimy hip-hop/booty bass hybrid.
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EP released 17-03-2011 on Trouw
Andre Obin's 'Soft Rain' is a slice of melancholy electropop with an indie-dance appeal and a distinctly 80s vibe. Taking on the remixes, Trouw's debut release artist Patrice Bäumel ups the glittering synths, Melon reduces it down to a dreamy house groover and Fascination's mix douses it with gliding synths. Nice.
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The third and final part of DJ Harvey's Locussolus project ends with a bang. 'I Want It' is a purely seductive funked up neo-disco cut complete with sensual shivering chord stabs and 'hit' stamped all over it whilst 'Next To You' drops a fair few bpm for a sleazy cosmic funk jam. Yes yes yes.
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The first single for DJ T.'s upcoming album, 'Burning', is a collaboration effort with Greens Keepers' Nick Maurer. The duo's deep and stomping, vocal-heavy Club Mix receives a spacious peak-time treatment by Art Department and a spooky sawtooth makeover by Redshape. Recommended.
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Manuel Tur's classic 1990s house tribute is given a generous dose of remixes. The Isolée mix and its brilliant dub have that mega-lush touch, Tuff City Kids bring out the old-school sweetness and Blakkat contrasts the high with an acid bassline and dark commanding vocals. Ace.
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Run out of Berlin instead of Bologna, new disco imprint CockTail d'Amore rounds up Italo greats like Massimiliano Pagliara, Hard Ton, and Bottin for its first release. Four exquisite cuts of hot and steamy neo disco, which are guaranteed to please dancefloors from Oslo to Rimini.
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Selected and mixed by Toby Tobias, we recommend to ignore this volume's dreadfully generic cover and title, and get to the music straight away: Some of the finest modern takes on disco sounds by artists like Nicolas Jaar, Space Dimension Controller, Onra, Dam-Funk, Mavis, Tensnake, and many more.
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Dynamic Viennese producer and remixer Wolfram checks in with a dazzling release supported by a few good friends. 'Fireworks' is a candy-coated modern disco gem with a glistening remix by Axel Boman, a rip-roaring cover and remix by Tiedye and an expert tingler by Sally Shapiro producer Johan Agebjörn.
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Maxi-Single released 14-03-2011 on Cómeme
Cómeme's own Daniel Maloso contributes a fun and eclectic six-pack of tracks to his label. Liberally quoting new wave and no wave from DAF to The Human League, while throwing in some jacking Chicago house flavours, 'Hijos De José' doesn't take itself too seriously and sure knows how to get you dancing.
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For their debut on IRR Cologne's cosmic-synth duo Von Spar tighten up the sound of their recent 'Foreigner' album a bit. 'Soarex' combines a slow-grooving electro beat with hypnotic chords and melodies, from which Ada constructs a nice straightened-out house mix. Strong showing.
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Spot the edit with Hot Creations' Lee Foss: Bobby Brown ('Don't Be Cruel'), Kleerup & Lykke Li ('Until We Bleed'), and La Roux ('I'm Not Your Toy') all get modern dancefloor reshapes with slamming house grooves, touches of breakbeats, funky basslines, and inventive synth layers. Hit material.
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Greens Keepers' James Curd debutes on Permanent Vacation with 'Open Up Your Mind', a minimalistic disco stomper, which brings to mind both the electro-funk of Whodini as well as Cajmere's relentlessly jacking Chi-tech style. Recommended.
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What can be said about the return of Sheffield synth legends The Human League, a decade after their last album? Well, 'Credo' doesn't hold a candle to 'Dare' (or in fact the seminal 'Reproduction'), but it's not that bad either, only slightly marred by overproduction and offering some quite snappy songs. Check.
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Maxi-Single released 14-03-2011 on Aube
Aube's synth-disco triumvirate Roland Sebastian Faber, Keen K and Michael Künzer (Unit 4) unite as Alba. 'Philomena' takes the italo influences quite literal with high-energy basslines, vocoders, and catchy keyboard riffs aplenty, but Intergalactic FM fans should find this one right up their alley.
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Italo disco heroes Ajello team team up with fellow cult star Hard Ton (Gigolo, Permanent Vacation) for the up-tempo anthem 'Chocolate Black Leather', which gets a serious slow-down applied by Brennan Green across four different remixes. Irresistible.
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One of two distinctly different singles by Mock & Toof (DFA, Mule Musiq) this week, 'The Key' is a freakishly stomping disco track, whose outlandish instrumentation and absurd vocals brings Yello and Laid Back to mind, while retaining a unique modern touch. Fresh.
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The Permanent Vacation boys compile three earlier songs by Munich's multi-talent Polina Lapkovskaya: 'German Love Letter', 'You Are Amen', 'Round Clocks', throwing in their own remix of 'German Love Letter' and Mock & Toof's 'The Indian' version. Lovely.
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Album released 28-02-2011 on Kompakt
L.A. husband-and-wife duo release their second album, this time on Cologne's Kompakt label. Blending their diverse world-music influences with electropop in an endearingly erractic manner with Tiffany Preston's vocals reverberating valiantly throughout. Brilliantly produced and a delightful album.
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