Hello,
Oh, February, where art thy days? Well, the month may have been short, but our selection suggests otherwise with great exclusives (Raíz! L-Vis 1990!), amazing albums (Dadub, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Jamie Lidell, Wraetlic, Trus'me, Lusine, Mano Le Tough, 2x Voigt & Voigt), and an abundance of short format releases, from functional DJ weapons to experimental blasts.
Enjoy! |
FEATURED EXCLUSIVES
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Night Slugs co-founder L-Vis 1990 makes his first appearance on Clone's Jack for Daze series, focussing on old school jackin' house workouts, crystallized into skeletal yet maximum impact dance commands akin to Geeeman's striking releases on JfD. All bangers.
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Historia y Violencia welcome brothers Vangelis and Vidal Vargas as Raiz (formerly known as Acid Circus) to their label. 'Curandero' has an urgent, fraying take on room-quaking techno whereas 'Sabio' pulsates in deeper regions, echoing in moist bassy levels breaking out halfway with illuminating splintered chords. Damn good.
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Randee Jean, a new project by Dean Meredith and Andrew Meecham (of Chicken Lips and 90s dance-pop greats Bizarre Inc) schmoozy on over to Clone Royal Oak with this soulful jazz house number 'You Got It'. Arttu's remix rolls out the jackin' house and Dexter & Awanto3 offer two contrasting kicking floor-fillers.
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TECHNO / HOUSE ESSENTIALS
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The Italian duo Dadub release their debut album, very much close to the heart of what Stroboscopic Artefacts is about. A weighty seriousness surrounds this album, intense sonics extend into infinite depths from hard-hitting techno density of 'Transfer' to delicate dub-spaciousness of 'Experience'. Demanding and rewarding.
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Double-Album released 11-02-2013 on Pomelo
The full album of Alex Cortex and Lopazz as BCBC arrives, both with almost two decades experience in electronic music combine. Perfectly paced, alternating between funking, playful and melodic, stonier electronics & abstract experimentalism; in the face of many trends, their timeless organic approach is as admirable as ever.
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Running Back head honcho Gerd Janson, tips his hat to Eno and Kraftwerk and puts together a stunning compilation from disco house, krauty smatterings to experimental wanderings. Alongside exclusive tracks by Ame, Move D, Quiet Village, Roman Flügel, 'Sentimental Journey' a post-punk centrepiece. No brainer, get on it!
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Though the cover reeks of attention-seeking desperation, Mancunian producer Trus'Me appears with an admirable third album and a slight change in direction. Less of the soulful house, his style takes a more techno direction as his more recent releases have indicated. Still deep and funkin' though, a good listen.
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Len Faki returns to Ostgut Ton after a long pause with this three track EP. 'BTX1' works a soulful vocal sample over no-nonsense cavernous techno, 'BTX2' trickles and pumps in a meditative way, most surprising is 'BTX3' with its cinematic orchestration of horns, vocals and strings showing Faki's talents have a big-screen dimension.
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Maxi-Single released 27-02-2013 on Aim
A fine contribution by Flori (of Ethyl & Flori fame) to Tristen's Aim label: 'Foldings' features four tracks that tracks range from hypnotic deep house to mellow classic Detroit techno, with the piano-backed title track standing out from the pack. Recommended.
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An EP of fresh dancefloor fodder starts the spring at Innervisions, with two relative newcomers - Konstantin Sibold and Jon Charnis - pitted against Innervisions veteran Culoe de Song and Mario Basanov for a solid package of melodic tech-house offerings. Check.
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Co-running Dial, Smallville and Laid, Peter Kersten aka Lawrence sure doesn't sound like he is 'In A Rush' with this chilled-to-the-bone deep house track, tantalising the edges with a tranquil and distant zoned-out-ness. 'Tangled Track' is a touch more direct bumping a nonchalant vibrant groove. Nice.
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The brothers Voigt compile the three Erdingertrax 12s over the past year and throw in some bonus tracks for this release. As the cover suggests, a good dose of humour is present, a strong 90s retro prevails tugging at trancey chords with euphoric melodic hooks, done tastefully in a Kompakt style of course.
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Underground Quality / Tsuba man Tazz returns to New Kanada 'Science Friction', an anthemic tech house bruiser that's backed by the more experimentally shuffling acid vibes of 'Piano Kinesis'. The latter receives a swinging remix treatment by Dutch funky house hotshot Presk. Recommended.
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Italian-born, Berlin-based Massmiliano returns to LARJ, revealing magic concoctions and name-checking the 'serial numbers' of his tools. From the dreamy, melodic winding opener 'LM2...', the sparkling jacking-psychedelic lick of 'JP4...' and 'MS20...' closing on a sedater, slow-burning house meditation.
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Maxi-Single released 25-02-2013 on Cómeme
With his label Magazine, his DJ sets and own productions, Barnt has been responsible for some of the most interesting music we've heard in recent months: rough-edged and brutal, yet also cerebral, hypnotic and always surprising, 'Ariola' merges krautrock ideas and long arrangements with Steve-Poindexter-style drums. Killer.
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Danny Wolfers never disappoints, following up his album for Clone this gem of an EP on UK's UTTU. 'Star Gazing' has an early UK rave vibe, glowing strong with cosmic synth-journeys, 'Visions in My Mind' oozes an anthemic euphoria which completely hits the spot, 'Wayfaring Stranger' fizzles with intergalactic ecstasy.
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Dissident's Andy Blake shimmies on over to Berlin's JackOff crew for this darker, spacious and more abstract version of his usual sound. 'Slazenger's Bump' whizzes an analogue synth siren over mischievous light-footed pads whilst 'Sticky' rolls a devilish zombie-disco riff against prickling percussion. Recommended.
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David Moufang appears on London's Electric Mind's imprint, as usual never disappointing with his high-grade productions. 'Got2B' has a cheeky retro house piano lick, nimbly packed into a tight groove, 'Say I's slow shimmering synths and warm bass, 'Useless' rounding off with downbeat dream-scape.
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Romanian producer Radu Dumitru Bodiu, aka Petre Inspirescu follows in the steps of Villalobos for his Fabric mix, using only his own unreleased material over all fifteen tracks. A minimal house template, carved out with elegant use of piano, strings and voice and tactile electronics. Wonderful stuff.
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Since debuting in 2009, Berlin-based Irishman Niall Mannion has been making waves on Internasjonal, Mirau and Permanent Vacation where he releases his debut LP. 'Changing Days' spreads the rich harmonies and lush atmospheres of deep house with Mannion's own vocals, dancefloor-inspired yet song-based. Splendid.
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Dutchman Boris Bunnik is back with a new EP as Conforce and four helpings of sturdy dubby techno. 'Nomad' grazes sub-bass territories opening up percussive spaces above it, 'Receiver' builds with a slow and steady urgency, 'Last Anthem' strikes a little harder and 'Embrace' bathes in lush dub echoes.
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Lady Blacktronika is back with another stunning release, the title track 'Bring It Forth' beating with cool Chicago grooves and spiralling vocals. 'Change' is a soulful, emotional and utterly dreamy track, the 17-minute 'Song of Love' a meandering deep journey. Beautiful heartfelt tracks you don't want to miss.
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On its relentless pursuit of moody underground techno Dutch Field Records drops its 9th compilation EP, this time featuring the dubby techno talents of Ohrwert, Eshu, and Crystal Maze, as well as Orgue Electronique, whose 'Halcyon' stands out as a killer piece of piano-led Detroit techno. Recommended.
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Old-school acid house aficionado Nigel Rogers a.k.a. Perseus Traxx drops four tracks of gobsmacking analogue house cuts via M>O>S, combining pounding 707 beats with devastating synth arpeggios. Essential treat for all fans of Legowelt and the like.
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Marco Antonio Spaventi, hot off the back of collaborations with James Priestley on Secretsundaze and Aroy Dee, dishes out a smashing solo release on the latter's M>O>S. 'The Jungle' hits hard with sweaty house tactics, raw beats and delirious synth atmospheres, 'Insanity' rides the cowbell on a raucous acid bass.
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Three remixes made firmly for the floor have Ben Klock remodeling Trus'me's evergreen W.A.R Dub in a stumbling and minimalistic fashion, Vakula taking 'Need A Job' into intense acid realms, and Spectral's Ryan Elliott turning 'Nards' into a subtly hypnotic tension builder. Essential DJ material.
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Stunning release by Italy's Early Sound Collective, comprising of producers Rio Padice (Tsuba, Rawax), Massimo Di Lena (Cadenza) and Leskin. The game is techno-infused house music here - not entirely unlike Levon Vincent or Omar S - and it's one the EP's four cuts absolutely excel in. Recommended.
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DUBSTEP / HIP-HOP / ELECTRO ESSENTIALS
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Jack Hamill aka SDC is back at R&S ahead of an upcoming album. Don't be fooled by the opening track of his usual intergalactic funk, 'While I Was Away' is a drifting space-ballad reminding of early Darkstar, 'It's a Cold Planet...' exudes busy jungle-tinged rhythms and 'Music for Spaceports' reveals his ambient side.
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After his collaborative LP with Doc Daneeka also on 50 Weapons last year, Benjamin Damage comes through with his debut solo album. Coherent and confident, these ten tracks traverse unfussy functional techno, nifty energy of UK rhythmic heritage and introverted crushed-up electronica. All round impressive.
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The second of Evgeny Pozharnov's two-part debut album strikes as tough as the first, a grim urban vision enacted with jump-up seething electro razor-synths and roving stylistically across late-dubstep, neo-electro, acid and euro-techno. Perhaps rebellion for the Boys Noize generation, a couple of alright tracks here.
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You must be living on the moon to have missed this go viral (and top the US charts), but if you can blend out the images of highschoolers, firemen and scuba divers going wild to this across the globe, this is still a catchy and imaginatively programmed bass music tune to... err... go wild to.
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French producer Djedjotronic turns towards electro on his latest for Boysnoize, the real deal that is - hard hitting bass music in the vein of Dynamix II or Debonaire. It's an entirely welcome surprise, but if straight, shuffling house scorchers are more your thing check out the EP's last track, 'Back'.
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His creative reinvention is more jaw-dropping than ever, Dave Huisman returns as A Made Up Sound determined to fudge-up predictable dancefloors. 'Ahead's enchanting multi-personality orders kinaesthetic confusion via abstract rhythmic commands, 'Endgame' injects a stuttering, militant dance-rigour into the techno-mainframe.
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Brighton's Ital Tek furthers his explorations into the realms of footwork and juke on his latest EP for Civil Music, pairing lightning-fast beats with the kind of melodic arpeggios and subtle synth work that would make the Jedi Knights proud. Remixes by Throwing Snow and Deft. Recommended!
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LA's Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker follows up his recent release on All City with his first for London's Eglo Records. 'Analogous' a chirpy boogielicious web of synths with an itchy hip-wiggling bass, 'Grandfather Fire' is a blurrier peaced-out version of that vibe, 'I Feel It...' oozes a lazy tropical sway. Lovely release.
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Previously featuring on the acclaimed 'Cosmopolyphonic' compilation, Fujimoto Tetsuro releases his debut Ep on Tokyo's inventive Diskotopia label. 'Sketches of the Other Tokyo' encompasses four tracks of contemporary downbeat meanderings, crafted with a large dose of soul and funk. Check.
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A fine selection of mellow bass music cuts on this split release of Pixelord and Zack Christ on Montreal's Infinite State Label. Pixelord melts R'n'B influences into a pleasant Darkstar/Mt.Kimbie-like vibe, while Zack Christ's tracks come across slightly more abstract and cut up. Check!
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ELECTRONICA / AMBIENT ESSENTIALS
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Album released 18-02-2013 on Kompakt
Reinhard and Wolfgang Voigt release their first album together, after more than a decade of collaborative 12s. Deep with cinematic intrigue, blending live instrumentation, field-recordings, dark industrial with only a faint hint of classic Cologne techno, ending up with some remarkable experimental pop. Highly recommended.
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Jon Egeskov's fourth album on Raster Noton, one approximately every three years since 2003. Contrasting the more melodic drones of 2009's 'The Drive', 'Mantle' relishes reductionist micro-electronica, penetrating pulses and bursts of noise weaved into sinister rhythmic work-outs. Recommended.
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Fourteen years since his debut album, Jeff McIlwain releases his third artist album on Ghostly doing what he does best in the field of heartfelt electronic pop experimentalism. Melodic and introspective, at times with sweetly floating vocals, he doesn't reinvent the wheel but creates a wholly pleasant listen.
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Gold Panda releases four new tracks, showing a change in direction from the pretty sonic clutter of his previous output to a more reduced approach to arrangement. Ideas ebb and evolve more slowly, balanced elegantly between instrumental and electronic, the 'Trust Intro' drone darn stunning too.
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We're incredibly stoked that m=minimal have re-release this seminal work by Conrad Schnitzler after 35 years. 'Ballet Statique' is an absolutely breathtaking album of analogue explorations, from tight micro-rhythms of 'Zug' to cosmic sweeps of 'Metall I' and the gut-trembling 'Black Nails'. Truly stunning.
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Finished during 'overdrive recording' in the final months of her pregnancy, Karen Gwyer's debut album has shaped up beautifully, with hushed, echoing slow-motion pop pieces interspersed with tumbling techno beats, lush synths and blissful tranquil moments. Recommended.
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Maxi-Single released 24-02-2013 on Subtext
Bristol's emptyset have gained a cult following over the past three years with raw Pan_sonic-style techno and earthshaking, abstract live performances. The latter are documented on 'Material': Three massive freeform audio assaults of fractured basswaves interspersed with ominous silence. Unique.
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ALTERNATIVE / POP / DISCO ESSENTIALS
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His sixth album on home label Warp, Jamie Lidell proves as unstoppable as ever. His usual explosion of funk, soul and hip-hop into strong song-led productions, bouncing with dynamic energy of 80s gleaming synths and rockin' grooves. No real surprises here, but for Lidell fans definitely a hit.
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Arthur Ashin releases his sophomore album after his self-titled debut made a splash in 2010. 'Anxiety' is as emotive as his debut, his deranged version of glossy r'n'b mixed with glittering synth-pop production is extremely well done and reaches a near-catharsis over ten tracks. Perfect for all those nights you can't go to karaoke.
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Album released 04-02-2013 on Kitsuné
Those Kitsuné cats have another set of tricks up their sleeves, the latest Parisien compilation charts hot talent from France's capital. Slowed funkin' synths from TOYS, licks of retro disco from Pyramid and Le Crayon, saccharine synth pop from CINEMA and Joris Delacroix, an utterly charming collection. Check it!
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Impressive set of remixes for BPitch shooting star Dillon, highlights including a gently swinging pop house mix by Denis Kurtel, Lee Foss teaming up with house legend Marc Kinchen, Brooklyn synth-pop duo Creep and more takes coming from Life & Death, Skinnerbox and XXXY. Check.
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Arnaud Rebotini proves he still has the Black Strobe mojo with fine disco-pop track 'The Girl From The Bayou' and dancier take 'A Mojoworker'. Also check the remixes from Brioski, Crackboy and others.
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Album released 25-02-2013 on Strut
UK's Strut revisit Celluloid Records in-depth, telling of Jean Georgakarakos who founded the label in Paris before moving to New York and releasing Bill Laswell's work from Massacre to Material. From early hip-hop. experimental disco, no wave, world music fusions, with five extras on the digital release. A slice of music history to behold!
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California-based Woolfy and Projections further their collaborative efforts since 2008's 'Astral Projections' LP. The sensual Balearic vibe of the original gets taken for a spin thrice, by Swiss legend Lexx warmly revamping it, El_Txef_A sveltely tweaking and preening and The Drifter who nonchalantly grants it heady dancefloor pep.
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Prins Thomas reissues this Japan-only gem from 2004, produced by the collective Galarude (DJ Kent, Hiroshi Kawanabe and Noriyoshi Sasanuma). It's original funkin' energy and busy ecstatic rhythms sounding incredibly fresh, DJ Harvey's remix imbuing a highly luscious sassy jazz finesse. Yum.
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