Hello,
It's getting hot hot hot. The best thing to take to the beach is certainly a great DJ mix in your earplugs, and this month wasn't short on first-rate specimen: Kode9, Michael Mayer and dOP mix albums all feature in this newsletter, and Ben Klock even claims the top spot with his striking 'Berghain 04'.
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FEATURED RELEASE
After André Galluzzi, Marcel Dettmann and Len Faki, Ben Klock is the fourth of Berghain's fabled resident DJs to be offered the chance to lay out his musical creed on a mix album.
If you expected this to be a relentless tour de force of the kind of monotonous, booming techno Berlin's Berghain club is famous for, you will be in for a surprise: Ben Klock's 'Berghain 04' is a varied and subtle affair, perfectly suited for home listening. What makes this mix stand out first and foremost however is the incredible amount of exclusive tracks that Klock was able to use in his mix.
'Berghain04' starts out with the 1996 ambient classic 'Apricot' by 154, from which it swiftly moves to DVS1's brand-new outing for Transmat, 'Pressure', and an unreleased Marcel Dettmann remix of Junior Boys' 'Work'. More exclusives follow in quick succession: Martyn, Levon Vincent, Jonas Kopp, Rolando, Kevin Gorman, and of course new material by Klock himself: 'Compression Session 1' and 'Elfin Flight'. Tyree's classic 'Nuthin Wrong' gives way to Ben Klock's edit of Brendon Moeller's 'Dust', and Rolando's ambient piece 'Junie' ends the mix as reflective as it began.
Second perhaps only to Deadbeat's 'Radio Rothko', 'Berghain 04' is the most elegant and exciting techno mix we have heard in recent times. Highly Recommended.
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TECHNO / HOUSE ESSENTIALS
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Album released 14-06-2010 on M-Plant
Minimal techno pioneer Robert Hood returns with a new album, the first one since 2003's 'Wire To Wire'. With the exception of the jazzy introduction of 'The Plague', 'Omega ' is puristic 'Math Assassin' style - Detroit techno reduced to bare-bone machine funk, both deep and devastating. Classic.
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Album released 07-06-2010 on Dial
Efdemin names his second album after a city he's never been to, making 'Chicago' an album about utopian concepts rather than a literal tribute. Drawing on electro-acoustic music, jazz and - yes - jacking house beats for inspiration, this is a beautifully mature and highly recommended album.
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Martinez's third album is a unique balancing act between dance-floor rhythm and home-listening qualities. His organic sound combines dense beats and jazzy chords, at times giving you the feeling you of an old house record produced with 2010 technology. Funky and, always at the right moment, explosive.
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'Agents of Time' is indeed the first full-length in Mathew Jonson's extensive discography and convinces with a varied and playful approach to techno. From the title track's brooding ambient over electro breaks and techhouse hits, Jonson's sound stands out a mile. Excellent album.
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Compilation released 07-06-2010 on Kompakt
Michael Mayer's 'Immer 3' mix compilation just goes to show the diversity of his audio palette. From the opening bliss of Ewan Pearson's remix of Courtney Tidwell to the slow techno grind of Raudive's 'Slave', it's a sure fire way to implement the force that is 'Mayer' and his associates at Kompakt.
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Moritz von Oswald contributing an exclusive track, 'Cocoon Dark Dub', to Cocoon's Compilation J is certainly headline news, and the deep and dubby Carl Craig-like track is alone worth getting the album for. More exclusive tracks by DJ Koze, Villalobos, Pantha Du Prince, and many others. Big one!
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Long awaited début album by Reboot, who has become one of the most talked about figures in the house scene since making his first appearance only three years ago. 'Shunyata' convinces with long, undulating lines and morphological structures that reward deep, repeated listening. Great!
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dOP have reached the dizzying heights of electronic music's outer atmosphere, and this latest addition to Watergate's compilation series is credit to that. Featuring Tiefschwarz, Nôze and Mathias Kaden it's a potent mix of harmonious vocals, improvised percussion and subdued deepness.
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Album released 18-06-2010 on Disko B
While we wait for the Pulsinger-produced new Hercules & Love Affair album, the Austrian producer keeps us on our toes with a fine new solo full length. With collaborators like Fennesz and Abe Duque, 'Impassive Skies' summons cutting edge techno and electro sounds with sprinkles of jazz. Sublime album.
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With the launch of its 'Kompakt Klassiks' series, Cologne's famous label goes back to 1996 to re-design the cult record from Jörg Burger and Wolfgang Voigt. 'Las Vegas' still sounds as current as ever, with tracks such as 'Flesh & Blood' you can clearly see why it stood the test of time.
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Robert Owens and Nicolette are just two of the most prominent guests on TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos album for Compost. 'After Dark, My Sweet' serves perfectly tuned, melodic house with smart grooves and breezy chords. Perfect summer listening and we mean it!
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Known for his collaborations with Jazzanova and Moodymann, Detroit based bass player and singer Paul Randolph drops a soulful deep house inspired album on Chicago's Still Music label. Comes with remixes from Mike Banks (!), Underground Resistance, Deetron and Jazzanova. Summer tip!
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Absolutely massive package from the Gigolo crew, containing 32 tracks for a special price. Whole DJ sets can be played with this one volume alone, and you wouldn't run out of hits. Features Hell, Peaches, Rother, Snuff Crew, Diskokaine and zillions more!
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Great single by DJ Koze on his increasingly brilliant Pampa Records label. Two long tracks, constructed in epic Moodymann or Theo Parrish fashion, but always featuring little DJ Koze tongue-in-cheek details, telling you that all is not to be taken so seriously after all. Recommended.
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Young virtuoso Space Dimension Controller has been grabbing attention with his striking, other-worldly tracks. His second EP follows up on last year's 'The Love Quadrant' and includes a remix from fellow rising star, Kyle Hall.
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Sandwell District mainstays Silent Servant and Female split up this latest release of one of the most exciting techno labels at the moment. Striking deep and pumping techno, a live recorded ambient track, and a great Regis edit in Ancient Method style make this a must-have release.
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Great return for former Gigolo man Terence Fixmer with an EP of deep, stomping and minimal chord & bleep techno, which fans of Ostgut, Sandwell District or Sleeparchive should absolutely love. Comes with a fitting remix by Luke Slater's Planetary Assault Systems.
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Probably one of our favourite releases so far this year. Terrence Dixon unleashes two futuristic and purist techno bangers which receive a sublime remix treatment from Venice's ra.H and his Upperground Orchestra, taking the original into deep jazz territories. Highly recommended.
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Awesome new EP by Gunnar Jonnson on Sweden's finest Kontra Musik label. We suspect this to be a new pseudonym of a well known producer, who unleashes four perfectly engineered, dreamy and all analogue tracks. Already one of our favourites this summer. Big EP!
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Ripperton's '1976' is a deep and dreamy house tune, adding a distinct flavour with its long build-up, walking bass-line and melancholy moods. Sebo K changes the tone entirely for his remix, substituting Ripperton's subtle drums with jacking 909s and straighter chords for dance-floor pleasure.
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Maxi-Single released 14-06-2010 on Vakant
DJ Koze and Spain's Affkt remix two tracks off Mathias Kaden's 'Studio 10' album: Kosi-san's remix of 'Kawaba' is a super-atmospheric dance floor monster - deep and hypnotic and perfect for early sets. Affkt's take on 'Mascieta' is a more percussive affair with a massive break-down.
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Border Community's Luke Abbott continues to push his diverse sound with this latest EP. The title track 'Honeycomb', a hypnotic lullaby, leads nicely on to 'One Hundred and Thirteen' and hyped up 8-bit action 'Present', rounding off with a wall of sound on 'Schmitt Swell.' Four tracks of electronica splendor.
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EP released 14-06-2010 on Yore
London based Orlando B. takes us on a tour of the deep house realm and the first port of call is Chicago's 'A Feeling', a trickling bliss of vocal snippets and floating pads, to the broken beats of 'New York Tale' and then up again to the industrial shores of Detroit's 'MJ-12.'
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Great Chicago house rerelease coming from the Clone camp: Harmony Funk's 'Can't Let You Go' gets treted to a deep and sensual remix by Marco Bernardi and a great dub techno reshape by the elusive Ovatow. Excellent.
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Highly convincing debut of Dutch producer Boze Man for the so far sublimely entertaining Doppelschall label, which has been proposing an intriguing fusion of techno and jazz. 'Joe & Tina' continues this approach, with two lovely tracks, a remix by live techno crew Brandt Brauer Frick, and a fun hollywoodesque video.
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EP released 28-06-2010 on Infiné
Two big tunes by French house master Agoria on his own Infiné label: 'Grande Torino' is a grooving 12 minute epic, complete with neo-classical elements and a huge viola drop. It's backed by 'For One Hour', a sweet slice of pushy pop house, featuring French indietronica singer Scalde.
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DUBSTEP / HIP HOP / 2STEP ESSENTIALS
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Compilation released 22-06-2010 on !K7
Kode9 contributes an edition to !K7's DJ-Kicks series with a blistering 31-track mix that deftly navigates the cutting-edge of electronic music from UK Funky, Grime, Garage, Dancehall and everything between. Features tracks by Kode9, Aardvarck, Digital Mystiks, Zomby, Ikonika, and more.
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Excellent release by the Ramadanman & collaborator Midland on a laid-back funky tip. Piano house meets cut-up vocals on 'Your Words Matter', while 'More Than You Know' sports a dubbier vibe, with plenty of percussive white noise, filtered chords and deep strings. Another great release for Aus Music.
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EP released 10-05-2010 on Tempa
Since his genre-defining album, 'Diary Of An Afro Warrior', Benga has been in relative seclusion production-wise. With 'Phaze One', Benga fires his response to the ever-shifting landscape of UK Bass music. Check the video for the B-more scorcher, 'Baltimore Clap'!
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Appearing on Fat City's Producer 2 compilation, dBridge's analog stomper 'ZX81' gets remixed by producers working on the cutting edge of the dancefloor, Shed (Ostgut Ton) and Ramadanman (Hessle Audio). Ramadanman's housier interpretation contrasts Shed's creepy skeletal techno. Excellent material.
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As a complement to this month's featured release from Ben Klock, Ostgut Ton serves up a split release from Martyn (3024) and Roman Lindau (Fachwerk). Martyn's brooding contribution 'Miniluv' is backed by Lindau's warehouse monster 'Keppra'.
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Dorian Concept's JSBL band gets the remix treatment courtesy of Vienna's hip-hop stalwart DJ Urbs with a killer old-school take on 'Der Mann mit den Schwankungen'. Further mixes come from Mr. Concept himself, newcomer Crackazat, and Sam Irl, who contributes a nice house version of 'Jimbo'. Sweet!
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ELECTRONICA / AMBIENT ESSENTIALS
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Huge and allegedly final album by one of electronic music's most influential groups, Finish power electronic pioneers Pan Sonic. The aptly titled 'Gravitoni' weighs more than the average black hole, unfolding its gravitational pull over 52 minutes of drones, sine waves and clickbeats. Massive.
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ISAN have been producing ambient and electronica steadily since 1996, most recently remixing Clouds 'Protecting Hands' for Deep Medi Musik. Their new album for Morr Music, 'Glow In The Dark Safari Set' reaches further into the depths of ambient with an innate melodic sensibility cultivated from decades of experience.
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Album released 28-06-2010 on Infiné
The mesmerizing album debut of anonymous producer Arandel, 'In D' consist of ten tracks ranging from minimalist techno to cosmic krautrock and neo-classical ambiences, all composed in the key of C and constructed using only self-recorded sounds. A concept album it may be, but one that's a joy to listen to.
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Album released 07-06-2010 on Profan
Wolfgang Voigt takes his 'Freiland Klaviermusik' project to album level, compiling the project's first EP from 2008 and plenty of new tracks. 'Freiland' blurs the boundaries of classical music and techno, combining improvisational piano playing with 4-by-4 kick drums. Adventurous and - like all Profan releases - highly recommended.
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Wagon Repair is the perfect platform for the experimental and diverse stylings of Hrdvision, a.k.a. Nathan Jonson. Seventeen tracks strong, this provides an insight into the free-spirited mind of its creator, highlights such as 'Captivated Heart,' 'City Girls', and closing track 'I Wish I Could Directly Effect' all being a real treat. Ace!
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After the recent Emeralds album, Daniel Lopatin's 'Returnal' is another Editions Mego release eschewing the label's usual preference for digital noise experiments. Bar the ferocious opener 'Nil Admirari', this is a dreamy ambient album of beautifully engaging synth and drone experiments. Highly recommended.
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Berlin-based electronic label, Mindwaves Music, debuts on zero" with a satisfying long player release by Karsten Pflum, 'Slaphead Faun'. Channelling some of the best moments from the early Warp catalog, Karsten Pflum is certainly an underrated talent and his work here is more than worthy of your attention.
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German underground legend Gudrun Gut teams up with Antye 'AGF' Greie as Greie Gut Fraktion for an album combining dub elctronica, field recordings and the duo's eerie singing. Very much recommended, as are the accompanying remixes by Alva Noto and Wolfgang Voigt.
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Named after mysterious author Ret Marut, Raster-Noton's latest album is the product of an unlikely pairing: Alva Noto and Einstürzende Neubauten mastermind Blixa Bargeld, combining Noto's minimal electronics with Bargeld's distinct voice. Includes a great cover of Harry Nilsson's 'One (Is The Loneliest Number)'.
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Drexciyan electro vibes are channelled by Alpha 606 & Sync 24 on Cultivated Electronics. On 'Forest Communication', layers of syrupy 303 basslines give that analogue feel throughout. The workout continues with 'Lunar Transport', this time peppered with a Model 500-inspired vocoder.
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ALTERNATIVE / POP / DISCO ESSENTIALS
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Hugo Capablanca (Discos Capablanca) and David Ducaruge (Sex In Dallas) pay homage to the disco era: Sampling glam rock and revamping 'Bananasmania' by Roots, this is one of the finest and most knowledgeable neo-disco productions in recent years. Get!
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'We Can't Fly' is the single for Aeroplane's first - and possibly last, considering the recent announcement of the group's break-up - album, likewise titled 'We Can't Fly'. A gorgeous slice of reggae and soul-infused disco-pop, this might well become one of our summer favourites in 2010!
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With a slightly misleading title, this compilation presents the output of the Nozinja studio in Soweto, recorded between 2006 and 2009. The style is called Shangaan electro: South African dance music at breakneck speeds. Original!
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Quite a surprise release here on Keys Of Life, which sees their newly born super-group Villa Nah remix Au Revoir Simone's 'Tell Me'. Applying a minimal cold wave twist to the original, they turn it into a beautifully spiced-up synth-pop anthem that will not get out of your head once you've started listening.
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Modestly titled an EP, the ten-track 'Mind Altar' is by all means a stand-alone album and an excellent one at that. One-man electro-pop-noise-rock wizard Randolph Chabot takes this from nutra-sweet, NO2-high electro-pop to abstract, noisy synth-rock - always with a distinct sense of style.
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Derived from Black Devil Disco Club's 'Eight Oh Eight' album on Lo Recordings, 'DUB' distils six of the album's tracks into deep, dark, and potent synth-driven disco dubs. Great contemporary material by Bernard Fevre.
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The experimental mind of Nicolas Jaar returns with his new offering 'Marks / Angles' on Circus Company, highlighting the vast influences of Jaar's musical taste. 'Marks' with its flapper-esque walking piano line, 'Angles' which cleverly incorporates the de-tuning of a hip hop bass line, and finally the broken-jazz of 'Materials.'
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Tornado Walace offer up this superb fresh hitting EP on Delusions of Grandeur. Title track 'Paddlin' with its epic resonating pads and soulful Rhodes chords follows on nicely to the funk fest which is 'Swimmin' - a sure fire disco-house track, ready to ignite any dancefloor.
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Compilation released 21-06-2010 on Strut
The second volume of 'Horse Meat Disco' is once again an excellent tribute to the gay disco sub-culture of the late 70s, assembled with loving care by the people behind London's famous party series.
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