Hello,
If you are based on the planet's northern hemisphere like we are, chances are you're either looking for a melancholic soundtrack to the greyness outside or some cheerful music to counter its adverse effects right now.
Either way, this month's releases should have something in store for you: From Marcel Dettmann's dark and brooding techno over Sepalcure's emotional post-dubstep to the cheerful vibes of Maison Kitsuné's latest compilation, fittingly subtitled 'The Good Fun Issue'. |
FEATURED RELEASE
It has frequently been stated that Elektro Guzzi is a 'live techno band', and while this is true in the sense that the Austrian three-piece uses a traditional rock band line-up - guitar, bass, drums - to create repetitive and danceable music, it's a description that only partially fits.
Elektro Guzzi's output owes as much to the percussive no-wave rhythms of Liquid Liquid as it does to the relentlessly looping patterns of Jeff Mills. The soulful melancholy as a defining element of Detroit techno is largely absent, and it's been replaced by the Guzzis' heavy dose of sweaty, hand-welded funk.
It's a quality that is carefully kept in check though and this remains Elektro Guzzi's biggest asset: Never is virtuosity allowed to triumph over mathematical strictness, and each of 'Parquet's experimentations with oriental scales and dubstep elements is balanced by rigorous reduction in other areas of a track.
Once again produced by Viennese techno veteran Patrick Pulsinger, 'Parquet' is all in all a more concise and diverse effort than Elektro Guzzi's already acclaimed debut, emphasizing the band's unique sound aesthetic and the power of restraint. Highly recommended.
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FEATURED EXCLUSIVE
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A treat of a collaboration between Arttu (aka Lump) and Detroit legend Jerry The Cat, recorded as jams in Arttu's studio. 'Nuclear Funk' is as twisted as it sounds, brooding vocals over elastic synth pads whilst 'Get Up Off It' shimmies with old-school percussive house charm. zero" exclusive - don't miss!
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TECHNO / HOUSE ESSENTIALS
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Berlin's techno stalwart delivers a mix of utter treats on Belgium's Music Man Records. With Sandwell District carving the journey's mysterious beginnings, Raster Noton's Signal, Reel By Real, Vril, The Analogue Cops and a good dose of Shed - a blissfully crisp and heartfelt selection. How mixes should be!
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A mighty episode of all-exclusives in Delsin's 'Inertia' compilation series. Stroboscopic Artefacts head Lucy delivers a plungingly powerful workout, Milton Bradley pristinely carving noise and flex, Fachwerk's Mike Dehnert full-range motion carthasis and Belgium's Ozka dubby aquatic delirium. Blinding!
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Compilation released 28-11-2011 on Tresor
A sounding piece of techno history, Detroit legend Mike Huckaby mixes the Berlin institution's 20th anniversary mix. A well-attended cross-Atlantic alliance with Bam Bam, Robert Hood, Drexciya, Joey Beltram, Surgeon and Cristian Vogel all present and an exclusive "The Tresor Track" by Huckaby himself. E-ssential, natch!
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Rush Hour presents some of its home city's finest producers with exclusive tracks, and what a great compilation this has become: The focus is on underground house and techno of course with Juju & Jordash, Steve Rachmad, Newworldaquarium, Tom Trago, Dexter and many more delivering the goods. Essential.
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20 years after the release of his seminal and recently re-issued 'Surkit', Mojuba Recods presents an entirely new album by unsung Detroit legend Marty Bonds. 'Surkit Chamber - The Melding' comprises of nine elegantly crafted tracks of retro-futuristic techno music. Essential.
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Maxi-Single released 21-11-2011 on Kompakt
After his 'Thora Vukk' album on Pampa had many of us dribbling for more, the heroic Robag Wruhme returns to Kompakt with this shimmering melodic goosebump-inducing dancefloor gem 'Donnerkuppel'. 'Wemmel' is sparser, stylishly dashing light percussion and 'Polch Dutto' an elegant downbeat outro.
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More exceptional Floating Points material, shortly after his spectacular 'Danger' single. An EP collecting moody downbeat experiments, jazzy electronica garage and abstract 808 jams, 'Shadows' hides the perfectly spinable house track 'ARP3' on side B. Each track's a winner in its own right though. Stellar.
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Three perfect, deep and subtle tracks on Hamburg's always great Smallville imprint. Julius Steinhoff and Just von Ahlefeld (a.k.a. Smallpeople) bring together techno and jazz, minimalism and funk on this highly recommended EP.
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A mouth-watering list of artists take on The Black Dog's recent epic album 'Liber Dogma', Sandwell District, Shifted and Perc with a masterful reductionist approach, Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk's rework just unspeakably incredible and Blawan and Sigha unleashing unknown energies. Unmissable!
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After two releases on Komisch, SP-X debuts on Time To Express with label boss Peter van Hoesen himself on remix duties. Three tracks of austere techno for the headstrong - fans of Ostgut Ton, Prologue or Stroboscopic Artefacts should check.
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Once again comprising of a day and a night mix, Sven Väth's Sound of the Twelfth Season compiles some of the year's finest house and techno by artists such as Efdemin, Levon Vincent, Mark E, Move D, Omar S, Gerd and Maceo Plex. With plenty of style and diversity, this one's hard to fault.
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Redshape surfacing on Running Back might come as a surprise to some, yet the masked techno avenger's analogue hypnotism turns out to be a perfect match for Gerd Janson's revivalist imprint. Two percussive synth jams plus a raw and jacking bonus beat.
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Untold contributes to Clone's excellent Basement Series with 'Little Things Like That' and 'Bachelor's Delight', two gritty slabs of techno with a massive low-end and the jump-up funk flavour that is always inherent to Jack Dunnings productions. Highly recommended - zero" exclusive.
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'Home Town Chicago' is the reissue of Boo Williams' 1996 album for Relief and its eight tracks haven't lost any of their freshness since. Raw and jacking Chicago house with elements of jazz, funk and techno - this is as essential as it gets. Classic.
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This is the second EP from Swedish duo Thor/Tilliander, and just like the first it is an absolute must for discerning dub techno fans. Two up-tempo tracks with a slight broken beat edge are complemented by a fantastic slow-mo dub from Substance. Once again, quality from Kontra-Musik.
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Must-have dub techno surprise of the week comes from none other than John Daly, recording for Brendon Moeller's Steadfast imprint as Lions Of Judah. His nicely pumping 'Rhythmatism' gets two extended remixes by Frozen Border's 19.454.18.5.25.5.18. Highly recommended.
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Wagon Repair's main man Mathew Jonson makes an appearance on Damian Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels. 'Dayz' is a sweet arpeggiated slice of melodic techno for early morning hours, 'Cold Blooded' a more brooding electroid track with a surprise killer foggy abstraction remix from dBridge.
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Maxi-Single released 21-11-2011 on Bromance
Right in time for his recent Fabric mix Brodinski launches his own label, Bromance. He leaves the A-side of the imprint's first release to fellow Parisian hot-shot Gesaffelstein's electro/techno hit 'Control Movement', adding more pitch-modulating rave flavours to his own track on the flip. Solid debut.
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Album released 21-11-2011 on Affin
Joachim Spieth's Affin imprint has been delivering quality in spades over the past four years, and the label's 100th release is an impressive show of strength. Featuring all the labels mainstays, we're treated to 21 tracks of functional dub techno, modern house and minimalistic club styles.
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Crosstown Rebels has certainly dominated and guided in 2011, reinventing underground house vibes into ever-fresh dancefloor dynamite. This 32 track compilation proves their feat, with highlights from usual suspects such as Maceo Plex, Deniz Kurtel, Quenum and an exclusive Art Dept remix of Jamie Jones. Yeah!
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EP released 07-11-2011 on Infiné
The contest for the most epic remix of Agoria's latest single ends with a comfortable win for Radio Slave, whose 19 reworked minutes of 'Speechless' easily trump Carl Craig's rather modest 12. Gesaffelstein can't compete in length, yet his electro-rave mix makes this up in intensity. Fine package!
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A special collection of Get Physical edits, Burak Sar better known as SIS chooses tracks from the acclaimed Berlin-label's catalogue for thorough reworks. From Matthew Dear, Audiofly's 'Fela', Lopazz, M.A.N.D.Y., Heidi to Raz Ohara, he spreads his infectious groove. Quality techno house tracks.
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Dusty Kid lives up to his pop star status with his sophomore album, 'Beyond That Hill', which does an admirable job of pleasing everyone with trancey techno epics, a pop ambient track, strummed guitar chords ('Chentu Mizas') and little touches of acid here and there. No mean feat.
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Since their debut single on Border Community in 2006, Hamburg-based Extrawelt duo have continued their mission of a techno sound, minimal yet loaded with electronic emotionality. Their sophomore album also on Cocoon sees 14 well-crafted tracks of melodic techno, and even a touch of dubstep. Nice.
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The ever-growing Fabric live series welcomes Louis Brodinski into the mix for its sixtieth edition, bringing together succulent jacking house and tasteful techno picks, touches of r'n'b and dubstep with crowd favs such as Paul Woolford's T.Williams 'Heartbeat' refix, Samuel L Session & Objekt hitting the spot.
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1990s Chicago house clearly serves as an inspiration for Cadenza's new kid Davide Benedetti, who structures 'You Can't Do This' and 'Moody Elise' around one bar samples and pumping beats akin to Paul Johnson and DJ Sneak. The slightly oddball 'My Mother's Eyes' rounds off an otherwise rock-solid debut.
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Austria's new generation of techno house artists features on this recommended single from Linz's Houztekk camp. Hans Staudinger's 'On A Salty Planet' is a hypnotic track of rolling synths, which Ken Hayakawa injects with sunny melodies and Ogris Debris with Detroit-style house flavours. Nice.
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On his previous NRK releases Ed Davenport managed to brilliantly combine elements of dub techno with a distinct classic house flavour. His 'New Yorkshire EP' continues this direction, with Fred P and NRK's own Nick Harris contributing deeper takes and his own 'Club Dub' going fully down the techno route.
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Mysterious Duster Valentine and Aardvarck split this killer first entry in Rush Hour's 'Tracks From The Vault' series: Valentine's 'Against The Wall' is a brilliant NYC house jam, while Aardvarck's 'That Pig' receives a super floor-friendly edit treatment. Fantastic floor fodder, don't sleep.
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EP released 21-11-2011 on Dolly
Hot on the heels of his recent single for Echocord, Berlin's XDB drops his 'Recago EP' on Steffi's always great Dolly label. Three tracks of jammy, techno-infused house music for fans of Morphosis or the more mental Planet E releases. Also on board: Dolly hot-shot Brooks Mosher with a fine, Detroit-flavoured mix.
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DUBSTEP / HIP HOP / ELECTRO ESSENTIALS
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Two formidable forces who have stretched the outer limits of dubstep since its beginnings, Pinch and Shackleton unite for this very special collaboration on Honest Jon's. Both of their characteristic sound worlds collide, cavernous, weighty, mystic and shattered - as epic as you would expect. Hugely recommended.
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The Lazer Sword duo of Low Limit and Lando Kal land on Modeselektor's Monkeytown Records, with an album in the pipeline for 2012. 'Sounds Sane' deliriously clatters synths with beastly energies, UK-flavoured bass 'n vox whilst 'Klock' is an eerily swinging r'n'b/UKG stepper. Damn fine!
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After low-slung hip-hop/dubstep crossover tunes on labels such as All City, London's Om Unit takes it the other way with the high-speed 'Transport', a furious EP matching Stingray's speed with Kuedo-style syncopated synth assaults. Remixes by Machinedrum and Ital Tek. Killer.
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On the fifth release of his own Seijimusic imprint Paul Dolby fuses elements of juke and ghetto house with the elegant filter sweeps and production gimmicks of UK funky house. It's a mixture that few can pull off as convincingly and explosively as Seiji. Bomb.
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Kingdom needs little more than a funky monosynth, a kickdrum and a handclap to nail it on his new EP. Add a few old school vocal snippets on 'Stalker Ha' and a hint of witchhouse on 'Hood By Air Theme' and you've got another great addition to the Night Slugs catalogue.
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Maxi-Single released 18-11-2011 on Numbers
Belgian duo GoldFFinch are the latest addition to the Numbers camp with a single that happily draws on old-school electro influences and dresses them in a new school bass music sound. Reduced to their funky essence, both tracks are recommended DJ fodder.
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Onra's 2007 'Chinoiseries' was a wonderful journey into oriental-tinged experimental hip-hop, now he returns a few years later in a similar style. Keeping the quality high across 32 short tracks, dicing and traversing vintage Eastern samples with yes, Dilla-esque multi-fluidity. Lush.
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Unknown to the Unknown nail it once more with this mad collab of DJ Stingray, Gerald Donald and Cestrian (Ali Renault). Mixes 1 & 2 ignore all speed limits with footwerk-inspired industrial breaks, whereas mixes 3 & 4 hit more classic electro territory. Great video as well - killer release!
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Maxi-Single released 07-11-2011 on Tempa
Classic dubstep by Stuart 'SP:MC' Procter on the genre-defining Tempa label: 'Hunted' builds on a sparse and spacious beats before dropping slightly unsettling basslines and samples, 'Oh My Gosh' heads further into slo-mo territory with traces of dub and bass wobbles. Old-school with class.
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ELECTRONICA / AMBIENT ESSENTIALS
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Sasu Ripatti serves up his 10th album under his much acclaimed Vladislav Delay moniker, his first ever for Raster Noton. His impeccably crafted dubby electronics is chased with rhythmical unpredictability, tracks like 'Henki', 'Vantaa' and 'Lauma' nodding to his recent improv outings. Highly recommended.
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Known as a member of post-krautrock outfit Kreidler Andreas Reihse delivers this rare outing as a solo artist on Berlin's adventurous m=minimal imprint. Long and hypnotic, percussion-driven tracks imbue the spirit of early Kraftwerk with a club-compatible vibe. Excellent album.
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Swedish sax legend Mast Gustafsson returns to Editions Mego with another storming collaboration. Now resident in Vienna he teams up with fellow experimentalists dieb13 and Martin Siewert for '(Fake) The Facts', three strong sessions of reflective notes and massive drones. Recommended.
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Actress serves up two slices from the murky electronic depths of his mind, ahead of an upcoming album on Honest Jon's. 'Rainy Dub' creates hypnotic inertia with sparsely set bleeps in spiralling contra-motion, 'Faceless' ingeniously jilts layers of melody and noise in ways only Actress knows how. Stunners.
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Great braindance-synth-disco by Luke Abbott on this latest Border Community single. Originally from the 'Holkham Drones' album 'Brazil' gets straightened out and slowed down, as well as brilliantly remixed by Gold Panda and Etienne Jaumet. Includes new track, 'Grumble'.
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Ghostly International presents a beautiful album by Polish musician Michal Jacaszek, whose 'Glimmer' draws from classical music, folk and ambient. 'Glimmer' is a melancholic and magical album to get lost in and a must for fans of Dakota Suite or Peter Broderick. Recommended.
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Whilst the recent Pinch and Shackleton collaboration was already an outer-dub head's dream-come-true, the talented Rabih Beaini aka Morphosis masterfully turns the sinister vortex of 'Boracay Drift' into a mesmeric 14-minute techno-spirited journey. A spine-tingling, unmissable release.
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After his elegant contemporary dance scores last year, Peter Broderick takes to soundtracking the documentary film 'Confluence' about the disappearance of several young girls in Idaho around 1980. The depth of despair and fear is felt without even knowing the narrative, a moving album.
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Album released 04-11-2011 on sonig
Jo Zimmermann returns with a new album of his quirky electronic music explorations. 'Vorausschauende Bebauung' treats us two eight songs that combine naive pop melodies, krautrock experimentation and even a few vocals this time around. Idiosyncratic as always and definitely recommended.
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Commissioned by Unsound festival in Krakow in 2010, this collaboration between Ben Frost's electronic and Daníel Bjarnason's orchestral works manages to depict the poignant atmospheres of desolation, grief and emotional complexity of Tarkovsky's classic. Incredibly beautiful music.
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Known as part of To Rococo Rot, Berlin's Robert Lippok solo work is much sparser, indeed 10 years since his wonderful 'Open Close Open' release on Raster Noton. Now this full album sees edgy pulsing structures and angular rhythmical forms unite with his beautifully emotive electronic touch. Highly recommended.
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Kate Wax joins the Border Community camp for an album of vocal-heavy avant-synth-pop. Wax is no Whitney, but her singing style nicely fits 'Dust Collision's selection of retro-futuristic techno-pop productions. Fans of Kompakt, BPitch and Minimal Wave should give this a shot.
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Optimo admirably dig out Throbbing Gristle's Chris Carter's epic 'Moonlight' - originally released on 'Mondo Beat' in 1985, its synth-wave purity landing in this decade sweeter than ever. Two remixes accompany, US duo Neurotic Drum Band imbue a disco shimmer and Oneohtrix stretches it raw and grainy. Hats off.
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Ed DMX on an electronica tip this time around, with braindance melodies and more abstract beats dominating the majority of his 'BRK59' EP. Tracks like 'TR808 Echo Beats' might proove a bit too brooding for the electro pop crowd, but fans of early Squarepusher and AFX will absolutely dig this.
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When not rocking clubs as part of minimal house duo Ogris Debris Vienna's Zanshin has been developing his own idiosyncratic brand of glitched-up electronica breaks. With its innovative rhythms and melancholic synths 'Rain Are In Clouds' is a perfect album for fans of Autechre and early Boards of Canada.
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Originating from the same session as 'Drums Between the Bells', Eno's recent collaboration album with the poet Rick Holland, 'Panic of Looking' sonifies Holland's (mainly) spoken word poetry using a range of styles and impressive production tricks, from angelic choirs to noisy loops. Interesting.
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Neo Ouija continues its tradition of releasing first-rate music without much fuzz or hype. NQ's 'Our Own Distance' certainly fits the bill: It's a classic electronica album fusing Raster-Noton's glitchy percussion work with elements of dub and emotional melodies. Excellent.
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ALTERNATIVE / POP / DISCO ESSENTIALS
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Compilation released 21-11-2011 on Kitsuné
Kitsuné completes the first dozen of its indie/disco/punk-flavoured 'Maison' compilations wit 'The Good Fun Issue'. Despite big names like Mark Ronson on the bill, the eclectic French label puts an emphasis on its new generation of artists, resulting in a diverse album that certainly lives up to its title.
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Hailing from Brazil and now residing in Berlin, Dominique Dillon de Bylington's chansons for piano and voice are clearly more folk-led than the usual BPitch output. Immaculately produced with experimental flair, she combines this emotionality with subtle electronics in a genuinely fresh way. Excellent vid too!
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New York's Wurst Music compiles ten brand-new tracks that showcase the stylistic breadth of modern disco. From original edit science by Native Underground to synth-driven bangers by the likes of Automan vs. Tiago and even early acid house by Nick Chacona & Anthony Mansfield. Nice one.
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Album released 07-11-2011 on Marble
Parisian Benoit Heitz, better known as Surkin, wields the hyperactive electroclash style of fellow French producers such as Busy P and SebastiAn, but injects it with good old 90s house styles, even featuring Inner City's Ann Saunderson and Kevin Irving on guest vocals. Fun, fizzy and full of pep.
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Album released 14-11-2011 on Infiné
On his debut album Cesar Urbina a.k.a. Cubenx fully embraces electro pop, and while there are occasional house grooves to be found on 'On Your Own Again', the majority of its tracks draws from influences that range from Spandau Ballet to experimental electronica. Impressive and recommended.
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Super versatile album from Vienna's Makossa & Megablast, who follow up their recent hit single for Gigolo with a comprehensive full-length. Expect influences to range from Afro beat (feat. Tony Allen) over baile funk and minimal house to soulful downbeat and dub. Remarkable.
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Huge 25-track release combining Trentemøller's own remixes, such as Depeche Mode's 'Wrong', UNKLE's 'The Answer' and Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke, as well as luscious versions of his tracks by Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Efterklang & Kasper Bjørke. A genre-crossing tantalising selection - must check!
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David Lynch seems serious enough about his foray into music to follow up his 'Good Day Today' single with an entire album. 'Crazy Clown Time' further explores the grey area between vocoded electro pop and dramatic guitar tremolos, in its best moments rivalling his film's eccentricity levels.
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An epic collaboration between Berlin's Modeselektor duo and Thom Yorke sees this video release of 'Shipwreck' taken from their recent 'Monkeytown' album - its light jungle-abstracted beat and eerie chords working killer under Yorke's vocals with exclusive track 'Dull Hull's brash junkyard beats a fitting epilogue.
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Album released 15-11-2011 on Environ
Morgan Geist certainly hasn't lost his disco touch, famous since his successful Metro Area pdays. Teaming up with vocalist Damon C. Scott as Storm Queen this time, 'It Goes On' is a perfect piano house pop piece in the vein of Hercules & Love Affair with a DJ-friendly dub on the flip. Nice one.
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Maxi-Single released 14-11-2011 on Fright
Naum Gabo is Optimo's Jonnie Wilkes and partner James Savage, teaming up to bring us some eerie, offbeat synth-disco madness. Title track 'The Crystal Line' is a spooky, slow burning Supermax tribute, while 'Dmitri's Darkness' and 'Galena' are more upbeat Italo, Legowelt-style. Great!
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Globetrotting DJ and BBC broadcaster Gilles Peterson throws a spotlight on Cuba and its richly diverse music culture, crossing Afro-jazz fusions, funk, rumba reggaeton, soul in a whirlwind 30 tracks, his selection and own Havana Cultura Band bringing much of this vibrancy to our ears. Will melt through your winter blues!
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