DJ T. - Fabric 51 [2010, cd, fabric [london]]

march 2010

lbl: Fabric [London]

#: fabric101

electronic

minimal techno, deep house, tech-house

320kbps

chrysoberyl [8.5]

1. dOp  - Windshield Wiper Law

2. Michael J Collins  - I Just Wanna Be Your Disco Bitch

3. 10Lec6  - Drown Dogs

4. Stuffa  - A Million Secrets (Salax Peep Show Remix)

5. Madioko 'N' Rafika  - Ellelli (Kalabrese Remix)

6. Danton Eeprom  - Give Me Pain

7. Matias Aguayo Ft. Lerato  - Pata Pata

8. Ben Mono Ft. Jemeni  - Jesus Was A B-Boy (TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos Remix)

9. Will Saul & Tam Cooper Ft. Ursula Rucker  - Where Is It (Will Saul & Tam Cooper's Reloved Dub Mix)

10. Dave DK & Holger Zilske Ft. Richard Davis  - You Will Find Out

11. Azari & III  - Hungry For The Power

12. Wigald Boning  - Kobra Dance

13. Soulphiction Ft. International Pony  - The Royal Pennekaums (Chocolettes Nervous Mix)

14. DJ Le Roi Ft. Roland Clark  - I Get Deep

15. DJ T.  - Try To Understand

16. Mujava  - Township Funk (Crazy P Mix)

17. Good Guy Mikesh & Filburt  - Milk & Honey (Basket Mix)

18. Bodycode  - Immune

19. Random Factor  - Broken Mirror

20. WhoMadeWho  - Keep Me In My Plane (DJ Koze Hudson River Dub)

producer: Thomas Koch


note: "Thomas Koch, better known as DJ T. and the founder of Groove magazine, is the latest DJ-producer to craft a mix for the illustrious Fabric mix series. A true veteran of the dance music world, DJ T. has been spinning since 1989, but his mix features the freshest sounds from all over the dance spectrum, from the dark percussive beats of Bodycode to the throwback New York house of Azari & III. According to Koch himself, he's never "whipped up a mix with so many vocals," so those worried about accessibility can rest assured that the mix will bring all sorts to the floor." - XLR8TR.

at times sunny and bright, other times wild and mystifying

buy it here.

Morning Factory - Forgotten Moments [2010, vinyl, yore records]

february 2010

lbl: Yore Records

#: yore-22

electronic

deep house, tech-house, house

320kbps

chrysoberyl [8.5]

A1. Runners

A2. You Gave Up

B1. Raw Tunes Vol. 1

B2. Someone

note: "Yore starts the new year off on the good foot with a four-tracker from the Dutch Duo “Morning Factory” that’s remarkably accomplished for a first release. Expertly manning the controls are two gentlemen from The Netherlands, Jean-Pierre van der Leeuw and Jozef Lemmens, who clearly produce a high-octane electronic body music that’s timeless and fresh. Replete with dropouts and epic pulsations, “Runners” sprints in with a mid-tempo house groove that pounds so mightily, that we are scared which damage it will do out there. Morning Factory stokes serious heat in the eight-minute burner, and the sound is so full and rich the voices ecstatically wailing at the track’s center can just barely be heard. Opting for a less raw and epic attack, “You Gave Up” is no less satisfying in its soulful breeziness. Chanting the title refrain, a female singer spreads her bountiful vocal gifts around while the boys polish a sleek funk-house backing to perfection. Shifting gears slightly, the B-side’s fiery techno-funk banger “Raw Tunes” works a slinky disco pattern and aquatic dub chords into a frothy lather for seven semi-ecstatic minutes while on the EP’s last cut the lights dim slightly for the graceful stepper “Someone” to take the EP out on a wave of radiant uplift. The material seems so effortlessly realized, it makes van der Leeuw and Lemmens sound like the oldest of hands."

dreaming in a train

buy it here. [€9.50]

Fluxion - Perfused [2010, cd, echocord]

8 march 2010

lbl: Echocord

#: echocord cd07

electronic

dub techno

320kbps

orthoclase [6.0]

01. Horizons

02. Waves

03. Tantalizer

04. Inflection

05. Wabbler

06. Elation

07. Fluctuations

08. Inductance

09. Perfuse

producer: Konstantinos Soublis

note: "This is the fifth album by Fluxion, a name you'll know from Chain Reaction, Basic Channel and Maurizio labels. On this new album "Perfused", as the title implies, the sounds are liquid. Bending, turning, blending, streaming, forming and at the end grooving in a unique way. Moving into the future with steady dub beats. The opening "Horizons", brings on a warm slow dub feeling and as it moves through time and space, it creates music phrases that are never repeating, unveiling a breath of fresh sounds. "Waves" is a pulsating dub atmospheric dance track. Dub questions and answers. "Tantalizer", a dried out track, mechanical, organical. "Inflection", a cyclic dub minimal track. "Wabbler", a live track recorded in one take, a journey back to the influences of dub. "Elation", a track full of energy. Slowly building up, in the fluxion way, always revealing some new stream of sound that comes to surface. A strong dance track, that moves the listeners both body and mind. "Fluctuations", slow building up, atmospheric minimal track, "Inductance" atmospheric sound patterns slowly combined, creating an emotional futuristic track. "Perfuse" is a pulsating slow dub track. The sound patterns emerge steadily, to form one stream. One organic movement."

elephant on his ear

[fixed / 12 march]

buy it here. [£ 9.99 - limited cheap price]

Karraskilla - Tren Siete Expreso Cali [2010, file, biatch corp]

6 march 2010

lbl: Biatch Corp

#: BIATCH004

electronic

minimal techno, dub techno

320kbps

topaz [8.0]

1. Expreso Cali (CEO & Chairman Tool) [ 7:41 ]
2. Expreso Cali (Pawas Remix) [ 7:11 ]
3. Expreso Cali [ 7:09 ]
4. Tren Siete (Brendon Moeller Remix) [ 6:33 ]
5. Tren Siete [ 6:18 ]

note: "Brendon Moeller/Pawas Remixes - this new EP from Biatch Corp core member Karraskilla, a follow-up to last years su merced el Pimp EP, is another slice of sophisticated, throbbing late-night groovemusic from the colombia-born, nyc-based electronic music."

yt preview:

over night sensations

buy it here. [file]

Skudge - Convolution / Contamination [2010, vinyl, skudge records]

5 february 2010

lbl: Skudge Records

#: SKUDGE 001

electronic

dub techno, techno, house

~210kbps

beryl [7.8]

A. Convolution

B. Contamination

note: "Not much is yet known about the Skudge label, but that'll probably end soon. The young Swedish imprint's debut 12-inch ticks all the right boxes: Dance floor-friendly, just weird enough to stand out and an anonymous producer at the helm. What's not to like? Especially considering the music: "Convolution" somehow effortlessly merges dub techno and loopy Mannheim house into a coherent package, dropping a repeated vocal sample directly into an upbeat cloud of smoky 4/4 beats. There's a reason it's been charted by the likes of headfuck techno man Samuli Kemppi, Remote Area compatriot Boris Werner, Echocord boss Kenneth Christiansen, Tresor resident Suzi Wong and slow motion house man Cottam. 

"Contamination" isn't quite a crossover gem like the flip. The way it reworks dub techno fundamentals, however, is equally as engaging. Jettisoning the vocal sample for a melody that seems to be built from someone quickly waving their hand in front of an air vent, there's no lack of fascinating sounds on offer. There's a bit less grooviness. "Contamination"'s raw beat hits and hits again with little variation. Criticizing its lack of swing, though, only serves to highlight the quality on hand. Skudge is clearly a label to keep an eye on. " - Terry Fonseca.

affected by dirt on groove surface

buy it here. [€ 8.49]

STL - Things From The Basement [2010, vinyl, something]

march 2010

lbl: Something

#: Something 11

electronic

deep house, dub techno, experimental, techno

~192kbps

chrysoberyl [8.5]

A1. Vintage Hunter

A2. Wasabi Flavoured

A3. Too Slow

B1. In My Dreams

B2. In My Dreams [ Intrusion Dub ]

B3. Loops 1-3

producer: Stephan Laubner


note: "The STL project continues with warm, soulful and dirty sounding tracks from the basement. This record features five moving deep chicago flavoured house tunes, plus the always appearing dope loops on the b-side. Oldshool stylish melodies between raw and colourful beats, channeled through vintage hardware equipment direct to your ears. Evolving percussion patterns will make you get inside the groove and feeling of each track. Things for the dancefloor and moody listening places. Ruff house music without any frills! Besides the great STL tracks, there is also a dubby remix from Intrusion [ echospace.detroit ] on the flipside, which will get you even deeper into sound."

dj tool which was ambitious

buy it here. [€ 8.99]

Justin Martin - Robot Romance [2010, vinyl, dirtybird]

1 march 2010

lbl: Dirtybird

#: DB033

electronic

tech-house

320kbps

topaz [8.0]

A. Get Low

B. Robot Romance

note: podbite, dobre do zabawy. sam seksik.

what are you thinking about, dirty bird?

buy it here. [£5.49]

Tevo Howard - Crystal Republic [2010, 2 x vinyl, hour house is your rush records]

february 2010

lbl: Hour House Is Your Rush Records

#: HHYR7

electronic

house, acid, techno, detroit

192kbps

beryl [7.8]

A. Crystal Republic

B1. Laboratory

B2. The Glass Ceiling (Full Edit)

C1. Material

C2. Data (Album Edit)

D. Data (Long Version)

note: "Crystal Republic continues this trend with six tracks that once again prove that Howard has few contemporaries of note. The title track runs through seven minutes of moody pads and a melody and bassline that play beautifully against one another. "Laboratory" does the same, but to lesser effect, its bassline too powerful for the elements around it to escape. Horns build a ground from which "The Glass Ceiling" overhangs. Twinkling bells and Howard's ever-present drum machine, meanwhile, help to fill it out.

Over on the second vinyl, "Material"'s bassline is just as intrusive as "Laboratory," but the track is balanced nicely by the melodies that Howard employs around it. Like much of the material here, it builds to minor and subtle climaxes throughout, never boiling over, but never letting up either. "Data" in album format and long version finish things off in similar fashion to the rest, highlighting Howard's appeal in a nutshell: If you're into this sound palette, there's virtually no chance you won't find something to play here. If you hate it, Crystal Republic is an easy skip." - Sam Louis.

hypnotizer with license

buy it here. [€12.99]

Kassem Mosse - Aqueous Haze (The World Dissappeared Into An) [2008, vinyl, mikrodisko recordings]

november 2008

lbl: Mikrodisko Recordings

#: M5

electronic

deep house, minimal techno

~192kbps

topaz [8.0]





A. No Peace/No Love/No Unity (Instrumental Edit)
B. 578




producer: Kassem Mosse

note: "[...] “No Peace/No Love/No Unity” has a bleak vibe fitting of its dour title. With its slow groove and soulless percussive sounds, it takes the listener on a night drive through a dilapidated urban landscape. As the track progresses, tortured half melodies drift into focus, eventually forming a deep, belching synth line that makes it all sound very Sähkö. “578″ is colored in the same gravelly hues, but is otherwise much more indulgent than the A-side. Its bass kicks fall with a dusty thud, complimenting mechanical buzzes and metallic scrapes to set the stage with industrial imagery right off the bat. The next five minutes are dominated by an evocative, foggy melody that makes this the choice track of the EP. Its sound offers something refreshingly out of place in today’s techno milieu, and would make for an exhilarating climax in a set of atonal Berghain bangers. Sadly enough, I’ve never been to a seedy warehouse party, but this is exactly the kind of music you would hear in one in my daydreams. “No Peace/No Love/No Unity” reflects more studio mastery, but the emotion of “578″ is impossible to deny. Kassem Mosse has been a well kept secret until now, but if other techno nerds feel the way I do, “Aqueous Haze” could earn him the widespread recognition he’s due." - LittleWhiteEarbuds.

blue duster

buy it here. [£7.99]

Robag Wruhme - Dreiklangkapriolen [2010, vinyl, musik krause]

22 february 2010

lbl: Musik Krause

#: MK 31

electronic

minimal techno, electro, experimental, acid

320kbps

chrysoberyl [8.5]

A1. Dakktylaff

A2. Impetus

B. Colby Nekk

producer: Gabor Schablitzki

note: "Why are the vocals on techno tracks pitched so low? Ask Marc Houle. For house music, you'll have to go to the infinitely stranger Robag Wruhme, who pitches someone saying "house music" and "everybody gonna rock the party vibe" down to frigid depths in what must be the least uplifting party jam released in 2010. The track is called "Colby Nekk," and like most of Wruhme's work it sounds like little else. Wruhme has never been much interested in the way that his tracks will fit into any DJ set other than his own wandering journeys. 

That's why he can get away with the forlorn foghorn coda to "Colby Nekks" or "Impetus"'s impatient electro with a delicate side. It's unclear what the hell is going on with "Dakktylaff" at all. Nominally techno, it sounds like a successful take on what Wolfgang Voigt was attempting on Abweichung, scattered drum hits and industrial blurts arranged into a satisfying whole. Still one of dance music's most entertaining and surprising artists, Wruhme's work here reminds us of what happens when artists stop thinking about the floor and start getting indulgent. Clearly, we could use quite a bit more of that. " - Sam Louis.

the freshmaker!

buy it here.