Benjamin Damage Heliosphere

During the past few years, Benjamin Damage has proven himself to be an artist who can always sound at home, even as he shifts his production focus from release to release. With his debut solo full-length, Heliosphere, Damage again concentrates on a slightly different meeting place between the worlds of cloudy UK bass and Berlin-streaked techno then he has before, essentially filling the wide gap of sonic territory left between last year’s collaborative They!Live LP with Doc Daneeka and the more driving solo “Swarm” b/w “Headache” single that followed. In doing so, the Berlin transplant has put together an album that may not exactly launch him onto the level of visibility and fanfare some may argue he deserves, but nonetheless still finds Damage delivering a superbly solid and varied collection of dance music from beginning to end.

On Heliosphere, Damage’s work is as structurally sound as ever. Built around hefty pilings of thick drum kits, dense percussion, and vividly detailed textures, the 10 songs are expertly dressed up into various shapes and sizes, but each is at its base a sort of hybrid between synth-led techno and rolling house. After initially making an effort to gradually bring the listener into his world with slow-building, slightly shuffling opener “Laika,” Damage wastes no time getting into more floor-focused fare; “010x” works a set of bouncing chords and swirling atmospheres around a chugging shuffle, while “Delirium Tremens” descends into madness with a pounding beat and an obtuse melodic sequence that gives way to a foreboding set of chords. Still, as the record takes shape, Damage smartly uses the album format to not only aim straight for the dancefloor, but also to sneak in some intriguing, headphone-appropriate bits amongst the tracklist. In particular, the fifth and sixth efforts, “Together” and “Spirals,” jointly turn the album’s momentum inward; the former tune offers a fleeting peek into Damage’s handle of dreamy house and the latter simply remains hunkered down in a thick synth arpeggio that’s only occasionally accompanied by loose bits of percussion.

After moving in numerous directions with the album’s first seven tracks, the crisp house of “Light Year” begins Heliosphere‘s final push. Certainly one of the record’s standout tunes (along with the aforementioned “010x”), “Light Year” is a finely executed example of what makes Damage’s work so consistently rewarding—his commanding ability to balance colorfully poignant chords and melodies with crunchy drum programming and churning rhythms makes for dance music that is both powerful and rich with musical expression. This fact is only further bolstered when followed by “Swarm.” The previously released track sounds as forceful and full-bodied as it did last October, its thick bass sequence and driving techno weight serving as the peak of the LP’s trajectory before being gradually diffused by lush, ambient album closer “Heliopause.”

In the end, Heliosphere is everything a techno LP should be, an effort that’s not only a platform for delivering established sounds, but also an avenue for revealing new sides of the artist’s production abilities and imagination. The album may be Damage’s debut full-length, but it nonethless finds him delivering on all fronts in fine form.

Xander Harris “Night Fortress”*Not Not Fun*

The New Dark Age of Love couldn’t be a more appropriate title for the new record by Xander Harris (a.k.a. Justin Sweatt). According to a press release, the Austin producer’s inspiration for the album came from watching people slowly abandon their neighborhoods in favor of million dollar condos. As such, there’s lots of melancholy and nostalgia to wade through on “Night Fortress,” but that doesn’t take away the core fact this is a gorgeous dance-pop tune. Anchored by a thundering pulse, Harris pulls “Night Fortress” in both directions, using a nasty lead that doubles down as the track makes its way toward the dancefloor while synths hover high above the low end. The slow-building production seems to be over before you know it, which piques our interest as to how it will fit with the rest of The New Dark Age of Love when it drops on April 2 via Not Not Fun.

Night Fortress

Nina Kraviz Marcellus Pittman & Urban Tribe Remixes

Nina Kraviz‘s recent success has brought her pretty far from her Underground Quality beginnings, but the Russian producer has never been shy about the influence of innovative American dance music on her work. Detroit’s Marcellus Pittman and Urban Tribe, this EP’s eponymous remixers, are less probable influences on her sound than, say, K. Alexi Shelby, but both nevertheless manage to flesh out the more abstract aspects of Kraviz’s originals.

Even so, Marcellus Pittman’s take on “Working” is pretty far from anything in his own catalog. True to form, the track is a wandering percussive workout, moving from squirming, acidic, tom-led trips to low-key jacking patterns and back again, all infused with discordant stabs out of some unusual arcade game. Essentially, it’s Pittman delivering what he does best, in the form of a confounding, constantly evolving slow-burner. The flip is a more forceful proposition. Urban Tribe, the revolving door project headed by Sherard Ingram (a.k.a. DJ Stingray), delivers the considerably more linear “Don’t Lie To Nina” remix of “Taxi Talk.” Ingram leaves Kraviz’s vocal—which hints at intimate, dimly lit conversation—intact, while his sonics send the proverbial taxi careening down an empty freeway. Ingram’s zapping rhythm has a hollowly echoing, metallic skip, and an arpeggiated bassline twists underneath Kraftwerk-esque synth motifs. It’s not as daring as other Urban Tribe material, but it’s a successful, propulsive transformation all the same. And for the picky, the record comes complete with a slightly pared-down “No Strings” version. In any case, the spareness of Kraviz’s tracks easily lends itself to reimagining.

Alter Echo & E3 “Dub is Not Easy”

Alter Echo (a.k.a. Josh Derry) and E3 (a.k.a. Ezra Erickson) have long passed the point of no return when it comes to their allegiance to dub. Both sport an exhaustive pedigree with the genre, having collaborated extensively with dub pillars Lee Perry and Scientist, as well as each being former bosses of world renowned label BSI. “Dub is Not Easy,” the b-side from the pair’s forthcoming “Kufic Dub” single, wears its influences proudly, but balances the work that inspired it with a playful, experimental side. One-off samples glide in and out of the mix, the keyboard work sleepily throws in a few quick flourishes, and the tempo jumps up thirty notches before falling back down; what starts as a tip of the hat to the old blood morphs into a salute to the new. Look for Alter Echo & E3’s “Kufic Dub” b/w “Dub is Not Easy” 7″ around March 1 when it drops via Zam Zam Sounds.

Dub Is Not Easy

Waze & Odyssey Be Right There EP

UK duo Waze & Odyssey has made a name for itself in the past year, largely by repurposing fragments of the classic ’90s house sound for modern dancefloors. The pair’s first outing of 2013 continues further down this path with two songs that unabashedly indulge—maybe a bit too far—in the outfit’s affection for deep, disco-flecked house.

Both “Be Right There” and “Found the Rhythm,” the two Waze & Odyssey originals on this EP, are solid tunes. Each song pairs dense, slightly upswung grooves with soulful samples and the requisite chopped vocal lines, making them likely to go over just fine on the dancefloor—especially the more upbeat and slightly funkier title track. Still, one can’t help but feel like both songs just fit the mold a little too snugly; while their utility is undeniable, it feels like there are an almost limitless amount of substitutes for “Be Right There” and “Found the Rhythm” already in existence. Well-crafted pieces of nostalgia-inspired house music certainly haven’t been scarce as of late, and Waze & Odyssey’s efforts here lack the distinctive touch to make them stand out from the crowd.

Fortunately, London’s Citizen breaks the EP’s streak of ubiquity and delivers a charecteristically deep and juicy remix of “Be Right There,” closing out the affair while essentially demonstrating what the original could have looked like with an extra dose of production personality. In the end, the simple things make the difference—there’s a slight stutter to the kicks, some interesting filtering on the pads, a more understated take on the vocal chops, and a more alluring sense of atmosphere, all of which make Citizen’s version not only better suited to move our feet in the moment, but to also keep us coming back for more.

Various Production Returns with New Singles, Launches Digital Label

Highly regarded, elusive UK duo Various Production appears to be resurfacing in 2013, as its announced a forthcoming two-track 12″—the pair’s first proper release since 2009—along with plans to launch a new digital label called Version. First, digital single “Worse” (artwork above) will mark the launch of Various Production’s imprint next Monday, followed by the outfit’s “12seven” b/w “KEY” 12″ for its eponymous, vinyl-only label later in the month. This sudden barrage of news may seem a bit convoluted, but fortunately, we’ve got both releases available to stream before they’re released, which should help quell any confusion while also hipping you to Various Productions’ slightly updated, 2013 sound. You can hear that music below. (via Juno Plus)

Native Instruments Teases New Synth with Audio Samples

A few streaming audio samples and a 30-second video have appeared on the internet today, giving us a small glimpse of a new soft-synth on the way from Native Instruments. “Years of meticulous research and the latest in cutting-edge DSP technology combine to deliver a virtual synth with teeth,” says the Berlin-based company of its latest endeavor. The teasers also promise that “a revolution is coming,” but you can judge for yourself and check out the only clues as to what NI has in store in the players below.

Video: Pete Swanson “Grounds For Arrest”

Techno experimentalist Pete Swanson has shared a menacingly hazy video for “Grounds For Arrest,” a similarly menacing slice of crunchy, noise-laden dance music—in the loosest sense of the term—from his forthcoming Punk Authority EP for the Software label. While Swanson’s EP is still a ways from releasing on March 15, you can peep its artwork and tracklist below, and grab the producer’s densely textured remix of fellow NYC artist Ashley Paul’s “Soak the Ocean” in the meantime, here.

01 Punk Authority
02 C.O.P.
03 Grounds For Arrest
04 Life Ends At 30

Fobator “Emotion (J-808 Late Night Dub)”

J-808‘s remix of “Emotion” opens with—of all things—the pop of a soda can, which is soon followed by the sound of its liquid being poured into a glass. But considering that this thumping rework is a so-called “Late Night Dub,” maybe it’s more likely a can of Red Bull or some other energy drink called upon to help the dancefloor denizens soldier on late into the party. (Maybe it’s just a beer. Who knows?) Thankfully, J-808 shapes fellow French producer Fobator‘s original production into appropriately deep and percussive territory, filling the space left between the pounding 808 kicks with touches of buzzing synths and an enticing array of tom and snare rolls. While this particular rework won’t appear on Fobator’s forthcoming Emotion EP, J-808’s “Early Afternoon Remix” arrives along with four other reworks of the record’s two original tunes on March 11 via Montreal’s Pointé label.

Emotion (J-808 Late Night Dub)

Video: Natasha Kmeto “Dirty Mind Melt”

Portland’s Natasha Kmeto has shared a visual piece for “Dirty Mind Melt,” the title track from her recently released EP for hometown label Dropping Gems. Artist Miko Revereza directed the nightmarish clip, utilizing a shaky, hand-held camera and jarring, rapid cuts from one scene to the next. The entire ordeal is drenched with an oversaturated hue of red, adding to the dizzying drama of “Dirty Mind Melt,” which you can also download from us for free, here.

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