Justin Martin Chaos Restored with Justin Martin

“Ghetto Train”’s got it going on, but you don’t need Martin’s debut mix of funky, jacking house to hear his track, which is sharper than much of what surrounds it here. Martin, along with Claude VonStroke, is currently making Frisco capital-F fabulous with his ability to both suss out dancefloor-igniting tracks and create his own. So why does Chaos Restored only intermittently go bananas? The “Train” rolls in around the 15-minute mark, dragging some serious weight (Spincycle, Jimpster’s remix of Motorcitysoul’s “Aura”), but loses a bit of steam, despite both men (the narrator on Martin Landsky’s “Let Me Dance”) and congas coaxing you on. The tempo seldom changes–until Martin’s “Stoopit Crunk-Ill Hyphy Mix” of Worthy’s “Crack-El” arrives, blips and bleeps flaring out over a backdrop of finger snaps. Now that’s unusual. Martin might’ve switched it up more throughout, but Chaos is still fairly beautiful in theory.

Minus Records Expands, Contracts

If you thought that ambient producers and obscure sound-art nerds were the only folks weird enough to worry about “sonic molecules” and “inaudible space,” the odds are, 12”s from Richie Hawtin’s Minus imprint aren’t taking up much of your crate and record shelve space. Carrying on with the imprint’s mission to hone in on the deepest (albeit the most minimal and spacious) techno available, Hawtin and co are releasing EXPANSION/contraction, a seven-track exploration into the in-between.

Due out November 20, the CD/LP features Deep Dish member Dubfire, Jesse “Heartthrob” Siminski, Minus staple Marc Houle, JPLS, and more. While EXPANSION is filled with plenty of the fuzz and sporadic bleeping that all of the aforementioned producers have become synonymous with, it still possesses the dancefloor depth that the minimal world has been waiting for. Just listen to the spooky panning and heavy-hitting bass on Troy Pierce’s “Oxytocin” for proof.

Tracklisting
1. Dubfire “Emissions”
2. Gaiser “Mute”
3. Heartthrob “Roundabout”
4. JPLS “Isolate”
5. Mark Houle “Porch”
6. Plastikman “Risk Assessment”
7. Troy Pierce “Oxytocin”

Modeselektor “Edgar”

Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary (a.k.a. Modeselektor) have owned the year 2007, what with the release of Happy Birthday!, an exhilarating trip through the world of bass-driven techno, some well-attended tour dates, and, of course, a spot on the cover of XLR8R 112. Keep a watch on these guys in 2008. Their energy, humor, and general zest for music should ensure many fine things are yet to come. Photo by Birgit Kaulfuss.

Modeselektor – Edgar

DJ Rekha DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra

New Yorkers have enjoyed Rekha’s Basement Bhangra parties for a decade, but with her debut mix album, the London-born DJ fixes her sight on the rest of the country. Though a few names here would be familiar even to Middle America (the once-Jay-Z-remixed Panjabi MC and Wyclef Jean guesting on one of Rekha’s own tracks), bhangra–the combination of traditional Punjabi folk elements, especially vocals, and electronic beats–never quite achieved household-name status in the States. This compilation, though, shows the skills that have kept Rekha’s party going for so long, particularly her expert programming, with hip-hop- and dancehall-derived bhangra. Here’s hoping this set is more than just a one-off.

Ams Uno Animated Stagnation

Rhode Island isn’t exactly a hip-hop hotbed, but it still managed to spawn trio ClokWorx, rapper Ams Uno’s crew. Uno aims to be one of hip-hop’s prophets, but he does best when he’s least self-conscious about that goal. On “Uno Potato,” for example, with a deft twisting of nursery rhymes, Uno’s slightly nasal flow makes his point playfully. In contrast, the reggae-inflected “Soul Contribution” wears its ambition too nakedly. Still, Uno shows a range that even some seasoned MCs never develop, from the spare, quick-moving “Standing in the Reign” to “The Uninvited,” with a percussion break that mirrors his crazed lyrics. Maybe Rhode Island deserves a spot on the hip-hop map after all.

Enon Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds

Enon’s fifth effort in eight years, and their most Brainiac (frontman John Schmersal’s first band) record since their Believo! debut, is everything we’ve been waiting for from these sometimes brilliant, sometimes frustrating indie-pop pervos. Gone is the trip-hop/new-wave schizophrenia that held Enon’s last outing, 2003’s just plain ridiculous Hocus Pocus, back. From the opening seconds of “Mirror on You”’s junkyard-tech vocal fuckery and growling bass, it’s clear that, after a decade, Brainiac’s mourning period is over. Guitars shriek, percussion clatters, electronics whip, and hiss. “Dr. Freeze” courses with barely-in-control bee-swarm synth and–spit flying–Schmersal’s barely-in-control vocal grimaces, which two tracks later, on “Peace of Mind,” he fully unleashes and lets his falsetto rip. Yet below it all still rolls the pop sense–the clean lines, the structures–that ensures Enon will never be a tribute band, but one that knows, and honors its roots.

Shocking Pinks Shocking Pinks

Shocking Pinks might raise the batting average for New Zealand rock, but beware of frontman Nick Harte’s sentimentality. “Oh Emily, oh Emily/I get jealous/When you’re holding hands/Kissing behind the stands/Because I need romance,” he mopes. How emo. The Pinks otherwise deliver solid, lo-fi excursions in this reissue of the ex-Brunette’s solo work. The rich guitar textures are often soaked in mountainous, neo-shoegazer haze, and Harte has a knack for melody, on tunes like “Blonde Haired Girl,” that recalls the best of early ’90s buzz-pop. There’s also DFA-approved cowbell disco on “SmokeScreen,” and a meditation on piano drones in the curious “23.” As long as Harte doesn’t need to cry on your shoulder, everything’s fine.

Mestizo Dream State

Mestizo first established his musical career in Chicago, but as his new album proves, this Bay Area native (now in L.A.) is all about the Cali state of mind. Produced entirely by S.F.’s Julian Code (Sean Julian and DJ Morse Code), Dream State radiates West Coast appeal with its chill, SP12-born beats and Mestizo’s stream-of-consciousness raps about life in the Golden State. “Solid Gold” is especially compelling as he offers quick snapshots of his past, being jumped into a gang and spending entire days freestyling in East Oakland ciphers. When this MC further develops his narratives, like on “Rosie,” they’re somewhat solemn but no less stimulating. This ode to California just may be Mestizo’s best work yet.

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