Fusing his piano-jazz history with a passion for hip-hop, digital texturing classes in college, and a childhood stint in a Jamaican reggae band, producer Kevin Gift created the moniker Wendel Patrick to give shape and form to this lifelong collection of song forms. Sound is cinematic in many ways, from the meandering and accentuated synthesizer effects to deep, well-formed bass and occasional breaks. Most impressive is when he sits back on a solid groove, like the slightly dark “Rest. Move.,” as MC Napoleon Solo drops his own science. It’s a fitting summation for Gift: precise, effective, and well thought-out, with plenty of soul to round out any overly heady dynamics.
Dubfire Ribcage
This techno masterpiece produced by Ali, one half of Deep Dish, is the debut release on Locodice’s and Martin Buttrich’s own Desolat label. “Ribcage,” already in the top fives of guys like John Digweed, Sasha, and Tiefschwarz, is a long, hypnotic, and amazing trip that will twist the dancefloors all over the world. Superb!
Pedro You, Me & Everyone
London’s James Rutledge has been emerging from obscurity for some time, but now his genius is simply unmistakable. You, Me & Everyone is a cognizant walkabout through the surreal seasons of Pedro’s musical breadth; a kaleidoscopic interlacing of styles so natural it’s unnerving. His repertoire of Wu-era beats and old-school techno craftsmanship serve as a foundation for “Hope Is a Happiness” and “Red Apples,” but it’s the John Zorn-ish freeform jazz modality and subliminally smooth mixing that allow tracks like “Spools” and “Lung” to scramble all reference points so blissfully. Cool it all off with the pure, opiate-like solace of “Slowly” and you’ve touched back down. Mush has nailed it yet again.
Film School Hideout
Like a brother from another mother, San Francisco-based Greg Bertens’ second release as Film School is just similar enough to last year’s self-titled debut to register as family. Hideout finds his band completely overhauled (after a crippling robbery and “creative differences”) and much improved; this end result doesn’t sound like another predictable addition to your nu-wave library. (But file between Echo and Interpol, if you must.) There’s a shambolic fervor with tambourines, and cyclonic guitars, in places that recall Primal Scream’s psychedelic rock. Other tracks drift into expertly crafted space. Hideout excels as mood music, with at least one stellar single (“Two Kinds”) that creates a new and better one than however you felt before.
Alan Braxe’s Artist Tips
Alan Braxe (real name: Alain Quême) is no novice when it comes to creating killer dance cuts. From his seminal, late-’90s “French Touch tracks (such as the hugely popular “Music Sounds Better With You,” recorded with Stardust) to his work with Fred Falke and Kris Menace, Braxe’s throwback disco synths, loose ’80s drum patterns, and airy Jazzercise melodies have been bobbing heads and filling dancefloors for more than a decade. Recently, it’s been Braxe’s remix work that garners the most attention. Annie, Test Icicles, Röyksopp, Goldfrapp, and Justice have all received the Braxe treatment, and while the reworks may vary in genre, their yield is consistent: blissful, four-to-the-floor gold that’s equally ready for headphones or the dancefloor. Here, Braxe gives us the inside scoop on how to create the perfect remix from start to finish.
1. Pick the Right Song
I think it’s important to love the original song, otherwise the remix process could turn into a nightmare. I prefer to remix songs that sound really far from electro; it could be anything from rock to R&B as long as it’s not sounding too electro or dance. I find it more exiting to work this way as it turns the remix process into a challenge.
2. Respect the Artist’s Identity
It’s good to remember that when you’re remixing, you’re working for another artist. This is why most of the time I preserve the full vocal take. To me, it’s the best way to show respect to the artist. The next step is to build a completely new song around the vocal, with new harmony, new drums, etc.
3. Use the Right Tools
For a few years now, I’ve done all my remixing with Ableton Live; it’s a really creative and intuitive sequencer. You can easily edit, transform, pitchshift, and time-stretch the audio, which are all incredibly useful tools for remixing. It’s so easy to find exciting and unexpected loop points in the audio file, and to change the tones using the pitch envelope functions.
4. Keep the Drums Solid
For drums, I mainly use the Roland MV-8000 or an old MPC-60. I use my own sounds sampled from 12-inches or CDs. It can be dance or rock sounds; it doesn’t really matter. There is always a point in the mix where I ask myself, ‘Do I add a big kick to make the mix more clubby?’ but I try to avoid this as, for example, on the Test Icicles and DFA 1979 remixes, the drum kit is more rock to begin with. The result is maybe not that clubby, but musically it seems more coherent.
5. Impose a Deadline
One really good thing with remixing is the deadline. Most of the time it’s quite short but it’s good to have some pressure to make quick decisions–it’s the best way to preserve spontaneity.
Poni Hoax: It Ain’t Just Disco
There’s more than a little quizzical amusement in Poni Hoax lead singer Nicolas Ker’s voice when he discusses his band’s many influences. “Everybody wants to have a disco beat, and nobody listens to disco,” he exclaims. “In the band, nobody knows disco, nobody owns disco records.”
In a way, it’s a perplexing statement coming from a band that is primarily known for the steamy Italo-disco of their debut single “Budapest.” Helmed by guest vocalist Olga Kouklaki, “Budapest” is a sparse, seductive dancefloor burner with gothic strings and abrasive modulating synths. It’s a track that makes melodrama sound stylish, paranoia appear sexy.
But Poni Hoax would be loath to say that they are merely another disco-rock act. In fact, the quintet would not go as far as to say they are any “kind” of band, a fact that becomes evident on their 2006 self-titled debut LP. Choppy new wave, murder ballads, and the aforementioned disco all have roles in the mix–using Joy Division, Nick Cave, Devo, and Giorgio Moroder as musical touchstones.
“It’s a bit of a patchwork,” Ker explains. “The guys did a lot of different things [before Poni Hoax]: some did rap, they all did free jazz, they did funk bands. We can’t do one style; it’s impossible for us.”
Working with eclectic producer and Tigersushi label head Joakim has certainly made things a bit easier. “He’s like the arbiter,” Ker continues, “like the guy on the football field who says, ‘No, your foot goes there.’ Everybody thinks Joakim brings the electronic side–not at all.”
In fact, it seems the electronic element of Poni Hoax’s sound is less beholden to producers or the Paris DJ scene than it is to something much more fundamental: girls. “Laurent [Bardainne, Poni Hoax guitarist/composer] was coming from harsh jazz music, and he was fed up with having 10 people in front of him analyzing everything he played. So he said, ‘Let’s do something with a disco beat, so we’ll have a lot of cute girls dancing!’” explains Ker.
Parisian Boat Parties!
Parisian summers wouldn’t be complete without parties afloat. While most natives head to coastal getaways in the summer months, those stuck in the steamy center of the City of Lights seek relief in faux seaside pastimes, like city pools and the Paris Plage, a man-made, palm tree-lined beach bordering the Seine. Less sandy–but no less sweaty–are the parties on a pair of docked boats: Le Batofar and Le Bateau Concorde Atlantique. These run year-round, but hit their peak in the summer, when you can catch dinner, drinks, and a tan on the terrace before partying until the early hours.
Le Batofar, a red tugboat, is best known for its friendly crowd, a lower berth blanketed in hash-scented smoke, and an easygoing program of electro, reggae, punk rock, and drum & bass. The Concorde Atlantique, docked steps away from the Musée D’Orsay, often hosts cheesy student nights and ’80s music, but Sunday is a druggy afterhours house-and-techno jam, and Wednesdays from June through September is Respect is Burning’s long-running summer party, featuring DJ guests like Todd Terje, Dennis Ferrer, and Switch, alongside Parisian names like DJ Pone, Joakim, DJ Mehdi, and Etienne De Crecy.
You Are Space Invader
Singles Update: Digitalism, Benga, Farah
Digitalism “Idealistic” Kitsuné
I’m not sure when DJ A-Trak decided it was a good idea to employ cowbells and acoustic drums in his compositions, but it was a pretty good decision. His “Idealistic” reinterpretation is a glitchy disco-house track that gives the original new life with an assembly of percussive toms. Accompanied by Digitalism’s extended mix, as well as more disco-meets-electro remixes via WhoMadeWho and Hystereo, this 12” will be at the front of crates for months to come.
Hollertronix “The Boogie Down Bottle Nose Dolphins” Money Studies
Diplo and Eli are at it again. Instead of relying on semi-cheese throwback mash-ups, the dynamic duo heads straight into modern territory with a minimal, soulful edit of Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E” and a chopped-up rendition of Kim Carne’s ’80s pop hit, “Bette Davis Eyes.” There are still a few predictable snippets any listener could do without (Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is in the Heart” and MJ’s “Smooth Criminal”), but “Boogie Down” will save any struggling DJ with a packed house–guaranteed.
Benga & Coki “Night & B Sides” Tempa
There’s something gratifying about dubstep and techno converging, and “Night & B Sides” is that fulfilling clash. These two London-based dubstep pioneers take housey synth stabs, twist them with percussion breaks that border on drum & bass territory, and wrap those elements into a nice ball of psychedelic “Night” magic. “Drumz West” and “Emotion” are the bleepy, bass-throbbing hits the dubstep scene has been waiting for.
Farah “Law of Life” Italians Do It Better
With Glass Candy touring with Architecture in Helsinki and Chromatics getting played out by Get Physical’s Dixon, it’s no surprise that Farah, Texas’ Italians Do It Better representative, is on the same path to lo-fi disco domination. Featuring the super-tripped-out, repetitive “Law of Life” and a slightly more banging remix and instrumental, this debut is mystic fire.
Battles “Tonto” Warp
Battles’ complicated riffage can be really off-putting at times, but the supergroup has somehow merged the vocals of Neil Young and post-hardcore melodies (think Fugazi) for its best offering yet. With remix duties handled by The Field, Four Tet, and DJ EMZ, “Tonto” is bound to win over any hater of instrumental intricacy.
Gear Alert: Arturia V Synthesizer Collection
Over the past few years, Arturia has released a series of retro emulations, from the Minimoog to the Jupiter 8 to Yamaha’s CS-80, all of which not only sound comparable to their vintage predecessors, but also won’t come close to braking producers’ wallets (quite unlike the aged hardware synths). For those composers who can’t decide which of these individual blasts from the past are right for their instrument libraries, Arturia has made the decision for you with the V Collection.
Featuring seven separate software synths including the Jupiter-8V, Prophet VS, Prophet V, ARP2600 V, CS-80V, Moog Modular V, and Minimoog V synths, this standalone, Mac/PC-compatible library can turn any bedroom into a studio paradise for a mere $700. Each synth also comes with a manager function, allowing users to easily browse through by name, instrument, type, and project. But the best benefit of the V Collection lies in the interface, which realistically resembles each hardware ancestor. Of course, there are a few new features too. From modulation potential to dynamic arpeggiators and effects, this entrance into analog madness is the answer to a small apartment renting producers prayers.
The V Collection is available now from Arturia.
