TTC 3615 TTC

Exuding a Beasties-like fuck-it-all attitude while spitting over glinting synthetic beats, TTC MCs Cuiziner, Tido Berman, and Teki Latex are verbal jesters that come off about as hard as a slice of brie. But while the French trio’s flow can occasionally be halting, the buoyant beats and Euro-syle production on their third album translates well. “Ambition” is all slowed-down Vangelis steez, the streamlined beat of “Paris Paris” has an Eliot Lipp-like swagger, and the slow-mo “Turbo” sounds like they sampled M83 instead of dusty soul records.

Tujiko Noriko Solo

Not unlike Tujiko Noriko’s collaboration with Aoki Takamasa, Solo is a lush amalgamation of synth pads, off-time percussion, and Tujiko’s serene vocals. But on her third full-length for Editions Mego (formerly Mego), Tujiko’s experimental-pop production reaches levels of maturity yet unheard, with added layers of strings, guitars, and affected noises springing up throughout. Although Solo isn’t necessarily an enormous departure from her prior work, tracks like “I Love You” and “Ending Kiss” find the veteran bellowing with the same strife as Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino, uniquely complimenting her always-evolving and blossoming productions.

Various Artists Âme…Mixing

Jazzanova’s Sonar Kollektiv imprint has flourished since its inception nearly a decade ago, and their newest mixed comp is a fine example of why: Âme’s Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann pluck their tracks from the very community of electronic peers that the Kollektiv has helped foster. Chateau Flight’s “Baroque” showcases I:Cube and Gilb’r in a hip-twerking, Detroit-kissed tech-house mood, while the exceptional Lucien Nicolet demonstrates his lush, deeply rhythmic techno production skills on “Flashback 86.” Mixing fuses good vibes with good tunes: Like, if these guys are going for a pint afterwards, you most definitely want to join.

Various Artists On Isolation

Isolationist music stereotypically consists of drones and long silences that make the Earth feel like a lonelier and more desolate place. This compilation sometimes shatters those barriers. Janek Schaefer finds frolicsome bliss in rainbow-lit vibraphone tones, and Scanner brilliantly drenches a gentle piano ballad in rough wilderness noises. The conventional isolationist tracks make angst and claustrophobia oddly relaxing. Richard Chartier achieves a weightless drone that mimics fog passing by skyscrapers and David Toop’s ominous bell tones and sparse Japanese flutes ballet-dance in blackness. Greg Davis’ virtually silent recording of a farm reminds us how startling low volume can be.

Toca Toca

Going in to record its self-titled debut, Toca didn’t really have a plan of action-and it shows. This album, spearheaded by MC Daniel “Xololanxinxo” Rodriguez (from Of Mexican Descent), is all over the place, but in a good way. Somehow, this kinetic quintet manages to make a track with salsa, punk rock, and hip-hop elements (“Con Ruido”) sound cohesive. Literally every song unveils a new direction for Toca-sometimes even within the songs themselves. On “Nice Try,” what begins as a chaotic blast of psychedelia cools off into a laid-back roots reggae joint. On paper, this band’s music makes little sense. And that’s exactly why you have to experience the experimental energy of Toca for yourself.

Various Artists Body Language Vol. 4: Compiled and Mixed by DJ Dixon

Timo Maas doesn’t usually get fans of obscure dance music too pumped, so it’s surprising when Innervisions purveyor DJ Dixon kicks off his latest mix with Maas’ subdued “Slip In Electro Kid,” that it works to set a dark, deep, and uber-cool tone. Chromatics’ breathy, ’80s-radio-inspired “In the City” doesn’t hurt either, and before you know it, Dixon’s leading listeners down a retro-tinged path that requires neither heavy beats, bass drops, nor synth arpeggios to keep our attention. A creator of moods rather than a keeper of tech-house’s status quo, Dixon does himself proud with Vol. 4.

Bunny Rabbit Lovers and Crypts

Over beats produced by her girlfriend and sometime partner-in-rhyme Black Cracker, breathy-voiced Bunny Rabbit spits all sorts of game about strap-on dildos, ugly buildings, shooting dolphins, and pretty much everything in between. It’s okay to label it Williamsburg-hipster-lesbian-erotica rap, but calling it hip-hop might be a little inaccurate; while Rabbit ostensibly raps, her vocals are way too low in the mix to be confused with what an MC does. Thought-provoking and musically original, Lovers and Crypts makes for an interesting first listen but, with the exception of “Lucky Bunny Foot,” it’s just not catchy enough to inspire a second.

JPLS Twilite

Jeremy Jacobs wants nothing to do with the minimal-gone-maximal trend. The Indiana-based artist is the newest addition to Minus’ stable, and as JPLS he makes the label’s most sparse and restrained techno. Previously he has been unconcerned with making heads nod, choosing instead to focus on production and mood. But this, his first LP, finds a happy medium between thinking and thumping. “Twilite 3,” a light-hearted take on minimalist tech-house, belongs early in the night, and “Twilite 8” is an acidic blip fest of peak-hour proportions. Jacobs’ vision always allows both the songs and the sounds to breathe, hinting at the idea that space really is the place.

Various Artists Back to Mine: Röyksopp

So good it’ll make you want to kit up in North Face gear and move to Bergen, Röyksopp’s Back to Mine works both as a schematic of the duo’s musical DNA and as a pure joy in its own right. Tracks like Edgar Winter’s “Over & Over” and I Level’s “3am Give Me” sound like catalysts for Röyksopp’s own Melody AM and The Understanding; others (Klein & MBO’s “Dirty Talk,” Guy Dalton’s “Night People [New York Club Mix]”) are more like straight-forward invites to lose it under some disco-light approximation of the aurora borealis. Brilliant.

Various Artists BPC Camping Compilation 03

The new BPitch status report is looking good. Old-schoolers like Ben Klock, Sascha Funke, and Paul Kalkbrenner deliver standard BPC techno while Modeselektor and Feadz keep the label’s funky, manic, Berlin style going. While newcomers Zander VT and Larsson inspire little more than a narcoleptic nod, the emotive grandeur of Sylvie Marks & Hal 9000’s “Strahlen” and the fresh chemistry of “Red Planets” by Ellen Allien & Apparat affirm the comp’s indispensability. Pinched at each end by guests Jahcoozi and Fairmont, Camping 03 is an exclusive celebration of BPC’s high-bar eclecticism.

Page 3225 of 3781
1 … 3,223 3,224 3,225 3,226 3,227 … 3,781