In the flood of funk and soul reissue compilations of late, Movements 2 stands out because of its seemingly complete lack of focus. Rather than concentrate on a region, label, producer, city or sound, Tobias Kirmayer’s second volume of funk is simply Kirmayer’s picks. It contains neither the most obscure nor the most historically vital funk 45s, and will likely leave some hardcore collectors smirking at previously reissued tracks like Funky Nassau’s “Bahama Soul Stew” and Carlton Basco’s “Don’t Chain My Soul.” But the more casual funk fan will find Movements 2 refreshing for the same reasons: Every track is finger-burning hot.
Stereotyp Keepin’ Me
The opening electro-gospel title track (with Sandra Kurzweil’s painfully soulful vocals) alone makes this album worthwhile. Stefan Moerth, a reclusive producer who blends beats in a Vienna wine cellar, has mastered the art of bass. Since 2002‘s My Sound, the man has continually created sensuous, low-end-heavy club bangers and midtempo tracks. Influenced heavily by the Rasta vibe, his broken-beat cuts focus on guest vocals and a cornucopia of sound effects. Ranging from eerie to scary to-interestingly enough-comforting, Keepin’ Me is proof positive of Stereotyp’s brilliant alchemy.
Lee Scratch Perry Panic In Babylon
While technology has helped spread reggae music globally, there‘s always a downside. For Scratch, the man who invented dub by cutting magnetic tapes in his makeshift Black Ark studio, all this Pro Tooling hinders the warmth and immediacy once synonymous with his name. Admittedly, Panic in Babylon is one of his better efforts in recent decades, but he‘s caught between two worlds: recreating the past he invented and battling the bad boys of dancehall today. Right now he‘s stuck between two hard places with no light in sight.
Freddie Cruger Soul Search
There’s an undeniable buoyancy to Freddie Cruger’s “Over the Ocean” when the beats come in like giant bata drums punctuating the air and Desmond Foster’s patois emerges atop the bass-heavy groove. It‘s just one of 13 exceptionally tight tunes on this full-length debut by the Swedish producer also known as Red Astaire. Cruger invites a slew of guests to display their skills above his dub-, hip-hop-, and jazz-inspired tunes. Atlanta soulster Anthony David sounds great with his choppy scats on “I Wanna Make You Move” and even better on the big beat “New World New Time.” Foster returns, as does Swingfly, Linn, and Cee-Rock. The deeply Jamaican “Running From Love,” with a brilliant lyrical display by ADL, proves to be the most soulful in Cruger’s Search, but that doesn’t take anything away from the other dozen; on any day any one of them could claim that title.
Various Mo’horizons: Stereo 150
Jumping from Volume 2 to 150 (to celebrate their sizable discography), Stereo Deluxe commissioned Ralf Droesemeyer and Foh Wetzler to survey and mix away their back catalog. Though they claim their muscle is global, the truth is that their bins reflect a hard Euro bent with traces of international influence. This comes alive in Boozoo Bajou’s classic “Under My Sensei” and Quantic’s flute-charged mix of Trio Eléctrico’s “Echo Parcours.” Mo’Horizons takes honors not just for a smooth, flowing charge of bass-heavy background cuts, but for stepping up front with the collection’s top cut: a Latin remix of the stellar “Drum’n Boogaloo.”
Tanya Stephens Rebelution
Tanya Stephens has always been a “singles” artist, producing a few killer tracks on top of albums filled with decent, though not outstanding, material. Rebelution proves no different. (Respect paid firstly to one of reggae‘s most diverse female vocalists, able to navigate seriously studious dancehall and acoustic roots equally.) With her sixth release, she keeps it more relaxed, though the rolling cymbal hits of “Who is Tanya” and upbeat swagger of “Spilled Milk” add plenty of juice to her rebellion. Intermittent monologues on spirituality and community are insightful but tend to weigh down the flow-choppy, but it still merits attention.
A Guy Called Gerald Proto Acid: The Berlin Sessions
There‘s no denying the importance of Gerald Simpson‘s contributions to modern electronic music (see 808 State and “Voodoo Ray”), but his last full-length was a bit of a letdown. Stylistically scattered, it signaled a slump for the prolific producer that Proto Acid handily calls bullshit on. Here are 20-plus brand-new tracks of sizzling techno recorded in one smooth session. They‘re as fresh as anything coming from Berlin, and readymade for the dancefloor. Shooting at multiple targets never guarantees a hit, but luckily this one nails it.
Emperor Machine Vertical Tones and Horizontal Noise
Working solo as Emperor Machine, Andy Meecham’s second LP is another departure from the acid revivalism that marks his work as Chicken Lips. Vertical Tones is a compendium of 12″s released over the past year, all produced with a loving nostalgia for vintage ‘70s analog production. Tracks like the epic “Roller Daddy” are enjoyable only on a kitschy level. But others are canny updates on the era, and solid floor bangers in their own right; “Lift Up Chong and See” plays like the future of electro-house with its the tightly zippered synths, cowbells, and robo-minx vocals.
120 Days 120 Days
Wonder what Radiohead would have sounded like if they had discovered big, room-filling synthesizers during their U2-worshipping phase? The answer is 120 Days, a Norwegian quartet that creates giant, sweeping, rock epics powered by a thick distillation of guitars, bass, and rumbling analog synths. Rather than evoke new wave, these young rockers sound like late-’70s techno-punks mingling with mid-’70s prog-rockers over a 21st century Pro Tools rig, banging out cell phone-waving anthems for hipsters and nerds alike.
Various Keep the Faith
Faith-based techno? You’ll be ready to pledge your vote to the Dust Science slate after hearing Keep the Faith, the label’s first compilation of thick, brainy-yet-danceable techno from the legendary likes of Dan Curtain and Richard H. Kirk. The basslines throb, the acid boxes pulsate, the voices are buried and distorted in the mix in a wave of bottomless beats that feels more like a relentless Plastikman mix than a grab-bag label comp. Newcomer Derailleur steals the show with “Repeat Offender,”–a savage beating of a track structured like a classical symphony.
