Technoheads have long revered Peter Grummich for delivering (under infinite pseudonyms) what seems to come naturally from his home turf of Berlin: 20 years of DJing and producing, with little deviation from the kind of lean, minimalist lines that make techno purists weep for joy. Predictably, Switch . . . offers Grummich‘s signature blend of hypnotic melody and deep, dubby basslines, which has made him a natural fit for labels like Kompakt, Ghostly and Shitkatapult; expect mostly loop-friendly tracks better suited for mixing than listening, though. And too bad the grainy cover art looks like everybody forgot about it until the last minute.
Steve Spacek Space Shift
The fusion of electronic and R&B has never been as popular as it should be (remember Atlantic‘s unprofitable gamble on Craig David five years ago?). While today‘s pop charts offer plenty of riff-driven, Neptunes-inspired fluff, Steve Spacek offers a smoother, more soulful version that channels a futuristic Al Green. It‘s all sexy stuff, with softer trip-hop edges than Spacek‘s eponymous London group a few years ago. Bouncy funk creeps through minimalist beats on “Slave,” conjuring visions of sashaying hips, but it‘s Spacek‘s falsetto croons and broken beats on “Rapid Rate” that could retrace the disjointed, stop-go paces of any urban romantic.
Induce Cycle
Induce gives the impression that he feels more comfortable amidst notes and beats than any cruder tools of language. Cycle swells with tremendous feeling: from lonely flute notes on the syncopated jazz-drum exercise “Call” to the late ‘80s hip-hop MC valentine “Rebirth‘s Reprise” (featuring excerpts from Good Will Hunting) to “A Wave of Calm Before the Warm,” where sweeping chords of electronic noise pound against 4/4 beats as inexorably as the ocean surf. As a result, Cycle is a vibrant listen, gleaming with clear moments of quiet beauty and breezing through divergent genres seamlessly. Some throwaway tracks, like “System Mechanic,” make more promises than they actually deliver; it‘s a small gripe however, especially as Induce‘s emotional articulation is otherwise so enthralling. Easily one of 2005‘s more sophisticated finds.
Various Artists Nik Weston Nu [New] Style Vol. 3
Nik Weston turns away from the land of the rising sun for this selection of global goodies on the laid-back tip. Leeds, UK’s The New Mastersounds sets the mood, with organic organ swells and gently jazzy guitar making a nice nest for Corinne Bailey Rae’s soulful croon. There’s some tasty snare work on Rob Scott’s “Fallin,'” but some tracks, like Ernesto’s “Blame It on Your Melody,” are just a bit too smooth. Still, this is a solid comp for an easy evening on the chaise lounge.
Matthew Herbert Plat du Jour
Matthew Herbert is an artist with an axe to grind-here he takes on the food industry. A sample from the liner notes for “Celebrity”: “This track is made entirely from food endorsed by celebrities or tied in with a marketing strategy.” In the case of that song-driven by the lilting, mischievous vocals of Herbert‘s partner Dani Siciliano and a percolating pan-pipe melody-the rhetoric also rocks. But elsewhere the ideas and processes behind the music threaten to overwhelm the actual sounds. Plat du Jour is not easy to swallow, but that is precisely what makes it great. It would be easy to call the uneasy layer of politics that lurks behind the music the, ahem, icing on the cake. In reality, it‘s Herbert‘s willingness to ask questions, wave flags and actively choose how to live his life (and make music) that is the cake itself.
Various Artists Soulsearching:The Compost Radio Show
Michael Rütten’s radio show is one of the few I can be bothered to track down on the internet and this volume easily explains why it‘s worth the search. Rütten’s not afraid to switch up tempos-Pascal Rioux and Mr. Day’s dreamy house number “Don‘t Outstay Outside Tonight” is sandwiched between two decidedly downtempo cuts, for instance; his selections are complimentary rather than homogenous. With songs as disparate as 2 Banks of 4’s chopped and squelched remix of Build an Ark’s “You Gotta Have Freedom” and Benny Sings’ “Make A Rainbow,” with its bare piano plus chorus, this mix is more about collaboration than cohesion.
Mulatu Astatke From New York to Addis Ababa: The Best of Mulatu Astatke
With Mulatu Astatke‘s signature tune “Yegelle Tezeta” making a star turn in Jim Jarmusch‘s Broken Flowers, now‘s a great time to collect some of the Ethiopian jazz great‘s works onto CD-even though the Ethiopiques series already did so a couple of years ago. About half the tracks here weren‘t on that comp, though, which is a good enough reason to check out some of the wildest, freest grooves in all of late ‘60s/early ‘70s swinging Africa. While anchored with Afro-Cuban rhythms and Jimmy Smith-style Hammond jazz, an eclectic array of instruments and the loose musicianship and howls of Astatke‘s backing band created a sound that today sounds strikingly surreal. With its discordant use of steel drums, “Asiyo Belema” sounds as ethereal as any early dub recording. Classic material.
Tiger Stripes Sprited Away
Ever experimenting with the idea of “cold fusion,” Stockholm-based Mikael Nordgren (under his Tiger Stripes moniker) creates another dancefloor sensation. Blending swirling synths, strings and strong beats, the EP comes off stylistically similar to releases from Dennis Ferrer and Jerome Sydenham. Fans of Ibadan Records, Code Red or Defected should scope this out.
DJ Pierre Come Together (What is House?)
Pierre’s single “Come Together” is expressively built, and your dancefloor will love you for playing it. Laced with familiar drum rhythms, this release redefines the idea of six degrees of separation. United under one groove, fans of artists such as DJ/producer Stacey Pullen or Doc Martin will enjoy this one.
Aroy Dee/Vince Watson Shifts/The Planets
Vince Watson‘s remix of “The Planets” is a mélange of delicate, yet forceful driving melodic components, however sparse and minimal the array. Aroy Dee‘s “Shifts” is the musical equivalent of an early morning cup of organic tea-comforting, warm and perfect for the moment.
