If Gang of Four has provided the spastic, trebly reference point of most recent disco punk, Konk surely has contributed to the solid rhythmic backbone of the genre. Their influence on !!! is unquestionable, at least. Relishing in the melting pot of late-1970s New York, the band fused their post-punk approach with skewed but learned takes on soca, Latin jazz, salsa and nascent hip-hop to create a racially ambiguous but undeniably upbeat dance sound. And though Soul Jazz has left off a few of Konk’s most uncommon pleasures, this is a welcome introduction.
Air Liquide Let Your Ears Be the Receiver
It may be true that German outfit Air Liquide has influenced the Cologne sound, but there’s not much shuffle fever or minimal click to their comeback album. Instead, these acid electro pioneers throw together a rather bizarre collection of dubby downtempo numbers, pumping mega-club techno and even confessional electro-meets-country & western jams. The only unifying elements here are bright, round-sounding bassines and crisp 808 high hats, but even those classics aren’t enough to save these veterans from an overwhelmingly trite record.
Various Artists Switches
If you made a daisy chain out of the bedroom producers currently making Plaid-and Boards of Canada-influenced IDM, it would stretch around the earth 12 times. Switches curates 14 such unsung heroes into a quiet exhibition that will perfectly suit fans of tonal sculpture and melancholic clicks ‘n’ cuts. Switches doesn’t quite equal the genius of, say, Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Part 2, but among picaresque tracks from New York’s Build, Wisconsin’s He Can Jog and London’s OTI, there may be a future star in the making.
Vladislav Delay Demo(n)tracks
Vladislav Delay has admitted that he mainly listens to Deee-Lite and Alicia Keys at home these days. Now hear what they possibly influenced. On Demo(n)tracks, Delay concocts digital dub that staggers through Berlin’s industrial yards in the morning sun. The continuous mix recalls the DSP test-firings of Anima, yet with sharper emotion and scope. This album seemingly “builds” itself-as the recurring field recordings of saws and jackhammers of “Lokauu” and violent, echoplexed snare eruptions of “Otan Osaa” attest. Geothermal synths that recall Delay’s Luomo project also haunt. Despite moments of overproduction, Demo(n)tracks is Delay’s most arresting work yet.
Blame Closer
Bridging the gap between outer space and the dancefloor, Blame continues to walk the fine line between the tough and the deep on his latest outing for 720?. With “Closer” bringing on the subtle, robot-driven techno-meditation, it isn’t until “Citadel” surfaces on the flip that we know exactly what we’re dealing with. Twisting up dirty atmospheres, swirling stabs and stuttering beats, this one is nothing short of epic.
Amit Village Folk
Newcomers Amit and Hungarian Chris SU (and his mysterious Tactile crew) continue to come with the heavy-duty goodness. Amit’s “Village Folk” and “Lost Voice” conjure up the ancestors with deep, dark and hypnotic sounds. Spiraling even deeper into the abyss, Chris SU and company bring on the desert vibes with “Paradise” and unleash monstrous lurching basslines on “Undercover Dub.”
Various Artists 4Hero: The Remix Album
Borne out of the early breakbeat era, the legendary duo known as 4hero have since evolved into one of the dance community’s most influential and infamous pioneers. Able to take on the influences and tempos of a number of genres and make them their own, Marc Mac and Dego have built a career on merging the organic with the synthetic in a mind-blowing way. Fans of Jazzanova, Bugz in the Attic, King Britt and Nuyorican Soul will find themselves at home as the pair revisits the past and charts a funky course through nu-jazz, soul, house, broken beat and just straight up cool. With the first disc featuring the duo in remix mode before they get the reverse treatment on the second, grab this one on sight, as it’s some long overdue essential listening.
Probe & Sylo Give Me Some More
Probe and Sylo drop some serious party bounce on their debut for Worldwide Audio Recordings. Featuring the toasting skills of MC IC3, “Give Me Some More” causes dancefloor mayhem with shuffling beats and warped b-lines that beg for the rewind. Wait! There’s plenty more jiggle to come as “Shadowlock” keeps the needle in the red and drives another jackhammer groove on home.
BSE & Optiv Insiders
Teaming up with Optiv from C4C, the BSE boys keep the neurofunk vibe alive as the eerie atmospheres and shuffling percussion on “Insiders” gives way to the technoid hook at the core. Skynet, the king of sci-fi funk, touches down on the flip with the quicksilver beatdown of “Hydroflash.” Never one to waste any time getting to the heart of the matter, Skynet quickly drives to the breaking point before the bass comes barreling in with inimitable finesse.
Black Sun Empire Driving Insane
Catapulting into the international drum & bass spotlight with their self-titled imprint in early 2002, the three-headed beast known as Black Sun Empire now delivers devastating floor-killers and deep and heavy beats on their debut LP, Driving Insane. BSE showcases a unique sound influenced by the sweeping melodies, epic drops and dirty beats of trance and techno, but not to worry-his is still strychnine-laced hardcore drum & bass, and VIP collaborations and remixes from Ill Skillz, Concord Dawn and Kemal ensure this release will drive dark d&b fans insane.
