Something happens when you take a dour Scottish techno producer and place him under the Catalunyan sun: he cheers up. Yes, following Funk D’Void’s move away from rainy Glasgow, Volume Freak is his most purposefully melodic and soaring album to date. Still, it it’s not like he’s become Savath & Savalas or something. Underpinning these hopeful synths and the occasional moment of vocal melodrama are the pounding, drummy, seven-minute long thud-whack techno tracks that Soma’s been gridding out for years. So just consider Volume Freak the Funk D’Void for the starlit terrace rather than the dirty basement.
Jacki-O Slow Down
“Slow Down” may just be the dairy dessert that brings more boys to the yard than yours or anyone else’s. Miami’s baddest mami flips rapid-fire rhymes-equal parts street smarts, clever punchlines and takes on other people’s lyrics-over an uptempo beat with dancefloor heat. Come on: you know you wanna mix it with Missy’s “Pass the Dutch” and answer the time-honored question, “Do the ladies run this motherfucker?” (Hell yeah.)
Choppa Hot Piece
Not to be confused with Chopper from MTV’s Da Band, this is the OG New Orleans Choppa who recently left No Limit to sign a five-album deal with boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.’s Body Head Entertainment. “Hot Piece” comes off like the Dirty South version of a Tanto Metro and Devonte joint: well-delivered gruff rhymes, a club-friendly bounce beat and a silky smooth hook.
Styles Of Beyond Pay Me
Styles of Beyond is one of the most consistent groups around; their beats are always outstanding and their rhymes are on point. On “Pay Me,” they’re joined by 4-Zone for a double-time delivery that’s somewhere between Project Blowed and Busta Rhymes. The excellent remix to “Mr. Brown” is beautifully built around an Augustus Pablo sample (that always works), and on “Bleach,” SOB lets you have it over a relentless beat driven by furious flutes.
Putsch ’79 Putsch
From the darkest reaches of the earth, Finnish kids Sami Liuski (Bangkok Impact) and Pauli Jylhânkangas are perfecting a warm blend of shuffly New York disco and early-’80s Detroit sounds. Combining analog synths and live guitar with campy dancefloor fun, the pair creates music that is consistently good, from their resolutely danceable tracks to quirky midtempo ones. But none stands out like the driving opener “1300” and its antecedent, “Asian Girls.” The latter features bouncing bass and feel-good strings sashaying across the floor like so much jiggy choreography to the breathy chorus of “Asian girrrls… Chinese loverrr…” Not to be missed.
Various Artists Read: Interpreting Bjàrk
At one point Hush realized how insane it would be to release a Bjàrk tribute album and shelved this whole project. Turns out it’s not the disastrous beast it was feared to be. Though you can’t take the Bjàrk out of Bjàrk, and acoustic covers of electronic music always seem to be lacking something, Kaitlyn Ni Donovan’s “The Hunter” captures the spirit of that song well; likewise Roots of Orchis’s “Possibly Maybe,” Death Cab crooner Ben Gibbard’s “Joga” and fellow Northwesterner Bobby Birdman’s “Unravel.” A testament to Bjàrk’s enduring songwriting and widespread popularity, these covers are more compliments than affronts.
Sondre Lerche Two Way Monologue
Norwegian Sondre Lerche follows up his acclaimed debut, Faces Down, with an equally disarming songwriting success. Still sounding retro in that Bacharach/Beatles/Beach Boys way, Lerche works on his lyrics this time and strips down the production. This familiar sound could easily get old, but Two Way Monologue‘s melodies have a completely engaging swell and swing to them. With Lerche on guitar (and enlisting the same producers and backing band), the arrangements are rife with cute pop flourishes from horns, piano and organs. And Lerche’s dynamic and youthfully optimistic voice deserves a listen, even from those who have yet to embrace the joys of classic pop.
Baby Dayliner High Heart & Low Estate
Bridging backgrounds in street strut and swooning swagger, Brooklyn’s Baby Dayliner creates foppish funk-in both the bass-borne beat boogie and overcast emotional sense. Baby Dayliner woos the whoosh of synthesizers; he broods, dapper and dour, over semi-baroque bump. Literate and limber, he croons over pithy plinks and sly po(m)p, reminiscent of the Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt. Songs are imbued with a melancholy melodic pirouetting, as if they were played through a New Romantic music box-a reality not far off as Dayliner performs live accompanied only by Roland’s Dr. Rhythm. Brisk, crisp, bittersweet and breezy-like prime Clarke/Gore Depeche Mode-Baby Dayliner is a twilit bridge between sincerity and tongue-in-chic, between fey rap and synth-pop’s new world order.
Funkstàrung Disconnected
Michael Fakesch and Chris De Luca first released records of banging acid techno before mellowing out into a hauntingly effective, Autechre-influenced IDM/broken beat/hip-hop-inflected spin cycle that has seen them being credited as a formative link to Prefuse 73. Disconnected finds Funkstàrung flirting with more populist pastures via traditional instrumentation, including live drums and cello, as well as utilizing intricate programming to alter a wealth of syrupy singer-songwriter vocals. Not surprisingly, though, the two tracks featuring Brooklyn MC Tes are standouts-even as Funkstàrung strives to expand their sound, it’s when they indulge their hip-hop influences that they excel.
Various Artists Station
2003 was a big year for little AI records, as they released a string of luminous twelve-inches and stunning compilations, and eBay fever developed for their scant early releases. It was all for good reason-their exceedingly good electro-infused, crystalline IDM is delivered with the quality and visual distinction of vintage Warp. Staunchly devoted to developing and highlighting new talent, Station proves 2004 to be an even more auspicious year for this London lot. Nary a dull moment spread across these 16 tracks; familiarize yourself with Yellotone, Michael Manning, Praveen and Normal, and ignore at your own risk.
