On this “officially” commissioned set of remixes of Lenny Fontana’s disco classic, Hospital allows Nu:Tone and Child Support a shot at the goods with outstanding results. Child Support applies the bubbly Bristol pressure before the man of the hour, Nu:Tone, brings on the infectious soul. Hi-energy from the get-go, Nu:Tone steals the show with a booty-shaking bottom-end and lush atmospherics to cushion Fontana’s heart-wrenching lyrics.
Minotaur Shock Rinse
Listening to the opening track of the new Minotaur Shock record, “4-6 Tops,” is akin to sitting at one end of a long corridor listening to Herbie Hancock being played at the other, whilst a huge sound system in the middle spews forth clattering beats and bass booms. This avalanche of seemingly disparate sounds and influences continues unabashed throughout Rinse-which compiles the vinyl-only tracks released prior to David Edwards’s 2001 debut, Chiff Chaffs And Willow Warblers. Edwards’s enthusiasm for experimentation shines through. These old tracks sound good as new-even upon listening to them multiple times, you hear stuff you’ve never heard before-which makes Rinse stand-out all the more amidst most contemporary electronica.
DJ Andty Smith The Document II
In the five years since it hit the streets, few mixes have packed more funk per square inch than The Document. Fresh from working on the debut album from Dynamo Productions (his joint effort with Scott Hendy), Andy Smith rolls out another redoubtable mix, replete with the same funk workouts (e.g. James Brown’s Lowdown Popcorn”), ’70s soul covers (Patti Drew’s “Hard To Handle”) and punchy hip-hop (Akbar’s “Hot Ya Hot”) that made the original so irresistible. Highlighted by the best diss track known to man (Serge Gainsbourg’s “Requiem Pour Un Con….”), Smith’s new joint pulls off the rarest of sequel tricks: it’s still the shit-just a different pile.
Dwayne Sodahberk Unfortunately
Step one in dismantling glitch’s static hegemony: bring vocals back into computer music. Step two requires beefing up its tinny, click-ridden sound with acoustic instruments like drums, electric guitars and stand-up bass. By this logic, Sweden’s Dwayne Sodahberk is already two steps ahead of his brethren, producing an album that brings experimental pop full circle to its ’90s-era prototype, My Bloody Valentine. More than mere twee folktronica, the superb <i.Unfortunately verily teems with billowy guitar refrains, gauzy atmospherics and barely-there vocals, confirming that while Sodahberk may be gazing at his shoes, he has nothing to be ashamed about.
Daniel Bell Blip, Blurp, Bleep
Many a rock writer has shrugged off electronic music as just “blips and bleeps,” so it’s fitting that Daniel Bell reclaims the pejoratives on this retrospective of his minimalist acid classics. Blip, Blurp, Bleep is composed mostly of tracks Bell released under his DBX alias in the early-to-mid-’90s on labels like Accelerate and Klang-a few tunes are more recent, like “Rhodes 2” from Logistic’s 2002 compilation Post Office. The bulk of the comp is built on little more than a kick and a shimmer, as sinewave spools unravel and wrap bass pulses in trebly straightjackets. On “Work that Shit!” and “Losing Control,” Bell makes rave clich?s new with ominous vocal processing. Bleeping excellent.
Sascha Funke Bravo
After turning-out dozens of singles and compilation tracks for labels like Kompakt and Ellen Allien’s Bpitch, Berlin’s Sascha Funke triumphs with his first album, which effortlessly ranges from blistering acid to bleeding-heart electro-pop. Graced with harpsichords, pastel glitches, and his own plangent vocals, tunes like “Now You Know” and “Forms and Shapes” are masterpieces of melancholic pop, while “Quiet Please” and “R:/ F?r Die Liebe” go even deeper into the Speak and Spell-era splendors of vintage Depeche Mode, albeit updated for discerning German dancefloors. The album’s lone banger, “Bravo” bristles like classic Plastikman, unfurling clicking cricket wings with every downbeat.
Al-Haca Soundsystem Inevitable
The bad news: anyone expecting the same minimalist brutalism and ragga bounce of Al Haca Soundsystem’s devastating single “Killer” may find this German outfit’s debut album overly polite. This is no The Bug, and He-Man’s Cookie Monster growls grace only one track on the album. The good news: Inevitable shows the four-piece to be master crafters of deep digital dub. More cushioned than Sterotyp’nevitable pairs deejays like Ras MC-Tweed, Mr. V, and even Sizzla with billowing ambient dub of the Rhythm & Sound school, coloring the whole thing with a rosy glow.
Fabrice Lig Roots Of The Future
31-year-old Belgian techno producer Fabrice Lig (a.k.a. Soul Designer) already has a leg up on most of his European contemporaries, having recorded tracks for Detroit luminaries Kevin Saunderson and Daniel Bell. Indeed Lig’s tracks share Detroit techno’s distinct melodic, electro-tinged motifs. Highlighted by tracks like the deep, thumping “Escape From Nowhere,” the lively “Galapagos,” and the delightfully melodic “Thru Your Soul,” Roots Of The Future is a stylish compendium of Lig’s releases for German label Raygun. His lush keyboards, tough, dubby beats, and feathery strings stand out on this retrospective of some of his best Motor City-influenced work in recent years.
Flowmotion Visual Pleasure Volume 2.0
Combining visual representation with experimental and ambient electronic music is a no-brainer. Late-night German TV shows Flowmotion and Space Night have capitalized on this combination, emphasizing tripped-out motion and fluidity over structure in their programming, which has become popular with aging electronic music fans. Germany’s Elektrolux label hosts an impressive array of experimental artists on this compilation-Iceland’s Mùm, Aural Float, the Sushi Club and UNN-favoring crackly, fragmented audio bits, soothing textures and perky beat arrangements rather than the floaty ambient soundscapes of the Space Night soundtracks. Not every track is a keeper, but highlights by the likes of Index ID and Rescape fend off the occasional lapse into New Age pop.
Soul Position 8,000,000 Stories
Ohio producer RJD2 and MC/producer Blueprint join up as Soul Position, and the combo’s 8,000,000 Stories takes the underground’s pole position. RJD2 proves his crusty old soul drums, descending basslines and keyboard samples can sustain an MC over a full-length. Blueprint strays further out lyrically, rattling off the names of cartoons and toys familiar from ’70s childhoods on the “Candyland” interludes, and plumbing the depths of struggle with “Look of Pain” and “Run.” Blueprint’s flexible, appealing voice handles comedy as easily as drama, as proven by the hilarious girlfriend-trouble story “Jerry Springer Episode.”
