Back after a year-long sabbatical, this guru of tribal trickery returns with a double-pack aimed at peak-time performance. From pumping tech-house to dangerously sharp techno, this EP carries functional diversity topped off by brilliant synthesis. Definitely one of the summer’s top releases.
Tim Taylor vs. Andy Slate Muscle Madness
Following up the epic re-release of the classic “Horn Track,” Tim teams up with Budapest-based producer Andy Slate. With moods that reference early-’80s dance, this 12″ shuffles along while highlighting alternating half-step sixteenth-note bass grooves. A bit less upfront of a melody than previous titles, and a positive leap for the imprint.
Adam Johnson Chigilak
Johnson’s supple electronica, gliding ambiance and crisp rhythms all shimmer and his beats, occasionally inspired by electro and hip-hop, plod forth among myriad haunting sounds, glitchy beeps and clicks. Chigilak is as impressive as anything previously offered on Miami’s M3rck. On “Some Say She’s Naive,” the rhythm’s got some bounce to it, even if you listen on your headphones; things even a get a bit weird on “Sensible Impostor,” with its garbled rhythms and distant tones. Johnson’s music is as consistent as it is thorough, and plays well from beginning to end.
Various Rough Trade Spots-Post Punk 01
If you’re under 30 and experiencing the “new” disco punk movement for the first time, this is a perfect compendium, to educate yourself on what happened in the early ’80s, the brief merger that’s now heading into its official revival. You may have heard of bands like Gang of Four, Scritti Politti and Liquid Liquid from your youth (all of whom appear here), but it’s those under-the-radar cuts, like Maximum Joy’s “Stretch” and Delta 5’s “Mind Your Own Business,” that fully flesh out this enduring relationship between rocking and grooving.
Various Latin Soul Fusion Volume 2
Daniel Klein, boss of the Mallorca-based Flamingo Discos imprint, was an obvious choice to handpick the best in house-styled Latino grooves. Klein has put together a selection which stands out for its musicality and tangible live instrumentation. Solid Groove Productions’ “Keep It There” holds things in the right place, courtesy of spiraling strings, a preoccupied harmonica and a dazzling sax. Axwell remixes Elements of Soul’s “Head Above Water” into a sub-aqua gem, where buoyant keys act as a float for hopeful strings and submerged vocals that question the partner’s commitment. A delightful, summery collection.
Si Begg Director’s Cut
Recording under his sizable stash of pseudonyms, Begg blends, borrows and steals perhaps the world’s most eclectic samples. On Director’s Cut, Begg’s deeply personal perusal of favorite styles and sounds, neither genre nor era are held sacred-lively dancehall scats skitter past celestial beings on high, and references tumble over each other in an infectious riot of grooves. Slyly humorous, Begg takes the pseudo prog-rocker “River,” adds some upward inflected Turner-esque vocals (“River Deep, Mountain High” comes to mind) and renders it futuristic while Kraftwerking his way through the ultra-mix of England. Witty, danceable and damn near a must-have.
Gerd Modified
Gerd graces us with an ostensibly insider concept that works for the masses. Gerd. Modified is a compilation of Gerd remixes, other artists remixing Gerd, and Gerd remixing themselves. All Gerd all the time works, though. The beauty of Modified lies in the imaginative inclusion of throwback instruments such as flute and flugelhorn, accenting the sensuous melodies sliding through virtually every track. Vocals are given special attention here, to especially good effect with Alissa Kuecker on “Shine,” as well as the Brasilia-tinged “Tesao.” “Onkel Joe,” a ’70s German jazz classic, undergoes a Latin makeover with a bit of 5/4 beat thrown in-just one of the tricks in the Gerd arsenal.
Nobody Pacific Drift: Western Water Music Vol. 3
LA hip-hop DJ Elvin Estella refers to himself as Nobody, but with Pacific Drift: Western Water Music Vol. 1Rob Geary, he proves to be somebody after all-namely, the scion of West Coast psychedelia. Although not yet a gleam in the elder Estella’s eye when the remarkable sounds of Love, Spirit and The Byrds reigned supreme in the Great Basin, Nobody today channels that era’s rampant experimentalism. Evincing the skills of West Coast jazz maven David Axelrod, Nobody mines the audio bravery of Sun Ra and Can with his breaks and samples, tempering it all with the mellowness of soft-rock faves Millennium, Sagittarius, The Association and Dennis Wilson. Vocal tracks alternate with instrumental passages, tethered by interludes. Pacific Drift includes unconventional covers of songs by period groups The Monkees, The Zombies, Pearls Before Swine and The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, and Nobody’s guestlist is mighty: Languis, Chris Gunst (Beachwood Sparks), Paul Larson (Athalia, Dntel) and Jimmy Tamborello (Figurine, Postal Service, Dntel). Even if ’60s sources have never touched their turntables, enthusiasts of Manitoba, DJ Shadow and Freestyle Fellowship will dig Nobody.
Gilles Peterson Gp04
Swiss-made, London-based Gilles Peterson survived radio piracy and stashing vinyl booty over 20 years ago to feed his adoration of soul, jazz and hip-hop forms into GP04. With characteristic precision, Peterson selects a superfluity of artists who buck profiles. Peterson opens with Gallic abstract beats from DJ Vadim-produced TTC and the Latin posturing of Headtric featuring Joshua Baumgarten. Philly’s King Britt (feat. Quasimoto), LA’s The Rebirth, and Detroit Experiment represent the best of US smooth tempos with a bit o’ bite. Troubleman, Beatfanatic and Mr. Spock drop mighty bounce, and the highlight of this collection is the LTJ Experience’s sambasized remix of Japan’s “Studio Apartment.”
Erick Morillo Subliminal Sesssions 5
On the fifth installment of this label’s mix series, Subliminal owner Morillo pulls out some old-school business and mixes it up with some new stuff. Morillo’s emphasis is definitely on moving the floor, and any mix that kicks off with “Relight My Fire” by Dan Hartman is welcome, especially when it’s followed by Jeanette Thomas’s crucial jack track “Shake Your Body.” However, the current penchant for all things acid-tinged and old-school in the house realm only amplifies the fact that the music form hasn’t really moved on that much since the mid-’90s, and a comparison of Morillo’s choice of new tunes to the classics really brings this home. Thumbs up for the classics-heavy selection, but some of us want to move forward.
