There’s a myth out there about how techno in Detroit is dead. One could choose to believe that, depending on the parameters. But, with a little bit more latitude in definition and geography, things have never been better. Case in point: this compilation from Ann Arbor’s Ghostly International. Idol Tryouts spans a healthy mix, from the artistry of Matthew Dear and Osborne’s house to the computer-aided rock of Midwest Product. It also sports a variety-pack of electro flavors, including evolutionary, ballsy cuts like Kill Memory Crash’s “Get Out.” If anything, Detroit’s influence is alive, well and still spreading like wildfire.
Liaisons Dangereuses S/t
More Jules Verne than Toffler, Liaisons Dangereuses’ designs on tomorrow must have appealed just as much to Derrick May and Carl Craig. Or maybe it was their subversive nature-implant a kernel of chaos into otherwise quantized funk. In 1981, there weren’t too many others making machines swing as hard as they do on “Peut Etre Pas” or “Los Ninos Del Parque.” Except for Kraftwerk, of course. With all the reference and reverence of them, it would be easy to pass up a project such as Liaisons Dangereuses. This long overdue history lesson should seed some exciting new futures.
Inaya Day vs. D-Squared Save Me
Look At You drops another bomb, a soulful gospel venture for the peak hour of a set, and a very powerful vocal performance from Inaya. The two mixes here compliment the lyrics and melody nicely. The original vocal mix is a bit deeper, while the Indeep remix is stronger overall.
Idjut Boys Saturday Night Live (Volume 2)
If you’re looking for a change of pace, then this is for you. While it’s still a dance compilation, there’s a variety of BPMs, and the selection is very eclectic. Listening to it at moments took me back to David Mancuso’s loft.
Jon Cutler Feat. Luna Alone
Jon comes through again with another fine production, which features a very souful hypnotic vibe with all the right elements. Luna’s vocals are laid back but inspirational. The single’s also got some good DJ tools: a bonus beat, a capella and sound fx track.
RJD2 The Horror
RJD2: friendly android cyber-bot or Definitive Jux sample-swapping producer? RJ’s deft mastering, despite his limited studio resources, place his skills among the caliber of the inhuman android, but the emotion evoked through his music is altogether human. Deadringer reworked dusty ’70s samples into a sort of Frankenstein of disparate parts that somehow remained sonically sweet. As a follow-up, the two-CD The Horror is all remixes of that debut. A new “Final Frontier” garners a more listenable rap than its Deadringer counterpart, and “Bus Stop Bitties” finds the Motown era’s soul food even bass-ier and tastier. The second CD features live performance footage as well as an interactive photo gallery. The Horror is superlatively inhuman in its quality, much like RJD2’s production skills.
DJ Hyper Fractured
Even drum & bass, the bastard child of dance music, had more representation than nu-skool breaks at this year’s WMC. Help is on the way, as Bedrock Breaks is poised to infiltrate the mainstream with this double-CD compiled by London’s 21-year-old Guy Hatfield. Starting off as a relaxed and heady affair, the mix segues into harder dance tracks on CD 2. Unreleased material peppered with last year’s anthems showcase all the stars: Fatliners, BLIM’ls and Kemek the Dope Computer are just a start. With this thorough representation of breakbeat innovation, maybe soon the world will wake up from its trance.
Vessel Dreaming in Paris
Stealing fire from Warp and a page from Aphex Twin, Vessel cook up highly unoriginal IDM. Braindaince wouldn’t be braindance if it wasn’t a little dreamy, but these guys are laid back to the point of coma-inducement. They embellish their songs with the latest in squishy glitch drums, but include unneeded electro keys that destroy the shiny-new-sound feel that marks IDM’s experimentalism. Dreaming in Pairs sounds like it should have been served around 1998-it’s basically a great dish ruined by being left out in the cold.
Blim & Rennie Pilgrim Feat. MC Chickaboo 2 Freaks
Big electro synths + even bigger drums + the excellent MC Chikaboo = breakbeat anthem. Very funky and incredibly catchy. Would work just as well on the radio as it would on the dancefloor. This could be massive.
Tok Tok Vs Soffyo Day of Mine (Starecase Rmx)
These boys program drums like surgeons perform operations-so precise and clinical. Add plenty of funk, nice vocals and the trademark Starecase atmospherics, and you’ve a great breaks track for the summer. The best Starecase work so far. Class.
