Many were taken aback when longtime Legendary Pink Dot Ryan Moore entered the yawning chasm of dub music. But they were far from disappointed with the results. Moore seized upon the analog implements of Caribbean technology and created mammoth, concave exercises in the echo chamber. His unique, thunderous sounds avoid the two fatal mistakes of contemporary dub practitioners-attempting to mimic King Tubby’s lo-fi aesthetic, and using racks of digital gear that result in “dub lite” (is there anything worse?). If you want your contacts blown out of your eyes, go straight to the “Lowell & Nine-Dub Plate.” It’s underground nuclear testing without the poison.
Elite Force No Turning Back
This tasty techy two-tracker whets your appetite for Elite Force’s full-length album No Turning Back, out on the renowned Whole9Yards label later this year. Here’s two winners for peak-time dancefloors with sexy tribal beats, classy housey synths, twisted FX and lowdown dirty sub base.
MC Skibadee Man-A-Man (Dee Kline Mix)
Big tune alert! Drum & bass star MC Skibadee calls in remix duties from breakbeat garage don DJ Dee Kline on his outstanding debut 12-inch “Man-A-Man.” This is a razor-sharp full vocal, rollin’, bass-heavy, breakbeat throbber. Perfect if you love your breaks dark and nasty.
Meat Katie and Dark Globe I Feel It
Taken from DJ Hyper’s forthcoming mix album, Bedrock Breaks 2, tech-breaks maestro Meat Katie teams up with London’s digi-funksters Dark Globe to deliver an uncompromising, highly hypnotizing deep dancefloor corker. Sounding fat!
Manitoba Jacknuggeted
Relax, take a breath, LISTEN. Enjoy the slow romantic indie rock “Seaweed,” the kind of stuff you can play for your mom, without being bored yourself. Tons of jingles over acoustic drums (“Thistles and Felt”). Vocal delights! You will have dreams about lemonade.
Dino Felipe Econo EP
Dino will make all you “straight boys” wet! You might as well feather him down with a palm leaf. On this 12″, Dino is making his version of rave music. Crusty noise over classic techno after a bass ball beat loop from the year 1952, crashes a melodic piano then collides into a wall of angel dust. After Xanax, conversation and sex comes Dino.
Calibre Peso
With so many tunes floating around on plate but nowhere near enough being released, Calibre (one of my favorite producers!) has finally taken matters into his own hands by starting his own label, and what a way to kick things off! The latin-tinged roller “Peso,” backed with the infamous, Bob Marley-sampling “My Chance,” have been doing the damage on dancefloors all over the world. This is already one of the scene’s best labels and its only just begun! Buy on sight!!
Artificial Intelligence Won’t Give Up
The latest in a long succession of wicked tunes from AI intros with a stepping break laced with filtered chords and guitar riffs, slowly building with more sounds until a vocal hook and amen kick in to pick up the pace. Then a real hypnotizing b-line enters the frame at the drop. AI seem to have mastered the art of really sultry-sounding tracks that still maintain a dancefloor-friendly vibe that can fit into any set. Big tings a gwaan, as they say…
J-Walk Another Lover (Influx Datum UK Rmx)
One of my favorite tunes of the year so far, this is remixer Gavin Influx at his finest. Phat rolling breaks, swirling chords and lush strings set the tone, soon followed by a super-sexy vocal. A killer deep bassline and touch of mentasm take things up a notch, and with the vocals weaving in and out of the mix you have a tune hot enough to steam up any dancefloor. Bad, bad, bad.
A New Blueprint For Techno
Cover artists, Autechre, don their infamous attitudes once again. Original B-girl T-Love, German soundcrafter Thomas Koner, and Wackies founder Lloyd Barnes fill the pages with the eclectic spirit of electronic music. Other features include Prince Paul, Nobukazu Takemura, Spacek, Stateless, Tipper, Merck Records, Danger Mouse & Jemini, limited-edition clothing to impress your friends, Far Out Recordings, and countless record reviews.
