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Various Artists - Kitsuné 9: The Petit Bateau edition or The Cotton Issue

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:43:49 GMT

Kitsuné are treading on thin ice at the moment. Recognizing the fact they have their finger on the pulse, they have moved up a gear from lazier efforts (installment number eight) to this new infectious concoction: The Petit Bateau edition or The Cotton Issue.

Irritating to say the least, I can’t help but feel the magnetic pull of Kitsuné’s saccharine taste. What can I say? I’m a self confessed pop addict.

Granted some of the artists have shamefully overdosed on the sadder aspects of the ‘80s, ala cheesy UK duo Hurts, and the annoyingly sissy sounds of nu-disco duo Silver Columns.

However if you can manage to skip through the predictable filler tunes from the likes of Fenech Soler, Yuksek, Jupiter, Jamiaca you’ll come across the few brilliant songs hidden here that cry out for some FM airplay.

‘Belong’ by Washed Out, has been on repeat for three straight days, a life affirming 4 minutes of melodic pop. Crookers with Yelle serve up a fine slice of skewed reggaeton, Penguin Prison’s ‘Animal Animal’ would make David Byrne proud. Finally, you wonder if Gypsy and the Cat had released ‘Time To Wander’ in the 80s, would they be headlining Live Aid right now?

For all the sh*t that Kitsuné put out, you have to admit they can spot a nugget of pop gold from miles away. Who cares which decade an artist references - a good song will always be a good song. I would buy this compilation for the Washed Out track alone.

Mark E - Selected Works 2005 - 2009

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:07:49 GMT

At the risk of laboring a point that has been made for ever, there is only good music and bad music. Whatever style, or type of music floats your boat, there will be good and there will be bad. There will be songs that are universally accepted as brilliant, and of course those that are universally accepted as, er..., not good. Then there will be the middle ground occupied by people who (I have a sneaky suspicion) like arguing and being a smart ass more than they like music. And finally, there will be those people who just don't give a fuck, and listen to only what they like. After all - music is probably the most subjective thing in the world.

All this is a roundabout way of saying that although Mark E is perhaps best known as an 'editor' and someone who has made his name with re-edits of forgotten gems, to look at this album, Selected Works 2005 - 2009, as just a simple collection of DJ tools or edits is to totally miss the point. Nobody laments the of use disco samples and a drum machine to create a lot of early house music - so why all the fuss about re-edits? Well, if you have an answer to that (rhetorical) question, I suggest you to go and buy yourself a copy of this cherry picked selection of some of Mr E's finest moments from the last 5 years.

Deep as the ocean and rubbed up and down with more good loving than any one person should be capable of, Selected Works 2005 - 2009 is more than just a timely reminder of what Mark E has put out on wax on the last few years. Listening to the collection in full actually gives a pretty different experience, right up close you can on occasion see the joins, J Dilla style, and hear the samples breathe. Everyone should have a copy of this. At the risk of contradicting my opening statement: To not like Mark E is to not like music!

Riva Starr - If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:05:58 GMT

Released through Jesse Roses' Made To Play label the debut album of Riva Starr is an exercise in functional music for the 21st century, with the obligatory curve ball or two along the way. Hailing from Naples Riva Starr, aka Stefano Miele, has unsurprisingly been courted by the nu-skool house elite, including Claude VonStroke, over the last couple of years with a sound that perfectly nails the electronic house tastes of the masses .

Dance music by its very nature is functional and what is in the mainstream tends to go in cycles. We've had so much dance music recently that fits in to boxes such as bass heavy club music with 'local' samples, that much of If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade left me feeling, well, not exactly inspired... Perhaps the album format is not the right medium for Riva Starr's message - A Funktion One system in a cavernous warehouse filled with 20 somethings is perhaps more suitable. However that is not to say that Miele has crafted a bad album.

A brooding reworking of the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band's 'Darkest Light' (which has re-appeared in many guises over the years) is one of the highlights - simply known as 'Black Mama', it's restrained groove and solid beat mark it apart from much of the rest of the album. 'In Naples' is also fantastic, working a Theremin and a familiar sounding sample around a skittish playful beat which I enjoyed a lot.

Solidly produced and sure to be purchased in droves, there is not a lot here to dislike if you are a fan of any of the nu-skool house producers. If however your tastes are little broader, or deeper, you may struggle to fully engage.

Toro Y Moi - Causers Of This

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:39:54 GMT

Yes, ok, I admit it. Toro Y Moi’s Causers Of This sounds similar to Animal Collective and Panda Bear. But now that we’ve got all these narrow-minded pop references out of the way, we can focus on this fun and fascinating D.I.Y. album.

With the heavens currently opening up for Bundick's home region of the South (see Lessins, Washed Out &The Choir Quit), Toro Y Moi (Chaz Bundick) sets himself apart with his strong affection for an Akufen/The Field styled sound, which ping-pongs back and forth alongside Bundick's A.D.D..

It's not life changing, but it has enough there to get you all anxious and panicky. The standout track here is “Imprint After”, a slinky ode to the tacky whitewash of the Eighties, riding high over Bryan Ferry’s white boat suit.

The rest of his tunes tend to scream ‘blogs, remix and selling 10 copies’, but I admire his innovative ideas which show up on songs like "Talamak" and "Lissoms", sounding like they were built within a Dodge 'Em car with a ton of '60s pop blaring out of his radio.

Just a bit too much style here and not enough substance, but since my jeans aren’t tight enough to like Animal Collective, I’ll take this over them any day.

Various Artists - Vienna Scientists V - The 10th Anniversary

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:21:16 GMT

Let me start out by saying what a solid compilation this is - silky smooth and downright sexy.

The Vienna Scientists Recordings have decided to release the quintuplet of acclaimed label series, Vienna Scientists V The 10th Anniversary. Originating from Austria, music from the applauded label has become synonymous with representing depth and warmth of the Viennese soul. Outings from the compilation include a variety of genres so expect to hear Soul, Jazz, R’n'B, Disco, House, Funk and Afro.

Label owner Jürgen Drimal is know for his love of an Afro-groove or two, and unsurprisingly he has collated and chosen the songs on this compilation. As if complied by a master craftsman, the album is ingrained with an ebb and flow that many compilations lack, without ever traveling down the path of mundane.

To highlight a particular example; the disco love of ‘Uptown Tricks’ and ‘Hip Hop to Funk’ are great pick ups and will get you boogieing in no time. However, my personal favorite is ‘Reflections of a Poem’ by Karuan featuring Odditeee. An excellently produced hip-hop track that quickly entices you with undertones of exotic Middle Eastern flair before, Odditeee starts spitting out some frenetic, poetic rhyming.

Still the latest album is not infallible, one song in particular leaves me with an awkward taste of a sandy Ibiza cheese sandwich. Rodney Hunter’s ‘Faith’ carries the repetitive lines of “I feel the bass” followed by a “do, do, do, du” and is simply cheap and trite.

Nonetheless, after a five-year wait for a label retrospective the Vienna Scientists do not disappoint.

Buy "Vienna Scientists V - The 10th Anniversary" here at musicload.de (German customers only)

Pantha du Prince - Black Noise

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:26:31 GMT

Continuing to try and redefine the borders between the natural and the artificial, the dark and the light, Pantha du Prince brings us his third solo-album Black Noise. While releasing his previews two albums on Hamburg-based Dial Records, his third appears rather unusually on London’s Rough Trade. That however, does not mean he is sounding more like an indie band. Black Noise would still make a perfect addition to the Dial catalogue with its melancholic and dark interpretation of techno.

Making liberal use of elements such as the xylophone and glockenspiel and combining these with field recordings he collected in the Swiss Alps to build the base of the thirteen tracks on Black Noise, Weber creates a textured world with a thick fog of atmosphere. Adding heavy bass, intelligently arranged rhythms, spherical layers, vocals from Animal Collective’s Panda Bear or variations of Tyler Pope’s basslines, Weber creates his own definition of techno. This is on no small part down to inaudible frequencies, a phenomenon called black noise that gives the record its name.

Black Noise manages to sound both warm and cold, familiar and alien, organic and mechanical, complex and clearly structured, all at the same time. A musical paradox that is as enjoyable as it is confusing.

Purchase "Black Noise" here at musicload.de (German customers only).

Thomas Hammann & Gerd Janson - Live at Robert Johnson Vol. 4

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:14:54 GMT

Modeselektor’s massive Body Language Vol. 8, the dark and deep Panorama Bar 02 by Tama Sumo or Dixon’s visionary Temporary Secretary, all go to show that 2009 was a year of quality compilations.

French DJ/producer Chloé kicked off the year with the first instalment of Robert Johnson’s 10 year anniversary mix series; Live at Robert Johnson. Soon after Prins Thomas and Ivan Smagghe stepped into her shoes – with both DJ’s providing fairly different, but equally good mixes. Finally the Liquid Night hosts Thomas Hammann and Gerd Janson bring the series to a close with one of the most diverse mixes yet.

The two Liquid guys are literarily jack’s-of-all-trades. Besides organising the house night at Robert Johnson and being a fierce DJ, Hammann passionately manages a record shop, where Janson on the other hand is a music journalist and label manager of Running Back.

To cut a long story short: this mix is about serious house music. Live at Robert Johnson Vol.4 is a voyage through time and space where Janson and Hammann choose tracks from the last two decades, and patch them together into a comforting blanket of beats and grooves.

So, that means Radioslave’s metallic dub techno track ‘Tantakatan’ nestling between DJ Duke’s NY House classic ‘Can You Feel It’ and Superpitcher’s spacey remix on Dntel’s ‘The Dream of Evan and Chan’.

Excellent selections, confidently mixed - this is definitely a record (or CD) worth adding to you collection. And, while we’re at it that applies to the Liquid Night at Robert Johnson too.

Psychonauts - Songs for Creatures

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:32:18 GMT

Originally released in 2003, Songs for Creatures was the debut album from Paul Mogg and Pablo Clements under their Psychonauts moniker. A lot has changed in the intervening seven years, and although the album made a distinct impression on the likes of James Murphy and DJ Hell, who both name checked the album as an influence, it was not picked up on by the wider public. Perhaps the smorgasbord of new wave, folk and progressive elements was too much for fans of Gigolo who released the album, or too far removed from what the pair were doing previously at Mo Wax to appeal to existing fans. Or perhaps, it was so forward thinking and ahead of it's time, that it wasn't ready to be accepted into a clubland dominated by electro-clash and loop techno. Whatever the reasons, I cant think of many other noughties albums so deserving of a reappraisal.

From the electronic ripples and washes of 'Wild in your Eyes' which combines modulated clicking rhythms with a flute and not much else, to the next realm dreaminess of 'Take Control' and 'Life's Sweet Charger' - both bringing to mind the early works of Danish progressive's Mew - Songs for Creatures follows it's own meandering path through what can broadly be called psychedelica.

Lush layers of sound envelop you completely on the likes of 'Takes Control;, yet there is still room for up a curve ball or two along the way. Taking the bones of Unknown Mix's no wave album cut 'The Siren' 'Empty Love' practically drips electronic sleaze out of the speakers and into your ears with what is effectively a pretty simple edit, a good 5 years before they were all the rage.

Balancing complexity with a light touch, across it's 12 Songs for Creatures is an immensely enjoyable album, indelibly marked by it's breadth of fantastic songs. Sure, its overlooked status and vintage gives it a certain cachet, but the fact it stands so tall in a contemporary context is what really hammers home what an amazing album this is.

Maps - Turning the Mind

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:57:37 GMT

Northampton’s James Chapman – aka Maps – might not exactly be a blockbuster selling musician, but his work is very highly regarded among critics and his solid, steadily-rising fan-base. As a mute signing he has a nice line in ever so slightly retro-sounding synth pop, reminiscent of the tasty pop licks of early yazoo interspersed with the slightly more abstract fuzziness of fad Gadget. Mute founder Daniel miller (remember warm Leatherette?) even pops up to perform additional programming duties. well worth further investigation.

J Dilla - Dillanthology 3

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:50:12 GMT

Dare I admit: though I knew much of J Dilla’s influence, I wasn’t overly familiar with his productions? I guess I just have, and for someone with an apathetic interest in hip hop, at best, I was completely mesmerised by the third instalment of his posthumously released beats. ‘Glamour Sho75’ is my favourite (according to my iTunes, at least) but there is very little here that I didn’t enjoy immensely.

Daniel Metro - Working Class

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:15:07 GMT

Shitkatapult are one of a handful of Berlin-based labels that aren’t absolutely awful, and in the last decade or so they’ve produced some pretty smart wonky electronics. Step forward Daniel meteo, who kicks off his working Class LP with an easy club beat, the foundation for him to build in some piano loops, melodies and abstract harmonics.

Birdy Nam Nam - Manual for Successful Rioting

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:45:30 GMT

I kinda guessed I wouldn’t like this. And I was kinda wrong. most ‘bass’ music is formulaic, boring and enjoyed by kids from Croydon who think they live in the ghetto. It’s jungle for the new generation, with all of the shock and none of the awe. Birdy Nam Nam are a different prospect entirely, though on the surface they are just another bunch of rude boys with big subs and lots of swagger. manual for Successful Rioting, apart from being gorgeously produced by folks who clearly know their way around a music studio, is infected buckets of charm, inventiveness, and a flow that means when the bass does drop – and whoa, does it drop – things go seriously wonky.

Blank and Jones / Mark Reeder - Reordered

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:11:04 GMT

Blank & Jones are hardly an unknown commodity here in Germany, given their background producing electronic music for more than a decade. Mark Reeder has also been a long-time fixture in the German music scene, having toured with New Order, managed malaria, produced the last ever LP in Communist East Germany, and discovered superstar DJ Paul van Dyk. Reeder takes a batch of tracks B+J produced with guest vocalists (think Bernard Sumner, Anne Clark, Robert Smith) and has re-worked, re-written and re-mixed them into a concept album. And jolly good it is, too.

Fuck Pony - Let the Love Flow

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:50:41 GMT

Flashes of inspiration, tempered with a lot of average-sounding electronic music. There is absolutely no doubting the skills that Jay Haze possesses, and if you read interviews with the man he seems like an interesting, thoughtful person that cares a lot about the world we live in. So it does pain me slightly that someone who is deserving of such respect seems to churn out so much average sounding music. Under his Fuck Pony moniker, Jay has put out some fantastic songs, and I have no doubt that this will make lots of people happy. However, I simply can’t escape the hollow feeling of music-by-numbers and a number of tired clichés.

KZA - Dig and Edit

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:25:05 GMT

Edits, reworks, remixes, new songs. Drawing on his huge record collection, force of Nature’s KZA crafts a diverse selection of songs that had their DNA forged on other people’s records. The relent-
less bass-line of marianne faithfull’s Broken English is extended over and over, and the progressive house of morgan King’s ‘I’m free’ is turned into the gorgeous ‘Open Up’. OK, there is a little bit of
chin stroking here and there, but it is more than offset by a surprisingly high number of ‘heavy’ cuts that work just as well on the Autobahn as the dancefloor.

Pablo - Turntable Technology

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:57:53 GMT

Does a technical name exist for these kind of cut up albums? Probably. Like DJ Yoda with a more mature sense of humour , Pablo’s Turntable Technology opens up like many of its contemporaries – an instructional audio recording cut up over a beat – pretty standard stuff that turns immediately left, then right, then back on itself as Pablo cuts in soul that you have never heard before with jazz, classical instruments and samples and anything else he thinks of, without ever falling into the ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ method. Slick, inventive and pretty cool in a geeky fashion.

Robot Koch - Death Star Droid

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:06:39 GMT

Robot Koch’s spiky blonde hair is usually to be seen behind an array of technical equipment providing the solid beats and sonic accoutrements for Jahcoozi. But he’s more than just a glorified backing musician; he’s also a producer in his own right with a string of singles and EPs under his belt. Death Star Droid is his first full-length release. Koch is clearly a Star wars junkie, and the album is brimming with spacey, sci-fi SfX; neat flourishes to the off-kilter time registers and shambolic drum loops.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammer

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:54:33 GMT

Someone has obviously listened to a shitload of Kate Bush, Magnetic Fields and the Cocteau Twins. And that is a pretty good starting point if you want to dip your toes into ethereal waters. A Sunny Day in Glasgow blend short pop vignettes with ethereal dreamy and abstract sounds that work like an all encompassing blanket of happiness. It never gets too uptempo to shake you out of a reflective doze, and it never gets so out there that you lose interest over the course of some 22 songs. Why have I never heard of this band?

Etienne Jaumet - Night Music

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:49:24 GMT

Any artist who opens their album with a 20-minute track clearly has confidence in their skills and in the case of Etienne Jaumet, rightly so: it was this deftness with analogue machinery that caught the ear of Carl Craig, who mixed and produced Night Music after being blown away by the Zombie-Zombie member's demos. The choice of just five songs was no accident -- for this album’s composition, the 1970s idea of creating music to fit two sides of a record, or two movements, and the experimental electronics of artists like Klaus Schulze were firmly in Jaumet’s mind.

Epic opener “For Falling Asleep” is a cosmic journey in every sense of the word, starting with a drive that propels you forward towards the outer edges of the atmosphere; 20 minutes pass in what feels like five. Lush electronics are shot through with intergalactic sweeps and bleeps that feel like looking out of the window of your space ship and seeing shooting stars. If “For Falling Asleep” is the first part of the journey, then “Mental Vortex” is moon base one. It uses the same cosmic atmosphere but has an urgent, heavier beat and a melodic refrain, which releases some of the tension that has been building. “Through the Strata” is another journey, which is not quite as epic as the blast off, but takes you to a more dangerous place - Middle Eastern bagpipes and a slow & relentless, beat gives the feeling of being pursued by menacing forces. Deft, confident and rich in musical texture, Jaumet's debut album righty deserves to stand shoulder to the Carl Craig's of this world, and beyond.

Danton Eeprom - Yes is More

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:25:17 GMT

As difficult to pin down as a carrier bag full of water, Danton Eeprom’s debut album Yes is More will surely pique the interest of anyone interested in electronic music. Having remixed Simian Mobile Disco and Little Boots, partnered with Radio Slave on the massive “Grindhouse” and released a slew of techy 12"s such as “Confessions of English Opium Eater”, it was high time for the French producer’s full length, which is so complete, varied and balanced that it feels like anything but.

“Thanks for Nothing” sounds like Giorgio Moroder producing an indie band with a penchant for Northern Soul, which rolls nicely into the stop-start shuffle of “Give Me Pain”, a track that alternates between synthesized brass, heavy percussion and Danton's soaring voice. After “Stilettos Rising” calms with a hypnotic groove, “Tight” rolls out of the speakers and kicks you in the face with its mean percussion, purposeful beats and squiggly electronic sounds. Cut through with snippets of what sounds like a football crowd, the track is devastatingly simple, ultra effective on a dancefloor, and wholly enjoyable at home.

And that just one of the many things that elevates this album above others of its ilk: Danton's ability to meld dancing music with something more intelligent. “What's A Balloon But a Bag of Air” and “Vivid Love” are lovingly crafted pieces of music that bring to mind everyone from Air to the Magnetic Fields, but don't really sound like either. These counterbalance the heavier points as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. Always enjoyable, never forced and musically engaging at every turn, Yes is More is shaping up to be one of the first brilliant releases of the new decade.