Electronicbeats // CD-Reviews

Alloy Mental We Have Control Skint

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:13:02 GMT

You know, sometimes things start of so well, you know deep down that whatever follows is just not going to be as good, even though you want to be proven wrong… Alloy Mental is a case in point. Ever since the collective sore on our memories that was electroclash died a death, I have been wary of the marriage of punk or heavy rock and electronics. I don’t like Justice. At all. Not one little bit. So I was apathetically curious about Alloy Mental. I was setting myself up to be not impressed. However, when the opening, self named track shot out of the speakers I was figuratively, and literally blown away. It seemed the raw edged intensity of Kill ‘Em All era Metallica had been forced through a ‘dance music machine' and the results were shockingly good. However, you know what’s coming. Maybe it was that killer riff, but for the rest of the album I am waiting for something that never shows its face again. It’s not all bad though. I enjoy being challenged about something I am certain I don’t like, and this is a gutsy effort at doing something so many people recently, including Blackstrobe, have failed at. This band could, and maybe should be the new Sabres Of Paradise. Perhaps I would think differently if the tracks were ordered differently.

POLE 1-2-3 SCAPE

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:20:27 GMT

In the 10 years (yes 10 years…) since Pole, aka Stefan Betke released the first part of his groundbreaking trilogy of albums, a lot has changed in the world of electronic music. The most obvious being the recent domination of minimal sounds and aesthetics. However, as is often the case you need to look to the past, before you can understand the present and this re-release is anything but a cash in. For a start although Pole’s music is minimal in form it owes nothing to minimal techno, and much more to Lee Scratch Perry. Stefan’s love of dub & reggae is well documented, and this is effectively the music he makes – urban dub. Dub sounds and rhythms (mostly) created with a layer of electronic grime from that famous broken filter. With collaborations with Shakleton in the pipeline, and his recent amazing Resident Advisor podcast, the time it would seem has come for Pole to reach a new audience. Listening back to these albums now, it is amazing how fresh they sound. It’s like he invented dub step, and although he wasn’t the first to combine minimalism with heavy bass, he was the first to do it so cohesively. Highly recommended.

Danny Tenaglia / Futurism / Rennaissance

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:27:02 GMT

Danny Tenaglia’s first new mix for 5 years, Futurism is named after his latest residency in Ibiza’s infamous Space club, and it’s a tribal tribal tribal affair. Very percussive and very trippy this is a return to form for a DJ who can wander off down some very obscure paths when the fancy takes him, and that’s not always a good thing. Spread across 2 CD’s this mix, or well 2 mixes to be precise takes in a broad selection of the old and the new. It’s a bit difficult to highlight individual tracks, as the promo’ CD I have has more security on it than Fort Knox, and you can’t skip through (and that’s annoying, as I want to buy several of these tracks, but I am not train spotter enough to know them all). I did however hear some gems; the crazy jungle rhythms of Guillame and The Coutu Dumonts and gritty electronics from Bumpin’ Ugly for starters….. If you like dance music, I am pretty certain you will like this. It’s mixed to perfection, and performs that tired old cliché that all mixes are supposed to do – it takes you on a journey. A journey that will leave you sweaty, broken and gurning,

Drums Of Death Drums Of Death Greco Roman

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:53:07 GMT

Release number four from the eclectic and slightly hit and miss Greco Roman stable. Some kind of project involving blog favourite Curses, and a nefarious looking Tin Tin extra it would appear. Breathe is suitably voodoo like, picking from the bones of a few old hardcore records and regenerating them with some bass and effects into a surprisingly classy Frankenstein for your dancefloor. Curses then remixes the same track, notching the intensity up a notch or too, but we are still in the same club. Then, things start to go a bit wonky on the self named track…. the beats are still good, but some hideous rapping / singing type stuff, that all middle class white boys seem to love having a go at, ruins thing. Things finish up with Midnight Stalker, which sounds a lot like Thomas Anderson’s Washing Up. So overall, a bit hit a bit miss.

Bomb The Bass / Future Chaos / !K7

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:59:43 GMT

Is it realy 21 years since Bomb The Bass bought us ‘Beat Dis’? Yes it would seem, and now they’re back with new album; Future Chaos. Combining some business like beats, squelchy Minimoogs and rumbling bass lines with guest vocalists including the modern day Marlboro Man – Mark Lanegan, this is a million miles from what I was expecting. More moody, melodic and with real song structures ( kind of ), comparing this to Bomb The Bass’ acid house past is a pointless exercise. This is Bomb The Bass in name and attitude only. No samples in sight. Current single Butterfingers, accompanied by a truly amazing, but quite unsettling animated video, is a prime example of the quality of their song writing. Slow mo beats that don't quite sound like anyone else's, and vocals half sung half whispered combine to give the effect of an audio opiate. Beat das.

MUNK CLOUDBUSTER GOMMA

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:49:19 GMT

Third album from New Yorkers Munk. Full of nice little touches, and a sound that is both current and retro, this is taking the whole disco / electro sound where Headman should have gone. However, to call this either disco or electro would not really be accurate. Electronic music for nightclubs and home listening is a better fit. With current single 'Live Fast Die Old' firing up the feet in various forms, Munk clearly have an ear for a tune, but it is on the album where you can find the real treats. No Milk is unsettlingly strange, wearing it's 80's influence clearly on it's sleeve, but with a surreal rant over the top where Nights Of Heliopolis is what they call 'perfect pop'. All round a pretty good and, ahem, well rounded album. I particularly enjoyed the liberal smattering of pianos..

Betty Botox/ Mmmm Betty! /Endless Flight

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:14:00 GMT

Amazing compilations seem to be the order of the day right now. Betty Botox may or may not be familiar name – the alter-ego of JD Twich of Optimo, a Glasgow based musical collective, who produce music and throw parties under various monikers. This selection of edits, explores some of the more challenging areas of the whole disco no disco sound. So that means the Residents, progressive rockers Hawkwind and the Jellies nestling up to the likes of Severed Heads. However, this sounds a whole lot more challenging than it actually is. Twich takes what are some pretty obscure cuts, and brings out their inner beauty. In almost every case he has taken something relatively inaccessible (in terms of finding the originals at least), and made it just that bit more palatable. In fact, he has done some of the best edits I gave heard in a while. Excellent.

Various Artists / DFA Presents Nobody Knows Anything / Supersoul Recordings

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:11:13 GMT

Nobody knows anything eh? Well, it would seem that the combined forces of DFA and Supersoul certainly know how to put a killer compilation together so maybe I will be on to the trades descriptions people…. Or maybe not. Released for the first time digitally, these songs / tracks have all been previously available on vinyl, and have be doing some serious damage on dancefloors from New York to Timbuktu to Pluto no doubt. With influences drawn from every conceivable area of electronic music, the overall impression is of a laser freak-out, with slightly more subdued passages. Perhaps when they turn off warp drive. Label boss Xaver Naudascher appears more than once, in fact four times with partner in crime Paul Mogg for all parts of their massive Moon Unit, as well as several of his own efforts. For all out silliness it has to be Plastique De Reve’s reworking of Vangellis, but the killer cut on these 2 CD’s is Walter Jones’ with
I-F’s edit of Deuteronomy Brown.

Jon SaTrinxa Balearic Beach Sessions Azuli

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:05:10 GMT

Summer is here! (Or it is at the time of writing) So it must be time for some sunny, summery, easy on the ears compilations right? Right. Jon SaTrinxa has been resident on Ibiza’s Salina’s beach for some time now, 15 years in fact. That’s a long time playing at the same place more than once a week, but then again, if you have ever been to Salina’s you will know that it is a beautiful beach, full of the beautiful people, so I can kind of see his reasons for sticking around. As you may expect, this mix is never going to break any boundaries – the Balearic sound always has an eye on the past, but there are some definite stand out tracks – Wild Rumpus’ ‘Musical Blaze up’ is one that springs to mind. Without the benefit of beaches and bare breasts though, it is hard to completely buy into those sunny vibes, in landlocked Berlin.

RITON / Eine Kleine Nacht Musik / MODULAR

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:01:18 GMT

Or, if you don’t sprichst Deutsch; A Little Night Music. This release is the latest from one of the most versatile and consistently interesting producers around – Riton. The project has gestated from his recent interest in what the English call, rather crudely, Krautrock – the spacey, ultra experimental sounds of bands like DAF and artists such as Wolfgang Reichmann. Released on Modular, and with and accompanying short film, staring Henry James himself, this is a truly outstanding effort - much more homage than copy. To record this Riton bought together a small band of musicians to create a micro orchestra in his London studio, but the sound they have created is far from small. From epic string soaked soundscape’s, to jolly numbers with glockenspiels, as well as heavier cuts that will work as well on the dancefloor as the headphones, this just keeps growing and growing on me. Highly, highly recommended. Even if you are German, and think you know ‘Krautrock’ (sorry….) inside out.

Märtini Brös. /The MB Factor / Poker Flat

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:36:16 GMT

10 year anniversary mix from the Martini Bros, on you guessed it, Poker Flat. This is a straight up DJ mix that touches bases with all of their sonic experiments from the last 10 years. And, pretty good it is too. If you are not familiar with their sound; deep, playful house & techno, then there are no better places to start than this. If you are already familiar, and like their work, then this mix encapsulates their sound perfectly. The only grumble is that an unmixed version doesn’t look like it will see the light of day anytime soon.

SISTER CHAIN & BROTHER JOHN / DARKNESS TO WARM YOUR HEART / Dwarfhaus Records

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:51:15 GMT

Coming on like something in between Badlands and a Charles Dickens novel, Sister Chain & Brother John have delivered an album I can safely say is not like anything else I have heard this year. Or last year in fact… and for that reason alone I like it. Their songs are 21st century parlor tales, self contained fables that conjure up images of checked shirts, diners and dark dark hearts. This is Wild At Heart without the happy ending. Sister Chain sings in a unique style over Brother John’s simple rhythmic bass lines and guitar hooks. Joanna Newsom is an obvious, but also lazy comparison. An air of melancholy runs through most of this, their debut album but dig a little bit deeper and there is a dry wit and comic absurdity completely missing from the majority of most of the music that passes my way. I think if I am honest, you will either hate this, or more hopefully you will love and cherish it. Nowadays, everyone wants to be in a band, or make music, or say their piece. It takes someone like Sister Chain & Brother John to come along and remind us - if you don't have anything new to say, in a way it's not been said before - don't bother. Subversive, interesting and unique. What more could you want?

DIGITALISM / KITSUNE TABLOID MIX / KITSUNE

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:29:05 GMT

New mix / compilation from Digitalism, who have been a bit quiet of late, on French fash' label Kitsune. On first glance this looked a bit too similar to the recent Boyz Noize Suck My Deck compilation for me to review - lots of tracks, lots of hits. However upon closer inspection (i.e. listening) I was, I have to say pleasantly surprised. OK, its pretty heavy going and relentless – subtlety is not their strong point, and I would not usually be reaching for a CD that contains Calvin Harris, The Kills, The Presets etc….. But somehow, this mix won me over. For a start they have managed to shoehorn some glittering gems in, in the shape of the B-52’s, Hercules & The Love Affair and The Human League. I am sure this will sound as dated as the Bay City Rollers in a years time, but for now, if you want to know what the flouro’ kids of pogo about to in towns and cities all over Europe there a few better places to start than this.

RADIOSLAVE GRINDHOUSE REMIXES REKIDS

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:57:26 GMT

HEAVY. After mulling over suitably descriptive phrases, and coming up with several, I opted for the simple is best approach. For those in the know (attendees, anyone that has read a music magazine) the Dubfire mix of Radioslave’s Grindhouse was the killer hit at this years Miami WMC….. cha cha. Does that mean it’s any good? Yes in short. It’s the best thing on here. I am a big fan of Radio Slave as I firmly believe in working against genres, and not within them, and that’s just what Matt Radio Slave does. For those completely unfamiliar to what I am talking about this is dub infused, gritty dancefloor techno. There are three different mixes, and though the Terrence Fixmer and Danton mixes are good, with varying degrees of wobbly bass, the Dubfire mix is the best of the bunch. In my (humble) opinion.

TRENTEMØLLER LIVE IN CONCERT EP - ROSKILDE FESTIVAL POKER FLAT

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:45:15 GMT

Trentemøller has been a bit quiet recently, not that his output has ever been that prolific mind. The Danish artist known for his emotive, layered electronic music has not released anything of note since the Last Resort album in 2007. Perhaps he was worried about dropping off the dance music radar, as his latest release is a live recording of his set at last years Roskilde festival, apparently taken straight from the sound board (so where have the crowd noises come from?) This is a digital only release, and has the feel of being rushed out - why he has chose to release this as an EP, I am not sure. To be honest unless it's AC/DC, I don't want to hear a crowd screaming and cheering with every breakdown, or change in the music. It takes away from the complex subtleties of his music - the things that make it so good in my mind. It certainly doesn't convey atmosphere. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but I cannot see why anyone but the most hardned fan would need this - get the originals - any tweaks made to these songs live, are ruined by the constant cheers. And they are constant. Perhaps he was playing naked.

Prins Thomas / Varoious / The Greatest Tits Vol 1 / Full Pupp

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:47:57 GMT

Prins Thomas, but no Lindstrom. Across 2 CD’s? Hmm… interesting. Perhaps all is not well in our favourite Norwegian musical marriage. I think not… Whatever the reasons, this double CD – one mixed, one not – is effectively the calling card for Oslo’s class of 2008 on Thomas’ own Full Pupp Label. There are a whole host of familiar and not so familiar names here giving us a very broad choice of ‘dance music’ (I am done with genres today). Retro futuristic - a phrase I happily stole form the press release – sums things up. Nu Disco is so 2006. Hard to pick a highlight out as I am feeling quite a lot of love for this pair of tits. Generally there’s a lot of bongos, and elements that sound somewhat like progressive electronica and funked up basslines galore. Some filler for sure, but it’s not much and to boot the mix is pretty damn tasty – Thomas takes some of the more noodling tracks and brings out their inner dancers to full effect.

Toby Tobias Space Shuffle Rekids

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:22:13 GMT

Mr Tobias has been bubbling just under the radar for quite a few years, but it has taken until now for a full length album from the London based producer. According to the man himself his sound is like Gino Soccio and Sly & Robbie performing a scientific experiment in space, and well, that’s pretty much his sound. Lush funky rhythms with more than a hint of the cosmic about them dominate this album. He has even roped in songstress of the moment Kathy Diamond for some vocal duties, and although that space disco sound of 2008 is reflected, this is one complete piece of work that can be listened to over and over again. I know, I have. It is often a bit depressing thing to have to shoehorn artists into categories, to reduce all their work into a couple of pat phrases, and I am not going to do that here. If you like electronic music – whatever you’re persuasion, check this out. It’s great

VARIOUS ARTISTS DONT SHARE NEEDLES VOLUME ONE DISTRICT OF CORRUPTION

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:05:48 GMT

New style shenanigans from District of Corruption, with their first multi-artist release. I am not sure that that is such a big deal but they can shout about it as much as they like as far as I am concerned, because this 3 track release is gold. Pure gold son. Firstly, there is a Jahcoozi track I really like. And that’s saying something. OK it’s an Aaron Hedges remix, basically ghetto flavoured electro house, which sounds like 'fail' but is actually 'very good'. Sounds nothing like Jahcoozi either. Great. Then there is Inside Animal Minds by Mano Le Tough. I am not sure inside which minds M.L.T has been trying to get, or even if this is the report back from inside one of those minds, but either way this track makes me think of a big shifty badger. Roaming through his underground palace, sniffing out bitches and troubling any rabbits that cross his path. Oh and somewhere in between is some nice techy house from Nima & Beeston.

VARIOUS ARTISTS SPACE ODDITIES PERMANENT VACATION

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:17:00 GMT

The latest offering from Munich’s Permanent Vacation; a collection of rare library recordings, dug out of dusty vaults, and released for your enjoyment. It’s hard to find much to say about this. If you are into the more obscure avenues of music, specifically the 60’s 70’s 80’s library sound - spacey, mechanical and pioneering or your tastes are of the beard stroking variety, then you will almost certainly know of this release already and my words will merely offer another opinion. If on the other hand obscure library music, or left field disco is not your bag, this compilation is going to sound similar to the many others that have mined the same area….. basically the soundtrack to a cool movie you never saw. I personally like it. A lot. Weird sounds, off kilter melodies, cosmic beats and enough low rent electronics to send a gerbil into space… but I would be lying if I said I had never heard this kind of stuff before, and you likely have too. It all makes me wonder if there is anything truly new still to be found in the past. Don't take my word though, dig it out and listen - there is some very nice music to be found here ( with beautiful artwork to boot)

VARIOUS ARTISTS VERVE REMIXED VOLUME 4 VERVE

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:51:26 GMT

The cover of this makes me feel sick. Coffee table fodder if I ever saw it…. and, after casting my eye over the track listing and seeing the names Nina Simone, Diplo, Marlena Shaw and whole host of remixers I know, but kind of don’t know as well as the Cinematic Orchestra hovering near Roy Ayers, it took all of my journalistic and moral integrity to actually open the cover and put it on, and not throw it at my cat. I know. Shallow. Classic songs like this though, rarely benefit from the touch of a contemporary hand, and this kind of compilation is rarely my cup of tea. However, I am glad my morals are strong and I played it. No ghettotech reworks of classic sunshine soul, but modern re-edits adding a bit more oomph and swing into the beats – Kenny Dope’s mix of James Brown’s There Was A Time, a case in point. I want to hate this, but I can’t. It’s like a beach party where chi chi couples with children called Hermione, Tarquin and Octavia rub shoulders with Pablo Escobar and Ronnie Biggs.