ALBUMSREVIEWS 6.5
Jamie Jones Tracks From The Crypt Crosstown Rebels Tales from the hard drive
When you are widely recognised as the hottest property on the planet, it’s likely even the slightest emission of gas will be held in similar esteem to a Da Vinci masterpiece. It’s tempting, then, to hoard what you have while the ephemeral glow of the iron is still orange. Lucky then, that while existing as a collection of unreleased tunes bundled together from the darkest depths of Jamie Jones’ hard drive, ‘Tracks From The Crypt’ is a worthy addition to a body of works that hasn’t spawned an LP since 2009’s debut. Just. Exhibiting Hot Creations’ woozy funk roots, ‘City At Night’ — an obvious precursor to the k-chic house of Fur Coat — ‘Our Time In Liberty’ and ‘Mari 2D Underground’ are all typical Jamie Jones, justly left behind. Saying that, ‘Somewhere’ is grubby Chicago house and ‘Frequencies’ is robust floor fodder, giving this some added value. Lisa Loveday
I:Cube “M” Megamix Versatile Future classic
Nicolas Chaix is the quintessence of French house music. As Chateau Flight, with his Versatile label, and of course, as I:Cube, he’s been the beating heart of the Gallic underground scene for well over 10 years. He’s loved by the heads but has never really broken the glass ceiling into mainstream acceptance. But ‘“M” Megamix’ really ought to shatter it. It’s a masterpiece, touching on all manner of disparate styles and sounds with a cohesion and effortless style that gives it a real character all its own. ‘Transfiguration’ is a gobsmacking slap round the chops, a rollicking house cut full of pumped-up rave piano stabs last heard populating vintage R&S hardcore; ‘Your Brain’ is eerie, spooked out techno, like a psychoactive stroll through phosphorescent caves; ‘Get The Fever’ is overdriven, cut-up disco on wonky biscuits. It’s all a million miles better than most dance music around today and will actually make you dance. So get it, ok?Ben Murphy
9.5
8.0
Jam City Classical Curves Night Slugs Pump up the jam!
One positive from the mainstream dubstep explosion is that it allowed the more leftfield producers, sprung from the original sound, to concentrate on taking it elsewhere. Not that Bok Bok and L-Vis’ Night Slugs started as a purist dubstep label four years ago, but its mentality firmly rooted in the scene has since spawned a plethora of game-changing UK funky/grime releases and beyond — from Mosca, Girl Unit, Lil Silva and co. Now, we have Jam City’s LP, trekking similar territory explored by the likes of Bass Clef, Actress and Joker; the swampy middle ground between vintage Chi-town/ Detroit aesthetics and modern bass music. Cavernous, echoing dark sonic matter, bass-bin curdling frequencies and a dislodged, constantly shifting sense of continuity between dulcet melody and panel-beating techno — the bitter and the sweet. The result is an intensely captivating listen. Adam Saville
Roberto Rodriguez Dawn Serenades From dusk till dawn
Scandinavian house producer Roberto Rodriguez doesn’t play by the rules. Deep house may be his forte, but that doesn’t stop him from dipping his toe into disco, Italo, jazz, boogie, trip-hop, bass, piano house, hip-house, even hardcore on debut album ‘Dawn’. While this makes for a varied and engaging listen, those after a fully unified, clinically strung record will find it meanders a little, as it refuses to choose an idea and rest on it throughout. Aside from that, there are plenty of tasty moments here, the creative sum of a producer spilling with dancefloor enthusiasm but able to rein it in. ‘Show Me’ is a sturdy slice of hazy summer sun. ‘Eternity’, with its deep funky swing, breaks into some random razor- sharp rave stabs three minutes in, while ‘Love Withdrawal’ is uplifting Marshall Jefferson-style house. If you dig REAL house music, you’ll definitely appreciate this. Adam Saville
7.5
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
Trouble Polydor
9.0 Prehistoric pop
ORLANDO HIGGINBOTTOM. Not a name immediately conducive to rave’s mad-cap hall of fame, but in the UK if you’ve turned on a radio, a TV or attended a festival over the past 12 months it’s been impossible to avoid the lad in a prehistoric head-dress, better known to most as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Aside from flickering into view during 2009 — the odd subterranean appearance attracting attention from the blogging hipsterati — it wasn’t until 2010 that he really exploded into mainstream consciousness with ‘Garden’. So good, it was released by Greco-Roman (‘All In Two Sixty Dancehalls EP’), snapped up by Polydor the following year and now, two years since its original release
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date, it’s getting hammered to high heaven again, in no small part thanks to a ubiquitous mobile phone advert. But somehow it’s not irritating in the slightest. Timeless pop music incarnate. It plays its part here, too, as part of TEED’s debut LP, ‘Trouble’; a beautifully crafted album jammed to the rafters with delicious dance music, crossing house music new and old, electro and bass. It’s engaging throughout, reeling with the irresistible pop sensibility he carved on his debut single. Proof that signature to a major label does not automatically come with a swapping of the proverbial soul. It helps having creative capacity that knows no bounds though, eh Orlando? Adam Saville
085
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