ALBUMSREVIEWS
Mr G
State Of Flux Rekids
8.5 Tech-no shit
MR G is a venerable chap. Starting out as part of KCC Soundsystem and ‘90s terror techno act, The Advent, Colin McBean earned his stripes at a time when many of today’s techno elite were still in nappies. Since, the sound has evolved, revolved and converged; undergone various resurgences and numerous recreations. But none of this really matters to Mr G. He’s still nailing it on his own terms.
That’s not to say that ‘State of Flux’ sounds outdated or jaded — quite the opposite. Rather that his steely, uncompromised reserve is still garnering some of the
most ballsy house music conceivable to mankind. Timeless, in fact. Opener ‘G’s Riddim’ — with its loopy metallic shuffle, dustbin-lid stomp, and maniacal shakers — is a stoical affair that doesn’t let up, weighing in at around six-and-a-half minutes, complete with iron pipes and heavy on deliberate 303 bass notes. A sinister cloak-and-dagger assault on the Alien planet, it says everything it needs to, instantly setting the rugged, give-a-fuck tone of the album. ‘One Year Later’ does a similar thing but with a swinging undercurrent of sub-bass. It’s got funk, drive and a persistent wiggle,
while ‘Clearance Space’ is a swarming and ferocious shit storm of rave; ‘Dark Thoughts (The Afterworld)’ is deeper — a squelchy house jaunt that won’t stop building — and ‘Bill’s January Blues’ even throws in some lethargic dystopian dub to wind things down.
For a man who knows his strength — loose, heady, percussive house — and sticks to it, ‘State Of Flux’ is an LP surprisingly well-endowed with ideas. Chunkier, more substantial and faraway braver than 2010’s ‘Still Here’, the clue is in the title. On ‘A State of Flux’, Mr G is still moving. ADAM SAVILLE
8.5
Guy Gerber Fabric 64 Fabric Harmonic journey
At the helm of the 64th instalment of the eminent Fabric series, Supplement Facts boss Guy Gerber veers off with 16 brand- new tracks produced and mixed especially for the occasion (something only done previously by Ricardo Villalobos, Omar S and Shackleton), including collaborations with Nina Kraviz, Lady Falkor and Ciarian North. The result is a hypnotic journey through lush drawn-out chords, shimmery pads and reverbed vocals. The highlights? ‘My Medicine’ — with its repetitive robotic vocal loop, chugging rhythm section and lazy three-note synth hook — and the optimistic, rambling melody and sweeping chords of ‘Howling Moon’. The main man proves to all and sundry that he is a true pro, as he steers his way through a subtle mix of atmosphere, rhythm and dub in equal measures. Nothing to write home to your mother about — she just wouldn’t understand. Joe Brooke-Smith
064
Para One Passion Marble Music Parallel universes
Para One doesn’t just dip his toe into the blurred boundary between underground dance and mainstream pop on his third LP, he does backstroke through it. Responsible for a slew of French electro- pop on Institubes during the latter part of the ‘00s, he’s since embraced his nation’s vogue for nu-garage from across the Channel. Egged on by Sound Pellegrino top-dog Teki Latex and fellow Marble label bosses Surkin and Bobmo, ‘Passion’ brings the two together, displaying moments of avant-garde weirdness and radio-friendly cheese, often simultaneously. ‘Wake Me Up’ offers a slice of trippy vocoder trance-funk, ‘Every Little Thing’ is pitch- bent East Coast R&B and ‘Lean On Me’ is swinging technicoloured garage-pop with an underbelly of hardcore percussion. Elsewhere there’s elements of UK funky, electro-boogie, loopy minimal, juke and Detroit techno all stamped with Para One’s quirky, saccharine touch. The way dance SHOULD be fused with pop. Adam Saville
8.0
Moodymann Picture This Scion A/V Pretty as a picture
Detroit legend and pin-up boy of the oversexed, Moodymann returns with a free eight-track EP released via the kind folks at Scion Audio/Visual. ‘Picture This’ sees the producer on fine form, with ‘9 Nites To Nowhere’ contracting his more ponderous impulses into a tight, propulsive groove decorated with wisps of ‘Summertime’ trumpet and porous, jabbing synths. The aptly titled ‘Basement Party’ is a rambunctious house cut decorated with crowd noise and cuíca while ‘U Ranaway’ coaxes things upstairs with jazzy chords and a typically humid KDJ vocal. Still, ‘Pray 4 Love’ is the highlight of the set; the skittering live percussion and phased synth dance on broken limbs until, mid-track, they coalesce into a slice of moonlit house that couldn’t be sharper if it came in a linen suit. Kenny Dixon Jnr’s legend status remains — as we suspected — unimpeachable. Louise Brailey
www.djmag.com
8.0
Strip Steve Micro Mega Boysnoize Records Megatron techno
Boys Noize’s Berlin-based Frenchman, Strip Steve works a wonderfully eclectic range of sounds into his debut long player ‘Micro Mega’. There’s a jackin’ Chicago house vibe that weighs heavily across the album, heightened by the guest appearance of Robert Owens on the wonderful ‘One Thing’. Otherwise, there’s an evolved sense of the noisy, raucous fun that’s characterised the French electro movement back home (as well as label boss Boys Noize himself), but it’s satisfyingly coupled with a polished techno sensibility that often sees him taking it into deeper musical interludes like ‘Don’t Know When’ and ‘Mega’. The most defining element, though, is a warm sense of fun and melody, which makes ‘Micro Mega’ a very inviting listen. By working in all these elements, Strip Steve creates something that feels very much his own, while also bringing a cohesive feel across the album. Impressive. Angus Paterson
8.0
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