BEN ARNOLD
ben.a.arnold@
gmail.com
Grand Corporation Wonder & Amazement
feat Jeremy Glen Classic Music Company
9.0
Grand Corporation are Bearfunk man Steve Kotey and Andy Meecham of the excellent Chicken Lips, and here they’re turning it out for Luke Solomon’s Classic stable with a track that’s been in the boxes of a lucky few for about a year. And it’s about time it got itself out and about, because it’s quite marvellous. Jeremy Glen’s vocal is a yearning, soulful affair, while superb mixes come from DJ Parrot (aforementioned on this very page) under his Crooked Man guise, Japan’s Yosa and Deetron, who smashes it out of the park. Blinding.
Breach & Midland
101/Somewhere Naked Naked 8.0
Breach is the alias of vocalist and producer Ben Westbeech, and Naked Naked is his fledgling label, just two releases old. It’s a fine coup getting Midland involved on this second single too, the pair playing off each other brilliantly. ‘101’ chugs thunderously before dropping in a subtly ravey synth break, and bringing in a huge open hi-hat. ‘Somewhere’ is the killer, though, a deceptively simple club track, which drops in a bouncing, drum & bass bassline at precisely the right time.
Detroit Swindle
Creep EP Freerange 8.5
This pair from Amsterdam are yet to put a foot wrong, so it’s little wonder that labels who know their onions are clamouring to get their hands on material. Freerange follow Huxley’s Saints & Sonnets, Dirt Crew from Berlin and Murmur in snagging some Swindling, and this is a dazzling three-tracker. ‘Creep’ is a pulsing rave-jam, while ‘I Gotta Know’ embraces snippets of the vocal from Degrees Of Motion’s ‘Do You Want It Right Now’ in an entirely non- cheesy fashion. ‘Brotherman’, meanwhile, is hip-garage unstoppableness. If, indeed, that is a word.
Fantastic Man
Late At Night Fine Choice Records 9.0
Fantastic Man’s last release, on Brooklyn’s marvellous Let’s Play House, was much appreciated
on this very page, and now the big-headed bugger has launched his own label, Fine Choice Records. This double-header is its first foray, and both tracks are brilliantly original; glitchy yet bountifully soulful, and, rather appropriately, quite fantastic. Lucky, that. It’s a vinyl-only enterprise, and as such is well worth either dusting off your 1210s for, or buying a new pair specially. More of this kind of thing, please.
Knights Of The Hunted
X The Beat Crooked House 8.5
Raf Daddy of the 2 Bears and Sheffield veteran DJ Parrot oversee Crooked House, and if rumours are to be believed, Knights Of The Hunted is Parrot himself, bringing to, erm, bear, decades of nightclub experience. He was among those who delivered acid house to the Steel City way back when, and as such this retains not so much a retro quality as a timeless one. Scarcely stopping for breath, ‘X The Beat’ is an epic 11-minute creature of the night, while ‘X The Beat Menergize’ is the hi-nrg take on matters. It’s gay as a window. And ace.
PBR Streetgang
Double Boogie EP Futureboogie 8.0
Bristol’s consistently ace Futureboogie recruits Tom Thorpe and Bonar Bradberry, better known as PBR Streetgang, for the ‘Double Boogie EP’. N-H-N is a lo-fi, crackly old school house jam supposedly inspired by the magnificent Maurice Fulton, an
acidic bombshell that would be right up his street. Leeds man Burnski drops his own boompty interpretation of the track, a bass-loaded propulsive banger. ‘Mutoscope’, meanwhile, crunches and chugs with layers upon layers of claps and percussion preceding a mildly menacing break.
The Barking Dogs
Your High feat Tom Trago Gomma 8.5
Amsterdam’s Tom Trago joins Milan’s The Barking Dogs (aka Cristian Croce & Nicola Mazzetti) here for revered Munich label Gomma. It’s a heavenly coupling (or tripling) if title track ‘Your High’ is anything to go by. A Larry Heard-esque bassline underpins a blissful melange of pad sounds, and later, improvised piano. The excellent Analogue Cops go nuts with a clattering, cut ‘n’ paste version, while the space age ‘Margherita’ wibbles and bleeps, and ‘Ebony’ bleeps and wibbles.
The M.E.B.
Dead Faces Let’s Play House 8.0
Dean Meredith (the other half of Chicken Lips) returns to Let’s Play House under his assumed name The M.E.B. with ‘Dead Faces’, a deep, vaguely tribal and subtly acidic dark disco damager which from nowhere bursts into warped synth madness around the middle. Neville Watson turns in a subtly brilliant remix, while Sebastien San opts for calamitous rave lunacy. Good for him. ‘Killerwatt’, on the flip, is delay-heavy, languid space disco par excellence which completes a splendidly conceived package.
www.djmag.ca
HOUSE REVIEWS QUICKIES
Kim Ann Foxman
Return It Needwant 8.0
Hercules & Love Affair’s Kim Ann Foxman is blazing right now, never more so than on this double-header for Needwant. Steffi’s mix of ‘Return It’ is a joy.
Mic Newman & Garry Todd
The Shelter EP Illusion Recordings 8.0
Aussies Mic and Garry deliver a generous six-track EP for Illusion, the star of which is the reverent The Shelter, a nod to Timmy Regisford’s legendary New York club.
Shall Ocin Tribute To Summertime
EP Leftroom 8.0
Aching with melancholy, this stunner from Matt Tolfrey’s Leftroom manipulates Gershwin’s jazz standard ‘Summertime’, transforming it into a dark disco anthem.
Superhero
New York EP Saved 8.5
Leon and Toky are Superhero, and ‘New York’ is a stone-cold stunner, a tinny disco percussion loop riding a firm kick. Label boss Nic Fanciulli drops his own version, too.
MY FAVORITE ROBOT MY FAVORITE ROBOT
01. JORI HULKKONEN AS THIRD CULTURE ‘Vile Talk feat JiiHoo’ My Favorite Robot Records “A standout track off Jori’s recent album for MFRR. Features Jori (as JiiHoo) on vocals for the first time in his 13 album career.”
02. JACKAL’S DOOM DISCO ‘The Tapes’ Tigersushi “Always interesting music coming out on Tigersushi. This slo-mo track is one of the
prettiest we’ve heard all year.”
03. AKSEL FRIBERG ‘Viking Music (Terje Oslen Disco Mix)’ Running Back “Two words — robots breakdancing.”
04. JONNY CRUZ ‘Sex Rocket feat Cali Lanauze’ My Favorite Robot Records “Our boy Jonny Cruz is back with a new EP on MFRR, featuring remixes from Avatism,
Jeremy P Caulfield, and Fur Coat.”
05. THE EYES OF HEAT ‘Blood (Daniel Avery Remix)’ Kill The DJ “Daniel Avery has had some impressive music come out in the last six months and is
definitely one to watch.”
06. DON NINO ‘Beat (Chloe Remix)’ InFine Music “Chloe is one of our favourite robots and in this remix she creates some beautiful
atmospheres. This track is a winner, love it.”
07. MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM ‘Regrets (Matthew Herbert Remix)’ Hypercolour “What is there to say about Matthew Herbert that hasn’t already been said? A true musi-
cal genius, and if you don’t believe us, just listen to this song.”
08. THE MANSISTERS ‘Lille Du’ My Favorite Robot Records “A new collaboration between Kasper Bjorke & Sexy Lazer which is part of a four-track
EP on MFRR this fall.”
09. THE CRYSTAL ARK ‘We Came To (Dub Mix)’ DFA Records “A really quirky and fun track to get the party started.”
10. SIN COS TAN ‘Trust’ Sugarcane Records “Sin Cos Tan is a new band formed by Jori Hulkkonen and Juho Paalosmaa, and this is
the lead single from their debut album. It’s magic.” 101
MONEY SHOT!
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