RICHARD BROPHY,
richardbrophy@gmail.com
QUICKIES Matt Whitehead
A Is For Acid Perc Trax Ltd 7.5
Previously available on a split release for Jerome Hill’s Don’t label, ‘A Is For Acid’ gets a more high- profile reissue. It also helps that Perc himself has turned in an excellent trackhead-style reshape and has let MPIA3 turn it into a distorted, drum-led banger.
Mike Denhert
Placide EP Fachwerk 7.0
‘Eigenzeit’ is typical Mike Dehnert, all stripped-back rhythms and insistent bleeps, but the rest of the EP is less predictable. ‘Placide’ and ‘Isolant’ are based on offbeat rhythms and jazzy licks, while the live version of ‘Drehimpuls’ is a visceral, distorted affair.
TECHNOREVIEWS MGUN
Vernon Felicity
Dawning EP MOS Recordings 8.0
Boris Bunnik is about to release his debut album as Versalife, but that hasn’t deterred him from dropping this diverse EP. From the spaced-out synths on ‘3’ to the reduced, acid-soaked jacking on ‘Dawning’ and ‘Wrong Motion’, this release hits his impeccably high standards.
Willie Burns
Pong In A Tracksuit Crème Organization 7.5
Willie Burns likes to keep it simple and on ‘Pong’, his love of big ideas is audible. The title track mixes Larry Heard-style deepness with hardcore reverie, while the insistent piano lines and chord stabs on ‘Run From the Sunset’ and ‘Touch The Light’ are a joy.
Portable
Albatross (Remixes) Sud Electronic
9.0
Lakuti’s label returns with these diverse reshapes of ‘Albatross’. Anthony Shakir’s version sees heavy drums and a screeching, tortured 303 take centre stage, inhabiting a space that’s a long way from the complex breakbeats of his Frictional releases. Kowton’s take is a tinkering rather than a re-arrangement, as the drums are made tougher and more steely, but neither version can compare to the original. While it doesn’t quite hit the heights of ‘Knowone Can Take Away’, its chiming bells and tumbling drums provide an intoxicating backing for the most tortured vocal in techno.
D-Ribeiro RADIO SLAVEREKIDS
01. VADIM SVOBODA ‘Pattern 18’ The Double R “My tip for 2013, and this guy only uses machines. Pure electronic rhythms
that are a cut above the rest.”
02. RADIO SLAVE ‘Sick Note’ White Label “Just me and my Moog... look out for a vinyl-only release soon.”
03. OMAR S ‘I Just Want’ FXHE “Omar just keeps rolling out jam after jam, and this cut from the new LP is
so good.”
04. NINA KRAVIZ ‘Best Friend (DVS1 Dub Remix)’ Rekids “The remix that seems to be everywhere, although it’s still unreleased. A big
‘no hugs’ to the internet!”
05. UNKNOWN ‘Collective Consciousness’ It’s Not Over 004 “No.4 from this mysterious camp and a big record for me.”
06. RADIO SLAVE ‘Tantakatan (Mr.G Remix)’ Rekids “My hero and good friend, he can turn out the sickest beats night after
night.”
07. PHRASIS VETERIS ‘Mocturn E.P’ Redpanda “Love these guys’ production and I’m still playing all their previous releases,
so a new record like this is always welcome.”
08. MISS KITTIN ‘What To Wear (Spn Remix)’ CDR “Another hot remix from Spencer Parker.”
09. HAUNTOLOGISTS ‘Haunt’ Modular Cowboy “A great tip.”
10. ROUGE MECANIQUE ‘Witches’ Pyramids of Mars “This sleazy rock disco-inspired EP is perfect for the beginning or end of
the night.”
The Circus EP Syncom Data 8.0
The work of a new producer, this EP has two radically different sides. There’s the dark minimalism of ‘Silent Thoughts Of A Black Man’, which builds in the same manner as Terrence Dixon’s pointillist grooves. The other approach involves dreamy textures and offbeat rhythms. On the title track, the rich, melodic hooks build over a raw, Workshop- style rhythm and ‘Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself’ is a sensuous stepping affair. None can compare to ‘Love 1’, though, which moves from off-beat drums and introspective atmospherics into an infectious, disco-soaked groove.
DeFeKT
Switch EP Signal Code 8.5
Matt Flanagan does things the old- fashioned way, jamming in the studio and releasing the results, warts and
all. On ‘Switch’, this approach is audible; tough 4/4s stutter and break as tonal bleeps and atmospheric synths wash in overhead. ‘Sunseq’ is the most linear track here, but even it is full of hushed chord sequences. Meanwhile, ‘Bring Back CV’ and ‘Trigger’ revert to Flanagan’s ‘keep them guessing’ approach, with wobbly basslines fused with crystalline melodies.
Fishermen
Delirium Tremens Kontra Musik 8.5
A side project from MRSK, Fishermen add some weight and muscle to the Skudge school of techno loops. ‘Palmistry’ is a formidable affair, its slamming rhythm housing ravey riffs, while ‘Six Pounders’ is another peak-time track, its heavy beats moving from searing acid lines into jarring minimal riffs. Fishermen know, however, that there is only so much to be gained from banging the same drum, hence the inclusion of the broken beat tracks ‘Black Haze’ and ‘Port Strays’.
Keith Worthy
Guilty Pleasures EP Aesthetic Audio 8.0
Like Patrice Scott, Keith Worthy does not deviate radically from his chosen sound - and ‘Pleasures’ is no exception. The title track is a typical Worthy track, its chattering rhythm leading into a spaced-out segue that reveals layer upon atmospheric layer as it unravels. However, ‘Karma’ is the standout track. More driving than ‘Pleasures’, its fluttering organ riffs, combined with a fat, acid-fuelled bass and propulsive percussion, make for a musical yet streamlined groove.
If You’re Reading This EP Don’t Be Afraid 8.0
Manuel Gonzales lays bare his roots for ‘Reading’. There are references to Omar S and Kyle Hall on ‘Bean Chirp’ and ‘Funnel Vision’, two rough and raw house cuts featuring heavy kicks and churning riffs. The impossible to pronounce ‘Jijijijij$ijijijiji’ sees Gonzales try his hand at an electro/ R&B jam, and ‘Proxy’ is a nasty acid track. ‘Tritan’ is the strongest track, though, its spaced-out pads and wiry funk bass recalling vintage Infiniti.
Paula Temple
Colonized R&S
8.0
Back in the late ‘90s, Paula Temple was one of the few producers putting out challenging music, and the same is true now. Temple is no longer battling against a wave of loopy techno, but does find herself in the middle of an industrial surge. On the title track, the antidote is simple: drop a slamming rhythm coupled with a ‘Mentasm’ bass, while she reiterates her connection to the ‘90s on the junglist bass of “Decolonization’. The death rattle screeches of Perc’s ‘Main Version’ complete the package.
R Zone
R Zone 02 R Zone 8.5
DJ TLR’s offshoot label continues to impress. Like the debut record, there is no information about who is behind this release, but it clearly sounds like he/she has a deep interest in old school techno and rave. ‘Hair Down’ is reminiscent of the UK’s ‘90s take on Detroit techno, its doubled up beats and introspective pads hinting at an undercurrent of menace. ‘Rosa Luxemburg’, meanwhile, represents a more evocative take on this sound, with a euphoric vocal flitting in and out over understated breakbeats.
Sleeparchive
A Man Dies In The Street Pt 1 Tresor 8.0
More than any other artist, Roger Semsroth aka Sleeparchive typifies the grey, austere environment of Berlin. The German producer has captured these bleak surroundings before on the bleep-heavy minimalism of releases like Hospital Tracks and Radio Transmission, but opts for a different approach here. Inspired by the heavy industrial rhythms of Regis, the distorted beats and crackling percussion of ‘1’ rivals only the slamming, headlong rush of ‘3’ in intensity. You can almost smell the rage from here.
djmag.com 067
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