CD Album Recommendations April 2010

Review: Paul Rose AKA Scuba has seen his Hotflush imprint climb to revered recognition over the last year or so. Releasing seminal dubstep artefacts such as Joy Orbison's Hyph Mngo and Mount Kimbie’s Maybes pulled in huge attention for the label, despite owner Rose's debut album from the year before receiving less attention. A Mutual Antipathy is only now receiving the accolades it deserved through serving as a both a building block of the label and a marker for his new album, Triangulation.
Blurring the lines of dubstep, techno, trip-hop and electronic, Scuba provides one of the truest dubstep crossovers to date with his second full length. Now residing in Berlin, where he is a monthly resident for Sub:stance in the mighty and cavernous Berghain club, the influence of the city’s deep seeded techno and dub subcultures make themselves much clearer in this follow up. Tracks like "On Deck" and "Tracers" owe much to the refined, dubby techno of Berlin as does the cold mechanical feel of "Heavy Machinery" before the wide sub bass of "You Got Me" opens up the rest of the album, allowing Rose to push the tempo that bit further. Before then, we see much of the sound that still signatures this as a Scuba record. Tracks like the spooky garage of "Latch" and the juttering "Three Sided Shape" cry back to the feel of two step and half tempo drum and bass. There are also moments of relief, such as "So You Think You're Special" and "Before" which both make use of female vocals in dub sounding trip-hop numbers.
Triangulation is a charming album that soaks influence and inspiration from across the board. Wonderfully unique and crafted with expert skill, it is the most comprehensive dub crossover offering so far. Surely now, Scuba will begin to demand the same kind of attention as the other artists on his own label.

Review: Black Sands, the eagerly anticipated fourth album from Simon Green AKA Bonobo, is no revolutionary change from his signature sound but does come with perhaps even more subtlety and complexity than his previous offerings. Having constantly instilled a degree of integrity and value back into chill out music following the influx of Cafe Del Mar and Coffeeshop compilations, Green once again displays a musicianship that sets him apart as a true artist and producer amongst a sea of downtempo and chillout DJs.
His undeniably clear understanding of composition and arrangement of live instruments has enabled Green to make an album that reaches out through diverse styles, taking influence and inspiration from wherever possible. On Black Sands, Green delves into electronic music and bass more than he did across Animal Magic, Dial "M" For Monkey or Days To Come but does so with enough subtlety and finesse to refrain from causing a radical shift in his product. Tracks like "Kiara," "We Could Forever" and "All In Forms" all utilise beats and bass in a more contemporary outlook than we are used to with Bonobo. Of course the instrumental feel is still there for all to see. Title track "Black Sands" takes this position for almost seven minutes of a horn infused waltz whereas "Kong" assumes the traditional soul-jazz Bonobo take and "Animals" lets delicate drum patterns guide us through pleasing tempo shifts.
The instrumental vibe is highlighted further in the album's approach to vocals. Unlike his last album, Days To Come which was littered with vocals, Black Sands houses only three tracks that contain vocals. The breathy vocals of Andreya Triana complete tracks like "Stay the Same" and "The Keeper" turning them in more traditional songs. Black Sands is another loving crafted offering that uses orchestral arrangements but this time merged with more of a dance aesthetic. As he continues to make chillout more credible in his experimental way, it's no wonder that Bonobo is one of the biggest artists to come from the excellent Ninja Tune.

Review: Gilles Peterson has always remained committed to innovation, experimentation and new talent. His own Brownswood Recordings imprint has been the perfect platform for him to help who he terms as "unsung heroes and emerging talent" to get released and reach more people. The fifth instalment of the series, this mix compilation does exactly that whilst shifting across genres and styles seemingly with each track on a CD that highlights Peterson's eclectic tastes further.

Although these are artists and tracks that Peterson has been using regularly in his live sets and radio shows, they will largely remain unknown to many. As such it is a great delight that on this offering, we get to hear the fragile and emotive soul-kissed electronic a of Ragen Fykes' "Love Life", the slow and hazy jazz-house of Ron Basejam's "Into My Life" and Michael Olatuja's "Hold On" before moving on to the shy, fractured pop of Samuel & The Dragon's "Rising Up" and the hip hop infused breaks of "Happy" by Daru.

Some were released some time ago now and appear here as an attempt to reach more through this release's attachment to the bigger name of Gilles Peterson. However, some are seeing the light of day for the very first time as exclusive tracks to this compilation. Artists include Ron Baejam, Daru & Rena and Electric Wire Hussle as Peterson explores music that harbours more interest than most other club music. Ranging from Soultronica to Hip Hop and from Jazz to Nu-Soul, there's enough there to keep even the most eclectic music fan engaged from start to finish.

Review: As a companion piece to his debut album, London-based D&B producer Sabre drops this collection of club mixes of A Wondering Journal. Having had a variety of releases on Metalheadz and Renegade Hardware amongst others, Sabre's clearly at the top of his game right now as these dark and fascinating mixes prove.




While Peril fleshes out the beat with blazing hats and punchy snares, Sabre opts to pare things down on the majority of mixes, staying true to a gritty and grimy sound palette that oozes menace. Marvel for example is a tech-step stew of different dubby atmospheric textures all blended together seamlessly. Curious comes in slower at around 125bpm but doesn't feel disjointed from the rest of the album, such is the strength of Sabre's solid production across all of these tracks. Have It Your Way again keeps things minimal yet compelling, with every single percussion hit sparkling over the mix with crystal clarity. The stuttering beats on The Intrepid alone make this a collection well worth investigating if you enjoy your D&B glitchy, progressive and full of techy wonders.

Review: This second album from the former trio (now permanently joined by fourth member The Mole) sees Cobblestone Jazz refine the process and sounds from their debut 23 Seconds. Though rooted in minimal techno, the group take a much more free and improvisational approach to recording, something that bears fruit almost immediately on Sun Child which combines the slick Rhodes piano sound of Bob James with paper thin claps and live cymbals to give the tune a vitality seldom heard on rigid minimal.




Mr Polite is a great lesson on how to use vocoders to devastating effect - repeating a mantra-like refrain as instruments join in around it. Children on the other hand is sparse and edgy with shakers and hi-hats to the fore. Stepping away from techno rhythms briefly, Midnight Sun slows the pace right down and creates a dreamy soundscape around some distant and seriously warped vocals - a combination that's as beautiful as it is intriguing. Though Cobblestone Jazz's approach is different to most, don't let the methodology fool you - it's still a minimal dance record through and through, albeit with some brilliantly fresh ideas and sounds.

Review: Doing the leg work at the Miami Winter Music conference this year pays off for Defected yet again as they give dj's around the world a superb collection of the biggest and freshest tunes from this annual shindig. Available unmixed and ready to go, these all of these tunes hae been tried and tested and guaranteed to go off.






Riva Starr's mix of Tear Down The Walls (featuring the inestimable vocals of Labelle's Nona Hendryx) kicks things off in just the right direction - soulful, jacking and anthemic to the max. Shapeshifters have a ball with the gospel-like vocals of disco dame Candi Staton, who interpolates lines from You've Got The Love into Musical Freedom - "sometimes I feel like... it gets harder every day". The effect makes your ears stand up and a broad smile break out over your face.






Major names obviously abound in this stellar collection - Crookers and Miike Snow colabborate on Remedy, Steve Angello's makes the cut with the lush vocals of La Candela Viva while Dj Gregory and Sidney Samson's Dama S Salon continues to become essential party food for dj's. One of the unexpected gems though is from Defected newcomer Ridney, whose At Night gets the nod here and has all the hallmarks of a future classic, a funky yet deliriously epic worker. As with most Defected compilations, this is a one-stop shop for summery greatness.

Review: A class act ever since their debut album Wide Angle in 1999, breakbeat band Hybrid just keep getting bigger and better. Originally comprising duo Mike Truman and Chis Healings, they've been joined by singer and guitarist Charlotte James for 2010. Their sound has been expanded too, with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra even appearing on this wonderful new album. Opener Empire sets the tone for this audacious set as a huge string-drenched intro gives way to an exhilarating stew of acid-synths and big beats. Can You Hear Me Now is just as epic, combining operatic vocals with a huge chorus from James.




Where Hybrid really stand out from the crowd is in their incredible range of styles and true to form Disappear Here will keep listeners on their toes throughout. Green Shell Suit for example starts off as a dark and moody trip-hop beat before some warped pads get filtered up and usher in a cinematic key change and a host new instruments. On a more raucous vibe, Take A Fall takes on dubstep beats but with live drums and their trademark cinematic washes of sound. City Siren is a tense, all orchestral number (similar to The Beatles' A Day In The Life) while Formula Of Fear is a rocking, electro-paced stomper with yet another perfect chorus sung by Charlotte James. It's rare to hear an album with such variety in songs, yet done with a distinctive attitude and sound. Hybrid are just a class apart and Disappear Here is deep and textured enough to withstand many many listens.

Review: Hamburg based label Dial Records shot to fame in the second half of the 00s with their high brow approach to deep, minimal house and techno. Founded in 2000, they now celebrate their tenth birthday with a new compilation featuring all their usual suspects, aptly titled 2010.


Set up at the turn of the millennium by Carsten Jost and Peter M, better known as Lawrence, Dial remained largely unnoticed at first. It was only the last five or so years that the imprint famed for its sophisticated and emotionally evocative style of deep and minimal house came to the wider attention. Releases such as Efdemin's "Bergwein" EP and Pantha Du Prince This Bliss have garnered them the most attention leading up to today's celebratory compilation. But rather than just collecting the finest moments from those ten years, such is Dial's ethos, that they celebrate with entirely new material, including previously unreleased tracks from the likes of Rndm, Pigon and John Roberts.


Opening the compilation in typically refined style, Phantom Ghost embark on a fittingly theatrical ode to the pleasures of the highlife with the twilight keys of "My Secret Europe." Cultivated 4/4s then take over, starting with John Roberts who brings a classical element into the mix on "Lines." Efdemin explores sensuously deep tribalism on "Time," whereas Kassian Troyer uses layers of sub bass on "Tourist" to get into the groove. Isolee makes a rare appearance with some trippier house moments on "Black Lodge" before Pigon take it unfeasibly deep on "Koto." One of the label's starlets, Pantha Du Prince adds one of the highlights of the release with the enveloping masterpiece of "Fountain Drive."


Dial celebrate their tenth year, and twentieth release, the only way they know how - with a selection of tracks that look unreservedly forward, proving their need to do more than simply sit back on their previous successes. I'm just looking forward to their 2020 compilation.

Review: Med School continues to push new and up and coming drum & bass artists with New Blood 010. Including some of the freshest riddims around, this compilation has its finger very much on the pulse. Encompassing artists such as Synkro, Joe Syntax, So:Flow, Kharm, Electrolyte and Madd, this is new d&b talent at its best.

Review: Only his third LP in an established career that spans nearly a decade and a half, Before We Say Goodbye is Irishman Donnacha Costello’s latest album that deals with the topic of techno in his own unique and beautiful way. Released on Steve Bug’s Berlin based label Poker Flat, the album proves that techno music can harbour the skill, emotion and diversity that is so often missing within it.
Much like his 2001 masterpiece Together Is the New Alone, this LP taps into an ambient texture, but builds it with techno rhythms and pulsations. By keeping his club sentiment at bay, Costello delivers a subtle album that flows with the kind of natural current that is often lost within techno productions.
Weaving in and out of styles, up and down tempo ranges, the LP is expertly crafted to take you on a journey that ebbs and flows with purpose. From the deep and melancholic but groovy slow burners such as "Leaving Berlin" and "A Warm Embrace" that set the LP off, Costello moves into an old school mood on "It’s What We Do" before hitting his stride with the more up tempo offerings of "No-One Is Watching" and the onomatopoeic "Roll It Out." On the second half of the album he winds things down with tracks like "With Me Still," "Stretching Time," the mournfully melodic "The Tug" and the beautiful "Last Train Home" which finishes the LP off in aptly reflective mood. Such is the musicality of Before We Say Goodbye that it feels like an album crafted outside of techno and underground dance, but at the same time using the sounds and the flavours of the genre to redefine the way we view ambient techno in the UK.

Review: Rush Hour kick off their season of reissues from the now legendary Trax label with the release of Virgo's self-titled debut album. A move welcomed by original house heads around the world, it will give people another chance to reconnect and reengage with what is generally considered to be one of the finest house albums ever made.

Eric Lewis and Merwyn Sanders were not exactly the most prolific producers, but what they did release has gone down as some of the best and most loved house music from fans and critics alike. Virgo was their first and only full length release but has had a lasting effect on those that heard it. Originally, it was released as two separate EPs on Trax in 1989, one as Virgo and the other as M.E, another name that the Chicago duo recorded under. The futuristic, deep, soulful house was soon picked up by London based imprint, Radical Records who merged both 12 inches into a one album release.

Dutch label Rush Hour should be praised for their efforts as they release the first ever reissue of the entire album. The seminal work has also been completely re-mastered for the first time too and will come with new artwork to finish off the new package. As well as the obvious hits, "Do You Know Who You Are" and "In A Vision" the album also serves up re-mastered versions of tracks that didn't get the recognition they deserved; tracks such as "Never Want To Lose You" and "School Hall."

The album truly stands alone in its sound. Deep and futuristic post acid house, its delicious synths and elegant grooves will now be available for a new generation to discover, cherish and love.