Minimal / Tech House Recommendations Best Of 2011

Review: Autoreply do the record buying public a favour and give Baby Ford's Tin Of Worms 12" another repress, this time on yellow wax. Baby Ford has been making electronic music since the late 1980s and is regarded by most as one of the key players in the nascent UK acid house scene. His entry into the Autoreply stable is a classy, versatile two tracker. The title track showcases crisp, tight linear drum programming - with ribcage shaking sub bass and supernatural synths which undulate over its eight minute cycle, displaying the original principles of minimal techno alongside forward thinking sound design. On the flip you'll find "Westway", originally recorded on Ford's now defunct hardware set up and mastered from DAT. This track conjours images of smoky late night jazz clubs with its smooth piano chords and strings that seem to float in an out of the mix- set starter, nightclub techno lesson, afterparty showpiece; the choice is yours...

Review: Pal SL returns with another highly playable yet artist orientated 12" from L.D.Nero (aka Alex Cortex) who returns to the label after a nine year hiatus. His fantastically received Nite Out 12" for sister label Trelik showcased the more subtle depths of his production style whereas "Washback" grabs the bull buy the horns with an infectious analogue bassline, bold upfront percussion patterns alongside Perlon-esque guitars and organic synth washes. "Simple" picks up the pace with a more mathematical soundscape, driving the speakers whilst teasing with intermittent vocals. "Give Credit" completes the package tipping its hat to the early UK acid sound showcasing retro sound design, lo-fi vocals and historic drum loops against a deep synth and bass back-drop. Mastered By Lopazz.

Review: After the recent death of Kenny Hawkes, friend and studio partner David Parr resurrected a couple of tracks he and Kenny had worked on two summers ago. They unfortunately never made it to release before Kenny's death, but now, after work from David, "Green Grass" is available. This mesmerizing track flits between a jazzy vocal arrangement and deep house with ease - ripples of guitar and pulsing electronic pads create a beautiful and surreal soundscape as the vocals build into an ethereal string harmony. This is timeless house music just the way Kenny liked it. Everybody involved offered their services for free, so everything except the manufacturing costs can go to Kenny's nearest and dearest to help balance the books. Extra Paypal donations can be made to [email protected]. Full support from the Juno team.

Review: Autoreply offshoot Stuga returns with a highly playable 12" that's perfect for the outdoor party season. For this release we welcome back Ben Rourke who has previously recorded for Autoreply, his Blue EP collaboration with friend Pier Bucci having sold out instantly and going on to receive critical acclaim. His tracks effortlessly build without the aid of well known formulas always using high end sound design but never forgetting that house and techno music is essentially meant for dancing. "Tahiti" is one of those tracks that's perfect for the big room or after-party alike featuring bouncy percussion, an analogue bass-line that will properly drive the sound system and one of the most infectious synth-sequences of the year. In fact the man's developed a whole new genre, "Desert Island Techno" ! "Sharpie" explores the deeper realms of dub driven techno with a very liquid approach just so slightly tipping its hat to the 90's Detroit vibe and still very much aimed at the floor. Enjoy.

Review: This remix is nothing new, having already been released in edited form on a 7" single earlier in 2011. But on hearing this 12 minute long version you'll see what a travesty it was to not be released this way in the first place. Opening with five minutes of marimba melody and sampled ocean sounds, with Noah Lennox's vocals cut into rectangular shards, it has all the rounded lushness of Panda Bear's production coupled with Actress's dark, compressed edges. But it's only when it gets into its second half that the real power of this remix becomes apparent, when the sub bass begins to build and the crunchy toms bring in a whole new ferocity to the track. One of the best things released on Kompakt for a long time.