Minimal / Tech House Recommendations July 2013

Review: Canadian producer The Mole, or Colin de la Plante to friends, has been in fine production fettle so far this year, gracing labels as varied as Red Motorbike, Slices Of Life and his own Maybe Tomorrow operation with his distinct brand of tongue in cheek mutant house. History Of Dates marks the long overdue Perlon debut for The Mole and it's celebrated in style as Zip's venerated label call in DJ Sprinkles on remix duties! The title track and "Lockdown Party" line up on the A Side with the latter track a particularly cheeky production, as playground chants sit deep beneath an insouciant house groove. It's this track that Sprinkles remixes, implementing some subtle production additions such as handclaps and playful filtration on the vocal samples which lend the track a different energy as Thaemlitz deftly builds up a killer contemporary disco groove.

Review: Frankfurt's Rajko Muller has been responsible for some timeless dancefloor moments as Isolee since his emergence on the iconic Playhouse in 1996, chief among them the iconic "Beau Mot Plage". Having resurfaced earlier this year with that 3 track drop for Koze's Pampa label, Isolee delivers another contemporary contender for his canon of personal classics with this release for Ripperton's Tamed Musiq. "Dennis" is filled with all the warmth and production intricacies one comes to expect from an Isolee production and is complemented by tweaks from Ripperton himself and Berlin artist Baikal.. The former's self styled 'Eight Wheels dub' adds a lot more percussive groove to the mix whilst Baikal opts for a hypnotic rework that's all about the labyrinthine bassline.

Review: Leading up to James Holden's long awaited second album, Border Community offer the Holden obsessive with a remix 10" featuring new scores of "Renata" by Daphni and Steve Moore. Daphni's remix is executed in typically unpredictable fashion by the Caribou frontman Dan Snaith, as the melancholic and euphoric fervour of Holden's consuming original is calmed by a breathy vocal choral and scissor-cut salvos lifted from an early UK Garage style. Steve Moore's alternate version offers a tom drum melodic and dreamy ambient wash of hyper-coloured synths that whiz and whirl to the point of ecstasy just before climax. A essential for Holden completists.

Review: What began as a record shop in Munich founded by Marvin & Valentino now becomes a record label as the duo inaugurate Public Possession with a 12" under the Tambien project they share with compatriot Bartellow. As you'd expect from the title, the Robusto / Sexalitat EP occupies the robust end of the techno spectrum, offering up two cuts steeped in analogue fuzz but still powered by a desire to make people move. With support from the likes of Joakim, Tim Sweeney and LIES boss Ron Morelli, the wonderfully hollow sounding "Robusto" rips and bounces in all the right spots whilst "Sexalitat" nearly boils over with intensity and shimmering white noise. Sehr gut!

Review: A label still in its infancy and carving out its sound, Dutch label Karton brings forth a selection of fresh faces with a spirit of adventure in their take on deep house, favouring DJ Qu style hypnotism over anything too smooth and safe. Mike Trend concocts a tense and immersive sound world through his samples, while at the same time working an effective loop ethic into the organic melee. Patrice Meiner and Archie Hamilton have a more focused drum workout on their hands, maximising on tonal hits of percussion for a stripped down tool, but VID & Cumsacde soon plunge back into the murky depths of haunting melodic content, economy of production and subtlety favoured over showboating. Ferro rounds things off with a minimal shuffler that bumps on a Perlon-ready funk.

Review: One of Dirtybird's freshest signees, Justin's low-swung bass mischief fits the label with glove-like glee. Both teetering around the sexy, slurring 120 mark, "Static" is a droning bass massage with cheeky wisps of breakbeat in the background. Warning: it will leave you covered in a fine disco sleaze you won't ever want to wash off. "Waves" plays the fitting foil; deep, soulful and star-gazing, it's very similar to Justin Martin's softer work. A very, very strong release from Dirtybird here.

Review: This young DJ /producer is one of 2012's most promising new artists - take one listen to Water Jump and it's clear why he is so hyped. "Reception" uses a mutant, noisy take on Chicago house basslines to brutal effect, while "Drone Logic" also revisits the past to create a new vision for the future. There, heavy drums roll in and an old school progressive house bassline - one that sounds more Guerilla than Digweed - is chewed to pieces by bursts of electronic feedback. But it's "A Quiet Life" that really stands out. Underpinned by a splurging bass, haunting angelic voices breeze in as psychedelic drums that have little bearing to traditional house / techno structures explode through the speakers.

Review: After making themselves known as a unit through a well-steered label, a focused party brand and a Fabric mix, Apollonia are now making their first steps as a production outfit, on their own imprint of course. Dan Ghencia, Dyed Soundorom and Shonky already share a passion for reduced, late-night strains of house music heavy on rhythm and atmosphere, but expressed through controlled arrangements and measured sounds. "Trinidad" more than steps up to this state of affairs with simple approach, a powerful bassline and a steady rolling beat, while "Visa Americain" follows suit with a nagging loop just itching to burrow its way into the collective unconsciousness of clubs such as DC10.