Minimal / Tech House Recommendations October 2013

Review: The familiar figure of Seb Zito helms the tenth release on Fuse London which makes perfect sense with his status as resident at the affiliated London club of the same name gradually getting matched by his increasing production prowess. The Never EP marks Zito's third appearance on the label and sees him in deep and moody form on the title cut which drops out into the most seductive of vocal breakdowns, with the tougher "Subs Dubs 111" offering an element of contrast to the silky smooth opener. On the flip "Never" gets reworked two times over, with Enzo Siragusa and Rich Nxt's collective effort offering a more stripped back alternative to Ben Rau's richly melodic remix.

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: Birdsmakingmachine deliver their third release and make steps closer to establishing themselves as a sought after the label. This self titled three track EP is steered by a repetitious drive of clunky drums, scrappy percussion and subtle synths. "Multiverse" takes up the A-side and plays out at length like a sample-based Baby Ford track, while "40 De Mayo" basks in a humid eeriness and autumn moods. The temperament of "Dune" is made even cooler as random house-party discussion becomes the tracks melody which rests on top of an arid scratch work of drums and miscellaneous clatter.

Review: Munich's Public Possession maintain the heat of their first two releases from Tambien and Matthew Brown, turning to another lesser known talent in Bell Towers for the excellent Lightrail 12". Those vinyl buyers out there with photographic memories will recognize the name Bell Towers from releases on Internasjonal and Hole In The Sky and the young Melbournite comes through with his most epic work to date for Public Possession. In original form "Lightrail" takes the shape of a strident house cut that builds with a sense of glistening euphoria over some eleven minutes; it's complemented by a wholly more rugged remix from Protect U that at times feels like an EBM cover version of Yello's "Oh Yeah". Killer cover art from Perks and Mini's Misha Hollenbach too!

Review: Soulsity made quite a splash with their debut release, the Evimente EP from MP and Moratu and the Craiova based label add credence to the notion they are the latest imprint to strengthen Romania's continual emergence as a new power within minimal techno with this quite sublime record from Aquaphresca. Lead production "Smooth Track" is the sort of bridging track you can drop mid-set, staying pretty even as luscious, warm Rhodes arrangements ease out over the intricate, subtle shifting techy grooves which ensures the title is well chosen. This sense of melodic warmth shifts to the flip side and "Bongobang" feels like the more adventurous track, showing Aquaphresca's capacity to veer off track rhythmically - more please.

Review: Apparel Music is happy to present the Perception EP from Portuguese producer Accatone - named after the debut film by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Primed with four of Accatone's own productions, Perception demonstrates this producer to be a fiend for the groove and rhythm yet also mindful of 808 drum samples and lush chords. Accatone's musical know how, gained through a life on full front musicianship and live acts, enables him to translate his soul world influences into contemporary House music. It's difficult to sum up his productions and his DJ sets as in a way he thrives for the old school House and Techno and brings his own imprint, a highly organic dance floor experience that can change in a clap and still maintain a natural voyage like flow. With a vast music selection on his crate, Accatone is able to blend both the old and new without any trouble of a sort.

Review: Since emerging with the slinky four tracker Changes last year, the London based producer and DJ Francesca Lombardo has become a fully fledged member of the Crosstown family, with this third release on Damian Lazarus's label arriving amidst news the fast-rising Rebel queen is working on her debut album for them. As with her previous efforts, "What To Do" really conveys Lombardo's growing talent as a song writer within the framework of electronic music. The raw production here is elevated by Francesca's sultry tones and there's three further remixes that rework the source material in pleasantly differing directions with Matrixxman's effort standing out!

Review: How does a label follow up a surprise summer smash? In the case of Ellum Audio and the excellent New York Is Alright from TV Baby, founder Maceo Plex returns with his first original material for the label in nearly a year, teaming up with Odd Parent's Maars on Going Back. A simple two tracker aimed at the dancefloors, the lead original mix takes the vocals of Florence Bird and weaves them deep into the groove of a dark, sonically hypnotic arrangement with all the usual Plex nuances like crisp drums, gloopily foreboding bassline and clipped strings. The dub version naturally discards with Bird's contribution yet retains the intensity

Review: Off the back of releases from Boo Williams and Mr G, it's hard not to see Gary Todd's Contemporary Scarecrow as one of the breakthrough labels in more minimally inclined circles. This perception is only strengthened with the fourth Contemporary Scarecrow release from Ibiza-based duo Acid Mondays, whose respectable discography for Deep Vibes, 2020 Vision and Circus Recordings is emboldened by the amusingly named Hoffman's Bumbag. Named after Albert, inventor of LSD, not David, inventor of Baywatch, this EP contains four expertly produced tracks primed for the floor with "Meowman Barnes" a notable highlight.

Review: Albinos' Ritual House Vol 1 was one of this year's most interesting house records, combining the rough analogue aesthetic that's currently so prevalent with the melodic idiosyncrasies of the producer's Antinote label family. Ritual House Vol 2 sees the producer return to the label for another round, and its as good as the first, if not better; "Black Orchid" kicks things off with a jaunty slice of Afrobeat-infused house, where rough marimbas flutter over a gritty yet melodic bassline, while "Trip To Balawim" take things down a stranger corner, where clattering woodblocks and stray synth keys drift out of time. "Rain" meanwhile offers a strange take on club music, as primal synth stabs are driven by threadbare 4/4, a firm contrast to the more downbeat "Photosynthesis", which glistens with its own translucence. Highly recommended stuff from Antinote once again.

Review: Prolific Romanian newcomer Marcman added the fledgling Paragram label to his already sizeable discography earlier this year with the Dici EP and the combined critical and dancefloor response has convinced the Italian label to revisit it with a selection of remixes. Rosario based underground techno icon Franco Cinelli takes on the title track, adopting a frenetic rhythmic tone that wouldn't have seemed out of place on a vintage Domu cut which contrasts nicely with the self styled 'jackfruit' mix from Marcman's compatriot Dorian Paic who takes on a more traditional rolling drum sound. Ensuring proceedings are evenly split between Romania and Argentina, Buenos Aires-based producer Jorge Savoretti lays down a killer blend of pads, stabs and jacking metallic drums for his version of "Rigid" which is perhaps the best here!

Review: There's much to admire about Bostro Pesopeo. The production alias of German producer Florian Peter, the name Bostro Pesopeo sounds like an ancient Roman politician and he makes some of the most under rated music on the Permanent Vacation roster. He apparently also makes the finest pizza in all of Munich. Cheer Up sees Pesopeo make one of his infrequent returns to the Perm Vac and challenges the Pional featuring Yes as the Juno review team's personal favourites in the Bostro canon of works. As with previous releases from Pesopeo, there's a real richness to his productions here and a diversity in style across the three tracks with "The Supreme Court" a notable delight of cloudy analogue textures and brisk house drums.