CD Album Recommendations April 2012

Review: Conceived at a time when the first wave of US minimalism was making waves across Europe, 1997-1998 offers a uniquely British response. At this stage, Karl O'Connor had placed Regis firmly on the techno radar, and tracks like "Disease Through Affection", with its razor-sharp, jarring industrial riffs and the pile-driving kicks and scatter-gun percussion on "Necklace of Bites" offer a dense, maximal counterbalance to Rob Hood's visceral minimalism. But O'Connor was then as he is now a visionary, and the most telling aspect of this compilation is how much of it would set the agenda for techno as it evolved through the late 90s and early 00s. Mills's Purposemaker project gets all the credit for creating loop techno, but one listen to the stomping, grime-caked industrial techno of "Executive Handshake" and the oppressive riffs of "Body Unknown" and it's clear who drew up the blueprint.

Review: Despite releasing enough singles to fill a small set of IKEA Expedit shelves, Cambridge D&B duo Commix have been pretty slow on the uptake when it comes to albums. So far, they've only released one original full-length, Call To Mind - a pleasing set that won many plaudits on its release in 2007. Curiously, this second full-length is not a new album per se, but rather a collection of previously unreleased cuts recorded between 2003 and 2008. It is, though, a rather fine set, perfectly showcasing their brand of melodic, musically inclined drum and bass. As ever, the beats are loose, organic and snare heavy, the basslines hooky and the melodies sparkling, offering a near perfect balance of dancefloor chops and home listening nous. Fans will lap it up.

Review: There's something decidedly bleak, almost heartbreakingly sad, about this collaborative album from sometime D&B producers ASC (head honcho of Auxiliary) and Sam KDC. As with ASC's most recent full-length, the steadfastly ambient The Light That Burns Twice As Bright, it's a moody and atmospheric affair, dealing mostly in FX-laden drones, slow-burn melodies and near-endless chords. At times it sounds like a post-modern take on the drifting ambience of Pete Namlook, at others a weary comment on the current state of Western society. Throughout, there's an odd warmth and emotional resonance that belies its introspective approach. Closer "No Safety Zone", for example, seemingly shimmers with toasty warmth.

Review: Having spent the best part of five years honing his skills in Budapest and (briefly) Bristol, dubstep studio boffin DJ Madd presents his debut full-length, the decidedly murky The Real & The Shadow. Opening with the creepy, low-end strut of the title track, Madd delivers a set that variously alternates between dark room intensity, synth-laden creepiness and muscular, crowd-bating riddims. There are some notable diversions along the way - not least the soft-centred vocal cut "Deeply" and old skool rave-up "Junglist" - but these are merely odd moments of clarity amidst the paranoid, weed-stoked gloom (see the sonic paranoia of "The Life You Choose").

Review: Following their move to Kompakt for last year's fourth full-length, Knee Deep, Danish trio WhoMadeWho have toned down some of the more abrasive elements of their punk-funk/electro sound. While this fifth album still features many of their sonic trademarks - the sturdy basslines, the bubbling electronics, the rasping live percussion - it boasts a more considered, bittersweet and grown-up sound than their celebrated early work on Gomma. With Tomas Hoffding's raw vocals to the fore, Brighter nervously shuffles between fuzzy pop ("Running Man", "Fireman", "The End"), synth-heavy melancholia ("Greyhound", the Junior Boys-ish "Head On My Pillow") and stomping glam-rock ("The Sun").

Review: Viennese "stadium bass" combo Camo & Krooked offer further proof of the continued blurring of boundaries between drum & bass, dubstep and electro-house. Between The Lines, a partner album to last year's radio-friendly debut Cross The Line, gleefully mashes these genres into a heavy, radio-friendly mixture guaranteed to get pulses racing at giant outdoor raves. There are, of course, cute touches - see the twinkling pianos on BCEE's remix of "Afterlife" - but for the most part the assorted remixes and B-sides collected here have all the subtlety of a punch in the mush from Vladimir Klitschko. It is, though, heaps of fun and doesn't take itself too seriously - something that can't be said for all dance music these days.

Review: Lithuanian producers Mario Basanov and Vidis Cepkauskas have been churning out collaborations for some time, releasing tactile nu-disco/house crossovers on labels including Endless Flight and Future Classic. Here they present their debut full length on Vidis' own Silence Music imprint, a sprawling two-disc epic that noticeably expands their horizons. While their trademark, heavily electronic nu-disco sound is still present, there's a decidedly softer feel to proceedings. Taking in downtempo, contemporary soul (see the excellent collaborations with Geidre and Ernesto), sparse synth-pop, acid, deep house and even tech-tinged flavours, Changed is an ambitious and adventurous two hours that flows beautifully.

Review: Since first emerging under the name Demdike Stare on Modern Love back in 2009, Sean Canty and Miles Whittaker's project has provided listeners with a series of self-consciously dark and mysterious albums inspired by the occult (Demdike was a notorious 17th century witch). This fifth full-length - a double CD, no less - is as formidably creepy, intense and bloodthirsty as their previous outings and provides alternate takes -along with bonus material - of the tracks that appeared previously on a series of equally collectable twelve inches. While there are moments of fleeting beauty - see the gentle "Shades", bubbling echo-techno of "Metamorphasis" or sleepy ambience of "All This Is Ours (Sunrise)" - these merely serve to highlight the horror-fixated darkness and gothic soundscapes that abound throughout. Genuinely chilling, all told.

Review: Like many of Exit's artists, Dan Habarnam has made the journey from left-of-centre drum and bass to straight-up electronica, admittedly with a few stops to fuse IDM and jungle along the way. This debut album fits neatly into the Exit canon, offering a hazy mix of crystalline electronic melodies, fuzzy ambience, cinematic moodiness and just a whisper of dubstep-inspired bottom end. There are moments of rhythmic purity - see the shuffling, wonk-hop goes ambient vibes of "Memory" and woozy, slo-mo dub techno of "Fragments" - but these largely play second fiddle to intoxicating beatless compositions. These are uniformly excellent, with the lazy, late night lament of "Betray The Past" standing out.

Review: Shortly after first getting together in the studio in 2010, Puresque duo Michael 'Mocca' Kunz and Paul Brtschitsch approached Tresor with an idea for a party. As a "sound taster", they took along an eight-track demo of their varied techno productions. It's the meat of that demo that makes up Leitmotiv, their debut full-length for the legendary German techno imprint. As an album, it's really rather enjoyable, offering a distinctly warm take on club techno that belies their Berlin roots. Cloaked in the hiss of analogue machinery, it effortlessly moves between guitar-laden groovery ("Parafin"), Belgian hoover revivalism ("Sabelressein"), darting party gear ("Salamande") and balls-out techno-funk ("001A").

Review: It's been nearly eight years since Orbital's last full-length, the decidedly mediocre Blue. For this unlikely comeback album, the Hartnoll brothers have wisely gone back to what they did best - namely club-friendly electronica bristling with big moments, cinematic melodies and catchy synth riffs. There are tracks that recall their greatest work - see the "Belfast"-ish strings of "Stringy Acid" or "The Girl With The Sun In Her Head" style "New France" - and cuts that offer a timely reminder of their ability to create sublime electronic music. It's not perfect, by any means - there are two awkward and incongruous attempts at dubstep - but there's enough to excite, not least a bonus disc containing rousing live versions of some of their greatest hits.

Review: Just as John and Yoko used music making to shape and define their relationship back in the 1960s, husband-and-wife Sascha Funke and Julieene Dessagne have chosen to express their love in musical form. Unknown, their first collaborative album, is a decidedly cosy and atmospheric affair, combining Funke's sparse electronic rhythms with Dessagne's icy vocals and instrumental skills (think vaguely gothic and jazz-flecked guitars, pianos and fireside-warm keys). While a definite departure for the usually club-minded Funke, it makes for a heartwarming set, as his techno and deep house-influenced grooves are twisted into warm and revealing new shapes.

Review: A sticker on the front of this third full-length from Tru Thoughts stalwart Jonathan James (aka Hint) claims that it could "improve daily happiness by 119%". While that may be a touch optimistic, Daily Intake is certainly James most exuberant and lively set to date. While previous excursions have seen him paddling in the muddy waters between broken beat, future jazz and downtempo, Daily Intake is a boisterous exploration of the world of bass music. With a string of guest vocalists and collaborators lending a hand (Zed Bias, Natalie Storm, Tenor Fly), James gleefully charges between dancehall, UKG, hip-hop, dubstep and, most surprisingly, 80s synth-funk flavas (the brilliant "Give It Up").

Review: It's been a while since mysterious noisenik Mr 716X dropped an album on longtime home Skam; in fact, he most recent full-length dropped way back in 2007. Those who've been missing his intense, brain-melting fusions of ragging acid, break core, jungle, techno and concrete-hard IDM are in for a treat, though, as Experiment Four is as breathlessly uncompromising as ever. While there are brief moments of fluid positivity - see the bubbling "Pod", Squarepusher-ish circuit board jazz of "W4l23z" and chiming, Aphex-ish "Arabic Acid" - for the most part Mr 716X keeps it consciously off-beat and challenging. Yet for all the clattering, titanium-coated beats and overloaded computer freakery on show, there's a strange beauty throughout - not least on the frankly bonkers "Lectric Landlady".