CD Album Recommendations November 2012

Review: Despite being born and raised in Detroit, Luke Hess is rarely mentioned in the same breath as his Motor City peers. Then again, his brand and dub-infused techno doesn't fit neatly into the futurist narrative. This latest full-length flips the script slightly. While it has plenty of dub-flecked moments (see "Overcome" and "Humility"), there's a greater reliance on melody over mood. While this could be a reflection of the involvement of collaborator Omar-S, it's more likely an indication of Hess's development as a producer. Moving from hypnotic deep house to robust techno via beatless interludes, Keep On is Hess's most accessible set to date.

Review: Clearly, Black Sun Empire do not mess around. Their third full-length stretches across two CDs and features a string of collaborations with the great and the good of D&B, dubstep and hip-hop (Noisia, Foreign Beggars, Bless, Audio, Rido and Foreign Beggars all lend a hand). While the second CD does include some alternative versions, it's still an impressively expansive set. Musically, it sticks largely to drum & bass, flitting between darkroom rollers, tech-step business, liquid grooves and big room bangers, with the occasional excursion into old skool territory or melody-driven groovery. For fans and newcomers alike, there's plenty to enjoy, even if it is arguably a touch too long.

Review: Italian-in-Berlin Dino Sabatini has spent much of the last five years building his reputation as a maker of voodoo-strewn minimalism and hypnotic darkroom techno. Here, he continues to explore the possibilities of intoxicating rhythms with his debut full-length, a decidedly paranoid set for longtime label Prologue. As the title suggests, Shaman's Path is a concept album based around witchcraft and voodoo, featuring the sort of hypnotic grooves and off-kilter synths that should probably be sound tracking a weird fertility ritual in a rain-soaked South American forest. As concepts go, it's pretty solid. More importantly, it offers ample opportunity to explore his deep techno ambitions.

Review: A studious understanding of DJ culture has emerged recently within the chameleonic career of Dan Snaith, and is exploited with aplomb on Jiaolong, the much anticipated album released under his nascent Daphni moniker. Apparently produced in deference to working on a follow up to Swim, Snaith's critically lauded Caribou LP from 2010, this nine track set derives from the swift productions and edits he has been making for the purpose of DJ sets over the past 18 months and it shows. Jiaolong is resolutely a set of tracks meant for the sweaty basements and concrete spaces, with previous Daphni emissions such as "Ye Ye", "Ahora" and "Jiao" surrounded by equally potent new productions - "Light" and "Pairs" being immediate favourites.

Review: Despite enjoying close links with the tech-house community since their early days way back in the late '90s, most still associate Layo & Bushwacka with the fluid breakbeat house with which they made their name. Their last album, 2006's Feels Closer, attempted to reposition them as makers of smart, melodic tech-house and downtempo grooves. This fourth full-length, six years in the making, confirms this switch. While there are some formidably uptempo moments - see the heavily percussive "Born In The Backwoods" and Cevin Fisher collab "Dancing In The Dark" - for the most part Rising & Falling slinks between crystalline ambience and vaguely progressive, Bedrock-ish grooves. Given their history of creating emotion-rich music, it makes perfect sense.

Review: As one third of the Hessle Audio triumvirate, Kevin McAuley - better known as Pangaea - has been responsible for some of the label's best releases. The eight track Release represents his most potent statement to date; continuing the rolling pirate radio techno direction he started with last year's Hex and Inna Daze EPs. Beginning with the Missy Elliot sampling "Game", he sets out the stall for the rest of the EP, a combination of tough, steeled-up steppers rhythms and dub techno textures. Whether listening to the abstract melodies of the title track, the blistering pace of the searing "Majestic 12" or the broken garage of Middleman, its clear that Pangaea is still light years ahead of the competition.

Review: Since playing a starring role (often alongside old pal Hans-Peter Lindstrom) in the Norwegian space disco and Scandolearic movements of the mid 2000s, Prins Thomas has wandered off in all sorts of different directions, filling his first solo LP with Krautrock-inspired darkness. This second solo album displays some of the same influences (see the post punk bass and dark percussive builds of "Peppadans 1"), while moving back towards the sound with which he made his name. It's an interesting mix, all told, encompassing intense, paranoid moods ("Bobletekno (Permiks)"), sparse percussive workouts ("Bom Bom"), and shimmering Scandolearic builders (the how do you pronounce "Symfonisj Utviklingschemming"), all wrapped up in his trademark prog rock-influenced production.

Review: Curiously, this trip into the hyperactive mind of Finnish producer Aleksi Perala was first released as a digital-only album back in 2009. Here, it finally gets a release on CD, alongside a bonus disc of largely ambient material that echoes his excellent work under the Astrobotnia guise. While enjoyable, it's the skittering electronica, braindance techno and effervescent IDM of the original album that most impresses. Perala seems incapable of sticking to one style, and his joyous experiments take in breakbeat-driven intelligent techno ("Lep Through Time"), 8-bit junglisms ("Rungs of Saturn"), electro squelch ("Teardops") and Squarepusher-ish percussive dexterity ("High Camp").

Review: Having delivered a debut album in 2010's Innerspeaker that remains rewarding to this day, the challenge for Australian trio Tame Impala would be how to improve on a near perfect sound without merely treading the same water. Lonerism achieves this with the sort of aplomb missing from many a difficult second album through subtle sonic nuances. The vintage delay laden, psychedelic approach remains very much in tact, but the band has now added more emphasis on synthesised textures to the melting pot. As ever front man Kevin Parker's woozy vocal drives matters forward throughout and if you were one of the many people that embraced their debut album, Lonerism will instantly appeal. Those unfamiliar with the band will also find much joy throughout.

Review: Alexander 'Boys Noize' Ridha seems to be mellowing with age. Compared to previous full-length excursions, Out of the Black is positively laidback. While there are, of course, ear-splitting moments of noisenik electro (see "Ich R U" and the techno-flavoured "Merlin"), most of the best dancefloor cuts here boast pleasing melodies and a surprising depth to the production (see "XTC"). Crucially, there's also more swing and a greater reliance on electrofunk-era synths. It's on these funk-fuelled tracks, such as Siriusmo collaboration "Conchord" and the delicious opener "What You Want", that Ridha shows us just how far he's come in the last decade.

Review: The South American New Wave revolution pioneered by Matias Aguayo's Comeme label continues apace, this time with an album from Mexican producer Daniel Maloso that is, fittingly, deeply rooted in new wave and EBM. While many of Maloso's contemporaries make music that sits somewhere between new wave and nu-disco, he's nailed his colours firmly to the new wave pop mast. The production is sparse and relatively steely, with forays into tougher EBM territory (see "Steady Rolling (All My Life)" and the excellent "Body Music) and funk-infused electronic disco-pop (superb opener "Shera"). While it's well produced, there's a DIY wonkiness that recalls the early days of '80s synth-pop.

Review: There's a strong argument to say that those artists who make an effort to develop their sound make the very best albums. The fabulously named Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts is clearly one of those artists. Since first causing waves back in the mid 2000s, he's moved from a maker of crunchy minimalism to someone whose sound is much harder to pin down. Twice Around the Sun, his third full length, shows further signs of development. While it remains rooted in his trademark atmospheric sound - a mix of loose, organic drums, tactile synths and pleasing melodies - it stylistically moves in a myriad of directions, touching on quirky lo-fi pop, strobe light techno, curious deepness and touchy-feely downtempo bliss.

Review: DJ, producer, musician, remixer, Shelter resident and all round soulful house legend Timmy Regisford has decided to take a slightly different approach with this seventh solo full-length. While it does contain a smattering of original cuts in his usual style - see DJ tool "Timmy's Groove" and the expansive "Shining" - it's mostly made up of club-friendly cover versions of some of his favourite songs, most of which make unlikely floor fillers. Sade's "Every Day" gets a typically smooth and soulful makeover, while Sting's dreary MOR song "Shape of My Heart" is transformed into a sprightly, basement-friendly main room house cut. It's a strange concept, in many ways, but one that largely works surprisingly well.

Review: The Submotion Orchestra is an interesting proposition. An eight-piece from Leeds who built their reputation on impressive live performances, they musically join the dots between floor-friendly dubstep, twinkling ambience, comfy neo-soul, broken beat and future jazz. Really, they have all the ingredients to enjoy considerable crossover success. Take this second full-length, for example. There are yearning, emotion-rich downtempo tracks aplenty (see "Snow" and "Sleepwalker"), but also confirmed floorfillers (the jazz-stop heaviness of It's Not Me It's You" and spooky "Thousand Yard Stare"). In between, they deliver a range of slinky, accessible cuts, including one track that sounds like a dubstep take on Steve Reich's "Music For 18 Musicians".