DJs: Most Charted - Minimal / Tech - January 2015

Review: Last year's Ballad of the Ice LP for I'm A Cliche seemed to open quite a few doors for Tel Aviv pair Dori Sadovnik & Niv Arzi with Red Axes appearances on Kompakt, Highlife, and Relish. The commencement of a new Shem series of records brings the Red Axes back to Cosmo Vitelli's label with a remit being tracks geared towards the dancefloor but always retaining the one-of-a-kind approach that it distils in all its productions. The four tracks on Volume 1 set the tone nicely, be it the Delia Derbyshire does cavernous acid house vibes of "Na Da" or the spectral "Balma" which features the Portuguese crooner Abrao. Best of all however is the effervescent jack track "Nu" which really exemplifies the talent of Red Axes to make club-ready tracks out of organic elements.

Review: Mike Shannon rounds out a busy last quarter release schedule with the 5 Years Of Love EP, which represents a welcome return to the Half Baked label for the Canadian producer. The Berlin-based Shannon of course was responsible for the event-turned-label's first dedicated artist release last year and Half Baked have really grown since then. Faint strains of disco sit deep beneath the powerful, burning chords and choppy drums of "Over & Over (Time To Celebrate mix)", playfully making themselves known as Shannon skilfully toys with the track's focus. The dubby "Just A Glimpse" has the best kick drum sound since, er, Felix's "Kick Drum" (remember that one?) whilst "Pleasure Play" is most insouciant.

Review: And so the Perlon Meditations continue... Late last year German producer Thomas Melchior made his first appearance on Perlon in some three years with the exquisite Meditations 1-3, which naturally channelled the iconic label's vibe perfectly. The first Perlon release of 2015 presents a further three Melchior produced Meditations, 4-6, with the opening track something of an understated epic. At 12 minutes long, "Meditation 4" demonstrates Melchior's craft for slowly building a groove, adding elements in a fashion that sounds subtle on headphones and deadly on a soundsystem. Face down, the 5th Meditation is an infectious little house groover, with hi hats and vocal samples jousting playfully whilst the closing track is a sub heavy number rich in vocal abstraction.

Review: Mysterious, Ibiza-based, vinyl-only imprint Fathers & Sons Productions has garnered much hype since launching in late 2012. This eight release is already shooting up the Juno sales charts and looks set to sell-out its' limited pressing in double-quick time. Given the quality of material on offer, it's hardly a surprise. Sitting somewhere between chunky, spacey deep house, hypnotic tech-house and minimal techno, all four tracks are suitably strong. Picking highlights is therefore tricky, though we're fans of the hazy late night bump of "What Is Love" and the spacey, stripped back tech-house of "FAS Souls".

Review: Two years is a long time between releases, but you can forgive Lisbon's vinyl only Xquisite when their quality threshold is so very high. Romanian talent Ivel Tax cut the ribbon then, but this second release sees the label looking much closer to home throwing the spotlight on rising Portuguese producer Cleymoore. The sound Bruno 'Cleymoore' Santos achieves on "Seikou" can be likened to a hopeless romantics take on the classic Villalobos style, with those percolating textures and delightfully skipping percussive touches augmented by the most wonderful of hazy textural touches. Xquisite have sought out a fine individual to offer an alternate vision of the track in Thomas Melchior, who instils all manner of extra percussive detail into the mix with the resultant production subtly darker in tone.

Review: Featuring the collective talents of Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Sondorom and Shonky, it's little surprise the Apollonia project has swiftly become a force to be reckoned with in house music over the past two years. Less a production unit, more an excellent DJ tag team and label collective, Apollonia output to date has been the sole Trinidad 12" issued through their eponymous label back in 2013. A debut album then is something of an ambitious move, yet Tour a Tour demonstrates the Parisian trio are more than up to the task. Said to be inspired by their unified approach to Djing, the album consists of 13 tracks that ramp up the intensity deftly in a manner to reflect a DJ mix. French legends Phillip Zdar and Alexkid lend their considered touch to proceedings throughout.

Review: Under the Melchior Productions name, German producer Thomas Melchior has committed some of his finest material to wax in the name of Zip and Markus Nikolai's seminal Perlon imprint. After an absence of some three years, Melchior's name is back on one of those distinctive Perlon 12"s with the first of two planned records under the Meditations banner. Don't get confused by the name though, the three "Meditations" are in no way meditative! Instead this is a record that finds Melchior fully channelling that classic Perlon vibe with the rowdy "Meditation 2" the pick of the bunch.

Review: There's a reflective quality at work on the latest Ellum Audio release, which finds label boss Maceo Plex teaming up with emo-tech-house stalwart Gabriel Ananda. The resulting "Solitary Daze" is laden with melancholic chords and synth sweeps, featuring a delicate drum section that buffets along the heartbreak harmonies with patience and poise. Barnt gets snapped up for a remix that injects a touch more mystery and dancefloor bite into the proceedings, using a little Eastern mysticism and a punchy bassline to make for a catchy revision that will help confirm the widespread praise the producer has been garnering of late.

Review: After the first collaboration on Samuel Deep's Native Tribe EP, these infamous jungle brothers decided to do a full EP together. When together they go by Ingi Visions and have a unique heavy underground sound made for dancefloor destruction. The "Get Slapped" EP features two solo tracks as well wich really represents their own styles. U can expect a lot more music from the brothers in the future.

Review: With a few scattered releases behind him, Denney makes the leap to Hot Creations with the self-assured strut of the Pimp Out EP. "Low Frequency" has the potential to be a huge track with its slick use of acid touches, hooky bassline and catchy vocal sample. "Pimp Out" gets more tripped out in its own use of 303-esque sounds, keeping the drum machine rhythms pattering and flying in playful touches of melody to keep the warmth in there. Luca Cazal steps up to deliver a remix of the latter track, working it into a drum focused slice of dancefloor functionality which should prove useful in a plethora of situations.

Review: The Acid Test series from LA operation Absurd Recordings return to Achterbahn D'armour's fine 2014 LP Odd Movements with an equally compelling remix 12". Compelling because the four artists invited to contribute here each bring their own distinct voice to the table, and the results are likely to intrigue fans of modern techno of all its various shades. First up is Marcellus Pittman who transmogrifies "Holy Roman Empire" into a wonderfully effervescent slice of percussive techno laced with that Detroit grit, whilst Italian producer Chevel continues his recent strain of abstracted productions with growling take on "Odd Movements". Gerard Hanson seems perfectly suited to remix "Passagen" as Convextion, bringing a low gravity electro hum to proceedings, but our pick is most definitely the superlative rework of "Konigstr" from Sued co-founder SW.

Review: Using the Turkish psychedelic project Insanlar as a jump off point, Honest Jon's have enlisted Ricardo Villalobos to turn out one of his grandiose remix projects that gels so naturally with more exotic sound sources. The original of "Kime Ne" is already an enchanting, Moog-infused groover rich with traditional vocals, and then Mr Villalobos locks the ingredients in for a typically cosmic ride into stripped and hypnotic house territory, letting the lutes intertwine with dusty reams of percussion using that alchemists touch that could only come the man himself. The remix spreads itself over two sides of wax, leaving one side of the double pack free for a fetching etching as well.

Review: Any Diego Krause fans out there wondering when the Berlin producer and co-owner of Beste Modus was going to hook up with the Apollonia crew can rest easy, it's Right About Now! So goes the title of this three track 12" and the lead cut which finds the K man on simple and wonderfully groovy form over its 7 minute duration. A perfect DJ tool for the house music selectors out there, and there is more of the same on the B side though "Manitu" offers a more stripped back and techy side to the Krause palette. And what to say about "Dreams" other than it lives up to its title and then some!

Review: After Assemble Music enjoyed one of its strongest years in 2014, the Portugese minimal and generally oddball house imprint call upon one of their regular guests, Daze Maxim, although this time he's brought long time collaborating friend Patrick Specke along for the ride. "Battery" moves like a finely chiseled electro cut in the Bunker tradition, keeping things a little grubby and sinister in preparation for the more primal sounds bouncing around in "Drag Me". That leaves it to "Chromosome" to bring some lighter fare to the B2 with its cheery chords fed into an ever-so-slightly dislocated house groove.

Review: After a strong 2014, in which he dropped two highly regarded EPs on his friend's CrazyJack label, Parisian producer Lowris pops up on Danish deep techno imprint Concealed Sounds. "AAA" sets the tone, with Lowris peppering a tough, undulating groove - replete with a chunky dub bassline - with all manner of cosmic noises, trippy effects and tipsy electronics. Delaphine regular S.A.M goes deeper on his "re-shape", which makes great use of liquid chords and heady melodies. Finally, "BTass" sees Lowris return to the dense, percussive style with which he made his name, turning in the sort of stripped-back drum jam that should ignite dancefloors that like it tough but minimal.

Review: Romanian label Soulsity has always trodden a different path to most tech-house labels, preferring to deliver tracks influenced by deep and soulful house rather than stripped-back German minimal. Label boss MP continues that trend on this EP, dropping a couple of notably soulful gems. Both "Becki D" and "If Ya" boast loose-limbed rhythms seemingly influenced by vintage British two-step, onto which his usual swirling chords, heady melodies and subtle vocal samples are layered. The title track also boasts a spacey, Detroit-influenced vibe, something that should appeal to the label's growing fan base.

Review: You just can't argue with the classiness of Mr G's output, not least when he's giving himself free rein on his own Phoenix G imprint and this new double-pack of goodness is brimming with the kind of sublime, dub-tinged tech house the man has made his legend on. "Faith!" comes on in blue shades of techno-fuelled tension, while "Life Riddimz" keeps things equally fraut and moody. There are warmer moments as on soulful vocal jam "Hip Flexer" and easy-stomping piano worker "Dad?", and there's a healthy amount of weirdness from fractured percussion-baiter "Haze", bt really whatever shade of G you like there's something to enjoy here.

Review: Jordan Peak makes a stellar return to the Air London imprint this September with the 'Cause For Concern' EP, a three-track collection from the London based producer.
The ever on-point Jordan Peak has been continually delivering striking and versatile material over the past four years, releasing records via some leading labels in underground house and techno, such as Tsuba, Robsoul, Bass Culture and One Records. Here we see Jordan return to the Air London label, following his 'It's Time / Hanging By A Thread' EP on the imprint last year.
Peak kicks off the 'Cause For Concern' EP with 'Tones & Textures', a rugged groove-led workout fuelled by a bumpy, penetrating rhythm. The synthesized elements then add a warm and charming character to the composition, meandering around the percussive foundation; Peak employs ethereal pads, swirling dub echoes and resonant stabs here to create a mesmerizing and hypnotic vibe.
Following is 'Sacred Ground' which picks up the pace slightly with insistent sub tones, naturally swung organic percussion, ever evolving, tension building atmospherics and a trippy spoken-word vocal line uttering the track's title sporadically. Once again resulting in a classy, understated piece of work from this clear-cut talent.
The package is then closed with 'Divider', a brilliant construction to finish the package which sees Jordan opt for a more minimalistic approach, stripping back the drums to a sparse yet punchy vibe, while rounded low-end tones drive things along, and bubbling bell sounds, gritty stabs and aggressive bass hits are thrown into the mix intermittently.

Review: The Gardens Of God project from Mindaugas Lapinskis debuted on Ellum Audio earlier this year, and was evidently a chance for the Lithuanian producer to explore sounds and styles away from his work in Downtown Party Network. The Jurassic EP is welcome return to the Ellum cause for Lapinskis following a Gardens Of God 12" on the Boso label run by Ten Walls over the Summer and features three tracks ripe with atmosphere and tension. There's no doubt "Jurassic" is the big track here but don't discount the productions that precede and follow it as they collectively demonstrate Lapinskis to be a growing force in East European techno.

Review: Switzerland's Rora imprint comes through with its eighth release and it's by debutant Rodraq, who neatly slots into the label's sleek and stripped-back approach. "Arche" is a house-techno hybrid with a gorgeous set of background atmospherics and one hell of a kick groove, while on the B-side, "Ben Dover" is a little funkier and club-ready, while "Nuages" heads back into the total depths. All in all, it's deeper than deep, son!

Review: Never a label afraid to champion the new talent, the first release of 2015 from Drumma Records throws the spotlight on Jack Wickham. Leeds newcomer Wickham's previously made his mark with some contributions to digital releases from Drumma and Catwash, and it's nice to the see the former label commit to offering him a physical platform with this Jack Of Clubs 12". Wickham pulls from deep house, techno and techier influences for his productions and each of the four tracks here are perfectly suited tools to deploy deep into the night. Rich in groove, thick with percussion with "Tap To Smoove" our personal pick of the bunch.

Review: In Scuba's ever-deepening commitment to emotive tech house, Hotflush score a big coup in teaming up with Agoria for this EP of expansive big room beasts that know just as much about subtlety as brashness. The title track holds back in all the right places to create a palpable tension that simply builds throughout the track, without losing any of that all important presence, while "Make It Real" finds the French producer throwing down chunky chords for everyone to instantly latch on to. ESS delivers a remix of the latter that adds some crafty drum hooks into the mix and a little additional emotive synth work for an equally sizable dancefloor cut.

Review: Those who've been paying attention to JD Twitch's sets over the last 12 months will undoubtedly have heard "Un.sub", the title track from this excellent EP from former Moda Black combo Mia Dora. A wild combination of relentless cowbells, bass-heavy bottom-end and warped electronics, it sounds like techno from another dimension. The rest of the EP is similarly impressive, from the bumpin' late night house flex of "Raw Kiss", to the surging techno of "Et Le Mein". The EP also features a woozy, off-kilter collaboration with Glasgwegian veteran MASH ("Feathers"), which laces a kooky spoken female vocal over sparse beats, foreboding bass and atmospheric electronics.

Review: Perbec is Mark Broom and Baby Ford. Their last vinyl outing was "Variety Club" for the seminal Ifach imprint in 2001. Here they return with "Chaser" an epic journey into the original principles of house music. Infectious bass, Chicago-style keys and deep, analog synth pads announce that the party is very much in full force. Flip the disc for "Long John" which features stripped rhythms with plenty of swing and energy - equally suited to the main room or afterhours. Mastered at D & M.