DJs: Most Charted - Minimal / Tech - July 2014

Review: With just one other release behind him on the Naural imprint, Barac makes the leap to a full-blown double pack which finds the Romanian producer exploring the fringes of the current explosion in minimal breakbeat tracks. There are serene and melodic moments as in opening cut "Marea Neagra", and there are more sparse and alien moments such as "Does It Float". It's not all chopped up rhythms though as "Muntii Bassului" provides a strict house beat to latch on to, although it is very much the exception to the rule. That said there's plenty of variety on the release with the closing title track particularly standing out with its punchy box beats and seductive synth tones.

Review: Any new Mr G release is cause for celebration, but this coloured vinyl 12" - with hand-stamped labels, natch - is extra special. While details are sketchy, at best, we're reliably informed that these four tracks have been rescued from the vaults. Whenever they were recorded, there's plenty for fans to enjoy, from the sparse, synth bass-propelled 4/4 funk of "Birthday Jam With Extra Rum", to the mutant bass, swinging cymbals and cut-up saxophones of "Summer Finally Here Or Is It?". There's some trademark sparkling deep house in the shape of the US garage influenced "Tommy's Groove", while opener "Weekend Off" - the pick of a strong bunch - is a deliciously fuzzy chunk of no-holds-barred techno-funk with incessant mutant organ stabs and hip hop vocal samples aplenty.

Review: Haunting minimalisms packed full of subtle cheekiness and clubby vibes is what "Semi-Floating Objects" is all about, and you can really hear the machines and the people behind them bring this track to life. Meanwhile on the flip there's a watery, acid house touch to "Semi Flying Objects" that maintains the danceable, club construction of this track, which all the while keeps in theme with the spooky purposes and atmospheres of this 12". Turn the lights down for these two.

Review: With last year's long-overdue debut album for Smallville Records still on rotation here at Juno HQ, Steven Tang returns to the Hamburg institution for a follow up entitled Leaving The Physical World. Building on the masterful approach to deep house seen on Disconnect to Connect, the Hong Kong native delivers three nuanced productions that show the skills he's been honing for many years. The percussive bump and complex chord arrangement of the title track are finely complemented by the searching shamanic house of "Mystic Ritual" and melancholic soundscape of "Reality We Make", each of which are as deceptively complex as anything Joey Anderson has been putting out of late.

Review: San Francisco DJ/producer Charles McCloud Duff has been making increasingly prominent strides under the Matrixxman guise over the course of the past year with the exposure from releases for Fifth Wall, Unknown To The Unknown and Vin Sol's Soo Wavey paving the way to getting scooped up by Spectral Sound, Amulet is his most high profile release to date, and suggests he's more than comfortable with life on the Ghostly Intl offshoot with all four track an effortless showcase in house music production. Executed with a rack of Roland gear, the A Side sees Duff pairing classicist Chicago signifiers with a modern production sheen with lead cut "Venetia Mask" equipped with the best finger snaps in some time. Hit the flip for two examples of Matrixxman's tougher techno side with final track "The Caravan" a real darkside roller.

Review: There's been an office sweepstake regarding who Perlon would call on to provide the music for the historic PERL100, and given the low key approach the label has retained since Zip and Markus Nikolai founded it back in 1997 it's little surprise they've turned to a label regular in Margaret Dygas. It's a welcome return for Dygas too, with the Berlin-based artist's last appearance on Perlon her well received self titled long player back in 2011! Stylistically both "In Wood" and "That" are what we've come to expect from Dygas, offering a loose, warm brand of minimal house that is full of hypnotic intent, with the latter track particularly potent.

Review: In a curious twist on the usual reissue fare, Chiwax have laid their hands on Sneaky Tim's classic 1994 Dance Mania release and given the A-side over to Ricardo Villalobos and Heiko Schafer to drop a remix of "Mental Kombat" with all the minimal quirkiness that you would expect from the pair. Meanwhile on the flipside the original version of "Planet Wall" sounds as flawless as ever, marching forth with its wistful chord hook and sax lick putting a necessary ruffness into sublime deep house. "Ever Body" turns the heat up with its garage bump and nagging vocal chant, primed to set off any peak time situation.

Review: Crazy 12" from Rush Hour's No 'Label' operation which really offers some insight into the deranged production mind of Irish producer and selector Morgan Buckley. Not only does Shout Out To All The Weirdos In Rathmines possess one of this year's best titles, it possesses some of the most distinctive music put to wax in 2014. There's plenty of mixtape potential across the four tracks be it the Charles Manier does psyche rock of "Call Incoming" or the pure mind bending psychedelia of "Inner City Hum" on the A Side or the more floor friendly bump of the two B Side cuts. More please Mister Buckley.

Review: Harry Agius seems to have settled into a confident production groove over the past year or so that has seen him work with some highly respected labels, not to mention set up his own Graded operation. After Midland drops on Aus and Autonomous Africa, Agius returns to Phonica for this sublime exercise in snapping, effervescent house music on the Soho shop-cum-label's Phonica White series. The presence of a remix from Gerd The Word Janson shows the regard with which Midland is now held, and the fact the London-based producer isn't overshadowed by the German's contribution demonstrates how classy his productions are right now. Based around a core string sample and some great drum arrangements, "Before We Leave" is a track you won't get tired of hearing any time soon.

Review: Back once again on his usual stomping ground, Dutch artist Makam gives up more of the goods to Sushitech with his decisive take on club-ready deep house. The three untitled tracks on here all sport plenty of techno-minded characteristics, from chunky, chugging rhythm sections to alien melodies, with a touch of dubby meditation thrown in for good measure. The first cut finds a stout groove to wrap around, with just enough swing to make it utterly danceable while the rest of the content heads straight for the subconscious. "Track 2" has a more spaced out melodic tone while avoiding any jarring elements to upset the flow, leaving it "Track 3" to turn out a lighter if not wholly weightless kind of house music.

Review: Phoenix G reaches its 50th release in its fifteenth year of business and finds Colin McBean in irrepressible form on this Long Time Coming EP! Should you want some compelling evidence for why so many people regard Mr G as one of the most distinctive production voices amongst the UK house and techno cognoscenti, spend some time with the four tracks here. Lead track "Mandiba" is machine Funk at its most potent, whilst the functional drums of "Distortion (Rita's Soul)" have to contend with the soulful impact of the tear jerking vocal hook and that resonant, earthy synth line. "Zam Zam" is Martian techno at its most sinister, whilst the Mango Boys Red Eye mix of "Where I Feel It Most" is a simple yet very effective DJ tool.

Review: Surfacing from somewhere in the Russian Federation, Gost Zvuk Records live up to their name's rough translation of Ghost Sounds on the basis of this debut release from newcomer Aleksei Nikitin. There's versatility to Nikitin's productions here that will serve him well, with the taut, subtle groove and programming on opening track "Tevi" giving the producer the space to lay down some impressively emotive melodic arrangements. The opening bars to "Tebe Nujno Vernutsya" hint that the production is heading for a weird place, yet there's a smart switch up that takes proceedings into bumping raw house with some smart vocal edits. Face down "Inache" finds Nikitin indulging in some gritty dub house whilst "Ostavim" comes from the Gerry Read school of thumping house tools.

Review: Inaugurated back in 2002 with the Canopy 12" on Out Of The Loop, Al Usher and Ewan Pearson's Partial Arts collaboration has been a project that's revisited on an intermittent basis though the general standard of productions ensures their releases are always worth checking out. Taifa finds Pearson and Usher gracing Kompakt with a third Partial Arts release and presents another subtle twist in their efforts to blend kraut disco and classic house. Perhaps their snappiest Partial Arts production yet, "Taifa" is quite glorious in full flight and is well complemented by the accompanying remix from The Emperor Machine. Typically for an Andy Meecham production, the most immediate quality to this remix is the manner in which the bassline has been treated, though this is soon surpassed by the change in mood from the original's laid back vibe to something a lot more energetic.

Review: Having just mixed the 16th installment of Watergate's showcase compilation series, Sanna La Fleur Engdahl graces the label with her second 12" offering in the shape of Arms Around. Any vinyl selectors who enjoyed Watergate 16 will probably doing a little victory pump as this 12" culls both her original productions from that 15 track mix, as well as providing quite a bonus in the shape of a Carl Craig remix. The eponymous track is reminiscent of the melodic early-noughties with a dreamy, synth-driven break that practically guarantees a proverbial "Arms Around"-effect on the floor. Complementing this, "Stella" shows La Fleur can take it deep too with filtered pads and vocals shreds augmenting what feels like a never ending groove. The aforementioned Planet E boss does his thing to "Arms Around" with his self-styled 'Affected Remix' retaining the charms of La Fleur's original production but sliding up the sense of intensity.

Review: Taking their time to issue out carefully chosen gems from the world of minimal house music, Lick My Deck are back once again with a fine pair of stripped down floor workers from the ever-trusty Ion Ludwig. Both sides share the same kind of shuffled house groove, naturally played out on slender drum hits over un-ending stretches of repetition. Of the two "Polarized Color" lets the most freakiness in amongst its bones, as shapeless wraiths of fuzzy melodic tone drift into earshot intermittently. "No Man Can Be One Way You Should See" meanwhile stays more purely devoted to the beat with just the odd moment of distorted vocal lingering in the background.

Review: A-side with technoid super bleep disco track, a tribute to James Brown. James Brown-loops for sophisticated intergalactic disco mixing and also a filtered jazzy downtempo track, Killer!

Review: Apollonia continue to welcome some legendary names into their prospering discography, but whilst Kerri Chandler's recent contribution took the form of a much needed reissue of Sunday Sunlight this appearance from Jovonn offers the NY house icon the chance to demonstrate how his production renaissance is faring with some all new material. Apparently an inspirational figure to the Apollonia trio of Shonky, Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Sondorom, Jovonn really needs no introduction for anyone who has a keen awareness of house music history and The EP demonstrates he still knows how to put together a dancefloor bomb. Specifically "Trippin Body 'N' Deep Vox (mix)" which in original and dub version offer a masterclass in rolling house music, whilst sandwiched in-between is "The March" which is Jovonn in a deeper mood.

Review: Storming into his debut year with a second release, Levi Verspeek is now making moves on Body Parts with the Hans EP, and he's sounding ever stronger with it. "Amyst" kicks things off in a funky style with a crisp line on broken beat shaking up the minimal tones with the kind of jazz-inflected groove you might hear Tom Ellis lay down. "Mirehc" takes a more slinky route into delineated rhythms, staying deep down in a slender beat and submerged chords, and then "Half Together" gets into a truly scratchy micro-funk frame of mind with excellent results. Providing something of an alternative flavour with his remix, Vadim Svoboda gets the energy level up for a distinctly peppy remix of "Amyst".

Review: Acido is undoubtedly one of the more intriguing labels to releases music that - at a stretch - falls under the banner house and techno. Dynamo Dreesen and SVN, who make up the Dresvn combo, have been collaborating under this moniker since 2009 for labels Sex Tags, Wania and SUED - all of which are loosely connected. This EP is their fourth for Dreseen's Acido and it finds the duo in equally stellar and oddball form once again. Dripping poly-rhythms of tabla drums glop like thick glue over static snare hits in "Track 1", while a gloaming "Track 2" is downtempo and jazzy. "Track 3" accommodates something a little more straight forward; the vocal however, is a different story, which could be said about "Track 4" too, which blurs the line between ambient music and charming minimal house.

Review: As the title would suggest, this double pack monster from Roger Gerressen and Ivano Tetelepta is forged from digging through dusty records to create a spotters delight of beat constructions to make DJ Shadow blush. While the pair's grounding in house and techno shines through, not to mention Nilla's role as an All Inn offshoot, the real informer here is hip hop, as titles such as "Kool As Keith" attest. Throughout there's a tone of smoky, late-night ambience which lends itself perfectly to this kind of project, but it still kicks when it wants to. The title track surges forth on a limber break while "Mambo Town" shimmies with resurrected energy. There are plenty of mellow moments to be enjoyed as well, so if you like your beats outsourced then get on this sizable package.