CD Album Recommendations February 2013

Review: Ruled by Passion, Destroyed by Lust marks the fine debut of The Asphodells, Andrew Weatherall's latest collaboration with close friend and creative foil Timothy J Fairplay. Their compatibility shines through, taking their shared interests and inspirations and playfully tosses them together to create a stylish, coherent whole. The album displays its dark underbelly proudly, but there are more than enough shards of light to inspire those salivating after the bold melodies of Two Lone Swordsmen or the naive, child-like bagginess of Weatherall's Screamadelica era work. At times reminiscent of New Order and others cripplingly paranoia inducing, this ten track set concludes in sublime fashion with the duo's dreamy, cosmic disco-era cover of A.R. Kane's "A Love From Out Of Space"

Review: Few electronic acts could easily sustain three expansive 'best of' compilations, but then Detroit techno-electro fusionists Drexciya weren't your average electronic artists. In the space of little more than 12 EPs and a handful of albums, released in a ten-year burst between 1992 and 2002, James Stinson and Gerald Donald did more to push electronic music forwards than many of their Motor City peers. This third retrospective in Clone's excellent Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller series expands on the first two volumes, swimming between atmospheric IDM ("Aqua Worm Hole", "Vampire Island"), balls-deep techno workouts ("Nautilus", "Intensified Magnetron") and shimmering future electro (the futuristic Kraftwerk vibes of "Aquabahn").

Review: Motional Response marks the excellent (and long overdue) debut album from Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit which finds a welcome home on the Still Music imprint. In the works for some two years, the album follows an eminently impressive array of releases for the likes of Mathematics, Creme Organization, Dolly, Mule and most recently Nonplus and sees the Toronto based artist otherwise known as Stuart Li craft ten tracks of elaborate techno. Anyone with a firm grasp of the Basic Soul Unit style will know not to expect straight up 4/4 and this truth manifests itself in the opening track "Across The Room" which pairs delicate fluttering melodies with bass heavy broken rhythms and remains pleasantly surprising on the ear throughout.

Review: There's always been something a little loved-up about the scattergun, genre-bending productions of New York's Drew Lustman, AKA Falty DL. Yet previously, his desire to fuse cutting-edge rhythms with vintage rave references sometimes got in the way. Hardcourage, his first full-length for independent behemoths Ninja Tune, takes a more 'softly-softly' approach. Whereas his last full-length, 2011's You Stand Uncertain, was a kaleidoscopic invitation to start the dance, Hardcourage gently beckons you towards a loving embrace. While there are still plenty of skittish rhythms present, they're wrapped up in a warm orange glow - all serotonin-soaked chords, cascading melodies, bluesy vocal samples and near-Balearic compositions. In many ways it's a startling about-turn, but one that comes heartily recommended.

Review: Former 4Hero producer Marc Mac is getting a dab hand at creating bespoke, mixtape-style albums that blend civil rights-era dialogue with fresh, jazz and soul-flecked hip-hop instrumentals. Following on from the excellent Extend The Knowledge and It's Right To Be Civil sets comes Message From Soulville, a set that focuses on the role black Americans played in the Vietnam War. It's another doozy, mixing luscious, string-laden jams, boom-bap beats and head nodding grooves with considered skits and pointed, sample-based commentary. There are some fantastic individual tracks amongst the 70-minute journey, including a near blissful re-tweak of "Walk On By" that's near anthemic in its execution.

Review: A year after it first wowed critics, John Talabot's brilliant debut album Fin - an expansive exercise in woozy dark-pop, off-kilter dream house and inventive IDM - gets a deserved reissue. This time round, the album has been padded out using a mix of previously released remixes, unheard versions an unreleased bonus cuts. There are some real gems among the nine additional tracks, from Bullion's breezy, off-kilter pop take on "Destiny" and the shimmering electronica of "Tragedial", to a hitherto unheard 'album version' of Talabot's seminal breakthrough cut, "Matilda's Dream". The droning synth-pop of "I Want Tonight" also impresses, as do the skittering rhythms and bold synths of "Zanzibar (80tapemix)". In truth, it's all pretty hot.

Review: Having made their name on Hyperdub with a peculiar but steadfastly atmospheric brand of maudlin electronica, Darkstar seemed to have cheered up no end for their Warp debut, News From Nowhere. A far warmer, dreamier set than debut album North, it bristles with woozy, kaleidoscopic chords, tropical melodies and intoxicating vocals. There are moments of shoegazing blissfulness - the James Blake-does-MDMA vibes of "Track 4" and the wonky, indie-electronica of "A Day's Pay For A Day's Work" (think Harry Nilsson or early Pink Floyd, with synthesizers) - as well as intricate forays into string-laden downtempo pop ("Young Hearts") and poppy melancholia (the dub-fuelled "You Don't Need A Weatherman").

Review: Former Brownswood staple and Gilles Peterson fave Jose James enjoyed something of a breakthrough in 2010, with an album that looked to Moodymann and Flying Lotus for inspiration. Here, he returns to his jazz roots with an album for Blue Note that pits his gorgeous baritone vocals against a musical mix that's as slick, warm and soulful as you'd expect. The 12 tracks flit between neo-soul, cosy jazz-funk, acoustic soul, hip-hop soul and trad jazz, with hissing beats, flowing pianos and shuffling grooves at every turn. James is a class act who rarely disappoints, and No Beginning No End should impress familiar fans and excited newcomers alike.

Review: Although often robust and wide-eyed, Marco Bailey's particular brand of techno-inspired electronic music owes as much to classic progressive house, ambient and modern tech-house as it does to Dave Clarke or Detroit futurism. This musical melting pot - born, we can only assume, from nearly two decades of music-making, gives High Volume, his latest full length, a vibrancy sometimes missing on previous exercises. There's much to admire, from the bongo-laden assault of "Summer Madness" and early Black Dog-ish "Grolzham", to the shuffling trip-hop sweetness of "The Airport Lounge" and classical sweep of "She Leaves".

Review: It's ten years since Dortmund-based sound explorer Krill Minima (aka producer Martin Juhls) delivered his first full-length. In the decade since, he's proved to be a reliable source of warm, click-heavy, dub-flecked electronica (or, as he describes it, "exotic ambient"). Sekundeschla, his fourth album, continues this theme, offering dubbed-out tracks dripping with tumbling melodies, delay-laden fireside chords and the slightest hint of glitchy rhythm. Unlike much similarly-minded material, there's a huggable positivity about Juhls' productions. Even the most horizontal of tracks - such as the becalmed "Unter Druck" and "Kronen Dab" - seem to come from a happy place, far, far away. It's an impressive trait.

Review: It's been a while since we last heard from Tosca (three years, in fact), and even longer since they released a record that pricked the consciousness of downtempo dub connoisseurs. Thankfully, Odeon is something of an unlikely return to form. Opening with the atmospheric ambience of "Zur Guten Ambience", Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber move through their entire repertoire of spine-tingling, horizontal sounds. Along the way, they touch on folksy iciness ("What If"), alien dub-house ("Heatwave"), Roxy Music-ish art-pop ("Jayjay"), bluesy dub ("Mexiner") and, most notably at all, post-punk funk-pop ("In My Brain Prinz Eugen"). It is, of course, pretty smooth, but that's all part of their stoned charm.

Review: There's something strangely excitable about the material showcased on this latest full-length offering from German electronics boffin Ulrich Schnauss. Rather than being downbeat but beautiful, full of shoegazing chords and mouse-quiet melodies, much of the material is bold, bubbly and surprisingly rhythmic - like he's necked a load of happy pills and let all his inhibitions drift away. Of course, the glistening electronics still shimmer, but the melodies are bolder and there's a lightness to proceedings that belies his snowy, icy past. "A Forgotten Birthday", for example, is near rush inducing in its breathless positivity. It's certainly a positive change in direction, and one that should win him plenty of new admirers.

Review: Having previously dabbled with horror soundtracks on their acclaimed albums Permanent Midnight and Back From Mystery City, Italian duo Blakula have decided to go the whole hog and release an album containing library music-inspired horror reworks of previously-released cuts. It's a simple idea, executed brilliantly. There's a sinister Hammer feel to the jagged strings and fuzzy atmospherics of "Blood Supreme" (re-recorded with the Prague Symphony Orchestra) and "A Darker Shade of Noir (Bad Mojo Version)", while the borderline psychedelic "The Weight of Darkness (Nocturno Version)" and chugging, church organ-laden "Miss Morgue (Deep Red Version)" bristle with ghoulish, nightmarish intent.