CD Album Recommendations June 2013

Review: So, after all the hype, social media arguments and YouTube parodies, here it is: the most talked about dance album of 2013. By now you should all know the story: Daft Punk do old-fashioned disco-pop with the help of a legion of high profile guests and collaborators. So is Random Access Memories any good? Certainly, it's a fine pop album; lavishly produced fare with an authentic, organic swing that benefits enormously from Chic man Nile Rodgers' distinctive guitar work. At it's best, such as on the goodtime disco rush of "Get Lucky" and "Lose Yourself to Dance" (both featuring agorgeous vocals for Pharrell Williams), or the quirky but brilliant "Girorgio by Moroder", it's impeccable.

Review: Given his status as one of drum and bass's true heavyweights, you'd expect this eighth Calibre full-length to be one of the most hotly anticipated jungle sets of the year. Certainly, it's a fine effort, packed with emotion-rich atmospherics, fizzing rhythms and intricate, occasional beautiful, musical touches. He seems to be at his best when concentrating on musicality, as the delightful "Close To Me', soulful "Wilderness" and summery "Do Not Turn On" prove. There are, of course, rawer moments (see the tech-tinged "Simple Things" and dubstep flex of "Start Again"), but these don't hit nearly as hard as his effortlessly soulful compositions.

Review: It's been a while since Freerange boss Jamie Odell (better known, of course, as Jimpster) delivered an album; in fact, his last full-length dropped way back in 2006. Seven years is a long time between drinks, but the rest seems to have done Odell good; Porchlight & Rocking Chairs is arguably his strongest album to date. While deep house remains his focus (see the intricate "Glowing Embers", Detroit influenced "Cracks In The Pavement" and Moodymann-ish "High Wire"), there's a soulful bagginess and barely concealed jazziness throughout. More impressively, many tracks hark back to his pre-house days as a producer of lovingly crafted downtempo gems (see "Jasmine Dragon", "Wanting You" and previous single "These Times".

Review: Some 20 years after the release of seminal debut Temple of Transparent Balls, a landmark British techno set, Ken Downie (with long term sidekicks Martin and Richard Dust) is ready to unleash his 10th full length. Given that Downie arguably did more than anyone else to define the "intelligent techno" sound, it's pleasing to find that Tranklements is full of the kind of bubbling, melodic, off-kilter fare with which he made his name. While there are true dancefloor moments - see the sweaty "The Pay Crash I" and "II", or the spine-tingling hypnotism of "Cult Mentality" - the album's finest moments are those that cut a more considered figure; the Artificial Intelligence-era IDM of "Internal Collapse" is particularly impressive.

Review: Given his impressive track record of late, it would be fair to say that Fred P's time has come. Of course, he's been knocking around for a few years, peddling 12" after 12" of fine, ocean-deep fare. Codes & Metaphors, his third full-length, delivers more sinewy deepness, tech-tinged groovery and woozy downtempo soul. It is, of course, all impeccable, from the twinkling pianos and Balearic chords of "Science & Art", and the down-low hypnotism of Lady Blaktronika collaboration "Your Love", to the bubbling electronics of "Amazing", and the sparse space-jazz of "Melody Off Key". Recommended.

Review: If you judge a producer by their ability to successfully apply a winning formula to a variety of styles, Alix Perez is a master. While drum and bass remains his forte, there's enough on Chroma Chords, his second album, to suggest that he's growing as a producer. As well as expected forays into picturesque soulful D&B (see "We Could Have Been" and "The End of Us"), Chroma Chords also successfully touches on grimy hip-hop ("Monolith", featuring Foreign Beggars and Jehst), dubstep ("Move Aside"), and, most impressively, a series of synth-laden head-nodders ("Crystals", "Broken Heart", "Chroma Chords").

Review: The ever-interesting Eddie Ruscha returns with a new Secret Circuit full-length, the first on Tim Sweeney's excellent Beats In Space imprint. Given the usually vivid style of his psychedelic electronica, it's no surprise to find that Tactile Galactics is a mesmerizing trip from start to finish. Ruscha darts between kaleidoscopic space disco, wide-eyed shoegaze house, analogue psychedelia, touchy-feely ambience and intense, druggy Italo, somehow shoehorning 25 years of musical misadventure into 70 spellbinding minutes. It's bold, melodic, hypnotic, beautiful, blissful, intense, inspiring and exciting. Put simply, Tactile Galactics is a great album.

Review: Having long since made enough money to retire, Louie Vega has spent the last few years developing his Elements of Life project - a kind of all-star band that blends global rhythms with elements of soul, disco, jazz and, of course, house. While early releases on his own Vega Records imprint were a touch ham-fisted and noodlesome, this second full-length oozes laidback spirituality - like the Masters at Work Nu Yorican Soul project taken to its logical conclusion. There are some joyous moments amongst the Latin percussion and treacle-thick soul vocals, from the Rotary Connection-goes-jazz of "Barbara Ann", to the Afro-Cuban soul-jazz of "Love is You".

Review: Exium continue to strengthen their working relationship with Pole Recordings, gracing Oscar Mulero's label with A Sensible Alternative To Emotion, their second studio album. Having spent over a decade refining their own vision of hard edged techno, Exium use this platform of a second album to expand on their established sound, at times easing down the tempos and intensity for a more balanced listen across the 10 tracks. Productions such as the granite heavy "Massless Particle" or tunnelling abstraction of "Absolute Magnitude" demonstrate this is no drastic departure from the Exium sound but there's an equal consideration for melodic arrangements and more subdued moments.

Review: Parisian producer Naibu has never been your average junglist. While his beats and rhythms are never less than robust, there's a touching melancholy and jazzy looseness to his tracks that harks back to the (now sadly largely derided) "intelligent D&B"" era. This album offers an insight into his early days, delivering a formidable collection of previously unreleased productions from the mid-2000s. Despite its piecemeal nature, it hangs together very well. There are intricate and beautiful moments (see the fluid "Broken Dreams" and "Deeply Wounded"), alongside booming exercises in jungle revivalism (of which "Aurora" is perhaps the most impressive example).

Review: Since stepping out of the shadow of Massive Attack, Tricky has enjoyed a mixed career. While there have been undoubted highlights - and not just the acclaimed Maxiniqauye - his output has been hit and miss at best. False Idols, his first album since 2010's decidedly hit-and-miss Mixed Race, is thankfully more hit than mix. As paranoid, intoxicating and atmospheric as you'd expect, it mixes the fuzzy, rock-influenced darkness of recent years with glorious hints at his storied past (see the string-laden "Nothing's Changed" and horizontal trip-hop of "We Don't Die"). There are thrillingly macabre moments throughout, from the murky pulse of "Hey Love", to the sparse "Somebody's Sins".

Review: Following up the runaway success of Crooks & Lovers was always going to be a daunting task for Mount Kimbie, and they've wisely taken their time to come back with a step forwards from a sound which gave rise to the more folky strains of the dubstep aftermath. Sounding fresh and invigorated on their LP for Warp, Kai Campos and Dominic Maker have built on their love of shoegaze indie and brought their component parts into a clearer vision where they used to hide them behind heavy editing and microsampling. There are plenty of reminders that this is a Kimbie record, not least in the winsome melodies that shape the LP, but the duo have succeeded in shearing away their self-conscious trickery to write full-bodied songs that hit on first listen, rather than ten spins down the line.