CD Album Recommendations September 2013

Review: First announced over 15 months ago, Firecracker finally come through with You've Never Been To Konotop (Selected Works 2009-2012) a rather finely presented collection of tracks from the self styled 'Slavic Spiritual Warrior" Vakula. The main recording alias of Ukrainian Mikhaylo Vityk, Vakula first emerged in 2009 with a succession of singular deep house explorations for respected hubs such as Dekmantel, Ethereal Sounds, 3rd Strike and Firecracker offshoot Shevchenko an as the extended title suggests this twelve track LP focuses on unreleased material from this same period. Musically, the tone mirrors Vityk's material for Shevchenko, taking the mainframe of house and melding it with elements of "Ukrainian folk melodies, esoteric cryptic rhythm patterns, field recordings, interludes and overgrown organic effects hidden beneath acres of cosmic murk."

Review: Kris "Karizma" Clayton doesn't do things by halves. Having not released a brand new album since his 2007 full-length debut, A Mind of His Own (2009's "V2.0" re-hash not withstanding), he's only gone and delivered a 39-track, double-CD opus of new material (and, by all accounts, there were several extra tracks that never made the cut). By its very nature, then, Wall of Sound is a bit of an unwieldy epic, and it will take you several plays to truly get your hand around its intricacies and stylistic shifts. It's safe to say, though, that it's a pretty tasty set, effortlessly flitting between soul-flecked instrumental hip-hop (see the Dilla-ish "Kan Rock"), broken beat, intense percussion workouts, slick US garage and deep house in all its forms.

Review: The prospect of Donato Dozzy reworking Bee Mask for the Spectrum Spool label is a mouth watering one and this double LP collection, entitled straightforwardly enough Donato Dozzy Plays Bee Mask more than lives up to it's billing. Originally commissioned to turn in a remix of Bee Mask's "Vaporware" track from last year's LP for Room 40, Dozzy apparently felt the track's inherent beauty merited more than just the one and sent over seven! This decision has resulted in a superb collection of reimaginations from the Voices Of The Lake producer, ranging from calming moments of serenity to bleepish, deep techno explorations.

Review: It seems an age ago that Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Roni Size and others revolutionized the world of drum and bass by fixing jungle rhythms to the sort of sophisticated musicality that proved, beyond doubt, the endless opportunities the genre offered for forward-thinking producers. Spearhead boss BCee remembers, as his latest full-length, Lost & Found, is packed with sparkling, string-laden material that harks back to the halcyon days of "intelligent D&B". While there are bombastic interludes - see the rough, late night flex of "Fatal Attraction" and "Typical Description" - the album's finest moments - the stunning opener "Lost & Found", with its sweet soul vocal from Rocky Nti, and the delicious "Class of '92" - are impressively melodic and emotion-rich.

Review: Given the hype that surrounded the release of the first Moderat set back in 2009, we can surely expect more of the same for this second outing from Apparat and Modeselektor. Those familiar with the first album's woozy blend of IDM, Thom Yorke indebted vocal dreaminess, porchlight techno and post-dubstep rhythms will immediately feel right at home. Online reviews have focused largely on II's atmospheric warmth, and the way in which the Berlin-based trio seems to have refined their sound. Both are valid critiques; certainly, there's a maturity and musical complexity to the album that betters much of their previous works. It's not much of a dancefloor set, but that's entirely the point; this is locked-in headphone listening for the wide-eyed generation.

Review: Petar Dundov delivers the Music Man label his third album, Sailing Off The Grid. Similarly to last year's Ideas From The Pond LP, his latest full length sees Dundov squeeze the richest of synthesised colours from his music machines. Tracks like "Moving", "Yesterday Is Tomorrow" and "White Spring" focus on strong, nightdrive arpeggios, while others like "Enter The Vortex", "Spheres" and "Sur La Mer Avec Mon Ami" look to ambient textures cast in a classical arrangement. Petar Dundov may not necessarily be breaking new ground with this LP, but his sound is certainly off the grid.

Review: There's an air of unfussy experimental simplicity about Lucent Glances, the third full-length from abstract electronic artist Raica. The hand-printed artwork and matter-of-fact tracklist - simply a list of track numbers, and nothing more - gives little away, but that's presumably how Raica would want it. Opening with a track that delivers little more than clandestine atmospherics and vintage synthesizer pulses, Lucent Glances shifts uneasily between moody beatscapes (see "2"), heavy electronic tones ("3"), creeping ambience ("6"), sparse dubscapes ("4") and distorted, alien electronics ("8"). It's unusual and out-there, but also strangely comforting. Interesting stuff.

Review: If Max Essa's Won Ton Sunrise album was an exercise in gentle Balearic revivalism - admittedly with a side order of hazy dancefloor chug - then this companion album, Won Ton Sunset, is an attempt to get the party started. Packed with alternative versions, dubs and extended remixes, it fixes the original's wide-eyed, sun-kissed melodies, 80s AOR-inspired grooves and jangling acoustic guitars to Italo-influenced rhythms, nu-disco beats and slo-mo house basslines. It's a simple idea, executed well. Highlights are plentiful, from the synthesizer chug and twinkling melodies of "Trust The Wind (Long Version)" and strutting bump of "Stupid Smile (Sunset Party Dub)", to the bluesy, dance-rock bagginess of "Asleep at the Wheel (Sunset Mix)".

Review: Self-proclaimed "connoisseur of tones and sonics" Marek Hemmann impressed with his 2009 debut album, In Between. Here he returns with the follow-up, a decidedly fun and pleasingly melodic collection of tracks that sit somewhere between warm techno, deep house, scratchy minimalism and ethereal tech-house. There's a surprising amount of funk on display, from the hustling grooves and whistling melodies of "Lindwurm", to the rolling warmth of "Endless", which sounds like a contemporary techno tribute to Kraftwerk. Even the album's more intricate excursions - such as the synth string-laden "Hooray" and exotic "Ratis" - bristle with comfy dancefloor shuffle. Best of all, though, is "Stripped", which builds incessantly towards a smiling, wide-eyed climax.

Review: Brazilian jazz-funk combo Azymuth just keep going. Having released their first album in 1972, they continue to impress with their effortlessly soulful blends of samba-jazz and fusion grooves. Here, their overlooked (but excellent) Aurrora LP gets a deserved reissue (CD2), alongside a disc of new and recent remixes (CD1). These reworks are, for the most part, top notch, with a wide range of contemporary producers giving the ageing trio's work a fresh new feel. There are some deliciously rubbery jazz-funk-disco antics from We Are The Horseman, some wide-eyed Balearica from MODE, a couple of jaunty, summery jams from Oppolopo and Ashley Beedle, and a thumping, carnival-friendly techno re-jig of "Diz No Pe" from Kirk Degiorgio.