This week at Juno

Hip hop LPs from LA Club Resource, reissues of Miss Kittin and The Hacker, and Source Direct, to new music from Blondes, Kuedo and Chemotex, the return of Infrasonics, more Börft Records and the new Ishan Sound on Hotline.

Source Direct – Approach & Identify (Nonplus)

When news broke of Nonplus’ intention to start a reissue series of classic Source Direct material, newsrooms and forums around the cyberverse went haywire, with label founder Boddika telling RA of the artist, “I wasn’t sure who he was when I first met him. I thought he was one of the guys from Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels.” With the announcement came the revelation Blawan would give “Black Rose” a thumping 2015 techno remake, which is followed up here by Demdike Stare’s complete deconstruction and drainage of a tune that was originally so full of ‘90s bounce. If you’ve heard much of Demdike’s Testpressing series (and Modern Love LPs for that matter) then what the duo have done shouldn’t come too much of a surprise, albeit a welcome one, but moreover, this record will please listeners new an old to both artists many times over.
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Miss Kittin and The Hacker – Lost Tracks Vol 1 (Dark Entries)

Considering the collaborative efforts of Miss Kittin and The Hacker came to light in the tidal wave of noirish disco that typified the electro clash movement, it’s intriguing to hear fresh material from the project at a time when interest in such styles is at an all time high. It certainly feels like “Leather Forever” makes sense on Dark Entries, while “Nightlife” instead nods to the reduced and hyper-funked sizzle of Dopplereffekt. The tougher angles of “Miss Crazy Bullshit” instead feel like a more typical reflection of The Hacker’s production styles, complete with Kraftwerk-nodding arepggios, and then the uptempo snarl of “Loving The Alien” comes charging through with the energy of classic Drexciya. Many younger music listeners may be wholly unaware of the roots of this project from two powerhouses of French electro, so hats must be doffed to Dark Entries for bringing them back to light.
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Kuedo – Assertion Of A Surrounding Presence (Knives)

After Severant asserted that Jamie Teasdale was truly free of his previous Vex’d association, the wait since 2011 has felt protracted to say the least. One fully expects the Berlin-based producer would take an entirely new approach for a new project, and now this new album for his own burgeoning Knives label comes to light with a wholly fresh approach that intrigues as much as it satisfies. There is some familiarity in the winsome melodic swoon that lingers over many of the tracks, but now the Vangelis-inspired sheen has been replaced by earthly tones and chiming patterns. It’s not all found sound material though, as Egyptrixx lends a hand on the straight-running “Boundary Regulation” and that trap rattle is still detectable in the fearsome “Eyeless Angel Intervention”, but for the most part this is a release that arranges natural sounds with a delicate grace that could only belong to Kuedo.
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Blondes – Persuasion (Rvng Intl.)

After teasing the sound of their latest EP with the fifty-minute Reins cassette, New York duo Blondes drop their new three-track on regular stomping ground RVNG Intl. with an assurance that sees them continue to mature as machine-manhandlers. There is a concurrent theme of propulsive, forward-thrusting techno that binds all three tracks together, with different subtleties marking each effort out as special in its own right. The title-track pulses and sways with fluid chord lines, allowing space to drop down into bleepy breakdowns without any unnecessary arrangement histrionics, while “Son” edges to life with the patience of dub techno married to a more purposeful beat. “Inner Motive” meanwhile has a more obtuse remit, the elements clamouring for air under a thick blanket of processing that creates a most wonderfully claustrophobic effect.
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Chemotex – Thulsa (The Trilogy Tapes)

With a large portion of his work under his own name committed to the L.I.E.S empire, Marcos Cabral has been steadily building up a separate aesthetic for The Trilogy Tapes under the Chemotex alias. Previous singles, Snake Inside My Leg and Schrade Knives, both showed a fresh perspective to a fine wielder of grotty machine tones. The quality hasn’t dropped a jot for Thulsa, whether it be the slow-chugging drama of the title-track, the rowdy drum bash of “Delta City”, the measured stomp of “Music For Security” or the more minimal slitherings of “Lorentz”. Considering the consistency, there’s every chance all four will be regular appearances in the mix for anyone who likes bloated outboard tackle with an accessible slant, while those who like it a bit noisier can always opt for the other choice TTT release of the week from Ekman.
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Ishan Sound vs Rider Shafique – Militant Mindset (Hotline)

As the heat continues to build around the operations of the Young Echo contingent in Bristol, Ishan Sound makes a logical move to friendly neighbourhood label Hotline for a double pack that further cements his burgeoning reputation following lauded releases on Peng Sound and Tectonic. This time around he’s linked up with Rider Shafique, an MC deeply embedded in the operations of the Young Echo family, and thus six different cuts get served up across two plates that make all the right moves for an authentic update on moody steppers business. As well as the vocal cuts “Militant Mindset” and “Highest”, there are some righteous instrumental jams fine tuned for maximum soundsystem impact, from “EOD”s whipcrack drums and edgy melodies to the ominous march of “Rivet”.
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Acasual – Spring Theory EP (remixes) (Blind Jacks Journey)

In June last year Heidelberg hero Move D made his Beats In Space debut, laying down a typically sumptuous selection of deep house that featured cuts from Fred P, Juju & Jordash, Moods & Grooves and Trelik. Nestled in amongst them was Acasual’s “Spring Theory”, a track released as part of the Dream House series from the quietly impressive North Yorkshire house outpost Blind Jacks Journey. Without being privy to the inner workings of a record label’s decision making process, perhaps it was this chance BIS play that led Blind Jacks Journey to seek out Moufang to remix the 2013 track for the purpose of this new 10” release. Regardless, Move D’s remix will resonate warmly with any fans of the German’s work and could open the label up to a whole new audience of selectors that may not have been paying attention to their charming approach. An accompanying remix from Blind Jacks Journey regular Luv Jam is pretty toasty fare too.
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Lil Noid – Paranoid Funk (LA Club Resource)

You could never accuse Delroy Edwards of being predictable in the music he chooses to release through his LA Club Resource label. Fans of the cultish producer would be more than happy if he elected to focus on a continual stream of the redlining ghetto house heavy hitters that he made his name on through L.I.E.S. Yet the Shawty Pimp cassettes issued through LACR and Edwards’ own Slowed Down Funk mix CDs suggest the label is viewed as a platform to reflect Delroy’s tastes in hip-hop too. This reissue of Lil’ Noid’s Paranoid Funk album further outlines Edwards’ passion for scuzzed out lo-fi hip hop and acts as a primer for the Memphis rap scene as it rose to prominence during the early-to-mid-‘90s. Recorded by Three Six Mafia affiliate Lil’ Noid as a teenager, with button pushing input from influential producer Blackout, Paranoid Funk pretty much lives up to its title with LACR granting the album a much needed debut on the vinyl format.
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Kondens – Tird (Börft Records)

It’s not often we’re blessed with a Kondens release, an enigmatic collaboration between Stefan Thor and the ever-prolific Andreas Tilliander. The project debuted through releases on Kontra-Musik around the turn of the decade – replete with Norman Nodge and Substance remixes – and now the duo turn up on Börft Records supplying the best beat-driven tracks we’ve heard on the label since Five O’Clock Traffic’s Let Us Leave To The Machine What Belongs To The Machines. With touches of dub techno throughout you’ll also find smatterings of old school acid on “Manolito” whiles its drums and percussion on the Hemingway-referencing “For Whom The Bells Tolls”. Functional dance music with that quirky, oddly melodic and humourous Börft touch.
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Spatial – Emergence (Infrasonics)

As we reported in June, Spatial has set afoot to relaunch his Infrasonics label after a three year hiatus with a trilogy of 12″s titled Emergence. Infrasonics’ return follows Spatial’s multi-faceted light, sound and coding project Primitives released on both vinyl and DVD by Broken20, however this comeback keeps it simple with a two-track 12”. There’s a Mark Fell vibe to both “HeLa” and “Referent” in their strict and quantised beat arrangements with clubby UK sub-bass, snapping claps and snares adding a meaty sound to the productions while smoothing off some of the academic edge. With part one of the trilogy now available, it’s about time Spatial strikes back.
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