Various Artists – SND.PE VOL.05
If the tracks on Sound Pellegrino compilations were viewed as tesseras, the mosaic created by them would show the faces of Teki Latex, Orgasmic and Emile Shahidi. The Sound Pellegrino heads manage like few others to select music in a way that creates a characteristic mark. Contributors and curators morph to a new club music entity under the Sound Pellegrino banner. With SND.PE VOL.05 the label offers another stunning chapter of their contribution to contemporary electronic club music – presented as a collection of the twenty single tracks as well as blended together as a mix by Teki Latex and Orgasmic.
As part of rap group TTC, Orgasmic and Teki Latex had already practised the craft of combining different genres into something their own up until their disbandment in 2007. Besides their humorous lyrics and performances, it was the hybrid of Hip-Hop and electronic music that gave TTC its shape. Post-TTC, Orgasmic and Teki Latex continued to explore the border areas of club genres. Across the 100 Sound Pellegrino podcasts to date, they’ve mixed up genres like techno, house, electro, ballroom, grime, trap and other bass heavy streams of music. Theses mixes form just one way Sound Pellegrino has been creating its signature sound since its birth in 2009.
Together with label manager Emile Shahidi, they started to release singles and EPs in different formats, mostly digitally; the Crossover Series saw Sound Pellegrino at their most versatile, pairing up Tom Trago and Bok Bok or Joakim and Bambounou. In 2013 the first SND.PE-compilation showed the full range of influences that make up the sound of Sound Pellegrino. The following episodes explored detailed areas of their musical territory under themes like ‘Raw Club Material’ or ‘Melodic Mechanisms,’ the latter one of the best compilations in 2015.
With SND.PE VOL.05 they stay on this high level. All the twenty tracks present were especially tailored for Teki Latex and Orgasmic; it couldn’t be a more representative image of the Sound Pellegrino musical universe. There are drumless and melodic tracks that breathe the spirit of ambient as well as Wiley’s devil mixes from the yet little known Martel Ferdan, Gobstopper-affiliated Loom or Soca-loving melody-maker Murlo. They are perfectly tailored to temper the heat of heavy working drum tracks from producers like Fraxinus or Helix, as well as the stomping and shimmering techno of Truncate or Cardopusher.
With tracks from Le Dom, Gage, Orgasmic himself, Air Max ’97 or Ratchett Traxxx SND.PE VOL.05 takes on a truly hyper-dimensional form. Rhythm structures from Baltimore club, dancehall or grime get wrapped up with warm and shining synthesizers. The atmosphere varies from melancholic to aggressive and euphoric with a steady driving force towards the dance floor. Despite the diversity on offer, the tracks fit together and make up one satisfying whole. In the mix, Teki Latex and Orgasmic adjust these tracks with a fluency that results in a concentrated and energizing 50-minute run through a constantly reconstructing architecture.
Philipp Weichenrieder
Tracklisting:
1. Martel Ferdan – Weir Skimmer
2. Air Max ’97 – Storm Water
3. Koyote & Too Smooth Christ – Gurgle 101
4. Cardopusher – Possession
5. Helix – Drum Beat For Teki
6. Gage – Healthpack
7. Fraxinus – Temperence
8. Matthias Zimmermann – Bill
9. Truncate – 51
10. Track ID – 8u88le
11. Doline – Levee Dancers
12. Troy Gunner – Sucker Punch
13. Vjuan Allure – I Am Delivert
14. Loom – Boy Racer
15. Feadz & Douster – DJ Quik’s Hair
16. Ratchet Traxxx – Warrior
17. Orgasmic – Bercy
18. Murlo – Low Pressure
19. Joe Howe – Fusilli
20. Le Dom – Bayern