The best new singles this week
The singles that deserve a place in your collection this week
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
DJ Die – Capers / Inside (V Recordings)
Who knows how many game-changing dubplates are still sat on by the titans of 90s D&B and jungle? It’s an emotive subject, whether these holy grails should be opened up for mass consumption or kept stashed away in the mythology of tape ripped mixes and hazy 30-year-old rave memories. In the all-access information age, it’s hard to establish the kind of mystique and hysteria that seminal dubs would inspire. Exclusivity is not the name of the game anymore, not least when everyone is a DJ, has a radio show and produces their own bootlegs, edits and bangers. As such, V Recordings are doing just fine by mining the archives for their Legends series and offering up some hitherto unreleased gems from the 90s. Who wouldn’t want a ‘new’ track from a golden era, lovingly pressed on a fresh slab of wax?
It’s been some time since we heard something fresh from DJ Die too, and the Full Cycle titan has more than enough legacy in the V Recordings story to warrant a dip into the archives. His own angle on the Bristol sound revolves around intricacy as opposed to the outright hooks of Roni Size and Krust’s devastating minimalism, and that’s exactly what comes through on ‘Capers’. Hitting the jazziest end of the West Country flavour, this is D&B which matches ruffness with a relaxed cool, when the grit of the Akai was still colouring the sound of the breaks even as they were getting chiselled into more linear patterns.
OW
Chez Damier & Stacey Pullen – Forever Monna (2021 Edition) (Back To Life)
A glorious metaphysical realm exists somewhere within the intermediate space between (Detroit) techno and (Chicago) house music. From inside this scintillatingly fertile ground, some of underground dance music’s most precious treasures have been forged, and few – if any – have been formed more immaculately than Chez Damier and Stacey Pullen’s 1995 classic, ‘Forever Monna’. Combining emotive pads, celestial synth interplay, earth-shaking bass and crisply driving drums – the impeccable music has the power to move floors while effortlessly lifting spirits, without being in the least bit over-hyped or saccharine.
Beautiful yet weighty, simple yet profound, it’s a bona fide electronic masterpiece that has masterfully stood the test of time. Though not the first time the music has been re-issued, Italian label Back To Life have travelled the officially licensed route, apparently working closely with Damier to actualise the project. All four versions that appeared on the original Balance Recordings pressing are reunited for the first time, and – helpfully – this time out, the track titles are included so you know exactly which mix you’re playing. The heavy percussion of the ‘Deep Mix’ is quite lovely, and the ‘Rex Club Mix’ certainly pops, but it’s the original and remastered versions that shine the brightest. If you’re a collector of house and techno and don’t own ‘Forever Monna’ yet, you should probably get involved.
PC
Jex Opolis – Net Loss (Good Timin’)
Super slick Canadian producer Jex Opolis follows up on this summer’s ‘It’s Me Jexxy’ album with his first vinyl EP of 2021. Jered ‘Jex Opolis’ Stuffco routinely defies genres with his exquisitely woven and typically synth-heavy music, pouring all of his classical piano and guitar training into carefully constructed compositions rich with musicality, texture, and detail. He’s released acclaimed EPs on Dekmantel and Running Back, but here we find him on his familiar home turf – the Good Timin’ label he set up as an outlet for the vast majority of his work.
The ‘Net Loss’ EP came out digitally in 2020, but its ever so slightly tardy arrival on wax has been more than worth the wait. Opening track ‘Listen To The Band’ is a gorgeous slice of star-gazing disco, its cosmic Italo edge exploding from the speakers with the help of dominant bass arpeggios, uplifting pads, and saucy synth stabs. ‘Net Worth’ evolves over raw ’80s electro-soul drums, with lush chords and choral textures combining to create an evocative, downtempo backroom jam. The temperature rises significantly with the arrival of the deliciously camp ‘What Am I Gonna Dub?’, its impatient tempo, energetic bass and jaunty melodies once again imbued with an irrepressible 1980s shimmer. Next up, we’re return to elegantly sleazy backroom territory with the immersive midtempo groove of ‘Dubsystem’. Honeyed melodies join irresistible harmonic layers to rise over the rolling synth bass before heavenly vocoder lines provide the hook, with the emotive orchestration blurring the lines between melancholic pop and electro-funk. Finally, the push/pull ‘Net Loss’ roller-coaster ride resumes with the edgy rhythms and dramatic instrumentation of ‘Jexendirect’. Sonically similar to the EP’s opener, the heavy synth bass broods under a tapestry of electronic ripples, with screeching leads, hypnotic arpeggios and cowbell-infused machine drums powering the track into cinematic territory.
PC
Thinking back to when Cando’s debut 12” Bleak dropped on Livity Sound’s reverse label is like gazing back into a wormhole. It comes from the before-times – the halcyon days of 2019, when clubbing felt normal and a track like ‘Bleak’ could worm its way into your subconscious after hearing successive DJs playing it out weekend after weekend. We’ve not heard anything new from the Bristol-based duo since, but they’ve clearly been working away, and ahead of a spot on the imminent Molten Mirrors compilation, we’re treated to this surprise new drop on Le Chatroom.
‘Clutch’ steps forth with an assured nod to that sweet and sassy UK funky groove, but as on ‘Bleak’ there’s also a more tropical flavour to the drums – something referenced in the past as part of Chad Leotaud’s Trinidadian heritage. Stopping short of the anthemic hook on their earlier release, ‘Clutch’ teases with a certain heads-down restraint while packing detail, tension and dynamics into the fabric of the track, positively gasping for the heat of a dance and an appropriately sized system to stretch out on. Roska dons his Bakongo guise to rework the track in his trademark spartan style, all pointillist percussion and a crisp, airy mix for the DJs.
‘14U (Drum Mix)’ captures a little more of Cando’s melodic sparkle – a similarly sundown vibe that feels imbued with vitamin D without losing a necessary thread of mystery. It’s also a remarkably patient track which allows the synths and sub to do the work for more than two thirds of the run time, making it all the sweeter when the clattering percussion properly boots off. ‘Ambivalence’ is far more flamboyant from the outset, draped in elegant musical flourishes and instantly tangible in the rhythm section, but crucially communicating that balmy mood which is already setting Cando apart from their UK techno-not-techno contemporaries.
OW
Zygos – ENV 002 (Encrypted Audio)
Having enjoyed it moment in the sun – and no-one can deny the movement as a whole did that, spawning plenty of chart action and leaving its mark on pop music at large in an indelible fashion – dubstep is operating back under the radar again, not exactly forgotten but certainly not the new kid on the block. Arguably, with the bandwagon jumpers and faddish chancers moving onto other things, it’s in a much more healthy place as a result.
At least, there’s a proper sense of freedom, originality and experimentation running through the three tracks here from Belgium’s Zygos, who swaps the walloping brutality more commonly – or at least previously- associated with the genre for what might better be described as a palpable sense of creeping menace. ‘Get Nowhere’ turns melodic somersaults over a sparse rhythmic landscape of handclaps and vintage electro cowbell, bulging bass end continually throbbing away as the higher end dips in and out of some nicely compacting filters. ‘Bottom Line’ seems to be some kind of unofficial ‘Alien’ soundtrack – in space, in other words, people can actually hear you scream but it’ll sound all weird and twisted up and sinister like this. The package is rounded off by the three note riff and slowed down junglist breaks of ‘Jamais’, meaning each of the three tracks is distinct and separate but consistent in atmosphere. Nice, nasty work.
BW
KAMM – Cookie Policies Remix EP (Circus Company)
French label Circus Company are certainly among the more adventurous of club-inclined imprints in operation. In the 20-plus years of their existence, they’ve regularly deviated from the straight-up techno path to present off-kilter music from the likes of Nicolas Jarr, DJ Koze, D’Julz, Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts and many others. Dave Aju, Alland Byallo, Kenneth Scott and Marc Smith’s joint KAMM project released its first full LP via the Circus Company ranks at the tail end of last year, and now the label call upon a select ensemble of high-level production talent to step to the plate on remix duty. ‘Cookie Policies’ contained seven bold tracks varying in experimental tone from mutant lounge music to unrestrained abstract ambience. First in line to supply his interpretation is none other than Parisian production maestro, Nicolas ‘I:Cube’ Chaix, who turns his attention to the avant-garde waves of ‘Shleem’. Chaix turns the beatless original version into a classic slice of nocturnal deep house, with mysterious sweeps, otherworldly bleeps and dubbed-out synth stabs expertly blended over precise drum machine rhythms.
Next, label regular and KAMM member Dave Aju takes sole control of the reigns on his version of CCBPGC. Lifting the original’s muted trumpet solo and repurposing it into something entirely new, the San Francisco-based artist presents a shady dalliance into neon-lit backstreets, via hard-hitting drums, disorienting textures, and growling bass notes. Extending our stay in the Bay Area, locally-based Kenneth Scott is charged with revising ‘The Soft Glow Of Electric Sex’. The magnificently titled and epically-timed original was one of the more floor-aimed tracks from the album, and Scott maintains the energy levels while adding low-end beef to the unfettered club groove. Finally, LA-based Alland Byallo shows up to put his stamp on ‘Bird Call’, adding a propulsive broken rhythm to the unending mosaic of sonic layers, atmospheric pads, and sinister spoken word vocals.
PC
Felipe Gordon – Keepin’ It Jazz EP (Shall Not Fade)
Colombian artist Felipe Gordon has to be among the most hard-working deep house producers operating on the circuit today. Steadily emerging since his first digital releases began appearing in around 2014, he’s gone on to present impressive EPs on revered labels including Toy Tonics, Local Talk, Lovedancing, Razor-N-Tape, and more. Here, he returns to the welcoming arms of UK imprint Shall Not Fade with the typically well-rounded ‘Keepin’ It Jazz’ EP. Opening track ‘Analog Only’ revels in classic deep house bump, with its rubbery bass, rasping chord stabs and psychedelic top line.
The irrepressible slap bass of ‘Continuous Develop’ adds a jazz-funk feel before it swaps places with a growling square wave counterpart, as hazy pads soar over tight drums for a measured, heads-down affair. Title track ‘Keepin’ It Jazz’ makes use of a contagious piano lick sample before temporarily dispensing with the jazz to allow the jagged bass notes and moody chords to take centre stage. Utilising a similarly-themed looped piano sample, ‘Looking Your Reflection In The Water’ once again embodies a vintage deep house flow, with seductive vocal chops adding to the magnetic charm of the cut. Finally, the smart chord progressions and funk-driven bass of ‘What You Say’ finish the supremely coherent EP in splendid style.
PC
DJ Pippi / Willia Graff feat Clarita De Wuiroz – The First Time (Archipelago)
This cover of Ewan McColl’s loved-up ‘First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ – a song famously turned into a 1980s Balearic classic by Joanna Law – will divide people, but as summer fades there’s definitely something to be said for the undeniably hazy, lazy groove and sunkissed production of this version. Apart from anything else, you’ve got to admire the balls required to tackle such a well known standard at all.
Here, we’re offered two Roberto Lodola mixes, one vocal and one instrumental, both big on the soloing sax, a factor again that will split opinion. We’d recommend switching to the last track of the four, the Cantoma dub, which has a wonderfully dreamy feel about it, mainly thanks to swirling clouds of strings. In place of that sax, this version has a much more palatable Spanish guitar twiddling away blissfully, which is nothing that we’re going to take exception to. The sun’s going down, you’re coming up and all is well with the world is what it seems to be saying, and who are we to argue?
BW
This week’s reviewers: Oli Warwick, Patrizio Cavaliere, Ben Willmott