The best new singles this week
Inner City remixed by Carl Craig, Dave Clarke and Saunderson himself heads our list
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Inner City – Ahnonghay (remixes) (Network)
Birmingham’s Network Records served as a far-reaching rave staple throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, regularly providing a home for cutting edge techno sounds emanating from both sides of the Atlantic. While this was by no means the full extent of the label’s output, it’s for these groundbreaking club rhythms for which Network retains a special place in the rose-tinted memories of many a former warehouse disciple/rave casualty (delete as appropriate). Since hitting their landmark 30th anniversary, the label has been steadily re-issuing a selection of treasures from its archives, with much of the resurrected output continuing to sound remarkably fresh to this day. One of an exceedingly long list of contributors to the imprint was Detroit’s ‘Elevator’, Kevin Saunderson, who released via the ranks under numerous guises, including The Reese Project, Reese & Santonio, and as his much-loved house act, Inner City. Serving as a nocturnal counterpoint to a string of polished Inner City vocal anthems arriving under the Network flag was 1993’s ‘Ahnonghay’, which is the latest in line for resuscitation.
The new edition begins with Carl Craig’s profoundly stirring remix, with its sparse topography, drugged-up percussion, and heavy drums fully equipped to cause havoc on the dancefloors. Next, UK techno baron Dave Clarke arrives to do what he does so very well: beat the dancers into sweet oblivion with the power of rhythm. Fierce stabs soar over pounding drums and scattered rave breaks as the twisted vocal swirls through the sweat-filled air in his straight-to-the-jugular techno interpretation. Vintage Clarke, this is enough to get even the most jaded ex-club kid fist-pumping up off the couch. Finally, Saunderson’s ‘Original Reese Mix’ closes the translucent orange vinyl off rather wonderfully. Off-kilter synth drones cause a misty-eyed fervour as jagged claps and staccato stabs ignite the groove, the vocal chant permeates one’s very soul as anthemic strings lift the track all the way into classic territory.
PC
Kelly Lee Owens – Inner Song Remixes Part 2 (Smalltown Supersound Norway)
Norwegian label Smalltown Supersound invite a well-chosen cast of remixers to work their respective magic into titles from Kelly Lee Owens’ exquisite album, ‘Inner Song’. Released last year, the Welsh artist’s shimmering second album wasn’t short of highlights, representing a tangible development in her production while fluently perpetuating her charmed body of work. Helping to cement her growing reputation as an artist endowed with the full package of underground gravity and meta-pop charm, the album was rightfully revered in far-flung corners of the musical universe. It’s unsurprising then, that the label would wish to revisit the music through fresh perspectives, and the line-up they’ve assembled do stellar work with their unique interpretations. T
he ‘Remixes’ project is spread across two simultaneously released EPs, and each is deserving of close attention. Opening ‘Part 2’ is Berlin-based Haider, who morphs ‘Jeanette’ into a spectacular jungle hybrid. Fusing an authentic retro feel with a forward-facing intention, his power-rave version flits between savage breaks and celestial d&b intelligence for an invigorating big room workout. Next, fast-rising London-based artist Elkka re-imagines the gorgeous melodies of ‘On’ as a peak-time powerhouse, with intricate synths complementing the haunting vocal as driving drums add body to the music. On the reverse, London’s energetic party starter Yazzus delivers an especially striking revision, with her tightly-wound version of ‘LINE’. Turning the original on its head, she mutates the pretty melodies into a hyperactive dance explosion. Feeding the vocal through the proverbial Moulinex blender, she jettisons the honey in favour of dissonant layers and hard-hitting drums, serving what amounts to a strangely magnetic oddball club weapon. Finally, Australian artist Roza Terenzi flies in to do her darkroom thing on ‘Night’. Here, snappy beats and bottom-heavy bass prop up shadowy bleeps and midnight waves, with unearthly motifs and extraterrestrial textures completing the club-ready tapestry.
PC
Worldwide Epidemic – Addiction (White Labels)
Yes, at the peak of an actual worldwide epidemic, jungle techno powerhouse Worldwide Epidemic has made a comeback.
Dan Silk could have named himself Pandemic, but that wouldn’t have had the same impact. It’s core isn’t as hard. Listen to his music, and it’ll make sense as to why ‘worldwide’ features in the name; there truly is an all-encompassing feel to this catastrophic brand of 4×4 rave, an experimental kind which acts as more or less definitive proof that hardcore will never die.
Contemporary to present-day ‘stragglers’ of the scene like Electronic Experienced, Dead Man’s Chest and Kniteforce White, Silk’s work is prolific and wide-ranging, and blessed by a real old-school rawness, despite the temptations of modern and sanitized digital sound.
For a two-track 12” single out this week, Silk is welcomed by the mysterious UK outfit and “1-man operation” White Labels – a label so mysterious, in fact, that Juno have made the mistake of listing them as [unknown label] on the main site. ‘Addiction’ appeared on Goddezz’s hardcore V/A comp last year, but now – taken out of the company of new jungle heads Coco Bryce and Tim Reaper – we can hear the track in its own wonderful context. Said context is almost trancelike, with a low-pulsing lead synth line echoing out every second beat, while glitching tops stutter around like malfunctioning pistons in a meat grinder.
‘All Be Free’, by contrast, is a completely new and exclusive track. Uncommonly for jungle, it starts off with a breakbeat stretched out to ungodly quarter-time proportions, covered in rapid delay in a manner similar to what Omar Santana or Special Request might do. An industrial break follows, signaling the arrival of ominous strings and mournful tenor vocals; but that’s not least undercut by a switchup at the two-minute mark, at which point a pendulum-swinging trance line engulfs the entire mix, like we’ve entered a jungle twilight zone. Then, again – yes again – this track switches into rave piano rapture, completely undercutting the mood of the track’s first half.
What a trip. Unlike coronavirus, this is one ‘epidemic’ we won’t be seeking out the vaccine for!
JIJ
Ponty Mython – Onimano X991 (Not An Animal)
Vilnius-based artist Alexander Pletnev pops on his Ponty Mython bonnet for the first time in a while, resurfacing with the typically eccentric ‘Onimano X991’ EP. After turning out a formidable volume of left-of-centre releases in and around the 2017 mark, Pletnev appears to have eased off the gas somewhat. Fortunately, though, the quality of his output remains extraordinary high. His latest offering comes courtesy of London-based Not An Animal – a label who’ve made a habit of delivering music plucked from the sharp end of the underground vanguard, with a back catalogue that includes marvellous music from the likes of Ian Blevins, Man Power, Kuniyuki, Justin Van Der Volgen, Eric Duncan and more. The title track is every bit as wonky as Ponty Mython fans will have expected and hoped for, with freaky synth melodies galloping over gentle rave-break embellished beats.
Next, Sex Tags Mania co-founder and all-around maverick DJ Fett Burger turns up with his cracking ‘Time In Atmosphere’ version. The secretive Norwegian producer seems like an ideal candidate to take on the Pletnev sound palette, and his effort complements the EP in stunning style. Amplifying the rave through a futurist lens, his spacey interpretation fills the original’s stripped horizon with floating pads and hidden textures, serving up a respectful but individual rework, On the flip, we find more wonderfully crackpot introspection with ‘Walkie Talkie’. Deep but driving, the determined groove charges through saucer-eyed alien environs, with the heads-down rhythm rolling free as freaky synth solos arrive through the fog before mysteriously disappearing. Finally, ‘We Expect A Soft Landing’ sees a hyper-infectious acidic lead bursting through dreamy breaks over a deeply hypnotic arrangement. Mildly hallucinatory from beginning to end, this is terrific work across the board, and a welcome return to release action for the enigmatic Mr Mython.
PC
Steven Rutter – Close Your Eyes and Breathe (De:tuned)
There’s something heartening about seeing an artist like Steven Rutter re-enter the musical fray and make something relevant but still true to himself. With the heritage of seminal UK techno outfit B12 behind him, he could have easily dined out on his legacy and done alright for himself, but he’s instead committed to building upon the foundations of his earlier career and investing a lot in his label FireScope, the work of artists he admires, and his own creative development. It’s not a case of re-branding to move with the times either – it all sounds like the music he would have been making had B12 not been derailed by misdirection from their erstwhile label, Warp.
This new EP for De:tuned has its old-school touches, for sure – ‘Rewind 273’ has a clue in the name, after all, and it tweaks and pings with Detroit informed synth work, but it sounds inspired rather than tired. We’re not short of artists aping the vintage B12 sound these days, but meanwhile the originator is using the language he coined to express something new and sincere. It’s a natural follow-on from his earliest endeavours, but it fizzes with originality in the same way his foundational work did all those years ago.
OW
Cloud – All Night Long (Backatcha)
UK-based Bakatcha Records do particularly fine work peddling esoteric delights trawled from music’s lesser explored extremities. Arriving in store as a double-header (alongside the equally wonderful ‘Watching You’ by Oneness) are a pair of delectable Ge-ology versions of Cloud’s 1980 Brit-funk jewel ‘All Night Long’. The original version came in the form of a white label from Swindon’ Flashback Records store, with the music produced and arranged by the shop owner, Alan Osborne. One of few Brit-funk titles to be forged outside of the UK’s major city’s, ‘All Night Long’ stands up against the best of the genre, and Ge-ology’s respectful mixes do a wonderful job refining and repurposing the music for today’s audience.
The Brooklyn-based producer was handed the master tapes for the remix task, so these are more than mere cut and paste edits. On the A-side, the ‘Special Mix’ retains the unabashed post-punk-jazz-funk feel of the original, extending it a touch while maximising its sound system rocking credentials. On the reverse, the epic ‘Extended Special Dub’ cones close to stealing the show. Stretching out the groove while embellishing the instrumentation with delicate delay tickles, the sincerity of the music and raw UK street crunch emanate evocatively from the pristine wax groove.
PC
Call Super – Cherry Drops Part One (Can You Feel The Sun)
The early signs suggest Call Super and Parris are onto something special with their burgeoning Can You Feel The Sun partnership. The two artists are very distinct – to hear their earlier output you might not have immediately paired them up for a joint venture, but as they’re growing into this particular sphere of inspiration, a new, joyously melodic and cosmically-charged strain of electronic music is emerging. Parris’ anticipated new album points to that, and so does Call Super’s double serving of EPs.
In some ways Cherry Drops Part One follows on stylistically from earlier Super works, sharing a certain starry-eyed electronica sensibility with the Arpo and Suzi Ecto LPs – Joe Seaton’s creative arc has always felt quite assured and consistent through releases on Peach Discs and Incienso, collabs with Beatrice Dillon and other myriad dew drops of music. But there’s a particular vitality and ambitious scope bursting out of ‘Eye Flow Wide’ which speaks to the vigour around his shared label with Parris. This is full-hearted, emotional music which takes hi-tech tropes – gleaming synth sheen and needling rhythmic dexterity – and makes them swoon like a romantic sonnet.
It’s modern anti-four-four in the same spirit as Dillon, Burnt Friedman, Afrikan Sciences and all the other artists expressing refreshing new rhythmic formations, but the science comes in behind the sensory qualities of the music. It’s music filled with hope as it pushes forwards, much more than an exercise in tech.
OW
Koova/ MSRG – Human Machine Interface (Analog Concept)
Strange FM’s Analog Concept imprint return with their second release of 2021, serving a double-headed electro hydra from Koova and MSRG. The label opts for the slow but sure approach to releases, with just four well-crafted vinyl slabs arriving since its inception in 2018. UK electro maestro Gavin ‘Koova’ Pykerman takes control of the A-side here, with his first release since 2018’s ‘Conducere’ EP. Kicking things off in dreamy mood, ‘Is This Machine Recording’ sees intricate waves of electronic melody glide and intertwine over a blissed-inducing mid-tempo rhythm. ‘Mammal’ raises pulses dramatically, with ethereal pads, driving bass and off-kilter bleeps combining over a rapid-fire drum track.
For his final effort, Koova takes things deep into astral realms with ‘DLD’, extracting a depth of emotion that belies the featured instruments’ mechanical nature. On the flip, MSRG returns to the label with three equally impressive jams. ‘Bubble07 Getaway’ continues the intergalactic flight, with starry synths levitating over jagged rhythms and growling bass. Adding a fairly enormous dose of electro-funk, we then arrive in the delicious sleaze of ‘Operator 86’, with jacking drums driving glassy chords and acidic bursts into gyrating dance-floor territory. Finally, closing track ‘Zazerkalye 22’ sees the EP out in introspective style, with soothing melodies and sparse panoramic textures conjuring mysterious futurist landscapes.
PC
Torn Sail – Disconnected / Gain On Gains (Sun Sea Sound)
Forming part of the project Soft Rocks – and already at the helm of two other labels including Kinfolk and Pure Pleasure Music – yet another label imprint has spewed forth from balearic beast and label-founding addict Chris Galloway.
Quite clearly, Sun Sea Sound is dedicated to only the best that balearic music has to offer – and this time, owing to the characteristic timelessness of the genre, he’s graciously revisited a track by his close affiliate Torn Sail, ‘Gains On Gains’, which came out all the way back in 2017 on the latter artist’s last LP.
This 12” – consisting of 3 remixes by Shrinkwrap, made up of Mark Rayner and Matt Horobin – is a world-building expansion on the original. ‘Gains On Gains’ is a guitar-strumming, blissful headloller unfurling across 7 minutes, with deep, belting lyrics that delve into the fear of a love interest’s psyche. But here, across Shrinkwrap’s vocal and dub mixes, we’re drawn most in by the sonic scenes they’ve managed to paint. Recalling something between Seahawks’ long-form ambient electronica and the washed out prog of Vinyl Williams, it’s easy to imagine this music playing in a vivid, psychedelic hot spring that teems with life. A musical Galapagos, this place boasts everything from giant beach tortoises, to demigod sunbathers, to cyclops crabs, as depicted on the front cover.
These kinds of remixes could only come from the minds of close friends to the original artist; there is a great deal of respect involved in the process of creating electronic abstractions out of indie music. Added to the package is a vinyl mix of Costin’s ‘Disconnected’ cut from 2015, which further expands the mind into blooping, squelching ambient dub territory. Sine tones pulsate from between this track’s beats, like corals blossoming from fertile rocks. For fans of blissfully slow, sonic vistas immortalised in the space between downtempo and balearic, this isn’t one to miss.
JIJ
This week’s reviewers: Oli Warwick, Patrizio Cavaliere, Jude Iago James.