The best new singles this week
The no bull guide to the week’s superlative singles
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Matt Berry – Summer Sun: Sean Lennon Remixes (Acid Jazz)
Matt Berry is a treasure – a man endowed with the innate ability to inspire mirth with the mere utterance of any given line in his comedic tenor tone. Almost certainly best known for his exploits in TV comedy than for his musical career, his one size fits all approach to the characters he’s drafted to play never fails to tickle. From the kung fu fighting Dr Lucian Sanchez to buccaneering bastard Dixon Bainbridge, corporate sex pest Douglas Reynholm to the world’s least-loved actor Steven Toast, all of the characters he brings to life are at once bizarrely loveable and brilliantly flawed. Although his songwriting inclinations revealed themselves in his Channel 4 show, Toast Of London, it may come as a surprise to some that Berry has a fairly substantial release catalogue under his belt. Performing solo, as well as alongside his band, The Maypoles, Berry has released 12 albums and a hatful of singles – with most arriving via the altogether serious Acid Jazz label. His latest release on said label sees none other than Sean Lennon invited to remix a pair of tracks from 2021 album, ‘The Blue Elephant’.
After a relatively quiet spell in the last few years, Lennon steps up to serve a somewhat surprising interpretation of ‘Summer Sun’, re-imagining it as a prog-rock/disco house hybrid. With its squealing synth arps, bouncy bass and four/four rhythm interspersed by psychedelic lead guitar and stadium-ready drum fills, the energetic track races out of the blocks as Berry’s fuzzed-up vocals swirl over the instrumentation. Occupying a more conventional/ expected territory, Lennon’s version of ‘Like Stone’ is a pop-tinged take on stoned indie, with gravelly guitars, gently distorted drums and Berry’s earnest vocals presented in a condensed prog arrangement. I’m very probably doing Berry a disservice to say that, for me, his finest musical moment to date arrived in the form of bitesize (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) interlude ‘One Track Lover’, but that serves as more of a testament to his comedic genius than a detraction of his serious music credentials. Nevertheless, this is creditable and impeccably produced work, with the ‘Summer Sun’ mix proving particularly intriguing.
PC
James Blake – CMYK (Reissue) (R&S)
James Blake’s ‘CMYK’ stands just as tall as it did 10 years ago. Besides being one of the more esoteric early works in the now soul-pop crooner’s discography – influencing Mount Kimbie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, XXYYXX, and Glows to name a few – it is perhaps the defining post-dubstep EP, nailing the hallmarks of a sound that were still burgeoning at the time.
For a singer, keyboardist and producer so deeply into releasing R&B, neo-soul, pop and even trap nowadays, it might come as a surprise to many that James Blake’s roots lie in bassy techno, Hemlock Recordings, and Dubstepforum. ‘CMYK’ is one such example of an EP influenced by those corners of online music sharing at the time, which might be what makes him one of the cooler pop artists out there today. Producing music in his bedroom in 2010, his sound trod the path of ‘hi-fi’ future garage, opting for textural snaps and minimal transients, rather than the low-end plod and whoosh of the then recent second Burial LP.
What’s more is that ‘CMYK’ drew not only on various third party vocal samples – from Kelis to Aaliyah – but also Blake’s own voice, setting the now recognisable icon apart from his fellow heads-down, hoods-into-laptop dubstep producers. The title track is one that still reels in the minds of most new artists active today. Willy-nilly, the refrain “Look I found her / (damn) / red coat” contains both Blake’s effortless melisma and an on-the-nose vocal sample within a single bar; it repeats both against the kind of detuned square line that would become so popular in future bass later down the line.
Blake’s voice is so low-key, meanwhile, we’d barely know it was him singing. ‘Foot Notes’ gets buried underneath a vocoder, while ‘I’ll Stay’ has it peek through a clacking, roomy broken beat. ‘Postpone’, finally, is the most beautiful yet sensitive track of the lot, building to a detuned, sawn-off rapture. Unlike his various copycats, it’s clear that for this sound, Mr. Blake was the genuine article.
JIJ
In the coagulated mass of the minimal scene, whatever that is these days, it can take time to sift through and find the special material. It’s that elusive music which uses a sound or style as a springboard to transcend genre restrictions, yielding something which lasts beyond the undulating trends music will always be prone to. There probably aren’t many minimal records from 2014 I can call to mind and remember intimately, but the first Düve record on Blank Slate stood out for many reasons. A great deal of that is thanks to Ali Çakir’s captivating instrumentation, but equally producer Soren Jahan, better known as Rene Audiard, has always displayed an affinity for otherness which situates his work outside of the conventional slipstream.
The Düve project has deep roots for the long-time friends, but it continues to manifest as an open and exploratory partnership which has also landed on Pluie/Noire and Horru before making a welcome return with this first of two releases on Mesma. Çakir plays an oud on the record while Jahan mans the machines, and from a session that largely took place of 48 hours they yield a more varied palette of music than ever before. Opening track ‘Bağlama’ takes time to reveal itself through an angular electro-acoustic treatment, but it soon emerges as a sprightly and unusual sculpture of tweaked and looped oud propelled by an understated beat. There’s a raw, in the room feel to the track which lends it honesty – a genuine creative conversation.
‘Djinn Tonic’ meanwhile has a more explicit electronic make-up, dealing in a gossamer light electro configuration complete with swirling pads and stuttering beats through which snatches of piano emerge. ‘Avvad’ is the first time we touch on the house-oriented grooves we’ve heard on past Düve records and once again it sports the kind of alchemy which would cut through and stripped-back set to create a spine-tingling tension. Çakir’s playing is low and brooding through the piece, but wholly locked into the heads-down pulse of Jahan’s rhythm section. ‘Santur’ keeps the B side for itself, stretching out over 14 minutes to indulge more overtly minimal tendencies. Düve has always hinted at a love of the Villalobos strain of reduced surrealism, but here they once again elicit a unique edge by folding poetry (presumably voiced by Çakir) into the meandering structure. It’s hypnotic and a little disorientating, and a purist might wrinkle their nose at its dancefloor effectiveness, but it still kicks when it wants to, and only on its own terms, not those of any scene. Therein lies the magic.
OW
The Vendetta Suite ‘The Kempe Stone Portal Remixes) (Hell Yeah!)
Following on from last year’s widely admired ‘The Kempe Stone Portal’ album from The Vendetta Suite, Hell Yeah! Recordings present something of a familial affair on the new remix package. Producer Gary Irwin was effectively raised on the diverse musical formula concocted by David Holmes and Iain McCready, earning his dancing chops at the pair’s seminal Belfast rave showcases held regularly at the city’s Art College. After studying music technology and performing arts, Irwin would pass cassette tapes of his demos to Holmes at the events, proving to be the catalyst for a long-standing working relationship between the two. Irwin has spent decades working as in-house engineer at Holmes’ Exploding Plastic Inevitable Studio, collaborating on countless releases and forming a durable friendship along the way. It’s especially pleasing, then, to see Holmes ride in to reform one of the LP’s highlights, ‘Purple Haze, Yellow Sunrise’. Morphing the acidic original into a far-reaching cinematic exploration, the remix rises over throbbing drums before an ocean of atmospheric textures billow and dissipate.
Stirring as it rolls through waves of poignancy and euphoric optimism, vividly encapsulating the emotions and adventures of a decades-long friendship. Also ushered in to provide his take is another firm friend, Timmy Stewart. Another seasoned DJ and Belfast luminary, Stewart first met Irwin at Exploding Plastic, locked in the lab while creating his first attempts at sonic alchemy alongside Glenn McCartney in the mid-’90s. Again demonstrating an affinity with the source material while hinting at the pair’s shared simpatico, Stewart’s ‘Six Minutes To Sunrise’ take on ‘Warehouse Rock’ is rich with emotion. Hitting home like a long lost Balearic classic, emotive strings glide over hypnotic bass, with crisp drumming cementing the groove as delicately woven sound bites drift across the panorama. Featured alongside a beatless ‘Sunrise Reprise’, and as the name indicates, this is a near-immaculate soundtrack to ushering in the new dawn.
PC
re:ni – Revenge Body (Ilian Tape)
re:ni has become such a fixture in the UK techno-not-techno-bassy-future-broken whatever-you-call-it landscape, it’s quite the shock to realise she’s only just dropping her first record. Since coming up through the NTS WIP scheme for artist development she very quickly established a creative identity as a selector with razor sharp taste – a pure expression which snaps your head round at the wild tracks she blends. Her re:lax show with Laksa is a hotbed of upfront mind-melters, and she’s comfortable re-moulding dancefloors with her own take on this ill-defined amalgam of 140ish club music.
Given the context, making her first production outing on Zenker Brothers’ Ilian Tape seems logical, but that shouldn’t detract from the fact it’s still a massive step. The top line in that regard is this sounds like one of the freshest things on a label which has grown into an incredibly versatile, interesting label. More than just breakbeat techno shellers, the Zenkers have been fostering low tempo beat downs and experimental gear from the likes of Katatonic Silentio, Jake Muir and plentiful emergent names. re:ni steps into this space with a sound as assured as her DJing, and the results are frankly astounding. In this case, assured also means daring and weird.
As an opening statement, ‘Don’t Go Dark’ feels pointed in its refusal to play it straight, pivoting around a fractured arrangement that achieves physicality without a heavy reliance on drums. Instead, the emphasis is on big slabs of low end – nearly everything else is the result of intense dub processing until everything feels like it’s swimming. It’s patient, and exquisitely noirish, but also totally nasty too.
Patience is a consistent facet of this release, and while the sounds tend to be textured, tactile things with plenty of character, the overall mix feels uncluttered and spacious. ‘Reverse Rave’ has a more pronounced forwards momentum, but it still staggers rather than sprints. ‘Spirits’ is where a more manic side comes out, but every time you think you have a handle the track pulls a switch-up. What’s telling is the choice of dusty sample material – cracked chord breaks teasing before a mean drop. They speak to re:ni’s musical knowledge and a respectful affinity for the true roots of UK soundsystem music which communicates through every creative decision springing out of this frankly astounding debut.
OW
Burial’s first release since last summer’s ‘Chemz’ arrives to assuage the longing of those of us impatiently waiting for long-playing material from the dark ambient master. We gave ‘Anti Dawn’ an extended preview last month, but, such is the gravity of the work, it certainly warrants a revisit in our round-up of the week’s finest releases. As the title suggests, much of the uncompromising music contained within this extended EP is every bit as brooding and opaque as the darkest corners of Burial’s profound audio inventory.
Opening with a gentle cough – the sound of which takes on new meaning in these socially distanced and paranoid times – the disconcerting organs and sombre vocal of ‘Strange Neighbourhood’ permeate the glitchy sonic canvas that characterises the collection. Unsettling and strangely beautiful, the distorted scene is well and truly set for the dimly lit city streets Burial walks us through throughout the release. The heartwrenching vocals of the title track cut through an unnerving fog, the damp air saturated with glitches and distortion as the half-light exploration weaves and unravels. ‘Shadow Paradise’ sees haunting leads vocals explode through forlorn pads and indeterminate textures, before the unfathomable beauty of ‘New Love’ offers a muted glimmer of hope through the dimness. Completing a bewildering, complex and ultimately triumphant collection, the exhilarating swells and frail vocals of ‘Upstairs Flat’ captivate as they undulate, closing off a deeply affecting EP that’s destined to leave an indelible mark on its listeners.
PC
When he first emerged, Datasette was most readily associated with cult electronica label Ai Records. There’s a certain gravitas around that label for the kind of beat fiends who lived by the early days of Boomkat recommendations, although bar Claro Intelecto the majority of the roster has remained somewhat aloof whether by design or fortune. Datasette’s self-titled album was a gleaming mineral of skewed braindance, and subsequent drops for the likes of Shipwrec, Future Massive, CPU and more have all celebrated experimental pathways through machine music.
This trajectory reaches dizzying heights on this standout EP for Lapsus, not least on ‘Gong Zahlensender’. Coming midway through the EP, the track’s billowing clouds of microtonal texture almost imply a hauntological mood you might expect from Pye Corner Audio, but instead Datasette swerves for dexterous, light-footed acid glitch patterns instead. It’s the consummate braindance track, at once unexpected and genius in its hi-tech execution. Each piece has its own charms though – opening track ‘Sentinel’ scurries through cavernous dub techno ink blots and
OW
Scan 7 ‘Orchestrated Reality’ (Third Ear)
Covert Detroit production outfit Scan 7 have been delivering compelling subaquatic grooves for decades, and here they arrive on UK label Third Ear with five suitably spellbinding cuts. With a distinctive sound that blends dream-inducing melodies and blissed-out harmonics with hard-hitting machine drums, Trackmaster Lou’s secretive troupe have released exceptional music on labels including Underground Resistance, Tresor, and F Communications. The ‘Orchestrated Reality EP’ finds Scan 7 in devastating form, magnificently demonstrating an unparalleled ability to stir mind, body and soul via music that’s deep and uncompromising, but – thanks to its compositional gravity – accessible to all seekers. Launching with a discernable US garage flex, the hypnotic house organ of ‘Who Stole The Soul’ makes an instant impression, with completive vocals echoing over crisp drums and sub-focused bass.
The glitchy rhythms of ‘Love Laugh Live’ join floating pads and freeform keyboard solos as they carve out a mysterious furrow, seeing out the A-side with a nocturnal electro swagger. On the flip, the feel-good chords and infectious energy of ‘Groovin’ allow for an optimistic escape, before the emotive melodies of the title track provide one of the EP’s highlights – levitating over thick drums for a spaced-out dancefloor meditation. Finally, the low-slung bump of ‘Chillin’ captivates as it unfolds, with unrelenting synth stabs joined by sprightly organ licks and mood-enhancing strings.
PC
Mata Disk – Surrounder (Nous’klaer Audio)
Here’s something fresh beaming in from the ever-fertile Dutch undergrowth. Nous’klaer Audio is always a trusted stable when it comes to presenting new names offering something distinctive within the hybridised modern club scene. There’s been no attempt to frame Mata Disk as anything other than a vessel for hi-tech sonics, and so we’re left ruminating on the pure impact of their sound, whoever they might be. We’re never short of electro or techno releases dropping week by week, but this one especially leapt out.
As the lead track, ‘Surrounder’ sets the tone for an EP the label describes as “breaky modular electro cuts”. While that’s not totally wide of the mark, on paper the description is perhaps a little less inventive than the music itself sounds. Rather, this is bristling, densely layered and jagged dancefloor electronica. There are nods to techno and electro but the record doesn’t really adhere to either genre tag in any meaningful way. For one thing it doesn’t just rely on 808 drums and analogue synths, but rather an expansive palette of percussive and melodic sounds which instantly move the EP away from simple retro-fetishism.
In terms of the high-end production, you might well listen to ‘Rez’ and think of Silicon Scally, or on ‘Down The Slope’ even recall the incredible, skewed strain of techno S-Max and Fym pushed on their Boogizm label. That reference point might be a little niche for anyone not up on their mid-00s minimal, but the sense of playfulness and wonky abstraction should appeal to all braindancers, whichever era you freak to.
OW
This week’s reviewers: Patrizio Caviliere, Oli Warwick, Jude Iago James.