The best new singles this week

All the must have singles from the past seven days

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

Intelligent Communication – Principles Of Motion (Jumpin and Pumpin)

The legacy of Future Sound Of London is a tangled one. As well as the flagship project itself, Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans created a myriad of aliases for their prolific output in the 90s, and it would take a formidable digger to be up to speed on all of them. No doubt plenty exist – FSOL inspire that kind of devotion in those tuned in to their frequencies. As the annals of 90s electronics get ceaselessly combed for forgotten gems, it’s no surprise to find a record like Principles Of Motion getting dusted down for a reissue, although it’s notably coming out on Jumpin’ & Pumpin’, the label who originally released the EP in 1991 and found success through releasing Cobain and Dougans’ work.

Intelligent Communication is one of those iffy project names which rings alarm bells alongside the IDM tag, projecting notions of superiority onto the music at a time when inventiveness was essentially standard practice within electronic music. But there’s no escaping the advanced sound Cobain and Dougans were mustering from their machines, best captured on the sprightly ‘Open Loop’. There’s a loose, clattering feel to the drum programming which achieves funk beyond the trappings of the sequencer grid, and melodically it lands somewhere between The Orb’s wiggy chill and a punchy, house-informed demeanour as heard in the lashings of Lately bass towards the end of the track.

‘Drive’ has perhaps the most direct link to current trends, with a dash of bleeps n’ breaks in its bones and a touch of transcendental magic which could go down very smooth with some of the rolling, trippy house gear doing the rounds at the moment. But of course, there’s a rough hewn quality which both reveals the age of the track and elevates it in the same beat. You could equally align the track with some of the classic break-powered techno that crept out of Detroit around this time, not least Carl Craig’s 69 tracks.

What the Principles Of Motion record benefits from beyond its crafty programming and composition is the crispness of the production, thanks no doubt to the experience the pair already had under their belt what with Dougans’ chart-topping success as Humanoid. Not least with a fresh master, the likes of ‘Critical Ebb’ positively gleam, more than able to stand up to modern productions but with that first wave authenticity that no amount of faithful aping can capture in full.

OW

Joaquin Joe Claussell – Manifestations: Long Versions EP 3

This fascinating EP concept from Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell once again rears its head. The ‘Manifestation’ project began as a CD featuring early works and WIPs from the New York producer and DJ’s old vaults. Now, however, it’s morphed into something else entirely, exploring Claussell’s ‘Long Versions’, which are freshly produced takes on those very same classics.

Successfully, for Claussell, the act of extending and adding reams of extra production to his earlier tracks – making them sound more grandiose, symphonic – has the effect of showing off how much experience he has accrued over the years. Of course, with age and experience come more stories to tell. First we explore trodden ground; Claussell’s collaborative project with Haitian singer and multi-instrumentalist Jephté Guillaume, Mental Remedy, here gets a much deserved look back. The new track ‘Noi’ (alluding to their only album, which tells the tale of a journey to Noi, a musical nirvana) builds extra house groove into the album’s mega-glossy spiritual jazz and production, with tripletting piano and rawer ‘scratch’ drums reminding us of UR’s more climactic wuxia-themed moments. Meanwhile, the A2 sheds light on a briefer track from Claussell’s Bayara Citizens alias, ‘Kulimba’, closer in feel to Stella Chiewshe than Frankie Knuckles.

The B-side, however, houses the real ‘manifestation’ we’ve been waiting for. Yet another addition to the track’s many mixes, Claussell delivers another version of ‘Eno’, which made up part 1 of his famed Residue series. This new ‘Under The Influence’ mix is officially the track’s longest version, clocking in at 11 minutes, compared to the Dub mix’s original 10. Eschewing its original stereo bassdrums, Claussell sees that this version emerges out from much a more dubious and sinister sonic territory. It’s got roughly two minutes of a gritty and frightening ambience and field recordings, before a spy-movie bassline and tribal drums lift it out of the fuzz. From there, the track cycles through several disparate sections, involving everything from kalimba to kettledrum to clap, before finally circling back to the ivory twinkles that made up ‘Noi’ – albeit with a smokier bent. For anyone seeking a masterclass in long form house music from an OG, this is your release.

JIJ

Johannes Albert/I Cube/Iron Curtis/Sascha Ciminiera ‘Rarities Vol III’ (Frank Music)

Berlin’s Frank Music serve up a delicious treat with the latest in their Rarities series, calling on the always safe pair of hands of producer’s producer, I:Cube, to deliver the remix goods. The label recently celebrated their tenth birthday, and, clearly, you don’t make it that far in the independent label racket without some serious game. With that in mind, the music here is excellent across the board and thoroughly deserving of a close listen. Presented on emerald green vinyl, the all-star ‘Rarities Vol III’ starts on a supremely strong footing with I:Cube’s version of ‘Hurting’ by Iron Curtis and, label boss, Johannes Albert. Nicolas Chaix must surely be one of the most consistent producers operating on the electronic underground, routinely hitting the mark throughout his (almost) 30-year career.

True to form, he serves a glistening slice of genre-surfing deepness that stealthily slips between dream house, electro, and deep techno. Melodic threads gloriously interweave over a crisp machine rhythm, shimmering pads evoke transcendent moods, while rave-inspired vocal chops cascade across the groove. The track also appears in an ‘I:Cube Bonus Beat’, where the limber percussion is given room to flourish over tripped-out dub effects for a tension-building club tool. Johannes Albert swoops in with the Ibiza mix of ‘Schonrain’, where sumptuous chords envelope bubbling acid licks and mallet strikes, fusing over a brooding bass for a soul-soothing sundown meditation. Next, the Italo mix of Albert’s ‘Kuhruh’ brims with optimism, as feel-good house piano explodes over silky synth lines and energetic machine drums. Completing an impressive package, Albert once again takes to the fore, this time providing a take on Sascha Ciminiera’s ‘Milla Calls’. Continuing the proudly positive theme, he serves more confident piano chords over a full-bodied bassline, teasing in delicate synth work and dramatic string stabs for a triumphant dancefloor finale.

PC

Fulu Miziki – Ngbaka (Moshi Moshi)

It’s easy to talk up the novelty of a group like Fulu Miziki. Their name translates as “music from the garbage”, which, for the Congolese “eco-friendly” music collective, nails their ethos. Furtively led by percussionist visionary Pisko Crane (he’s not always clockable, often standing to the left of his own troupe and getting down with them on an equal level), the group build their own instruments out of old detritus found on the streets of both Kinshasa and Kampala. Ingeniously, all their instruments and costumes are fastened out of recycled ‘trash’; be that impromptu drum kits made out of cans, boomwhackers out of disembodied sewage pipes, or balaclavas from old sacks and mop heads (re-decorated colourfully, of course).

But let’s forget the fantastic costumes and live spectacle for a minute. To consider the merits of recorded music is still a must. Do Fulu Miziki live up to the hype? Despite how good they sound live, can they successfully deliver a recorded EP that conveys their message, to “love the earth you live on”?

Our answer is a resounding yes. ‘Ngbaka’ isn’t merely 6 tracks detailing the group’s acoustic drumming and vocal prowess. Rather, it’s one of the most endearing Afrofuturist statements of the early 2020s thus far, blending esoteric rhythms and vocals with staunch electronic and technoized parts, not easily replicable by any odd producer active today. Not too fascinated by vocals, but also not explicitly shying away from them, the first two tracks are completely instrumental. ‘OK Seke Bien’ and ‘Lokito’ sound somehow rawer than some of the earliest grime tracks, yet still nail an African diasporic groove, with improvised whistles and güira recorded and then glitched out in post. ‘Bivada’ is much more melodic, with contributing vocals and MCing and rapid arpeggiations resulting a playfully catchy and lovely meditation on the dance. The track’s spiritual successors are ‘Toko Yambana’ and ‘Beta Ndule’, which up the pace to gqom-like proportions in call-and-response fashion. Every element is crude and farting, seeming to answer the question of how we’ll fix our own environmental damage; by embracing the raw.

JIJ

Niko Marks – Reach Out EP (Yore Records)

Yore Records have always been great at championing US house producers invested in the tradition who don’t always get shine elsewhere. Niko Marks is no amateur, mind. The Detroit producer and keyboardist has an accomplished history in the city, working with the likes of Eddie Fowlkes and releasing on labels like Planet E, Subject Detroit and SSr as far back as 1999. He even worked with Yore boss Andy Vaz on the Don’t Lose Your Mind 12” for Delsin some ten years ago. But he remains outside the dominant narrative around Detroit house and techno, and when you listen to the Reach Out EP you have to wonder why.

The very first strains of ‘Reach Out’ tell you this is Black American music, from the soul-vocal sample to the string stabs. By the time the liquefied funk of the groove is rolling in earnest, there’s no doubting the authenticity of Marks’ touch. It’s almost impossibly funky, with the bass mixed in such a way you feel it slinking around the beat more than you hear it. It’s quite simply house music perfection.

‘Against Violence’ has a more message-rooted aim, with its anti-gun rhetoric presumably delivered by Marks himself, but even beyond the power of the vocals, it’s a remarkable slice of musical acid with the kind of jazz-informed chord choices which nod to Marks’ skills on the keys. In the interplay between melodies which teeter on the edge of dissonance, he creates a powerful emotional brew which is brooding and hopeful in equal measure. Marks also has everything you might require to set the club alight – just check the giddy, feverish thrust of ‘Good Bye’ with its constant build in energy. It’s frankly staggering – the kind of Motor City anthem which is guaranteed to drive everyone absolutely wild.

If you hadn’t been keeping tabs on Niko Marks up to this point, let this record be a lesson to you.

OW

Ghost – Expansions (Star Creature)

A good deal of hype has surrounded David Zylberman’s latest release, so it’s of little surprise to see the neat little 7” flying from the shelves as quickly as it arrives. Online teasers heralded the imminent arrival of a pair of vintage jazz-funk covers by the LA-based producer, instantly igniting collective fervour among collectors eager to get their hands on a copy. Known for his keyboard virtuosity as a member of The Egyptian Lover’s live band, the Spectrum Records boss is steeped in modern funk credentials, and here he turns offers contemporary interpretations of two stone-cold classics. First, he turns his attention to Lonnie Liston Smith’s space-age masterpiece, ‘Expansions’. Staying incredibly true to the musicality of the original, he effectively serves a polished, modern remake.

Tightening up the sonics for today’s club systems, his version adds audio precision to the music, and, though it works marvellously well, the absence of the iconic vocal and looseness of feel that give the original so much character are perhaps accentuated by the diligent adherence to Liston Smith’s version. That being said, it unquestionably pops, but it’s the B-side where Zylberman truly flexes his creative muscle here. Magnificently flipping the script on Roy Ayres’ horizontal anthem ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’, he transposes the essence of the track over a slick, broken rhythm, playing fast and loose with the instrumentation to turn out a stand-alone composition that’s primed for dancefloor destruction. Growling synth bass, shimmering chords and astral overdubs combine to perfection, helping to render this slab of wax uncommonly collectable.

PC

Soso Tharpa – Evolution EP (1432r Records)

Washington DC’s 1432r is the kind of cult label who get it all right. There’s no slick, contrived gimmicks, but everything is presented with an understated aesthetic which speaks to the clear sighted vision of the folks at the helm. Where its neighbour and relation Future Times errs towards bouncy flamboyance on many releases, 1432r errs towards a rootsier kind of techno. It can still get plenty unusual, as with E.R’s stunning releases, which presented a compelling Ethiopian abstraction of techno. But at its heart, it feels like a label in thrall to the grounding principles of techno as laid out in Detroit, and Soso Tharpa is the kind of producer who knows just how to push those buttons with a freshness which comes as standard for this pocket of enlightened DC heads.

Tharpa was spotted on Future Times in 2019 with the Decode b/w Sea Mojo 12”, and has since slipped out self-released joints such as the excellent Simon’s Mind EP on Bandcamp. But here we get a full-tilt four-tracker overflowing with machine funk fantasies. This is the sound of someone absolutely vibing with their tools – it has a boxy sound which implies hardware, but who knows or even cares these days? ‘Ruminating On Blue’ flirts with dubby chord flourishes and lays some silken low end underneath, but it’s the madcap modulation on the lead in and the clattering pots n pans drums on the intro which give the track a real bite. ‘Action’ takes things further into risky, angular territory, setting a stew to boil underneath staccato chants and the bashiest of percussion – something to get the crowd roughed up good and proper.

The ideas and identity are dazzling throughout this record, stepping up to 1432r’s excellent repertoire and building on Tharpa’s immense promise as a producer who knows how to keep techno inventive and physical for the floor.

OW

Bezier ‘Valencia’ (Dark Entries)

Robert Yang returns to Dark Entries under his familiar Bezier moniker, this time presenting a six-track “rumination on memory” with the ‘Valencia’ EP. San Francisco/Berlin-based Yang is arguably best known as being a co-founder of the musically adventurous Honey Soundsystem collective, but has continually explored expansive production threads under various guises. His latest effort is typically rich in both concept and metaphor.

The composition process started as an investigation on scenery and sound, before morphing into a divergent quest to uncover interlocking melodies and driving rhythms. Simultaneously channelling the twin ’80s essences of San Francisco’s home of new wave, Valencia Street, and Spanish city Valencia’s La Ruta Destroy club scene, the music makes bold strides to encapsulate all manner of far-flung but interconnected themes. Dark in tone and rooted in synthetic overtures, the brooding music is challenging and nuanced throughout. Highlights include the furious tempo and aggressive vigour of the title track, the new wave emotion of ‘Reservoir’, and the rave-friendly arpeggios of the closing track, ‘Ravel’, but the entire collection of tracks work eminently well – whether consumed as a whole or individually. At once retrospective and forward-facing, this proudly dualistic work is both coherent and potent.

PC

Etch – Thematic Clusters Of Storytelling (LMD Skunkworks)
There are so many things to love about Etch’s music. On one hand it’s so exquisitely crafted, rich in elegant production subtleties and marvels of sound design. But on the other, it’s unerringly immediate and instinctive, hitting you square in the pleasure receptors without any need to adjust your headset to work out where he’s coming from. It’s also headsy, steeped in the lore of hardcore et al and fully entrenched in breakbeat culture, but it doesn’t come off as a nerdy tribute to past masters. Etch is his own king, making exactly the sound he wants because he’s so invested in it. He’s gone down so many wormholes of exploration, both in terms of other people’s music as much as his own production, that the music seems to spill out of him as an inevitable consequence. There may be some conjecture in that spiel, but the point is he’s the real deal, and deserves to be recognised as such.

This release on LMD Skunkworks feels as rich as an album in its scope, spanning six tracks with a whole range of different styles, giving the Brighton-based beat scientist room to stretch out. Because he understands how to really work breaks, his drums don’t sound like anyone elses, and so the drop on ‘Where Daydreams End’ clatters with a chaotic energy you won’t have heard before, even if a certain familiar snare sound cuts through the mix. But it’s much more than just drums, and the real identity of the track lies in the strained synth tones and purring low end, making for a melancholic crusher in a league of its own. In turn, the weightless square wave breather ‘Her Spirit Soars High’ feels like a natural extension of the previous track’s mood.

There’s so much more to take in, from the dubstep extravagance of ‘Basement Kinetics’ with its wild, slippery snarls, to ‘Bliss’ which picks up the thread from Martyn’s Great Lengths-era gear and bolsters it with some ruffcut armour. If it’s gnarly DnB you’re after though, Etch absolutely nails it down on the opening track ‘Shadow Moses’. Just try testing that bass flex – it’s so dexterous, so expressive, you wonder why anyone else even bothers. At this point it feels like stating the obvious, but this is the true sound of a master craftsman.

OW

This week’s reviewers: Patrizio Cavaliere, Jude Iago James, Oliver Warwick.