The best new singles this week

The singles making the biggest waves this week

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

Orlando Voorn ‘Heist Mastercuts’ (Heist)

Since stepping up to the platters to contend the DMC World DJ Championships at the tail end of the 1980s, the man behind Heist Recording’s latest offering has continued to leave an indelible mark on the dance underground. There can’t be too many players functioning in and around the movement whose careers have been more varied and eventful than one and only Orlando Voorn. Over the last 30 or so years, the Dutch artist has released countless sonic delights from all-manner of kinetically-charged genres. Whether he’s forging golden-age hip-hop, sample-heavy breaks, soulful house, or stripped Detroit-influenced techno, Voorn manages to apply a unique spin to whichever genre he so expertly channels. Now residing in the US, Voorn was tasked by compatriot label, Heist, to dig deep into his archives to serve a ’90s-themed EP of hidden gems from his extensive back catalogue on ‘Heist Mastercuts’.

Lovingly remastered to add contemporary bite to his floor-focused grooves, each track stands up majestically to the current crop, sounding entirely fresh and belying their well-seasoned vintage. The EP, in fact, launches with the all-new ‘Be With You’, where familiar power-vocal chops rise over compelling string sweeps and jacking house drums. Next, the tempo rises for 1996-released ‘Love Feelings’, blasting out of the blocks with its propulsive house groove, the soul-flecked vocal lifted from The SOS Band’s classic ‘The Finest’ adds spice to the already infectious groove. On the flip, we find two versions of 1995 jam ‘Tenderness’, finding Voorn in US-inspired form as shuffling garage rhythms drive the EP deep into mid-nineties hedonism. The original version sees hypnotic vocal chops cascade over crisp rhythms as glistening chords power the groove, while the ‘Late Night Dub’ echoes with bygone charm as sliced textures dance across the thick house rhythm. 20-plus years old and still hitting hard, this is a must-listen EP for all the true house heads out there.

PC

Gaia Tones – Dream (Gaia Tones)

John Swing has been operating in the deep house underground for over 10 years, slipping out scuffed analogue variations via LiveJam and Relative. His sound has been consistently murky and left of centre, operating to an internal logic which sits apart from broader trends. When he teamed up with David Soleil-mon for a 12” on the Warm Sounds sublabel, the theme continued in a stripped down form still anchored to a 4/4 pulse. It was with the first record as Gaia Tones the pair left house music behind more resolutely, opting for a sound set of rickety percussion and atmospheric pings poured through liberal dub processing.

The project hit its stride in 2020 with three instalments, sometimes reviving the steadying hand of a kick for something like dub techno without the usual overbearing chords. These extended jams continued the somewhat obtuse angle most LiveJam output falls on, but there’s a pronounced spiritual dimension to the sound which continues apace with this new entry in the series.

All the Gaia Tones 12”s are denominated by ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ sides, and on this occasion the ‘Yin’ side features warming, subdued chords and keys with a heavy-lidded, sunkissed afternoon state of mind. There are two layers to the rhythmic elements, with the quiet shuffle of shakers and clicks leading in the foreground while an obfuscated bed of percussion clanks away underneath. It’s delicate and refined, but still draped in the veil of mystery which Swing has made his calling card throughout his career. On the ‘Yang’ we get a marginally more forthright beat and pillowy Rhodes plotting a steady course, coming on like a deep house warm up or wind down cut teetering on the edge of collapse. It’s evocative and elegant, with character scuffed into the signal chain, resulting in one of the most successful forays Swing has taken into his shadowy soundworld.  

OW

The Organism – Ups & Downs EP (Tau)

Ukrainian producer The Organism (Roman Yarmolenko, fka. DJ Alfred) is an underground powerhouse of minimal techno, having intermittently contributed music to the moniker since 2014 under various label umbrellas: Dushe, Disco Halal and Eleatics.

His new three track EP ‘Ups And Downs’ comes at an extremely prescient time. While the Russia-Ukraine war rages on – with no Russian exit strategy planned, and with drone strikes in key areas continuing – themes of budding and fruition remain central to Yarmolenko’s creative expression. ‘Ups And Downs’ features three otherworldly flowers on its front cover, budding and clawing at the surrounding, browned atmosphere. Meanwhile, dots of grey goop float in a uniform, supernatural circle around them, like abstracted seeds. The music of ‘Ups And Downs’, meanwhile, is optimistic, with modular wibbles and Ukrainian folk chants conspiring to create a bubble-wrapped, uncontrolled organic sound-wash.

Head over to Yarmolenko’s Instagram, and you’ll spy one of his more recent posts: a realised version of the Ukraine flag, made to look as though it were a wheat crop blanketed by a plain blue sky. We learn that Yarmolenko’s family are isolated, and as of just two months ago, were taking refuge in a bomb shelter in Kyiv. Despite that fact, the second track ‘Conquistador’ is resolute, with its title nodding to conquest and crushing domination of oppressors; the track achieves this through knocking risers, staunch slap-basses. ‘Cowboy’, finally, brings us to the afterparty; after the storm comes the calm, as we’re transported to a place of dual optimism and courage by way of synaptic synths, laser-shot SFX, and on the whole, a sound palette that sounds like it’s been plucked directly from a future utopia.

This tells you all you need to know about Yarmolenko’s sense of resolve, which has its basis in the natural staying power of music. ‘The Organism’, to him, is an organic, biomusical force, capable of slippery metallic resurrection in the face of militant negativity spurred by forces beyond his control.

JIJ

Tone Control ‘Illusion’ (Wolf Music)

This timely re-issue of Tone Control’s ‘Illusion’ represents a seriously resplendent feather in the Wolf Music cap, with the long-running UK label welcoming none other than Theo Parrish to provide an all-new remix of the 2008 deep house classic. The original version of the track continues to hold a special place in the hearts of some of the most authentic house-minded selectors operating today. Kerri Chandler described the track as “what house music is all about,” while the likes of Kyle Hall, Jay Daniel, and – of course – Theo Parrish still find room for it in their always impressive DJ sets. The latter’s version of ‘Illusion’ is typically brilliant. The Detroit firebrand stretches out the music over an ever-giving arrangement while adding sumptuous keys, loose-limbed synth bass, and crunching drums on his epic ‘SS Translation’.

Raw, organic, and dripping with soul, Parrish turns up the heat on the already magnificent track, effortlessly stamping his unmistakable watermark on the music while (presumably) bringing an irrepressible and well-deserved smile to the faces of Wolf Music founders Matt and Stu for pulling off such an impressive feat of curation. For anyone who missed it first time, or, indeed, wore out their original copy, Simon Finnegan and Marcus Harris’ bewitching ‘Tone Control Mix’ is included too. And doesn’t it sound magnificent? Dusty, utterly soulful, and ripe for heads-down manoeuvring, this is as pure an example of evocative (real) deep house as you’re ever likely to find. Jazzy keys skip over shuffling beats and speaker-rumbling bass, as the sublime vocal soars across the horizon, perfectly pitched to cascade through the balmy heat of throbbing late-night dancefloors. Wolf Music have been among the most reliable underground dance imprints operating out of the UK since its inception 12 years ago. Arguably, though, this release sets a lofty new benchmark for the already impeccably curated label.

PC

Das Komplex ‘Pillow Stories’ (Internasjonal)

Polish producer Marcin Lukaszewicz never fails to impress with his far-reaching and imaginatively-spun releases forged under his familiar Das Komplex moniker. Having crafted a stream of extraordinarily high-quality titles for the likes of Love On The Rocks, Luv Shack, and Father & Son Records & Tapes, he now shows up on Prins Thomas and Kai Fraeger’s ever wonderful Internasjonal with a delicious four-track EP. Throughout his seven-plus years of vinyl purveying, it’s never been easy to predict exactly what musical forms will emerge from the Das Komplex studio, but it’s a safe bet to say whatever sonic morsels he delivers will be thoroughly engaging. From slo-mo Balearic and tripped-out cosmic to sparkling nu-disco and dusty deep house, his expansive sound feels like a neat fit for the refined Internasjonal fold, and so it proves to be the case on the ‘Pillow Stories’ EP.

The title track struts along over a percussive deep disco groove, with simmering bass driving snarling synths, rhythm guitar and shimmering chords across a delay-laden backdrop. Veering into slightly more brooding territory, ‘Gdziekolwiek’ unfolds over a hypnotic bass groove. Atmospheric guitar motifs are joined by funk synths before a growling acid line emerges from the shadows, propelling the cut into a hands-in-the-air nocturnal fervour. On the flip, the air is thick as the infectious rhythms of ‘Onomatopeja Slimacza’ welcome rousing horns and phasing synths, chugging along with purpose as the undulating groove rolls over an intriguing seven-minute backroom flex. Finally, the snarling synths and heavy bass of ‘By The Hand’ sees familiar disco refrains reimagined through a gorgeously distorted lens, closing the no-filler EP in wonderfully saucer-eyed style. Each track is a winner here, with ‘Pillow Stories’ sure to score points with lovers of colourful cosmic capers. Exquisite work from Das Komplex and very highly recommended.

PC

Di Venere/ Jules Etienne present Solidair ‘Tiger’s Eye’ (Cocktail D’Amore)

Berlin techno(ish) deviants Cocktail D’Amore join forces with Tokyo’s Ene Records for their latest release, serving a trio of stirring cuts on ‘Tiger’s Eye’ from Solidair. The music is formed by label returnee, Jules Etienne, alongside Banana Moon’s Luigi Di Venere, with the pair seemingly achieving a compelling studio simpatico at the first attempt. The release comes hot on the heels of Jonathan Kusama’s excellent ‘Kerontang EP’ which landed in March, maintaining the aberrant late-night aesthetic that the label so proudly pushes.

Proceedings are ignited by the EP’s title track, where growling bass modulates over a hard-hitting kick and fizzing ride cymbals, as otherworldly synth sweeps add texture to the stripped panorama. Next, the wobbly acid motif and detuned synths of ‘Orgonite’ prove to be a highlight, with atmospheric lead melodies powering over swirling pads and propulsive toms. Finally, the track re-appears in the ‘Riding The Waves’ version, where the melodies are further reduced to allow layered percussion and fierce noise hits to combine over an irresistible dub workout. One for the heads, each track here is certified to move wide-eyed seekers into the esoteric abandon as flickering strobes pierce the thick nocturnal fog.

PC

Gav & Jord – Writings Ov Tomato (MAL)

The Equiknoxx universe is a slippery thing to fully grasp. The majority of the Western world caught wind of the project thanks to the albums Bird Sound Power and Colon Man on the DDS label. On that basis, it was possible to consider them a modern iteration of dancehall’s wayward tendencies, picking up from Steely & Clevie, Ward 21 et al creating mutant riddims that didn’t necessarily need any toasting to land an effective blow. Meanwhile, the likes of core crew member Shanique Marie have brought a vocal dimension to the project which, on stage especially, veers closer to pop than you might expect from their most outré output. Last year’s Basic Tools threw the Equiknoxx sound wide open with a mixtape pieced together from sessions around the world, in their native Kingston, New York, Birmingham and Manchester.

Linking up with Jon K and Elle Andrew’s MAL label, Equiknoxx’s driving forces Gavsborg and Time Cow stir the stew once more and let it thicken good and proper, offering up a weighty EP that at once makes sense and confounds expectation under their new Gav & Jord banner. You can listen to ‘Appiness’ and hear the looped up phrases and playful drum strokes that make Equiknoxx beats so ear-snaggingly satisfying, but equally it’s not beholden to the tradition of dancehall at all. ‘No Sweat In My Sweatpants’ has something of a stripped down skit quality in its first strains, but the sustained minimalism and chiming refrain becomes a kind of fractured techno in the context of Writings Ov Tomato. MAL reportedly egged Gav & Jord on to deliver their most unconventional material, and you can absolutely hear that in the buzzing, overtone-wrangling sound bed of ‘Childish House Mafia’ and the twitchy intensity of the title track.

But even if their brief was to go weird, ‘A Yow Jon K’ is a razor-sharp beatdown clearly crafted for one of the finest DJs in Manchester, and no doubt K’s already road tested the snappy, angular machine funk on many a mass of sweating bodies. Even when they’re deliberately striking out into unfamiliar terrain, Gav & Jord still bang hard.

OW

Terekke – 2 The World (Plant Age)

When Matt Gardner released his debut Terekke LP Plant Age in 2017, it was a revelation for those who love artful fusions of dub and deep house. It’s an understated record shot through with ample ambience and smudged mixdowns, but on tracks like ‘Mix 91’ there was a perfect balance of brittle drum machine rhythms, deep chasms of space and spiralling delay trails. Now Gardner is minting a label named after that record with this neat little 7” cut from the same cloth.  

‘2 The World’ revels in barely-there whispers of melody and pin-prick rim shots darting through the echo chamber. It’s got character and movement, but first and foremost it’s an exemplary example of deepest dub house. You can practically see the embers glowing on the end of the spliff, but there’s enough propulsion in the low end to land it in an appropriately pitched set without sucking the energy out of a crowd.

‘Fandn’ meanwhile looks to the more explicitly ambient side of the Plant Age sound. Gardner’s approach to the style is expressive, favouring undulating melodic passages over purely horizontal static. It’s beauteous to a fault, with no discernible edges to grate or indeed grab onto. One hopes this is the modest start of a prolonged exploration of the Terekke method.

OW

This week’s reviewer: Patrizio Cavaliere, Jude Iago James, Oli Warwick.