The best new singles this week
Our writers pluck their top recommendations from the week’s singles pile
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Gary Gritness – Power Charge EP (Hypercolour)
Keyboard wizard Gary Gritness returns to Hypercolour with his first release under the moniker since 2020, serving up yet more bad man electro manoeuvres on the ‘Power Charge EP’. Also operating as Slikk Tim and Morris Mobley, the French musician and producer has won plenty of fans since first appearing on Clone Crown back in 2015. Aside from releasing reliably excellent electro funk gems and performing effervescent live shows, he’s also been drafted to lace the productions of some of the dance underground’s heaviest hitters: with Dam Funk, Orlando Voorn, and Los Hermanos some of those to have seen their music enlivened by his keyboard virtuosity.
His first appearance on Hypercolour came in the form of ‘The Sugar Cane Chronicles’, volume two of which contained the impossibly funky ‘Steady Choosin’, which was an arguably standout moment from an altogether enjoyable catalogue. While undoubtedly funky, the ‘Power Charge EP’ veers further towards Motor City electro dirt than some of his more boogie-themed outings, revelling in the more deviant end of his bubbling sound spectrum.
The opening track ‘Silver Zinc’ sees a pointed rhythm direct maniacal synth motifs and acidic bass tones through waves of sinister pads before a freak funk solo shoots for the moon. ‘Lithium Polymer’ brilliantly broods across oddball synth textures as the rolling bass line powers the groove, with stripped electro drum evolving into a sturdy four/four rhythm midway through the cut. ‘Sodium Sulphur’ could easily have been forged in the searing Detroit electro furnace, with growling bass undulating over raw drums and grainy rhythms synths, before closing track ‘Nickel Cadmium’ finishes things off in suitably enigmatic style. Here, the lead synth motif steadily modulates from gentle whisper to snarling screech, with delay-laden snares and alien effects scurrying amidst the pitch black soundscape. Nothing even close to a dull moment across the EP, this is highly recommended and a welcome return from the one they call Gritness.
PC
Stasis – From A Falling Light (De:tuned)
Fans of Steve Pickton’s superlative techno have been spoiled of late, what with his Fencepiece reissues of some classic and unreleased tracks and other scattered additions. Alas, it doesn’t seem like we should expect any new Stasis material any time soon, but in truth it’s better to leave such magical music to the era it was created. And as this release proves, Pickton still has some archival material to explore before we’ve truly scouted out every edge of the Stasis sound.
Reportedly dug out from a DAT around the 1992-1993 era, the two original tracks on offer are gold standard Stasis, a cut above the average machine soul of the day. ‘Of All The Worlds’ calls to mind Detroit in its lithe lead bleeps, but there’s a sense of narrative and heavy-hearted romanticism which remains Pickton’s own. His music has always felt like a true embodiment of techno’s links to sci-fi as both a technological fantasy and a very human reflection, more innately connected to the sounds of the US pioneers than most of his peers in the UK. It’s important to differentiate between that kind of connection and conceited imitation – you can always spot a faker, and Stasis is most certainly not that.
‘The Embrace’ is quite tilted towards the most motorik of Stasis cuts with its sharp, staccato beats, but there’s plenty of space for fluidity and moodiness in the liquid squarewave lines, loping bass and barely there chord impressions. It’s raw, like the best techno should be, but unerring in its elegance.
It’s a nice touch to see De:tuned hit up Nuron for a remix of ‘The Embrace’. As the founder of Likemind, Nuron helped introduce Stasis to the world via some cult releases in the early 90s, and due to the lack of stems he’s reinterpreted his old acquaintance’s track his own way. You’d never know about the lack of original parts – the vibe of the original is carried through into a beautiful downtempo electronica excursion which complements Pickton’s own work in magnificent style.
OW
Greg Wilson / Equip – Greg Wilson Presents XXXO & ICA Beats 84 (Running Back)
Running Back do electro fans/esoteric music collectors a serious solid here, releasing an intriguing slice of UK electro history that was very nearly lost in the endless annals of time. Originally recorded back in 1984, ‘XXXO’ was crafted by groundbreaking DJ Greg Wilson, alongside Martin Jackson from the band, Magazine, and A Certain Ratio’s Andy Connell. The track was scheduled to appear on Street Sounds’ pioneering ‘UK Electro’ compilation, but, perhaps surprisingly, jettisoned when it came to the curatorial crunch. Despite the eclectic list of contributors on the Street Sounds albums, it turns out many of the tracks were, in fact, produced by the very same talented trio as named above, with the pseudonyms used designed to give the impression that the UK’s burgeoning electro scene was a good deal more expansive than it actually was.
With its four/four drum pattern and squelchy acid bass, ‘XXXO’ sounds suspiciously like a proto-house record, floating somewhere in the confusing but exciting cauldron of electronic sounds that emerged a little before house music was a thing – or at least formed outside the perimeters of the sounds’ formative Chicago nucleus. The track did eventually make an appearance on a single-sided vinyl release back in 2006, but here Gerd Jansen re-issues it alongside a pair of lovingly crafted edits of previously unpublished rhythm tracks recorded by Wilson, Jackson and Cornell for a breakdance show at the I.C.A. All three tracks are sure to do a job working in-tune dancefloors, and – Jansen’s edit magic notwithstanding – each sounds remarkably fresh considering their advanced years. It feels as though the deeper one digs into electronic music’s polychromatic lineage, the further the sound’s roots seem to spread and the more oblique its heritage becomes. However, one thing is for absolutely sure: ‘XXXO’ was years ahead of its time.
PC
When Josh Abramovici emerged as downstairs J last year, he slotted right in on Anthony Naples and Jen Slattery’s Incienso. That NYC label mines a particular vibe in contemporary electronics caught somewhere between the dancefloor and the back room. In many ways it continues the downtempo techno variations that emerged in the 90s around the likes of Spacetime Continuum, Move D, B12 et al. The mode is akin to true-skool techno – drum machine rhythms and classic synth tones – but the mood is resolutely chill.
On this four-track EP, which serves as something of a follow-up to his debut Basement, Etc… LP, Abramovici opens up with a determined commitment to bean bag reveries from time immemorial. ‘Soothsayer’ revels in its horizontal nature, weaving elements with a relaxed minimalism that leaves plenty of space for springy, dubby bass underneath the silken veil of background pads. As such, the instant pick-up in energy on ‘Mana 4000’ feels like surprise swerve, but it doesn’t take long for the forthright kick to sink into the subconscious as the subtly trancey house ingredients unfurl. It’s worth noting that, compared to the omnipresent trend for trance tones currently gripping the tech house scene, the effect here is much subtler.
When the throbbing one note b-line and gated strings kick in on ‘Orion’, there’s a sense of that early trance sound coming on stronger, but there’s a funk to the clavi lead lines and a stripped back snap to the beat which speaks more to first wave techno. ‘Symbiosis’ however closes the loop at the end of the EP, bringing the kind of intricate beat design you might have found on Mo Wax back in the good old days.
Overall, there’s a sense of Abramovici teetering towards some slightly over-mined sounds, but his instinct for heady, somnambulant atmospheres pulls everything together. With equal prominence given to the mellower cuts, it’s clear downstairs J can flex between opposing energies and come up with the goods.
OW
Dayzero – Pages (ZamZam Sounds)
Tsuyoshi Hamada has been prolific in the past seven years, shaping up a strain of dubstep from his base of operations in Japan. He’s also been picked up on elsewhere, having dropped recent heavy hitters on UK label ENDZ and forming a bond with peerless Portland, Oregon label ZamZam Sounds. Following on from 2020’s Orbit Dub / Theory Dub 7”, he’s back with another two-track sure shot which hits that rootsy sweet spot ZamZam navigate so well.
‘Pages’ is everything a big soundsystem shaker should be, grounded by a mammoth bassline and peppered with plenty of splashy FX treatments. There’s plenty of movement in the subs, but simplicity is always the key in dub, and it’s easy to get the measure of the track from the get-go. It’s the subtle touches, like the off-key melodic flourish which makes scattered appearances, which elevate the track to something special. ‘Sen’ steps in harder with a mean lead lick which the sub follows. The sound field is clearer, all the fiddly debris of ‘Pages’ swept away to make room for those sharply honed hooks. Of course there’s only one element missing when you check tracks such as these from the comfort of your home, and that’s a towering rig.
OW
Nubiyan Twist / Swindle – Through The Noise (Blue Note)
The Blue Note Reimagined series gets new artists to reimagine old gems from the Blue Note Records back catalogue. After a stellar first compilation, the second iteration in the compilation is now on the horizon, and it’s hotly led up by these two new singles on limited sampler 7”.
Straddling the often difficult-to-bridge divide between jazz and electronic, the two tracks here are acoustronic forays into new unknowns. Weirdly, both sound rather like they were made by each opposing artist. Nubiyan Twist, the jazz ensemble of 10 or more members, offer up a lively broken beaty brassy bit that recalls the post-dubstep swing that Swindle normally brings to the table.
The remixee in question is Donald Byrd, whose original ‘Chant’ – a slice of brooding trumpet bop from the late 1970s – becomes the upbeat, quasi-quantised Through The Noise (Chant 2). Nick Richards, the band’s saxophonist, also wrote new lyrics for the reinterpreted piece – a practise which he describes as trying to “explore the process of feeling like these people are talking to you from the past”.
Swindle, by contrast, takes a subdued approach to Byrd’s ‘Miss Kane’, an originally electrifying jazz piece for synth and trumpet. With the original averaging at about a tempo that could be construed as 140bpm, we’re not surprised Swindle chose to cover it, as it really does sound like something he’d have made had Byrd not existed – and had the producer travelled back in time to give the gift of dubstep to New York jazz heads. In this instance, Swindle provides subdued, clippy, mega-clean depth to Byrd’s original ode to stern, streetwise femininity.
JIJ
Rick Wade – Late Right EP (Shall Not Fade)
‘Big Dady’ Rick Wade returns to Shall Not Fade with his latest deep house excursions, continuing his bountiful work rate on the typically inviting ‘Late Right EP’. There can’t be too many artists as highly regarded among their peers as US titan, Wade. Born in the shadow of Chicago in Buchanan, Michigan, it was his move to Detroit that would steer his musical trajectory – eventually working alongside dearly departed Motor City icon Mike Huckaby at the no less legendary Record Time store, and hosting his regular ‘Journey To The Land of House’ show on WCBN Radio.
While his very own Harmonie Park label has played host to a solid chunk of his prolific output, he’s released on a good many respected labels, and his latest work marks his fourth thus far on the ever-giving Shall Not Fade imprint. The title track shuffles along through foggy chords, distant sax solos and bumping synth bass, while ‘Kabukicho’ quickens the pulse via throbbing bass arpeggio, dramatic chord stabs, atmospheric sweeps and rolling percussion licks. ‘Acid Creep’ is a lot less sinister than the title suggests, with jazzy keys sauntering over shuffling drums as the discreet 303 motif drifts across the horizon. Finally, ‘Quantum Jit’ takes us all by surprise thanks to a rolling d&b tempo, with mood-enhancing strings, free-flowing synths and harmonic keys cascading over hyperactive drums and cheeky snare fills.
PC
DJ Ande / DJ Kos – The Miracle EP (Karma UK)
Yet another self-described “brand new label showcasing that jungle sound from 92-95”, Karma Records is already on its fourth vinyl release, homing in on a hyper-specific and weighty corner of jungle music’s early heyday. It’s an idea that’s already been done by the likes of Good 2 Go, but we’d argue that Karma is a more remarkable exercise in tenacity and style-replication, bringing together the work of new artists with old. In this case, we’ve got DJ Ande and DJ Kos, two virtually unknown new heavyweights, occupying a respective side of this banging 12”. There’s even a crazy remix by a veteran, Jumpin’ Jack Frost, on here.
Vibe-wise, ‘The Miracle’ puts even the retro-stylistic tuna of new school junglists like Coco Bryce or Tim Reaper to shame. Ande’s ‘Miracles’ is like a jungle dreamworld, blending vocal lucidity and watery pads, worthy of God’s pool-rooms, with Amazonian breaks. Asepsis meets wilderness. Jack Frost’s remix shifts things up a couple of semitones, and refuses to overexert itself in favour of meek vocal breakdowns, dynamic layers and demure digi-pianos. Oldskool dolphin vibes done right.
On the B, new junglist Sync Dynamix stretches the ambiences of ‘Miracles’ to reveal a serene soundscape of digital artifacts, besotted by breaks. And finally, DJ Kos contributes the newer-school, nigh-neuro curveball ‘The Drifter’, which sounds more suitable for a Doc Scott mix than it does for a 92-95 homage. But hey, we appreciate variety.
JIJ
Roger Damawuzan – Fine Fine (Hot Casa)
‘The King Of Gazo’ rises in with a gloriously effervescent double single, presenting a teaser from his forthcoming ‘Seda’ album on this supremely funk-flecked seven. Roger Damawuzan has been proudly flying the flag for Togolese music for the best part of 60 years, growing to prominence as a key figure in the ’70s Afro-funk scene and earning all manner of plaudits and favourable comparisons along the way.
His unforgettable tones and irrepressible stage presence have seen him described as ‘James Brown of Lomé’, and he’s unquestionably one of Togo’s most loved and recognisable musical champions. Parisian diggers Hot Casa re-issued Damawuzan’s earliest hit ‘Wait For Me’ back in 2015, and they usher him back into the fold with this unmissable release. ‘Fine Fine’ sees distinctively gravelly vocals screeching out a determined message, interspersed by hypnotic chants as a laser-tight funk bed keeps the rhythm locked. On the flip, the classic funk groove of ‘Red Light’ explodes with elastic trumpet solos, call and response vocals and irresistible guitar licks. For the uninitiated, this is a marvellous example of just why Damawuzan is so revered inside and beyond the West African funk movement, representing yet another fine piece of curation from the Hot Casa gang.
PC
This week’s reviewers: Patrizio Cavaliere, Oli Warwick, Jude Iago James.