The best new singles this week

The top drawer of the singles chest this week

SINGLE OF THE WEEK

Helena Hauff – Living With Ladybirds (Fabric Originals)

Anyone who has seen Helena Hauff DJ can attest to her affinity for the darker side of dance music. Hamburg’s finest has made a formidable reputation for herself by joining the dots between true-skool EBM, industrial and every underground niche of electro from the 80s through to the present day. At times the pace in her sets becomes breakneck, and she’s not shy to plough head-on into rave nihilism with the flair and accuracy of a truly great DJ.

She’s also one of those artists that doesn’t seem to get wrapped up in making everything so goddamed serious, even if she plays some very serious stuff. Her releases are testament to that, tending to offer a less intense dimension of her sound without deviating from the Hauffian script. It’s been a while since she released a new set of original productions, and so arrives this four tracker for Fabric’s Originals series with some pleasingly varied twists on the deviant dance mode she operates in.

The first track ‘Jonas’ is the first sign of a more playful side to Hauff’s sound, gleefully bouncing brightly coloured lead synths around with a wonky abandon, somehow still sinister and maybe even a little goofy, but kicking ass where it counts. ‘Your Turn To Fly’ follows a similar thread of 4/4 electro to its predecessor, letting the emotions fly in the neatly arranged arps and pads in a style that calls to mind Dynarec. The flip of the record does however hold something nastier for lovers of Hauff’s tougher edges, with ‘Touching Plastic’ reliably jacking and snarling before the tough, rhythmic pressure cooker of ‘Pinch’ – a track which veers as close as Hauff ever gets to outright techno. You know these sounds – they’re drawn from a lineage of darkside machine music which reaches back a long way, but Hauff has long since metabolised the approach through dedication and conviction, and she makes the sounds her own.

OW

Eparapo feat Dele Sosimi – From London To Lagos (Wah Wah 45s)

A pair of pearls are deservingly rescued from the digital vortex here, as Wah Wah 45s present two Eparapo jams alongside a succulent set of remixes. Formed by Afrobeat Orchestra member Suman Joshi alongside his dear friend and scene hero Dele Sosimi, London-based Eparapo recorded the two featured tracks remotely during the first pandemic-enforced lockdown. Considering the players involved, it’s of little surprise that the music is brilliantly crafted and spirited in tone, so the label’s decision to commit the sounds to wax is entirely warranted. The title track presents a noble commentary on moral corruption, its politically-charged theme augmented by classic Afrobeat sensibilities as infectious rhythms, stirring horns and limber guitar licks power the alluring vocal flow.

The all-new ‘WheelUp Remix’ cleverly reimagines the track as a warm-blooded deep house groover, the lead vocal pitched against a bed over luxuriant chords and shuffling drums. On the reverse, the intoxicating rhythms of ‘Black Lives Matter’ continue the conscious theme, the enlightened vocal gliding over rolling drums and rhythm guitar before the free-flowing solos augment the limber groove. Staying true to the original, Sam Redmore offers a respectful interpretation of the track. Reframing the essential vocal message over a subtly enhanced rhythm, the key instrumentation remains in place, with the added club-focused weight taking nothing away from the liberated expression of the music. If the original versions are more than worthy of their manifestation in the physical form, the inspired reworks each brings something novel to the equation while rendering the songs playable in a variety of spaces and places. Perhaps above all, though, the urgent message embedded in the lyrics adds imperative to the music, combining expert musicianship and sonic flair with all-important social commentary. 

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Various Artists – MCR00007 (Micron Audio)

DJ Stingray’s attitude towards electro is instructive, and others should take heed. After all, Sherard Ingram has the clout and experience to back up his approach, being an integral part of the Detroit electro firmament and representing Drexciya on the decks. The electro revival of a few years ago initially seemed fun, bringing to the fore a sound which had been largely ignored by all but the die-hards for a long time, but the monumental wave of copycats churning out unimaginative takes on machine funk quickly became tedious. In the face of mediocrity, you need to look to people like Stingray to shine a light on the true potential in the sound, and his Micron Audio label is as effective as his own DJ sets and productions in that regard.

This new various artists 12” brings in four artists who share Stingray’s vision for what electro can be, away from the bland facsimiles and plunging into strange, futuristic unknowns. Galaxian has already more than proved himself in that regard, and the Glaswegian producer doesn’t disappoint on ‘Overshoot’, offering up a metallic, pinging beatdown that manages to be savagely functional and incredibly psychoactive at the same time. The beat is knotty, the shuddering percussion like a daemonic engineering project gone haywire. It’s a similar approach taken by LOKA, albeit with a more strident 4/4 pulse to latch onto.

Danish producer Ctrls, commonly found on Token, offers up a snaking, wormhole workout with some of the most discernible funk on this record. The lithe, synthetic textures creep around the framework of the beat to devastating effect, creating a visceral, three-dimensional piece with more than enough thump to work on the floor. Meanwhile 6SISS revels in creating a steadily building nightmare out of the component parts of ‘React’, even threading some acidic sweeps somewhere into the mix which poke through the layers of digital grot in artful fashion.

There’s a consistent thread to these pieces, and they certainly all sound like Stingray would play them himself, but what this record does best is remind us there are still people out there pushing electro in interesting directions.

OW

Losoul – Open Door (Remastered) (Running Back)

Though the name Losoul has for years effectively served as a byword for the highest quality house-meets-techno minimalist soundscapes, back in 1996, the German producer’s musical seed was just beginning to germinate. Then a new name on the scene, Peter Kremeier’s Losoul project found a welcome home in the warm embrace of the seminal Playhouse label, and his earliest flurry of releases quickly turned heads among prestige players residing in the refined end of the four/four dance underground. His ‘Open Door’ debut made an instant and lasting impression, its rolling bass, stripped-but-funky aesthetic, and epic 11-plus-minute arrangement never failing to enliven cultured dancefloors. The track’s appeal saw it licensed to and released with remixes on multiple labels, including Detroit’s Elevate — from where the iconic Theo Parrish version first appeared in 1998. Here, Gerd Janson’s Running Back present a tidy double-pack featuring both tracks from the original 12” alongside the pick of the revisions, with each piece carefully mastered with contemporary floors in mind.

The captivating OG mix still sounds fantastic, as does the faintly maniacal 18-minute ‘00000000’ B-side jam paired with the first pressing, the loop-driven groove retaining impact after a quarter of a century or so. Another now-untouchable artist who was in the process of making an explosive early impression back in the late ‘90s, Theo Parrish made an immediate impact with his Elevate debut, and his ‘Behind Closed Doors’ remix demonstrates the power with which he burst from the blocks as a burgeoning name on the Detroit scene. Dusty, soul-drenched and achingly raw, his version simmers with intent as the groove unfurls, with fizzing hats, murky bass and looped samples combined to perfection. Elsewhere, Gerd’s robust remix is a rhythmic club mover, with crisp drums and sub-bass primed to shake speaker stacks, while previously unreleased ‘D1’is another slice of hazy deep house that’s a welcome addition to a splendid archival collection.

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Jodey Kendrick – Changes (Repetitive Rhythm Research)

In general, braindance oriented artists tend to stay in that particular lane, where electro, acid and breaks collide with especially tweaked synthesis and playful melodic sensibilities. It does leave you sometimes wondering how they’d tackle more streamlined club gear, but lucky for us that’s exactly what we get from Rephlex alumni Jodey Kendrick as he signs up for Clone-affiliated techno label Repetitive Rhythm Research. Having previously carried Head Front Panel and Frequency (Orlando Voorn), they’ve quickly become a reliable outpost for a certain tweaked and freaked strain of peak time techno.

Kendrick doesn’t diminish his instinct for sound design on this record, but rather funnels his considerable production flair into the mentality of tracky DJ tools. The combination is a potent one, as these wind up far from one-dimensional beat tracks, but rather ear-snagging, neck-snapping workouts for those who demand a little more spice from their basement ragers. ‘Malfunction All Levels’ has a certain subliminal quality to it thanks to the absence of an obvious thumping kick, but it’s still built to be slammed into a mix at a time of night when minds are supple and ready to be manipulated. For a more obvious assault, ‘The Metal Planet’ flies in the face of so much staid ‘industrial’ techno by creating a vivid, hulking machine of pressure that somehow still pumps some funk into the proceedings.

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Rhythm Of Paradise – Open Your Mind (Cosmic Rhythm)

When it comes to authentically charged Italo house revivalism, few labels can be considered as reliably on-point as Cosmic Garden’s Puglia-based Cosmic Rhythm. The latest release from the Southern Italian imprint arrives courtesy of Michele Lamacchia under his Rhythm Of Paradise moniker, once again delivering a gorgeously vintage set of dream house-inspired dancefloor fire. Lamacchia’s most recent outing on the label was 2020’s magnificent ‘Pleasure Zone’, arguably one of his most magnetic productions to date, and the music presented on ‘Open Your Mind’ feels like a most worthy follow-up.

The EP’s title track bursts in with optimistic piano stabs, suspense-building strings and vintage organ licks, the overwhelmingly positive instrumentation gliding over crunching drums and energetic fills. ‘Think About’ follows a similar trajectory, exhibiting a bygone feel while a touch more subtle in tone. Spoken word vocals deliver a thought-provoking message over a hypnotic synth hook, with fizzing house drums again driving the rhythm. On the reverse, the emotive swells of ‘Love’ keep the sunrise sensations alive, with whispered vocal chops and delicate chords combining as winging wood block hits add energy to the groove. Finally, the chunky drums and soul-drenched vocal stabs of ‘Feel The Groove’ complete the set, with percussive rhythms taking centre stage as sun-soaked pads float across the horizon. 

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Atrice – Backrooms (Ilian Tape)

Swiss duo Atrice return to Ilian Tape with their sights set on that sweet spot where dubstep mutated into something else entirely. It’s an ill-defined field Ilian have explored diligently for a long time now, pursuing a vision of technoid soundsystem music that takes the best of everything to create some fiercely futuristic body music.

Where OG dubstep tended to focus on one main theme and then build the drops and mid-sections around them, ‘Backrooms’ instead takes the old-skool jungle approach of creating a flowing suite of music which happily shifts into progressive phases over seven minutes. When the core drop arrives midway through, it’s monumental without ever feeling cheap or excessive. At all times, the sound design is tooled and tweaked to perfection, writhing with detail and poised for the next chapter.

It’s a structural approach which continues across this outstanding EP, even if there are stark sonic differents. ‘Chamber Of Mazarbul’ has a surface level primal immediacy thanks to its taut drum line, but there are some high-definition interruptions which remind you how much Atrice are wielding sonically. When one such moment takes hold, it’s enough to make you hold your breath as though teetering at the top of a rollercoaster. It can be easy for such production prowess to interfere with a track, disrupting one’s ability to lock in and achieve a meditative state, but credit to Atrice that they can still hold down the introspective mood while providing such shock and awe.

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Pellegrino / Zodyaco – Quimere (Early Sounds)

Early sounds boss Pellegrino S. Snichelotto resumes his Zodyaco project with yet more beautifully orchestrated Neapolitan fusion funk. Steeped in the absurdly rich musical heritage unique to Napoli’s volcanic soil, ‘Quimere’ exhibits all the effortlessly blended influences that so captivatingly inform the city’s cultured sonic output. Pellegrino’s previous releases have captured the attention of the most discerning selectors in the game, and the neat combination of cerebral-meets-soulful instrumentation that typifies his catalogue extends into his latest work. Sung with a thick Napolitano twang, the feel-good lead of the opening jam gently lifts spirits as it glides over the shimmering orchestration.

Dreamy melodies intertwine as sun-soaked synths and enchanting guitar licks elegantly dance across a propulsive rhythm section of rolling percussion and meandering bass, the seductive refrains brimming with the sultry warmth of a Vesuvius sunset. On the reverse, the ‘Selezioni Esotiche’ version strips back the lead vocal to allow the virtuoso musicianship to occupy the golden light. Dexterous leads float among seductive backing vocals, the infectious groove proving utterly magnetic as the blissful harmonies play out. It’s been said before and there’s little doubt it will be said again: something magical resides in the sonic fabric of the Citta del Sole. 

PC

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