The best new singles this week
The essential tracks currently on rotation
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
D&B Productions aka Delano Smith/Brawther – Symbiosis (Sushitech)
Detroit maestro Delano Smith has been a regular contributor to the Sushitech project, making numerous impactful appearances on the imprint across its almost-20-year existence. Last year saw the timely re-issue of his ‘Reconstructed’ EP, where the late, great Mike Huckaby and equally revered musical force Carl Craig turned in a pair of hard-hitting remixes of his work. This time out, Smith joins forces with French protagonist Brawther, with the duo adopting the very slightly misleading D&B Productions moniker to serve six variations of the title track, ‘Symbiosis’.
Rather than alluding to a stark change in musical direction, the moniker is simply lifted from the pair’s initials, so customary house rhythms ensue (as opposed to the high tempo breaks and speaker rattling bass that may have been expected without knowledge of those behind the outfit). That being said, drums and bass are naturally key elements on the stripped productions presented here, with each immaculately constructed groove steeped in dubbed-out sensibilities.
Spread across two slabs of wax, the collection opens with the minimal textures of ‘Symbiosis 1’, where precise machine drums power through misty waves of grainy pads across a stretched and meandering arrangement. A little more densely populated, ‘Symbiosis 2’ bubbles along with syncopated chords undulating over crisp rhythms, while version 3 jettisons the drums to present an atmospherically evolving DJ tool. ‘Symbiosis 4’ is perhaps the snappiest of the set, with textured chords gliding over piercing beats and sub-rooted bass, before the shuffling drums and mysterious vocals of version 5 set a seductive late-night tone. Finally, the dreamy motifs of ‘Symbiosis 6’ complete a hypnotic selection, its airy synth hook mesmerising as it drifts over the sturdy rhythms below. Pitched somewhere between dub techno and authentic deep house, this is typically fine work from this venerated production pairing, who, despite the moniker, keep things firmly rooted in refined 4/4 brilliance.
PC
What makes Rrose tracks so special? Ostensibly it’s absolute techno, powered by insistent, staggering 4/4 rhythms pitched at the biggest dancefloor spaces with enough tripped-out sonics to send the late night crowd spiralling inwards. But ever since Seth Horvitz debuted the project around 2011, the steadily growing catalogue has become one of the strongest cases for the relevance of straight-up techno in the modern age. You could argue Rrose is special because Horvitz knows how to mess with the tired formality of so much adjacent music through extravagant synth work, but by and large the music still remains committed to the cyclical, forward-marching techno tradition.
Take new track ‘A Row Of Cylinders’, which wastes no time in laying down a time-honoured rhythmic pattern with a pneumatic shape flexing and contorting in the midrange. It should be over-familiar, but Horvitz has a refined production quality which breathes anima into these synthetic parts. The results are magic – the kind of tool which could bring all manner of pile-driving techno sets to life. There’s more intrigue to be unearthed in ‘Squared’, a subtler kind of tool with the barest of threads and yet still all the motorik intent one expects from Rrose. Ensuring we’re not assuming too much by this stage, ‘In Place Of Matter’ interferes with the script further by dropping the tempo way down low and bringing in a daggering bass arp with a death disco backbone, shooting a sideways glance at the chugging phenomenon and offering an alternative kind of trip-out for those warm-up hours of a dance (or indeed a whole night where the DJ wants to play low and slow).
Short though it may be, ‘In Place Of Mortar’ helps in reaffirming Rrose’s primary appeal, which is in needlepoint synth modulation without anything as easy or obvious as melody. Apparently foreshadowing an imminent new album, it’s a timely exercise in the textural, dynamic qualities which make this unique slant on techno so addictive. If you’ve followed Rrose up to this point, you should know what to expect, but when the quality runs this high, a reminder is always welcome.
OW
Symbol – Elevate (Mystery Circles)
This new release from former This Will Destroy You (founding) member Christopher Royal King hears the guitarist and producer explore a fresh new age wilderness under his Symbol alias. ‘Elevate’ debuts two gorgeous, shimmering slabs of ambience for the adventurous listener, recalling everything from Laraaji to the Orlando soundtrack, resulting in a twisting of the sonic knife lodged in our gut until all emotions are wrought out.
Whatever an ‘Elavation Hammer’ is, it sounds like its function isn’t to pummel or hammer things into walls, but rather “hammer home” a sense of inner peace. While that might sound contradictory (usually, accounts of equanimity say that it cannot be forced), the content of the track seems to speak to the idea of repetition as one of the main pathways to enlightenment, with its soft, rapid-firing, quantized mallets recalling the feel of repeating a transcendental mantra until a “higher” state of consciousness is achieved. The track’s rather incredible AI-generated music video further highlights this, shifting between frame after frame of both recognizable and unrecognizable forms.
The B-side, ‘Hyperballad’, titularly takes after Bjork, but otherwise merely draws on the song’s emotional range. This Hyperballad, instead, is arguably not even a ballad at all, but an ambient wash rivalling the depth-scouring wells of neoclassical ambience proffered even by legendary artists like Stars Of The Lid or Celer. A deluge of pads and twinkles establishes the track’s first half, while the remaining minute and a half almost unnoticeably moves into a trilling ensemble of strings, the numbers of which are seemingly uncountable. From there on out, a more cinematic chord progression occupies the lats thirty seconds or so, further proving that there’s much more to this ambience than a mere wash of tonality.
JIJ
Alton Miller – Run The Essentials EP (Quintessentials)
In a serendipitous week for true deep house heads, Abacus’ impeccable drop on NDATL is met at the pass by past collaborator Alton Miller, arriving back on Quintessentials after last year’s ‘Essentials Ya Dig’ EP with an instant classic. Miller shouldn’t need an introduction given his legendary status, but yet again he’s the kind of name often bypassed in the name-checking of Detroit house royalty. Miller was right there doing it in the beginning, co-founding fabled club The Music Institute with Chez Damier and George Baker and going on to record an illustrious catalogue of works as Aphrodisiac and under his own name.
Miller’s sound is perennial, and sometimes that leads to over-familiarity, but on this particular drop the pure feeling and inspiration bursts out of the lead track. ‘Find Some, Get Some’ has a shockingly catchy snag to the groove, leaning in on bumping b-lines and an addictive, snapping rim-shot hit which will instantly fire up the dance. There’s a definite Latin lilt to the track, and it’s only deepened by Miller’s vocal, catchy, life-affirming and just pure magic. For those who just want that killer groove, the dub is also included, or better still, just play both versions back to back and have some real fun with it. It’s the kind of bomb which would absolutely keep a room hopping well past the official run time.
‘Run The Blues’ on the flip is no slouch, either. It’s a little less naughty in the groove department, riding on the kind of straight-trucking drums which act as the perfect vessel for Miller’s ascendant keys, pads and vocals, but as the artist himself reminds us, “it’s the sound you’ve been missing.” When techno so often becomes a nihilistic hard trance assault and deconstructed club cartwheels into abrasive non-music, hearing sounds like these comes as a welcome, restorative shock.
OW
New York’s supremely loveable Phenomenal Handclap Band have been enjoying quite a resurgence in the last few years. Since 2018, the evolving ensemble have released a stream of impactful titles via German disco house purveyors, Toy Tonics, which followed a short-but-noticeable hiatus after the band’s initial explosion into the scene back in the late ‘00s. Here, they join forces with Brooklyn-based Latinistas, Buscabulla, with each outfit tasked with working their respective magic into tracks originally recorded by Columbian sister, Elia Y Elizabeth.
The enticing project arrives on Mushroom Pillow as part of the Relatin project, an intriguing NYC-based initiative designed to reimagine Latin music with new generations of audiences in mind. The opening track, ‘Fue Una Lagrima’ certainly fits the mandate, presenting the Colombian duo’s seductive vocals over a club-ready bed, with pumping bass, crisp drums and all manner of studio trickery spreading contemporary gloss into the source material.
The original version was released way back in 1971, not that you’d have guessed that from listening to this decidedly futuristic interpretation, so full marks to the gang for staying on message here. On the reverse, the Buscabulla pairing follow on from 2020’s ‘Regressa’ album with their take on 1973 released ‘Descripcion’, serving a powerfully evocative meatless version that’s steeped in atmosphere. Delicate vocals drift over otherworldly drones and languid pipes, the dreamy textures beautifully combining for a sultry beachside accompaniment. This is distinguished work from all concerned, with a wildly disparate set of interpretations that complement one another rather wonderfully. It will be interesting to hear what comes next from the Relatin project, too, with no small amount of potential material to repurpose, and plenty of worthy New York-dwelling remixers poised to interpret the bygone Latin sounds.
PC
Liza N’ Eliaz – Initial Gain (USA Import Records)
Here comes an intriguing curio from the history of European techno. Liza N Eliaz passed away in 2001, but in the final decade of her life she cut a swathe through Belgian techno and eventually speedcore scenes – by all accounts a larger than life character with a positive impact on those she encountered. The newly revived USA Import label which released some of her early work comes back into earshot with a reissue of this EP from 1991, offering the kind of rough and ready hybridised gear which typifies the early 90s at its best.
There was a time when hip-hop, house and techno were all felt as different sides of the same coin, and on these tracks Liza seems to innately feel this connection, bringing cutting and sampling swagger to tracks clearly feeding off the influence of new beat et al. ‘Space Split’ is as much an 80s throwdown as a herald of the rave explosion, while ‘Initial Gain’ comes on like Mantronix jamming with Phuture and Model 500. ‘Sexcess’ makes things crystal clear with its low slung hip-hop tempo and restless sample juggling, but more important than all that is how wild and free these tracks sound, with an infectious joie de vivre which makes them sound utterly fresh despite their age.
In bringing the package into the actual contemporary era the label have tapped up Toulouse Low Trax for a version of ‘Sexcess’, which of course means anything can and does happen. The samples get reframed by one of Detlef Weinrich’s low-frequency rumbles and plenty more disorienting flourishes – a remix with flair to match the flamboyant brilliance of the original artist.
OW
XCRSWX / Lolina – FM 2 (Feedback Moves)
Since the dramatic “passing of the torch” of Hype Williams to two individuals known as Slaughter and Silvermane sometime in the mid 2010s, its former half Lolina (fka. Inga Copeland) has found herself immersed in increasingly jarring experimental projects. That space of time has also seen her establish a label, Relaxin Records, for which the mysterious iconography of bunches of keys seems to dominate. the impression we get is that Lolina is always bursting freer and freer from former creative constraints. Recent movements have seen to the dizzying new tracks ‘Forget It Left Bank’ and ‘Music Is The Drug’, both arty bleedouts into what could be described as more abstraction than songwriting. This new split single is with with the experimental duo @Xcrswx (Crystabel Riley and Seymour Wright), who, without Lolina, have already come up with just the right kind of goofball free improv to charm their friends over at London’s most refined music venue, Cafe OTO.
They’ve a reputation for making entire albums out of phone recordings and squawking call-and-response brasses; their music is abrasive, aiming to lock the listener into anti-flow states. Their track here, ‘FIXES’, was one of two to be built out of the detritus of three radio mixes, and at points sounds like a toy duck (with full honk capabilities) being repeatedly whacked around by building tools. This was achieved by circuit-bending found bits of digital tech to splice up firework noises, stuttered snare shots and interlacings of saxophone. Lolina’s ‘FM’, meanwhile, hears her latest penchant for turntablism get put on full display, with knobbly vinyl crackles fuzzing away under the surface of dubious gong hits, spine-tingling knocks and alien bird noises.
JIJ
Various – Family Affair Vol 2 (Razor-N-Tape)
Brooklyn’s Razor-N-Tape are in an especially productive place at the moment. Since sashaying from the strictly-centred territory that helped launched the brand, they’ve reached new heights with a series of entirely original compositions over the past couple of years. Add to this the recent launch of their hometown record store, and it’s fair to say that JKriv and the RNT massive are putting their creative instincts to the best use possible.
The latest release from their ever-growing stable is the second instalment of their ‘Family Affair’ series, and this time they welcome a pair of all-new relations alongside a cast of label regulars to supply the sounds. None other than Chicago house heavyweight Boo Williams rides in to make his label debut, joining Israeli Firebrand Red Axes, who remixes a title from compatriot and label regular, Nenor. JKriv, Peter Matson and Frank Booker complete the set, with each protagonist bringing something distinct and flavourful to the musical stew. First, Red Axes’ take on ‘Do You Remember’ elegantly lands like a slice of vintage Italo dream house, with celestial chords combined with agile synth textures as the carefully sculpted sounds sumptuously bubble and broil.
At his brilliant best, Boo Williams is one of the finest house producers walking the earth, forging a recognisable sound all of his own across a decades-long career of musical service. His ‘Best Smith’ contribution is endowed with his signature set of ingredients alongside a delicately hallucinatory tone, as crisp machine drums power interwoven synth motifs while distant vocals add mystery to the nocturnal groove. Frank Booker’s sturdy deep house strut ‘Time Won’t Tell’ pits rugged bass against jazzy chords and shuffling drums for a warm and breezy summer jam, before JKriv sees us home with help from Peter Matson. Here, Matson offers his take on ‘Something Else’ threading meandering synth lines over yearning vocals for a psychedelic journey into floor-focused abandon. Top marks all around, which — given the quality of the artists involved — should come as little or no surprise.
PC
Abacus – The Lower End Theory (NDATL Muzik)
Alas, we’re never short of US house producers who we can describe as criminally-underrated, and Abacus absolutely fits that mould. Debuting on Prescription in 1994, Austin Bascom went on to grace a staggering number of seminal labels from Fragile to Guidance, and yet his discography suggests an artist who never quite got the break to thrust them into a consistent flow of projects. Whatever the reasons, for those hip to his take on soulful deep house, the upside of this scattered presence is that each release comes with a true sense of occasion. Abacus was last on Kai Alce’s NDATL in 2011 with the still-smokin’ iDRUM This Djembe release, a pattering Afro-house masterpiece.
12 years on, he makes a return to the Atlanta-based label with the kind of refined groovers to make you fall in love with house music all over again. That’s the feeling NDATL is so good at platforming whoever is at the helm, and Bascom might just be the ultimate example. The swooning pads, elegant little acid lines and understated shuffle are the bottom line in deepness, just a little nasty around the edges but oh-so-nice at the core of the track. There’s a searching, yearning quality to the interplay between bass and chords on ‘Atlanta Deep’ and ‘Mortise & Tenon’ plays around with pattering percussion in a mode which speaks to the softer, more spiritual side of Detroit house and techno – starry-eyed like a Juan Atkins joint with the ineffable drum magic of Alton Miller at his best.
OW
From Here On It’s All – Repeated Passages (Le Syndicat des Scorpions)
One more to add to the modern pile of underground labels apparently themed after scorpions, Le Syndicat des Scorpions is a French concept label with an overarchingly immaculate aesthetic. We view them as part of the new visual culture that enables graphic designers to more easily start DIY labels than musicians themselves. Every release is textured, surreal, and primed for post-cassette culture, both musically, and at first glance at the artwork.
From Here On It’s All is the new collaborative project of elusive musician and, from what we can gather, spoken word artist Justine Dorion, and fellow experimental artist Gyeongsu. Contrasting to the synthetic rock soundscapes made by the latter artist on albums such as ‘Deficiency’, ‘Repeated Passages’ is a steamier and more laid-back affair, cycling through gloomy odes for self-actualization (‘Decidi Tu’) and exploration (‘Adventure Awaits’). Each instrumental is an electronic gothic rock scene-setter, with plucky basses and shimmering lows giving off a sense of precarity. Dorion’s voice, which occupies the first two tracks, takes full advantage of the romantic, elusive nature of the French language, cementing the EP’s heightened sense of misty mystery. Plus, if you like your instrumental music bluesy, check out the B-siders such as ‘E Poi Dopo’, which adds ever more to the transitory, moody nature of this serene four-piece collage.
JIJ
DJ Overdose – Waste No Time Express (Going Bananas)
Jeroen Warmenhoven has put in the hours to earn his place amongst the top tier of Dutch electro operators. From his collaborations with the likes of Alden Tyrell, Willie Burns and Mr Pauli to the strings of shellers on Murder Capital, L.I.E.S. and RotterHague, the mans oeuvre is imposing in a scene defined by its sense of foreboding. The emergent Going Bananas label follows up on an outstanding first record from Gen-y to offer this no-nonsense two-tracker which should provide an electro-minded DJ with everything they need to lay waste to the dance.
‘Waste No Time’ is steeped in the ghetto house tradition, revolving as it does around a lurid bass hook and jagged sample stabs of the titular message, but there’s a clicky precision to the beats which hints more towards Detroit ghettotech. With the prerequisite Dutch synth noir pads up top, it’s a masterclass in deadly focus for the floor. ‘Express’ is wrought from different materials, but the upfront energy persists. Low slung Miami bass is the order of the day in the sub-testing rhythm section, but the angry invective of the looped up speech sample lends the track a punky demeanour which ends up framing those tuned low end blasts in the context of Neil Landstrumm’s gnarly twist on hardware techno. This isn’t delicate club music by any stretch, but Overdose delivers his electro heat with the seasoned touch of a true lifer insulated from the boom and bust of musical trends.
OW
Mr Ho – Angel Number 909 (Klasse Wrecks)
There’s much to admire about the uncompromising approach adopted by Hong Kong subterranean mavericks, Klasse Wrecks. Staying true to a fluid but steadfastly underground sound signature, the label habitually serves deviant sonic textures from a tight-knit cast of creators, with memorable moments arriving from the likes of Alphonse, Marco Bernardi, Phran and Fjaak. The latest instalment finds label co-founder, Mr Ho, in typically robust form, serving four variations on a distinctly retro-futurist theme. ‘Angel Number 909’ begins via the slow-mo rave of the ‘US Breaks Mix’, where rolling rhythms and hypnotic bass drive brooding acid directly into the strobe-lit throes of a ‘90s warehouse.
The self-described ‘Acid House Mix’ does approximately what the name suggests, pitching the grainy instrumentation over a crunchy four/four beat, before the straight-up ‘House Mix’ adds a touch more thrust as the souped rhythms smack just a little harder, with tension-building vocals and overdubs combining to lift the energy. Finally, the ‘Breaksapella’ offers a stripped interpretation of the ‘US Breaks’ version, allowing the gritty 303 line ample room to soar over the relentlessly driving drums. Grubby, nocturnally charged, and ripe for cavernous spaces, these cuts are sure to evoke the requisite rave atmospherics when powering across gyrating floors.
PC
This week’s reviewers: Oli Warwick, Jude Iago James, Patrizio Cavaliere.