The best new singles this week
The week’s big ones
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Semtek – Denny Island (Rubadub)
No-one expected a fresh drop from Semtek, and yet here it is. In many ways, the Don’t Be Afraid label head embodies the energy of early 2010s club music as dubstep and techno cross-pollinated and mutant dancefloor hybrids emerged across the 120 and 140 tempo range. He released a tidy wedge of records in those early years before quietly dialling back his presence to focus on his labels, scattering appearances here and there and offering the odd bit of mastering to some low key tape releases.
The lineage of these new tracks – when they were made or why they’ve emerged now – is unclear, but arrived they have on Rubadub and they’re so very welcome. There’s always been a raw and direct club focus to Semtek tracks, and that approach carries through in no uncertain terms as ‘Denny Island’ hops, skips and jumps into earshot on a savvy cut-up of an iconic garage break, noirish d&b pads and technoid propulsion. It’s hybridised in the precisely the way he was pushing with Don’t Be Afraid 10 years prior, but there’s also a svelte modernist sheen to the production which positively sparkles. It sounds more like a modern construction than something dug out of a hard drive, even if the component parts absolutely draw from the lineage of UK club music in its many mongrel forms.
‘Catching Smoke’ keeps up the swing with some needling hats and snagging fills that cut through the brutally managed blooms of atmospherics. The production is unfathomably deep, with nuanced detail swarming in the pads between the seemingly stripped back, teasing minimalism of the beat. It’s the kind of tracky mutant which could just as easily get an up-all-night crowd at Sunwaves wriggling with delight as a heads down basement vibrating to UKG basslines.
Ultimately, this is club music through and through, absolutely built for DJs and dancers, and in a world of forgettable tools it’s the details which count. Semtek sounds the best he ever has on this record, pooling his considerable instincts into two razor sharp tunes that sound like they’re destined to be absolutely caned by your favourite DJ.
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Black Davil – Schnall Schnall EP (Killekill Germany)
We must admit that we don’t usually hear soundworlds this unconservative emerging from the Berlin underground, so we already know we’re onto something special with ‘Schnall Schnall’. The debut project of Bläck Dävil – an alias of one Werner Soyeaux – this EP is an ostensible techno six-tracker, but its every edge and corner teems with an ambition for something greater. Soyeaux is careful to credit his membership of the Berlin collective Ick Mach Welle for this sensibility. On top of the collective’s aim to provide access to the makings of electronic music for people with disabilities, it’s clear from the sound alone of this oddball that they’re among the most open-minded of folks when it comes to artists throwing curveballs.
The most obvious case in point is Davil’s opener ‘Alptraum’, which – far from making the big-splash opening banger statement that most artists might indulge – comes as a strange ambient, coldwave sonar-bleeper, barely peppered with so much as the softest of kick drums and the nippiest of hi-hats. Genre-wise, something like broken beat is hinted at, but the loud, twinkling harmonic whirl that dominates the mix throws us off balance, making the track feel more like a filmic scene-setter than a DJ’s go-to (we’re reminded of the eerie early electronic soundtrack for the film Forbidden Planet). Then comes the completely unexpected hardcore number, ‘Schnall Schall’, which sounds completely unlike anything the first track would suggest for its follow-up. Glassy sonic sloshes and shivering echoes move about its pistoning 4x4s, as though the music is playing in a sinking hall of mirrors. Extra wetness is added by fellow producer Rhyw on the remix, lending the track licky future garage graces.
The B-side is cheekier and less conceptual, with the second featured remixer Gesloten Cirkel providing a rare case of a remix that sounds almost nothing like the original: a buzzing, toothy bassline blended with perfectly-sculpted beats and ambiences. A haunted schranz number, ‘Geldschere’, follows, with Davil and Normal 4 peppering the beat with speakerphoned vocal shouts and cackles, not long before all former precepts are dashed with the closing ‘Ick Mach Welle Vs Bettina’, on which Davil pays homage to some of his dearest inspirations: hardtekk, speedcore, gabber.
JIJ
Jackson Ryland – Boosted EP (Peach Discs)
Transmitting from the heart of DC’s buoyant dance music coterie, Jackson Ryland’s infectious, intentional production style makes you wonder how so many artists make classic house and techno so dull. Like many of his peers on labels like Future Times and 1432 R, Ryland has made his name with an unpretentious embrace of all that’s kicking about 4/4, looked at the blueprints and found the space to punch in some personality without breaking the formula. As such, he makes for a neat fit on Shanti Celeste and Gramrcy’s Peach Discs, a label with a similar appetite for modern updates to tried and true genre totems.
The energy just bursts from all of Ryland’s productions, mixed with that chunky US discipline which makes all house and techno sound like it’s meant for grubby field raves as much as inner city sweatboxes. ‘Hyp Gruuv’ is especially instructive in that regard, coming on like a strung out Strictly Rhythm filter sweeping epic strapped to a punchbag in an over-subscribed gym – and that’s the most reserved of the bunch. ‘Glass Cut’ has its own deep, pad-splashing tendencies but the techno thrust is strictly uptempo. What’s critical is how warm and inviting the sound is, compared to the hard n’ fast nihilism which is swamping clubs at present.
‘Boosted’ has a more clattering groove, albeit stopping short of outright break-juggling, but once again there’s a plethora of spangled synth strokes firing beams of light across the upper frequencies in prismatic fashion. It’s ‘Lip’ where the drums really run wild though, swung hard and firing on all cylinders with the kind of battering kick drum bounce that you’d struggle to keep your body up to speed with. It’s chaotic but still absolutely locked on, with the kind of fierce spirit you’d normally associate with the funkiest Detroit techno. And yet, it doesn’t once try to ape that city’s considerable legacy, instead coming through sounding wholeheartedly DC in nature – that boisterous misfit of the Eastern USA.
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Data Memory Access – Hi Tee EP (Craigie Knowes)
Subtlety is key when making floor-ready music. While restraint is certainly a must – making dance music usually implies a certain submission to the whims of the dancefloor – tracks like Data Memory Access’ ‘Hi Tee’ still manage to work a great deal of whimsy and creativity between the beats.
Following up a two-sided single on Mood Waves, the Italian duo here offer up a killer follow-up for Craigie Knowes. Though these four tracks’ structures are squarely rooted in the ambient, garage and acid house playbooks, there’s an extra textural quality to them that we just can’t resist. For kicks, we’ll describe the B-side first: ‘Anthem’ is our favourite, its mix beautifully centred, and its beats landing like shared heartbeats.
A fluttery lead synth and electric piano hook hints at a psychedelic / breakbeat edge, while also reflecting the quality of mid-90s chart house at the same time. Soon after, risers and fallers play back like UFO landing gear on the juxtaposer ‘Hi Tee’, which again, flaunts its subtlety in its various ways; myriad acid spits and blooping arpeggiations make it sound like a cyborg’s spacecraft endlessly calculating how to best make its next interstellar diplomatic move.
Flipping over to the A-side, we’ve got ‘Woodwind’ and ‘Euphoria’, the first of which revels in the quiet charm of more muted and whistly synth sounds, like Hammond organs and soft sines. The latter, on the other hand, indulges swung Italo make-it-rains and celestial vocoder-play, with a central voice seeming to intone, repeatedly: “exciting, inciting…” Or at least, that’s what it sounds like to our ears. The best and most meaningful parts of a house track, not least one with vocals in it, are usually best left open to interpretation. Certainly an EP for DJs with an ear for texture, ‘Hi-Tee’ won’t be missed by those with well-honed tastes.
JIJ
Generali Minerali – Remote Snail (Mind Controlled Rectifier)
Look lively for some fresh heat emerging from Georgia’s ever-buoyant underground. We’re only on the second vinyl release from Tbilisi’s Mind Controlled Rectifier label, but already they’re spelling out a distinctive sound which takes a leap from electro into disjointed, experimental pastures. Giorgi Jincharadze is similarly emergent, having spent the past few years slipping out records as Generali Minerali on labels like RFR but heading in an especially bold direction with this sizeable new drop.
‘Skitter’ sets out the style points for the EP in quick fashion, diving straight into uptempo, stuttered beats constantly bucking and bending to needlepoint modulation interference. The tightly-clipped samples follow suit, and while there’s a jagged machine veneer to the sound palette, it never feels sterile or static. It’s closer to electronica than straight-up club gear, but still drives forward on a groove which could smartly crossover into dubstep territory without derailing the vibe.
It’s a rough blueprint which Jincharadze follows up on the smokier ‘LVL2’, and even if ‘Remote Snail’ has a more direct line in electro tropes, there’s more than enough interference and micro-detail packed in to keep it feeling fresh. ‘Only Liquid’ quickly darts back out into weirdo territory with a brilliantly conceived subversion of D&B standards that hinges on the deadly one-note bassline and has a whale of a time cutting fine shards of static and synth squelch in and out of the mix around it.
The commitment to the unusual is instantly apparent on Remote Snail and it carries through to the additional five tracks which flesh out the digital release. Even when tackling more linear acid techno fare, Jincharadze piles personality on to his constructions. The whole package makes for a strident calling card from a label and producer emblematic of the vibrant originality emanating from the Georgian electro scene.
OW
Portable – Guiding Me (Circus Company)
Returning in quick fashion after his outstanding My Sentient Shadow album from last year, Alan Abrahams is back on Circus Company with another outing for his wholly unique strain of techno-pop. ‘Guiding Me’ works beautifully as a standalone single, with a particularly strong vocal from Abrahams in his trademark new romantic baritone centring the track. The clattering drum sound and hazy synth touches are classic Portable, but there’s clarity in this familiarity which simply serves to strengthen the pop dimension of his sound.
‘Vigor’ also reflects another common thread in the Portable canon, using diced up vocals cast as robotic pulses to create a sensual kind of tech-house that jacks and soothes in equal measure. It’s this lightness of touch which keeps Abrahams’ particular style so appealing after all this time – he’s been doing his thing since right back to the early 00s minimal era. Lawrence picks up on the delicacy and channels it into his own hushed kind of deep house on a mesmerising remix of ‘Guiding Me’, subtly looping up the groove and keeping the half-hidden after hours melodic tone for a version which will be a shoe-in for devotees of that understated Hamburg house sound.
OW
Chevron – Kanlab03 (Balkan Vinyl)
Charging out of the braindance firmament and landing squarely on the sympathetic climes of Postman’s Balkan Vinyl label, Chevron is helping mint the Kanlab 7” series with two fiery blasts of oddball machine funk. ‘Manctronix’ is the kind of rough, direct mind-melter which shows off braindance at its best, doused in acid and driven by the boxiest of beats. The re-pitched choir sample seals the deal on this being a dancefloor misfit, but there’s more than enough punch packed into the tune to get a riot going in your local Bangface.
‘Unity’ plays around with chip tune riffs which port you straight into a side-scrolling Mega Drive platform game, but there’s plenty of other artful detail woven around the 16-bit lead to make this more than a pure slice of retro-fetishism. Spiralling 303s, wobbly top lines and a conspicuously un-processed falsetto maintain Chevron’s line in playful, emotive surrealism driven by the hard snap of the beat.
Braindance remains pleasingly outside of the identikit grind of most dance music genres and maintains uniqueness from release to release by its very nature. Chevron’s approach on this cheeky little missive more than proves the point, making it a must-check for anyone who loves their box jams delivered with a liberal dose of freakiness.
OW
David Koch has dipped in and out of techno production, having originally cropped up as Dave Shokh some 20 years back before a hiatus and a momentary comeback as Shokh around 2017. There’s been another pause in the mean time, and now Shokh reappears with a self-titled release on brokntoys which feels like a fully-formed artistic statement and purposeful direction.
The sound he’s pursuing takes some cues from techno, electro and minimal, but it winds up as an introspective kind of electronica on ‘Bleech’, which is more mindful of attentive insular listening rather than the more functional requirements of a soundsystem. The sustained string pads have a vintage techno quality to them, while the flicker of bleeps, chords and textural hiccups create the charm in the track, coming on like a scuffed inversion of the B12 sound.
Even if there’s a linear focus to some of the other tracks, it’s noticeable Koch keeps his beats restrained and unfussy, placing the emphasis on the synthesis and sound design to shape out shadowy, sinewy excursions into electro’s funky circuitry. ‘Kolovento’ might have a touch of Rotters Golf Club grind about it while ‘Voyage Voyage’ summons many a minimal wave ghost, but the overall impression is one of an artist expressing themselves sincerely through the machines, leading to diverse results at the behest of their manifold inspirations.
OW
This week’s reviewers: Oli Warwick, Jude Iago James.