Review: Given that Ricardo Villalobos was one of a handful of guest producers who featured on Oren Ambarchi's recent Hubris album - a krautrock-influenced minimalist techno exploration that also boasted contributions from Jim O'Rourke and Mark Fell, amongst others - it seems fitting that he's been roped in to provide two new remixes. The Chilean's contribution to the album was largely rhythm-based, and his two lengthy Variations - each stretched across one side of wax - promote undulating, heads-down dancefloor hypnotism above all else. Naturally, his drum programming and use of subtle stylistic shifts is as on-point as ever, with Ambarchi's original textures being manipulated into mind-altering new shapes.
Review: Third part of the compilation celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Milanese record shop. This collection is entirely composed of previously unreleased music, exclusively produced for the occasion by many artists of great relevance in the worldwide music scene, who supported the store over the last ten years. The artists who produced the music for this compilation are Egyptian Lover, Ellen Allien, Thomas Brinkmann, Neil Landstrumm, JD Twitch, Matias Aguayo, San Proper, Tolouse Low Trax, Jay Glass Dubs, Dj Marcelle, Jorge Velez, Tamburi Neri, Fabrizio Mammarella, Heith, Itinerant Dubs, Timeslip89, Kreggo and Intersezioni Ensemble. The entire work is composed of 4 x 12", plus a bonus EP.
Review: ** Camera's ready. Prepare for the Repress ** Curtis Jones is never one to rest on his laurels, as his staggering back catalogues as Green Velvet and Cajmere can attest but such is the force of his personality that a new release still feels like an event. "Bigger Than Prince" capitalises on Jones' knack for a vocal that lambasts the less earnest quirks of the dance music industry, while creating the hook to make the track a bomb in the same instance. Production-wise, there's a measured strut to the track with some choice growling bass synths and an underlying disco flavour that suits Jones just fine. On the remix front, Circus turn to The Martinez Brothers to hammer out a rolling, percussion focused version perfect for big room mixing, while Hot Since 82 turn out a similar line in boompty peak time damage.
Feel Young Again (Ricardo Villalobos remix) (16:24)
Don't Let The Light In (Ricardo Villalobos remix) (15:13)
Review: For fans of off-kilter, minimalistic dance music, there is little more exciting than seeing the words "Ricardo Villalobos remix" printed on to the label of a brand-new record. For all his faults, Villalobos rarely delivers a duff rework, and he's once again hot gold with these revisions of experimental art-rock ensemble Low Island. He first tackles 'Feel Low Again', reinventing the indie-rock cut as a low-slung chunk of woozy minimal techno full of drifting vocals, bubbly electro bass, distant cymbals and snare-heavy beats. On the flip Villalobos reworks 'Don't Let The Light In', offering a slightly less dense and undeniably energetic take full of oddly-tuned electro bass, glitchy sounds, hazy chords and layered vocal samples.
Review: Some six years after the label's last outing, Moody Grass returns via a rock-solid outing from lesser-known producer Valentin Zad and - on the two A-side tracks at least -collaborator Klatt. EP opener '42' is wonderfully hard to pin down, with fuzzy coldwave synth sounds and glacial electronic melodies riding a beat that sits somewhere between relaxed electro and IDM, while 'Answer' adds icy synths and heady electronic string sounds to a locked-in tech-house beat. Elsewhere, 'What Have I Said' is another coldwave-influenced, post-electro nugget - this time with beefier sub-bass - and 'Artefacts' is a tough and ghostly chunk of electro/tech-house fusion.
Review: Back in 2008, noted experimentalist Alva Noto began a sporadic series of albums that were far more focused on dancefloor-inspired rhythms than his usual eccentric and inspiring fare. Unieqav is the third and, we're told, final part of the series. The album is apparently meant to be a sonic representation of an underwater dive, a conceptual theme which manifests itself through the storied producer's use of deep and atmospheric chords, fluid and occasionally glistening electronics, and rhythms that evoke images of ever-deeper dives into the dark, cold depths. Rhytmically, there are nods to electro, IDM, dub techno and Autechre, though the mood remains laidback and intoxicated throughout.
Review: It's quite shocking it's been six years since the last Caribou album, 2014's knockout "Our Love". Dan Snaith has never felt the need to rush his music out, and there was an interim Daphni album in 2017 to be fair to the guy, but here we are with a new set that sees Snaith returning to a little of the delicate songwriting and winsome electronica he forged his reputation on in the early days. There's a lot going on in here, from smooth as silk yacht rock-isms to deliriously modernist cut ups and more than a few wild pitch shifts to keep listeners on their toes. It's playful and heartfelt, and rarely lingers in one place for too long while still retaining a sense of calm. It may be not at all what you expected from Caribou's return, but we'd wager it's even better than you hoped.
Review: Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard created a landmark of ambient music when they released 76:14 back in the 90s. Their Global Communication project was never just about ambient though, and it also coursed through deep house and more besides. In the spirit of progress, Middleton has returned to thinking about the project from a contemporary perspective, stepping forth as GCOM with the epic scope of E2 XO. From stirring orchestral suites to high octane DSP, it's an expansive listening experience that shows Middleton pushing himself into new terrain in the studio. Whether you tie it back to the prior material or not, it's a towering piece of work from an elder statesman of UK electronica.
Review: Bonafide and veteran Japanese house legend Satoshi Tommie is back with a second taste of his upcoming new album Magic Hour alongside a selection of fine remixes. First is a Freund der Familie Reshape of 'N01' which is deep, atmospheric and mid tempo techno, while the album's title cut then becomes a swamp, deep, menacing rework from Andrey Pushkarev. Freund der Familie Rewire Fix of 'Phase Space' makes it into a deft, loopy, stuttering workout for the mind and the Satoshi Tommie's Alternate Cut of 'Fast Track' is a killer slow track steeped in dub dynamics.
Review: Trentemoller's Into The Great Wide Yonder sees the Danish producer dipping his toe into new territory to deliver an LP that sounds wholly natural and unforced, showcasing yet another side to his musical prowess. Not that we should be surprised - 2006's critically acclaimed debut The Last Resort was a crisp dance record, while his first mix compilation, Harbour Boat Trips, came loaded with varying sentiments of indie, rock and pop. Into The Great Wide Yonder completes Trentemøller's transition from his roots as a dancefloor producer into the more instrument-led domain of pop and rock tinged electronica. Still using a driving kick drum as the core to the album, the In My Room head honcho is still very much part of the dance scene, just not in the club focused way that we're used to.
Diane's Hunting Club 5 Year Anniversary Compilation(heavyweight vinyl 2xLP in screen-printed sleeve limited to 150 copies (comes in different coloured sleeves, we cannot guarantee which colour you will receive))
Conoley Ospovat - "Communicating With Space" (8:11)
Sug - "Palm Pilot" (6:46)
Lokua - "Unicorn Origami" (9:21)
Area - "Getting Out" (5:36)
Mukqs - "Touchheads" (4:42)
K Rad - "Poof" (part 2) (10:24)
Review: This compilation features music from artists who perform regularly at the Diane's Hunting Club annual gatherings. Heavily inspired by and indebted to the influence of the natural world and open spaces, this is music for motivation, movement, and meditation. Conoley Ospovat (Kimochi Sound) begins with a breezy slow-house theme, followed by some similarly slow but a much more tangled webs by sug (Hausu Mountain). Lokua contributes a melodic deep-space techno roller, Area (Kimochi Sound) offers gentle ambient rhythms, Mukqs (Hausu Mountain) produces a shimmering sunshine beat, and K-rAd closes out with an vast dub house journey. Enter the zone.
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