This week at Juno

New Mr. Fingers, reissues by Jamal Moss and Astral Industries, a debut for Jon Doppler to new music on RVNG Intl, BBE, Jordan GCZ and Planet Mu.

Jordan GCZ – Fission Transmission (Off Minor)

It is but mere days since we were extolling the virtues of Jordan Czamanski’s softer side with the Lushlyfe II single on Rush Hour Distribution’s No ‘Label’, and now he’s back again with a record that runs the gamut of his style; from fiery dancefloor tackle to beatless introspection, sometimes within the space of one song. “Fission Transmission” comes in three settings on this record, the first being a sprawling 15-minute romp that wheels its way through Moroder-style arpeggiated heat and then on to seductive jazzy tones before winding up in a very serene pool of ambience. The “Drum Mix” on the B-side unsurprisingly focuses on the more feisty side of the jam, and makes for a gripping slice of synth-rich techno in the process. As you might expect, “Suspicion Transmission (no drum mix)” heads into more wistful territory, although that rampaging arpeggio still takes centre stage.
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Mikael Seifu – Zelalem (RVNG Intl)

You can always count on RVNG Intl to present an intriguing proposition with each release, from the recent delights of the Breadwoman & Other Tales album to Hieroglyphic Being’s work with J.I.T.U. Ahn-Sahm-Buhl on We Are Not The First. This time the roaming label shores up in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa to dive head-first into the multifaceted world of Mikael Seifu. His is a true fusion sound that calls on aspects of jazz and traditional African music and collides them with the open-ended possibilities of modern music production. At times the record has a Brainfeeder-esque swagger about it, whilst in other moments you can hear the echo of Don Cherry’s more far-out works, but these are trite reference points. Seifu’s success is in sounding completely individual, having served up a record that jerks and twists through different styles and sounds all the more exciting for it.
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Fit Siegel / Tim Love Lee – Living Is A Serious Business (Fit Sound)

How Tummy Touch main man Tim Love Lee and Aaron Siegel managed to cross paths is not clear, but it’s certainly a combination that holds plenty of intrigue. “Living Is A Serious Business” certainly comes off darker than previous Siegel releases (such as last year’s show-stopper “Carmine”) and it’s in a moodier frame of mind than you’d commonly associate with Tim Love Lee, but that doesn’t stop it being utterly masterful. Swathes of dubby synth notes meet with a steady, simmering beat that keeps the tension ramped at just the right point, achieving the kind of spooky yet transcendental magic that won Kassem Mosse so many fans so quickly. Carl Craig is on excellent form as he takes the original track to task on the B-side. The bassline fattens up and some of that misty-eyed Motor City magic sweeps in with a touch of elegance that could only come from the man like C2.
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Volcov – From The Archive (BBE)

From his work as Isoul8 through to his more recent work as Volcov, Enrico Crivellaro has long been considered an authority on matters of soul, and considering BBE’s penchant for commissioning such esteemed diggers as Kon & Amir and Keb Darge, it’s no surprise to find him called up for duty. It’s a refreshing slant that the Italian DJ brings to this compilation, reaching for a wide-ranging selection shot through with a lack of convention that keeps the album sounding fresh in your ears. Manfredo Fest’s sprightly jazz-funk cut “Arigo” receives the Volcov edit treatment, as does O’Donel Levy, while elsewhere proceedings get cosmically funky of their own accord with Oneness Of Juju and Shokazulu. Touching on boogie, disco, jazz and a smattering of house from Chez Damier, Crivellaro has managed to put together a choice collection with some undeniable gems you’re not likely to find elsewhere.
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Jon Doppler – These Stolen Dreams (Börft)

Coming from out of nowhere by way of Chicago, new talent Jon Doppler has had but one previous outing, also thanks to the Frak-affiliated Swedish institution Börft. Some two years after popping up on a various artists comp the unknown entity now gets to enjoy a whole record to himself, and he makes the most of it by throwing a whole lot of different sounds into the blender. “ATWD” gets proceedings off to a thoroughly pleasant start with rich, good natured melodic lines peppered with just the right amount of weirdness and rawness to sit comfortably on Börft. “Wet Pack” by way of contrast speaks to the freakier end of the label’s attitude, all snarling bassline aggression and tough jacking drums. The B-side is no slouch either, leaving you with four tracks of deviant electronics brimming with imagination and the best kind of weirdness.
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Mr. Fingers – Mr. Finger 2016 (Alleviated Records)

With the amount of reissues and compilations by seminal Chicago artists of the day almost a weekly occurrence it’s hard to keep up with what’s actually new, but moreover, relevant. It’s pleasing to write that Mr Fingers has returned in absolute style after a decade away from releasing music under his most famous moniker. Fans of football cliches could say the EP plays out in two parts; a deeper, melancholic A-side – with the 303 bobble of “Outer Acid” ever so lonely – giving company to the snaking arpeggio of “Qwazars” which almost sounds like The Knife. While the keys of “Nodyahed” on the B-side may be minor in tone, the tropical vibes are as softly upbeat as a SVN record, and for some classic, washed out piano house and Gigi Masin ambience check out B2 slice, “Aether”. Nice to see Alleviated Records roll out the red carpet once more.
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Jamal Moss – 4 This Is Living That Gherkin Life (Unknown)

By now we all know that when it comes to producing raw and distorted beats with a whole load of jack, no one really does it better than Jamal Moss. We may have only just entered March but in terms of ‘weapons’ for DJs’ record bags, this 4 This Is Living That Gherkin Life double LP will be hard to top. Originally released on Cdr last summer, the Mathematics man’s homage to Gherkin Records gets the double pack treatment here and coincidentally drops the same week as some fresh material from Mr. Gherkin Jerks himself, Larry Heard! With two tracks cut to each side, quick fire techno is probably the best way to describe the music; place the needle wherever you want on the album and pure heat will rumble from the speakers. From the rattling, mechanical boom of “Gherkin 1” and frazzled beatdown of “Gherkin 2” to the bent melodies of “Gherkin 5”, this album is one of the most dangerous records a DJ could want from 2016: gritty, warehouse drum tracks.
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Yearning Kru – Copper Vale (Planet Mu)

While the music of Yearning Kru may not be as bombastic as some Planet Mu artsts such as  Jlin, RP Boo or John T. Gast, it certainly fits snugly into the mashable ether of ambient sounds that labelmate Ekoplekz inhabits. Opening tracks “Tslasher” and “Tin Man” ease the listener into a world that’s hazy and melancholic – easy to get lost in of course – while others like “Apple” and “Mesa Gate” pride themselves on challenging even the most tone deaf of listeners with ear-splitting frequencies Whitehouse are so famous for. There are oriental excursions too like “Freckles On The Pain Amplifier”, while album closer “Multipass” sounds like a haunted ballroom being sucked up by the Ghostbusters. As usual with Planet Mu, Copper Vale is nothing short of fascinating.Listen/buy vinyl

Chi – The Original Recordings (Astral Industries)

With heavy weight coloured vinyl, gatefold sleeves and artwork by Theo Ellsworth, aka Thought Cloud Factory, Ario Farahani’s Astral Industries label has established itself quite the aesthetic. Following indulgent releases of music by DeepChord and Wolfgang Voigt, the label looks to 1980s Holland for its next release thanks to a tip from Rod Modell (aka DeepChord). Founded in 1984 by Hanyo van Oosterom, the five-piece Chi only released the one self-titled cassette in 1986 followed by a CD album called The Original Recordings which Staalplaat sub-label Container put out a decade later. Fans of Jon Hassel will hear fourth world influences in tracks like “Hopi” – and undisputed album highlight – and “Mahat” which takes up the entirety of the LP’s C-side, while a whole load of other tribal inspirations are here to be explored too. One of this year’s best reissues for sure.
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Strategy – Information Pollution (Further Records)

Take a listen to the clips of this latest Strategy missive and you’d be excused for thinking our resident sound-filer was napping when it was recorded for upload to our site. All four tracks on Information Pollution sound like the tuner of an AM radio receiver idling between stations, with white noise and static the foremost sound, while deeply embedded among the interference are detuned, wobbly voices and chopped frequencies of unidentified sonics. While there’s certainly Cold War elements at play in the music, Paul Dickow explains Information Pollution relates to “any spam, broadcast saturation, junk mail, invasion of unwanted information [that enters] the social-emotional public realm.” Furthermore, it’s a record that proves Seattle’s Further will release anything they want.
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