March brought archival treats from Das Ding, Heinrich Dressel, DDS, Dark Entries and The (Hypothetical) Prophets – read on for Flora Pitrolo’s thoughts.
Scott Wilson runs down the best reissues and archival releases of the year, with records from Dark Entries, Music From Memory, Light In The Attic and more making the cut.
September’s crop of the best reissues sees proto-acid experiments, intergalactic jazz, Birmingham techno and an audio retelling of Dune alongside a collection of under-appreciated Greek electronics.
Sonar turned 17 this year, and for a good number of people it’s an essential part of the calender. The schedule is fairly well mapped out – bask in the hazy bonhomie of Sonar By Day, conveniently located a stones throw from Las Ramblas, before allowing yourself to be pulled gently into the mayhem that is Sonar By Night. Those still standing when the sun rises over the back of the unnervingly large complex that houses the evening’s festivities can give themselves a pat on the back. All of this usually takes place in the standard Barcelona summer weather (scorchio) – oh, and at some stage you’ll probably get pickpocketed too.
Another lovingly produced video for Danton Eeprom, this time it’s “Thanks For Nothing”, one of the many highlights from his recent debut album, that gets the visual treatment.
Artist: Danton Eeprom
Title: Yes is More
Label: Infine France
Genre: Techno, Minimal House/Tech House
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
In 2008 I saw the spectacle of a man in a white leather suit and shades distorting his vocals over his own glitchy, techy beats while flinching about on stage like a distressed penguin. I was absolutely impressed with this performance from the man known as Danton Eeprom. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to do a review for the wacky, eccentric London-based Frenchman’s debut full length album thinking I was going to hear a collection of odd, quirky dance floor tracks. Well, let’s just say Eeprom, unpredictable as always, went beyond my expectations by cooking up a uniquely beautiful album of eclectic catchy, dare I say- songs. Oh, don’t get me wrong…the odd quirk factor is still there, but wrapped in a frantic yet serene concoction of songs that sound equally awesome in the headphones as they would on the dance floor. “Confessions of an Opium Eater”, “Unmistakably You” and “Tight” will be sure to get even the most lethargic dance floor moving (even North American ones). “Give Me Pain” starts with an accordion riff before giving way to a dirty bassline, sexy beat and later a burst of horns that all complement the trademark lusty vocals of Eeprom fans have come to love.
Eeprom has a sound all his own, but if you really need to have a comparison picture the weirder side of Matthew Dear’s techno combined with the breezy electronic pop of Air. Having done stunning remixes for artists as diverse as Royksopp and Simian Mobile Disco as well as collaborating with tech-house master Radio Slave on the massive “Grindhouse” single, Yes is More truly reflects Eeprom’s penchant for pushing boundaries. For some added “wtf-value”, there’s even a great cover Sister Sledge’s disco classic “Lost in Music”. Oh yeah, and the last three cuts have to be some of the warmest moments of indie/electronic in 2010 so far. For real.
Review: Steve Phillips
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This month sees the release of Danton Eeprom’s new album Yes is More on Infine.
Check out the video for Danton Eeprom’s epic house jam “Give Me Pain”, from the London-based Frenchman’s debut album, out February 12 on InFine Records.
Artist: Danton Eeprom
Title: Give Me Pain (Give Me More)
Label: InFine
Genre: Techno
Format: 7″, digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
It’s quite surprising that someone who got their break in the Berlin electro scene would make something that on first listen would sound so French, albeit via musical stops in a couple of Californian locales.
Give me Pain (Give me More) by Danton Eeprom begins like LA’s Neptunes covering something on Parisian 80’s Mutant-Jazz label Ze (perhaps Lizzy Mercier Descloux) and ends like a mis-remembered San-Franciscan psyche-organ freakout.
The journey from one continent to the other is enabled by Eeprom’s raw bass-grooving being subtly and consistently interrupted by horn and key infused new-jazz build ups, reminiscent of 4 hero. With some new-wave delay and luscious melodic flourishes, Eeprom manages to combine his underground influences with a dark pop sensibility that becomes at once familiar and progressive.
Review: Geoff Leopard
Review: Geoff Leopard