Search dance music

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Trelik returns with a repackaged edition of one of the catalogue's most treasured releases. "Overcome" and "Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)" need little introduction, and now come sporting the new TR11:11 matrix number. Written and produced by Thomas Melchior and Baby Ford aka Soul Capsule, these tracks came from one of the many sessions recorded at the West London Ifach Studio in 1999. On the A Side "Overcome" is stripped back and energetic, driven by rolling and shuffling garage style beats, tight bubbling bass and atmospheric synth pads. The intermittent vocal samples and the release's signature organ set you up for the flip, "Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)". Possibly one of house music's most emotive pieces, the track builds slowly with the introduction of each part building a story of soulful optimism based around a sparse palette of deep synths, uplifting keys and warm analogue bass. The understated beauty of the main vocal riff never seems to grow old or tired with the track lending itself perfectly to either main room, peak-time play or after-hours sessions alike. Remastered by Rashad at D & M.

Review: Aniara's output has always been brilliantly designed for club deployment but could never really be considered as mere tools. The artists who appear on the Swedish imprint have a cultured sound and a knack for crafting maximum impact from minimal elements. Enter Mattias El Masouri who does just that with the sublime 'Time Dilation In Ultraviolet'. It's a hypnotic deep house cut with real drive that's down to the deft broken kick drum patterns, pulsing synth and heady pads that swirl above. 'Inre Dimension' is a 13-minute plus sonic daydream with paddy drums, drumming pads and perfectly airy hi-hats that anchor you in the heart and now as your mind wanders.

Review: Classic party starter by George Logions and Walter Gibbons. A hybrid of early 80s disco and electro. Feel the 808!!

Review: Superb new 4 track EP from Germany's Move D (aka David Moufang of Source Records, KM20, Warp, Liebe*Detail). If you remember his legendary "Kunststoff" album and all his warm analogue techno, house and deep ambient works and you may will have a deja-vu. Pure class!

Review: There's not much that hasn't been said about this amazing electro breadance beauty from Juan Atkins and Richard Davis. Sometime last year it was ripped of by Pharrell and company for Missy Elliot's "Lose Control" and (with the notable exceptions of Kraftwerk, Brian Eno etc.) it's generally been the blueprint for everything techno from '83 onwards. Here we have the original and best version... A must have.

Review: ** Repress of the reIssue ** Ooh if there's ever a deep house history lesson wrapped up in a 12" then it's this reissued Stomp The Beat EP from Gherkin Jerks aka the master Larry Heard. The Gherkin Jerks project originally surfaced back in 1988 with this 12" on the Chicago based Gherkin Records label, released anonymously at the request of Heard himself who viewed the Gherkin Jerks material as a creative experiment. Later revealed as the work of Larry Heard, original copies of Stomp The Beat rack up a pretty penny on Discogs so it's good work all round that the producer's Alleviated Records label has teamed up with Clone to release a digitally enhanced version. From the mind bending stereo panning of opening track "Don't Dis The Beat" it's easy to see why the Gherkin Jerks material has been so widely praised - Jamal Moss is a big fan - whilst the general off-key melodics and tough 909 arrangements of what follows still sound futuristic some 15 years on.

Review: Omar S brings "The Grand Son Of Detroit Techno!". This amazing, deep and hypnotising house track features live percussion from Theo Parrish.

Review: "Dubb Me Some'tin Fresh" first appeared on wax way back in 2001, as part of Halo, Hipp-E and Tony's first outing for YoshiToshi under the 6400 Crew alias. It remains one of their strongest cuts; a dark, sweaty and trippy fusion of tribal drums, acid bass and dub-house sensibilities. This reissue contains the freshly re-mastered original version, plus a trio of tasty new reworks. Deep Dish man Sharam steps up first, emphasizing the dub-influenced elements on a big room version that strips back the original's dense tribal drums without sacrificing any energy. In contrast, Sinisa Tamamovic's remix is loose and more tribal-minded, while Hector opts for more acid lines and heavier sub-bass on his big room-friendly interpretation.

Review: Romanian minimal-tech badboy, Silat Beksi, returns to the ever-impressive Pleasure Zone with pair of highly-crafted, ultra-sleek dance bangers that really put some style and panache into the whole scene. "Rolling Shapes", as the title implies, is a smooth and direct dancefloor bruiser that cruises at a steady tempo and yet still manages to pulsate its heavy bass with a distinctive style. On the B-side, "Trainline" gets even dubbier and more ethereal, retaining those swiping waves of bass, but adding in all sorts of quirky, off-the-cusp melodies for even more psychedelic fun. Class.

Review: 'Les Gans' out on Musique Risquee, is the first of the two singles taken out from the stellar album 'Face a L'est' by Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts. On the A side, you'll find the original version of 'Les Gans', a beautifully crafted moody house tune. It's melancholic but none of the less cheerful tone provides the listeners with a feeling that tomorrow might not be so dark after all. 'Les Gans', with it's afro jazz sensibility, represents the underlying theme of Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts album Face à l’est. Organic drum patterns topped by a persistent saxophone line (played by [iks] saxophonist Sebastien Arcand Tourigny) result in a complex composition that unfolds slowly, leading the minds into profound hypnosis. On the B side, Audio Werner (Hartchef, Perlon, Hello Repeat) takes us deep into his foggy mind. Known by the public for his versatility, it's the first time he dives so deep into the dubby side of things. Setting the mood with the most massive bass ever, he then proceeds to reveal all the elements slowly over an amazing 12 minutes of pure delight. As an answer to the original melodic line, Audio Werner brings in the saxophone of Hayden Chislom, collaborator of Burnt Friedman and member of Root 70. The result is pure pleasure and Musique Risquée is now happy to share it with you

Review: So the legend goes like this: Jeremy Herpe (aka From Karaoke To Stardom) saw Alex Under playing in Paris. From that moment he knew what he wanted to do - make music. A few months later he had his first release! This young French producer is one of the most talented newcomers in the techno world.

Review: It is with immense joy that we present for the first time on Musique Risquée the Montreal/Argentinean duo Chic Miniature, composed of Ernesto Ferreyra and Gabriel Coutu-Dumont. They bring their EP, "Poco-A-Gogo". As their alias so aptly reveals, Chic Miniature fabricates intricately sculpted little gems, finely crafted works that unravel like finely woven lace. Their delicate structures and warm spellbinding melodies trigger rich imagery while fervently rousing the desire to groove. "Chanchita" plunges us directly into an electropical jungle where fractured voice and percussion bustle around an elegant succession of elements woven into a slow progression both organic and sexy. An aural oasis. The warm and sensuous piece, "Kimono", will leave no trace of indifference. The magnificent and obscure quasi-mystical Latin melodies, the unmistakable signature of Chic Miniature, reveal an immense sensitivity and sensuality. All is strung together by a solid rhythmic structure that will surely move your feet before the information even reaches your brain. "Kimono" invites us on an expedition through the furrows of certain unknown sombre terrains, such as an unmarked seductive mirage at the heart of a dessert where anything can transpire. A classic.

Review: We've lost count of the various projects Robert Witschakowski has been involved in this year, but the Some Other Places series of releases on Clone's West Coast Series is up there with the German's best work as The Exaltics. This hand-stamped purple 12" is the third and final part and contains some fine electro for both the dancefloor and the living room. Opening this five-track release is the snare shaking and in your face ambient intro of "Getting Closer" which is followed by a melodic and grouchy key driven "Never Be Enough". The EP's highlights are "Can You See It" and "SL-W D-WN", which respectively are dubby and mellow and dusty and break beat. Seriously, does Witschakowski sleep?

Review: Released back in 1996, Test Pilot Vol 1 has remained a highlight of the Viewlexx label ever since and has been one of those records that command regular calls for a repress. Kudos to I-F then for finally heeding these shouts and presenting a remastered edition for the masses. For the uninitiated, this 12" features classic Hague cuts from I-F and Jungian Archetype, another alias of the Viewlexx boss, with all four perfect for introducing a sense of bedlam to the dancehall. "Who Are You...?! (Theme From Paranoid Stranger)" in particular will bend many an unprepared mind. If you don't own an original edition, grip this remastered version and hold tight for a brand new second volume of Test Pilot featuring Gesloten Cirkel and Roberto Auser!

Review: Like Father, Like Son sees Big Strick and his prodigious son Generation Next team up for a split 12" showcasing this pair of criminally underappreciated Detroit producers. "Rain Dance" sees the elder of the two deliver a deep techno journey filled with abstracted textures and organic chimes that sound, while the young Generation Next shows a remarkable maturity beyond his years on "And You Too", where sparse, subtle chords and the simplest of melodies drift by on a light rhythm. On "Like Father, Like Son" the two pair up for the most gently uplifting of deep piano jams. Just like pretty much everything on 7 Days Entertainment, this is some nigh on essential material.

Review: Yes! Gerard Hanson returns to Frustrated Funk for more worthy Event Related Potential output! The celebrated rooftop alligator wrestler from Texas operates under numerous aliases - Convexation, Syne Language and Time Light Curve among them - but ERP is our favourite at Juno HQ, more so when it arrives via the superb Frustrated Funk label. Renowned for his emotive strings, Hanson brandishes them in abundance on Pith with lead track "Luctu" all about his compositional skills, as he orchestrates various melodic arrangements without losing sight of the funk. On the flip "Tuga" plays out like a charming ode to electro's classicisms as rasping 808s combine sublimely with the deviant analogue bass as Hanson works his string laden magic. It's left to the final title track for Hanson to adopt a pensive, more contemplative tone which contrasts nicely with the music that preceded it.

Review: As the title suggests, Some Other Place Volume 2 is the second installment of a triptych of releases from The Exaltics for The Clone West Coast series. As with previous music from the Solar One boss, the four tracks here see The Exaltics look to both American and Dutch schools of electro but the results are nonetheless distinguished by his own unique signifiers. The title track sets the tone nicely as waves of sumptuous blurred noise ride a supple skeletal rhythm, whilst "Waves Of Fear" lives up to it's paranoid title with a marauding low end bass line the dominating element on a classic slab of darkside electro. "The Way Out" is perhaps the most conventional track here, with Witschakowski laying down an atmospheric but club ready 808 workout which is still a cut above thanks to the German's arrangement skills. Which leaves room for the slower, weirder and mushy excellence of "Different Ways".

Review: The third edition edition of Frankfurt label Pleasure Zone's new limited series belongs to mainstay Ali Nasser from Romania, who serves up a smooth, rolling and ethereal groove on the great opener "Lyric Beat". Things get more uptempo and driven on the infectiously reductionist groove of "The Calling", which we particularly enjoyed for its angelic vocals that sound reminiscent of Cassy. On the flip, "Lyric Beats (arena version)" gets much darker, dubby and rhythmic; this abstract number is deep and will appeal to fans of Vid. Finally "There" gets some delightfully snappy breaks in, over a rolling groove that's just perfect for after-hours shenanigans.

Review: You can always rely on Dublin's Lunar Disko Records to provide the heat; this time it's in the form of some heavyweight electro vibes by the industry's best and brightest. But this is no surprise given the imprint's invariable doses of quality. First up is Dutch maestro DJ Overdose with "Arecibo", a comparatively more pensive and introspective electro appearance than his usual work, but TR One's "Escape From Enceladus" takes this pensive sway of synths and crystal-like sonics to an even deeper level. Raiders Of The Lost Arp kick off the flip side with the smooth and suave flow of "Equinox", this one belonging more to the house end of the spectrum, whereas Automatic Tasty comes through with a quirky little digi number with the aptly odd name of "I Can't Find My Own Manual (How Therefore Am I To Restore My Factory Settings?)". A tidy little blast of synth-filled goods.

Review: Rawax's latest electro outing comes from one of the Godfathers of the Detroit electro scene, former Aux88 associate DJ Di'jital. Given his pedigree, it's no surprise to find that Final Frontier of Electro is pretty darn good. Across the six tracks he touches on numerous electro variants - ghetto-tech, Miami bass, the Kraftwerk-inspired early New York style and Drexciyan intensity - combining them into thrilling new hybrid shapes. It's rare to find an EP with this many high-grade club tracks, making picking highlights tricky. That said, we're particularly enjoying the thrusting, all out assault of "Injection Star" and the intergalactic, techno-influenced hustle of the forthright title track.

Review: Duesseldorf minimal heroes Jan Kruger and Daze Maxim have served up qiqality reductionist grooves on their Hello Repeat imprint since 2006, serving up tracks over the years by the likes of Bruno Pronsato, Kate Simko and Maxim's one time protege Patrick Specke, and more recently Toi Toi Music main man Voightmann and rising stars Alex & Digby. Next up is Frenchman in London Robin Ordell - the man behind the capital's infamous Half Baked parties/label (with Greg Brockmann) and a consistent run of great releases for the likes of Eklo and Discobar. The Dream Logic EP features four cuts of quirked out microhouse, conjured from the raw voltage of analogue machines as per usual. The sunny swing fuelled loops of "July 5" or "Never Existing Completely" are rather typical of what Ordell would play on a Sunday afternoon at his residency, complete with the mandatory blip, blurp and bleep. Elsewhere, the wacky title track crosses over into electro territory impressively, much in the same vein as artists on Cabaret or Time Passages have of late.

Review: The origins of American act Newcleus lay in a 1977 Brooklyn DJ collective known as Jam-On Productions, including Ben 'Cozmo D' Cenac, Monique Angevin and her brother Pete - all teenagers and still in high school. The foursome named their group Newcleus as a result of the coming together of their families. Originally released on T.K. Records' Miami bass/freestyle subsidiary Sunnyview in 1985, "Space Is The Place" is an underground classic to those in the know. With its obvious robotic influences from the early '80s Bronx breakbeat sound, to the funk and synth pop crossover of "Cyborg Dance' on the flip - this is a true zeitgeist of one of the most exciting times in electronic music's history.

Review: Matt Cheon & Co. unearth yet more rare gems from old school electro fiends Caroline Herve & Michael Amato here, on the second volume of Lost Trax. As story has it, after the French duo met at a rave in their native Grenoble in the early '90s, they made music heavily influenced by 80s synth, post-punk and Italo disco. Bored by the techno scene at the time, they set out out to lighten the serious tone and bring a campy sexiness to the dour musical landscape. From the sexy, four-to-the-floor EBM of "Upstart", the Drexciyan style "Love On" with its aquatic bass assault, or the classic Miss Kittin & The Hacker sound of old on the monochromatic" The Building" featuring the former's trademark deadpan vocal delivery.