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Home , Adrian Sherwood, Big H, Bonobo (musician), Brit funk, Colder (musician), Dusky

ONE STOP SHOP February’s tunes reviewed p.106

THE LONG GAME arriving this month p.128

MIX ‘N’ MATCH Compilations not to miss p.132

IN SEARCH OF WARMER CLIMES Following a move to LA, returns to with new LP, ‘Migration’... p.129

djmag.com 105 HOUSE BEN ARNOLD [email protected] QUICKIES Roberto Clementi Avesys EP Pets Recordings 8.0 Sheer class from Roberto Clementi on Pets. The title track is brooding and brilliant, thick with drama, while 'Landing A Man'’s relentless thump betrays a soft and gentle side. Lovely.

Jagwar Ma Give Me A Reason (Michael Mayer Does The Amoeba ) Marathon MONEY 8.0 SHOT! Showing that he remains the master (and managing Baba Stiltz to do so in under seven minutes too), Michael Mayer Is Everything smashes this remix of baggy dance-pop dudes Studio Barnhus out of the park. 9.5 The unnecessarily young Baba Satori Stiltz (he's 22) is producing Imani's Dress intricate, brilliantly odd house Crosstown Rebels music that bearded weirdos 8.0 twice his age would give their all chopped hardcore loops, and a brilliance from Tact Recordings Crosstown is throwing weight behind the rather mid-life crises for. Think the bouncing . Sublime work. comes courtesy of roadman (the unique sound of Satori this year — there's an dizzying brilliance of Robag small 'r' is intentional), aka coming — but ignore the understatedly epic Ewan Whrume for a reference point, Dorsia Richard Fletcher. He's also Tact's Pearson mixes of 'Imani's Dress' at your peril. but there's no vibe-biting FM Dreams EP co-founder, so presumably the here. This work is all his own. Sprechen whole 'sending in a demo' process Various 'Snowwhite' is deep trance for 8.0 was a breeze. 'The Wall' shuffles Interpretations grown ups, while on the flip, Another solid release from and swings its way into your life Aus Music 'xxx2003' grows from a few Manchester's increasingly with smooth pads and delicate 7. 5 mere chords into a piece of confident Sprechen. This time it's percussion. On the flip, '2% Dry' Will Saul brings in Catz N' Dogz to take on tracks cerebral, crackling Southern Fried and Loft Records is properly deep, enveloping stuff. from the Aus Music back catalogue. Their dark of singularly rare beauty, with alumni Dorsia. 'FM Dreams' plink- Little wonder that Larry Heard is a take on 'Hindsight' by George Fitzgerald is really percussion that strikes you in plonks (yes, that's a universally fan, then. worth the entry price alone. the chest. Bravo. accepted production term, thanks for asking) its metallic synths Ogris Debris METAMORPHIC RECORDINGS atop swinging drums and the Lazer Gun DAN CURTIN Red Rack'em mere suggestion of a hoover . Enigma Corporation Tomato Pope Oslo's fast-rising Karl Fraunhofer 8.5 Bergerac — aka Dortmund — turns in a crisp Big stuff here from Viennese duo 9.0 and punchy remix, flooded with Ogris Debris, an off-kilter piano No stopping Daniel Berman — blasts of '80s chords not entirely house anthem, but not as you aka Red Rack'em — just now, unreminiscent of 'Thriller'. know it. It's weird and wonderful. particularly since his ' Elsewhere, 'Mephi' positively drips The phenomenally busy Adesse Bassline Banger' became terrace-style atmosphere. Versions pulls off a chunky one of the biggest dancefloor remix, no mean feat when the devastators of 2016. Here, he's Niro original does everything it has back on his own Bergerac label It Takes Two EP to do. This is chock-full of rolling (one would hope a nod to the '80s, PADS dub vibrations, a heads-down Jersey-based detective series), 8.5 chugger with cowbells. 'Moony and ‘Tomato Pope’ is built around Italian stallion Niro returns for a Me' crunches in some seriously a pretty demented vocal sample second, seriously classy release syncopated percussion and some and some gorgeous deep-rave on his own PADS label, following wonky electro piano. You're gonna 01. PURVEYORS OF FINE ‘Soul Message’ Metamorphic stabs and pads. Sounds like about on from his excellent 'Pieces love this. “Wait… how did this get in here? Ahh, just happy to bring this project back!” four tracks smashed into one. In a Of You EP' last October. 'Died 02. LUCRETIO ‘Classiq’ Crimecity Disco good way. Over, the wild 'Rhodes In October' couples pounding Clarian “Under-MF-ground — raw, tough, funky and nothing but edge.” House' is no slouch either. alt-garage percussion with Ankh EP Kompakt 03. GARI ROMALIS ‘Can You Dig It’ Chiwax Classic Edition swirling atmospherics, before “Uptempo, pure groove, bit of sci-fi element to it. Yeah — that’s house.” Kim Ann Foxman filling out with blissful pads. 8.5 04. SHIFTY SCIENCE ‘Blue’ Argot EP 'Always Been Free To Fly' adopts Slick and gorgeous, Clarian trances “From the awesome album ‘Lab Work 91-96’, it was hard to pick a fave...” Firehouse a similar attitude, blending the out most pleasingly in this second rough and earthy with the smooth outing for Kompakt, the title 05. ADAM FEINGOLD ‘Ascension’ Apron Records 8.5 “Perfect blend of rough machine beats and warm melodies, elements of future The rave vibes are real with this and unctuous. 'A About track 'Ankh' weighed heavy with soul, elements of funk, coming together in a future-forward house record.” latest excursion from Kim Ann Whispers' pares things down to blissful synths and blasts of lush 06. GRANT ‘Outsider’ Lobster Theramin Foxman on her very own Firehouse clicky, wonderful weirdness, while pads. Prepare for spontaneous “Melancholy, organic, atmospheric.” imprint. Classic old school loops, 'Journey To Hyperion' wigs out outbreaks cuddling on the 07. ALDEN TYRELL ‘GETO5’ Clone Jack For Days 909s, churning acid, and spooky with beatless arps. Ace. dancefloor. 'Old Miami' also wears “Nothing but hard- beats with fat, warm production.” bells; this four tracker has it all, its, erm, ecstatic credentials on 08. CHARLES NOEL ‘Untitled’ Indigo Aera short of giving away a free boiler roadman its sleeve, a building groove which “Floating between house, , , but firmly rooted in soul.” suit with every 12-inch purchase. The Wall EP drops into disorientating arp 'E4 Energy' burbles, with echoes Tact Recordings synths, while the massively trippy 09. BOYARD ‘Cycle Wrap’ Melodymathics “A solidly good reproduction of the NYC/NJ house sound from the ‘90s.” of 'Drum Club', before breaking 8.0 'Alienated' is a wilfully wonky ride into ecstatic pads. 'U & Me So classy it should launch its into the deepest unknown. Totally 10. FRANKLIN DE COSTA ‘Good Day Bad Day’ Green Village Electricity' is the killer, however, own brand of cravats, this bleepy ace. “Organic future-funk with drive, from the depths of underground .”

106 djmag.com Untitled-1 1 13/12/2016 14:40 TECHNO RICHARD BROPHY QUICKIES Andrew Red Hand Dear Goddess MOS Deep [email protected] 7. 0 Romanian techno isn’t all about click-heavy minimalism, as this release from Andrew Red Hand demonstrates. Focusing on floaty synths and waves of gurgling acid, he deploys jacking rhythms to deliver an assured release.

Transparent Sound No Call From Electrix MONEY 7. 0 SHOT! The long-standing UK duo return with a , Folamour acid-heavy workout. come from Larry Shakkei McCormick — a droning, dancefloor reshape — and All City steely, buzz-saw, riff-heavy interpretations from Mr 9.0 Velcro Fastener and Sync 24. 2017 has only begun, but it will be hard to find a greater Redshape tune this year than Folamour’s Best Of Live Vol.2 ‘Shakkei’. This is despite the Delsin fact that there’s not much to 7. 5 it. The drums and percussion As its title suggests, these tracks were recorded are forceful without being during Redshape’s live shows; ‘’ is a heads- tough, but it’s all about the down, driving affair that centres on a muddy bass, melody that evolves from while ‘’ is more rarified and sees the man in flowing, beautiful piano keys. the red mask add a mysterious synth flourish to his 'Maybe I Did Burn Ya Place' grainy techno armoury. sees Folamour deploy tight beats and wind-swept synth squiggles of ‘Wave ID’, his track tribal drums and sensuous melodies as a backdrop for the with Jensen Interceptor and the ECOTONE CONSTANT VARIABLES chords, while ‘Each Day Is A Italian producer’s bittersweet broken techno of ‘Tri-Gate’, a First Day’ has a groovy, disco vocals. Uabos from Bitter Moon workout forged with Truss. influence, but it’s all about the rounds off the release with a bass- shimmering, sublime ‘Shakkei’. heavy take on ‘Lenticular’. Juju & Jordash What About Tuesday? Heinrich Dressel Dekmantel Purveyors Of Fine Funk Space Wave Shaft 8.5 Soul Message EP Slow Motion As always, Juju & Jordash Metamorphic 8.0 bring a highly distinctive take 8.0 With a multitude of releases on to house/techno on ‘Tuesday’. Apart from a one-off return his own Minimal Rome label, ‘Monday Mellow’ uses minimal three years ago, it’s been a long Barba and Bordello A Parigi, beats as a basis for the duo to time since Dan Curtin worked as Dressel is one of ’s finest explore mysterious soundscapes, Purveyors Of Fine Funk. While this electronic producers. This release while ‘Wednesday Something’ comeback EP does not teem with on Slow Motion gives full vent to features trails of chiming guitar 01. BARKER & BAUMECKER ‘Senden’ Ostgut Ton “It’s really difficult to choose only one track from Barker & Baumecker’s new the raw unpredictability of vintage his ambient tendencies. The title — reminiscent of the Durutti — album. The whole record is a very smart mix of ambiances, pads, noises with POFF releases on Peacefrog, it track, ‘Inside Outsight’ and ‘Dorian unravelling over a meteoric acid complex beats. It was love at first sight.”

does stand out amid the morass of Landscape’ are characertised by groove. Maintaining the freeform 02. ROMAN FLÜGEL ‘Dust’ Dial same-y house and techno. Cheeky layered textures, warm sounds approach is ‘Thursday, Heavy’, “I will say something totally politicaly uncorrect: this is what would do if they were still relevant. Flügel plays with a 303 and some CR-style beats vocal snippets, funk basslines, and blissed-out tones, but they where the pair slip and slide in the smartest and most elegant way possible.” deft drum shuffles and liberal are eclipsed somewhat by remixer their way through tribal drums, 03. GRAZE ‘Vast’ Dekmantel servings of disco loops make Ma Spaventi. Getting his hands on resonating bass and chiming “ or intelligent are really the current trend, a great this an idiosyncratic release. In the title track, the engineering melodies. 'Tuesday' is a seriously release by Graze for the great Dekmantel label.” particular, the tropical rhythms of powerhouse drops two versions enjoyable trip. 04. HERBERT ‘Deeper (Basic Soul Unit Remix)’ Curle ‘Subaffection’ and the Aubrey- — a warbling, acid-led disco mix “A superb reinterpretation of Herbert’s ‘Deeper’ by Hong Kong/Canadian super-producer Stuart Li, aka Basic Soul Unit. His album on Dekmantel (again) esque looped ‘Genius Of Touch’ are and the chiming, melodic ‘chill’ Melly was already in my top 10.” worthy of your attention. reshape — that will warm even the Low Pressure Jheri Tracks 05. SKEE MASK ‘Shred 8’ Illian Tape coldest hearts. “A very impressive album by a very young producer on the Zenker Brothers’ Ali Renault 8.0 Illian Tape — full of textures, drones and broken beats.” Altro Mondo Various Artists Melly is the latest in a long list of 06. PLAID ‘Clock’ Bordello A Parigi Ten Year Electronics electronic producers to emerge in “Plaid are back on Warp. I am a fan, I had to chart one of their tracks.“ 7. 5 Cultivated Electronics recent years from Ireland — and he 07. DOMS & DEYKERS ‘It’s You I See’ 3024 The past year has been prolific for 8.0 proves his worth on ‘Low Pressure’. “Ostgut Ton’s Steffi meets Martyn for a great record. Full of UK 2000’s Renault and ‘Altro Mondo’ sees Few labels have the same resolve ‘Mask Shop’ is all clattering drums influences but very modern and with a stunning production level.”

him deliver a collection of tracks as Sync 24’s Cultivated Electronics and a dense, stepping rhythm, 08. PASCAL HETZEL ‘Extraterra’ Expansion Unit comparable to his recent outing — and its stance is borne out on while on the title track he veers “Very strong first release on the label that released my first record. Pascal managed to mix techno with atmospheres and Detroit influences. A very for Giallo Disco. Both the title track this 10th anniversary release. into organic ambient chitter- strong release.” and ‘Fume’ focus on what Renault Sync’s collaboration with Steve chatter. Best of all though is 09. S:VT ‘Acacia’ Dred excels at, namely chugging, low- Allman, ‘ Animate’, is old ‘Doof Doof’; in stark contrast to “Sven is the co-owner of Expansion Unit (together with Pascal Hetzel), his last slung electronic disco grooves, school, body- electro, what its title suggests, it’s a lush release on the brand-new Dred label (sub-label of John Osborne’s Tanstaafl), flanged 909s, synth chords: all I like.” underscored by brooding bass while his co-authored track with techno track, powered by rasping tones. On ‘Nowhere’, he departs Radioactive Man veers into rave percussion. 'Low Pressure' is a fine 10. ECOTONE ‘Fantasmagoria’ Constant Variables “I had to chart one of my tracks: I really like this one. I tried to do a club- from that script; teaming up with madness. In between, there’s the opening statement. friendly track with some special drums and chords. I hope I didn’t do too Fred Ventura, he delivers broken nocturnal synths and wired acid bad a job.”

108 djmag.com

Beatrice Dillon Can I Change My Mind? Boomkat Editions 7. 5 Over the course of 13 minutes, Beatrice Dillon channels the same freeform approach to techno that prevails in most of Villalobos’ work. The rhythm appears by Untitled-1 1 16/01/2017 14:28 Untitled-1 1 16/01/2017 14:28 ELECTRO/PROGRESSIVE QUICKIES Julian Jeweil Venice Drumcode 7. 5 If Adam Beyer was highlighted as one of the unlikely techno A-leaguers to help revive trance last year, this represents another release on his Drumcode label that channels the blueprints of the in the best possible way, in the same fashion Pig & Dan managed with ‘Chemistry’.

Sunn Jellie Stargaze (Levitone Remix) Intricate 8.0 The intricate winning streak continues with no end [email protected] THOMAS PATERSON ANGUS in sight, arguably one of the most consistent labels operating underneath the radar. A lush, deep and groovy progressive trance number that builds nice and slowly towards its melodic payoff.

André Sobota Fragments (Color Ray Remix) Particles 8.5 Retaining most of the textured charm of Sobota’s MONEY original, the trance buried deep inside is drawn out and shifted into the spotlight for this most hypnotic Guy J SHOT! and euphoric remix. MDQ Andhim Jeremy Olander Lost & Found German Winter Caravelle ELEVEN.FIVE SILK 9.5 Superfriends Vivrant A finely-crafted work of art 9.0 8.0 that was inspired by a rather A beautiful and moody record The launch of his Vivrant label memorable beach party in that’s timed perfectly for those last year represented Olander Argentina that’s described as dark, months, which stretching his legs into more “the best I’ve been to in my really does draw on the brooding versatile territory, and ‘Caravelle’ life”, it’s a record that’s further melancholy of its namesake, not to represents an accomplished proof of how Guy J basically mention some of the very best that balance of his different musical never runs out of creative ideas, deep, melodic techno has to offer. personas. Sexy house grooves give and an epic masterclass of his Gritty and gorgeous, with a rare way to some even sexier melodies, unique, enigmatic sound. The standout quality. drawing on his heritage with beauty of ‘MDQ’ is that it slow Pryda-style big-room euphoria brews its beginning, with its Dusky without letting go of the leash too deep, percussive start then Long Wait (Yotto Remix) much. Classy and accessible. transforms via an epic flourish 17 Steps of trance that makes a surprise 7. 5 Dyro x Goja entrance halfway through. Best Dusky obviously worked long Alive of all, Guy J takes his time to and hard to develop ‘Long Wait’ WOLV tell his story over an evocative

01. ELEVEN.FIVE ‘This Is How It Will Feel (Ode To Jimmy)’ Silk as the grandiose centerpiece of 8.0 12-minute journey. “This song means so much to me that I had to make it my No.1. It speaks to my their sophomore album 'Outer', Dyro and his WOLV stable are heart from start to finish.” roping in Solomun Grey for vocals staking out their turf on the 02. VINTAGE & MORELLI ‘Contrasts’ to give it a more transcendental tougher end of mainstage electro more suited for the house and “What’s not to love about this song? It’s smooth, groovy and super-smart!” vibe. Drafting in Yotto for a and EDM, and his latest production techno crowds he’s playing to 03. MR FIJIWIJI, DIRECT & ARUNA ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ Monstercat peak-time remix seemed like the is versatile enough to crossover nowadays. Not unlike Fitzpatrick’s “This song is so beautiful, from Aruna’s stunning vocals to Direct & Mr Fijiwiji’s incredible production. One hell of a combination.” obvious choice, and again he does onto several different dancefloors, ‘We Do What We Want’, it’s a rave a perfect job of accelerating the beginning on an ethereal throwback with a resolutely simple 04. ELEVEN.FIVE & ARIELLE MAREN ‘Remember (Club Mix)’ Silk energy without selling out the breakdown to introduce its vocal, appeal. “My album collaboration with Arielle, worked over into a club-friendly version. Kindly supported recently by Above & Beyond.” vibe. Its essence remains largely though it’s essentially a bait n’ intact, except for a few tactical for the noisy mayhem that Solomon Grey 05. DAN SIEG ‘To The Sun (Marsh ‘Acid’ Remix)’ Silk “This is my favourite kind of . Silky, smooth and intelligent. Marsh energy shifts to make it even more descends after the drop. There’s Broken Light (J_Ashworth always delivers.” marvellous for the dancefloor. an abrasive charm that channels Refraction Remix) brostep in its better moments, or Anjunadeep 06. ALEX H ‘In Loving Memory’ Sunsetmelodies “Deep and forward-thinking music with an uplifting melody — this is a great song Dan Sieg feat. Jhana otherwise EDM without the brash 8.0 to relax to.” Everything U Need silliness. UK producer Ashworth returns to Silk 07. ELEVEN.FIVE & SUNDROWNER ‘Gemini’ Silk the Anjunadeep fold for several “Something a bit different from Sundrowner and me, a tune that really packs an emotional punch.” 8.5 reworks of this downbeat vocal Sieg shows he’s one of the very You Know, Right? cut from Solomun Grey, with his 08. MARTIN PETER ‘Minus (Alex H Remix)’ Perplexity best from the Silk stable, with Crosstown Rebels ‘Refraction’ mix standing out for “Real. Progressive. House. Music. What else is there to say?” a record that marries the best 8.0 its peak-time appeal. He applies 09. LTN FEAT. ARIELLE MAREN ‘A Different Side Of You (André elements of the label’s melodic A proper banger that slipped out the falsetto vocals of the original Sobota Remix)’ Enhanced Progressive “Three of my favourite artists on one track! Incredible original mix, but the André sound with some tougher, deeper late last year that probably didn’t nicely, setting up a pumping drive Sobota remix is just so smooth.” house. Seductive as all hell, get the attention it deserved, ‘You that’s layered with percussion, and the similarly mysterious Know, Right?’ draws on Skream’s before introducing some 10. STENDAHL & LAMEDUZA ‘You Get Me (eleven.five Remix)’ Silk “A tune I hold very dear to my heart. The unbelievable vocals of LaMeduza paired ’Beatmuse’ on the B-side also history with and garage, ferociously squelchy progressive- with the production brilliance of Stendahl, with a twist of eleven.five.” shouldn’t be slept on. though it’s wrapped in a package style acid in the peak.

djmag.com 111 TECH-HOUSE [email protected] LEON CLARKSON QUICKIES Steve Lawler People Having Sex Roush 8.5 A rampant tech-house attack comes from this tasty three-track EP. Steve's original followed by two incredibly lively remixes from Cuartero and Hector Couto.

Rich NxT NxT003 NxT Records 8.0 Rich NxT drops his third EP on his own, recently- formed label, NxT Records. A unique sound from one of Fuse London's most trusted resident DJs.

Rowee MONEY Disguise EP Rebellion Cera Alba SHOT! 9.0 Oracle EP A new year and a new alias for Leonardo Gonnelli. Lower East Fantastic results from this new perspective with 10 three excellent collaborative originals pushing a Cera Alba, aka Liam Jones, deep, techy and electric sound. More, please! displays crystal-clear intention for 2017 with a belting two- Hannah Holland & Josh Caffe track solo effort on class-act Fade To Me label, Lower East. Euphoric Crosstown Rebels 'Oracle' beams with deep and titled 'Cheska EP'. Three original 'Hullabalo' into light-and-airy 8.5 progressive pads and longing, productions — 'Cheska' leading house realms with bite. A tidy all- Enthralling, powerful yet funking vocal-led house short vocal phrases which out with intricate percussion and rounder of an EP, and a good look from Hannah Holland & Josh Caffe. The original's he pairs with a rolling beat mean sub-bass; 'DRZN' focusing for all involved. a beauty, while the Tuff City Kids remix and dub are arrangement and synthetic on a darker, colder narrative, beautifully chaotic to complete a fun dance EP. trance hook for an utterly whilst 'All Good Here' is a lighter, Stelios Vassilioudis sumptuous ride skyward. And rolling affair. IULY.B's remix of the 66.6 Bedrock he counters this with the much latter is a twisted technoid track DALE HOWARD OBJEKTIVITY / WRECK< tougher 'Anjana' that possesses that'll turn after-hours parties 9.0 a re-shaped Mr Fingers ('Can inside out. A powerful first effort Riding the oh-so devilish line You Feel It') bassline lead, from David, Tervisio is one to between tech- and progressive surrounded by modern, watch this year. house, this superbly balanced trucking tech-house drums and three-track EP comes from sub-bass construction that'll Various Artists Bedrock favourite, Stelios suck the air from your lungs. Mother Knows Best Vol. 4 Vassiloudis. 'Blood Orange' and Delightful. Mother Recordings 'La Quarantine' both tease with 8.5 melodic intent but each return to It's nearly two years since their their respective haunting grooves. Austen/Scott first volume of this developing 'Slippy' trucks along with an The Consciousness label series, but this, their industrious purpose, a percussive Rejected fourth, treads along unlike any construct that should rock a crowd 8.5 of the previous three episodes. to the tipping point. Although the The brotherly duo throw down Thumping tech-house jams come EP title suggests a continuation 01. JULICHE HERNANDEZ ‘Inert Soul’ Wreck three rolling cuts on tech-house from Robosonic & Klangkuenstler, of his April-released Bedrock EP “The groove on this is great! As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to sign it.”

mainstay label, Rejected. 'The Birdhouse and Sordo & Rodriguez, ('33.3'), '66.6' is another beast 02. DALE HOWARD ‘Oldie’ Objektivity Consciousness (Version 1)' whilst the label continues the entirely. “I wanted to sample some disco, funk riffs and bass to see if I could fit them into a peak-hour track. The track is pretty unsuspecting to start with, but the layers bass, drums and tripped- series by offering two deeper drop after the lengthy main breakdown always goes down really well.” out atmospheric pads with a cuts from Andromo and Thabo Robin Fett 03. PAX ‘Embody’ Wow! Recordings hauntingly spoken vocal (“the Getsome. Upfront and unabashed, Street Groove EP “This is a great set-builder and I’ve also been using it as a bass tool a lot, on a consciousness”); very tense, but this is a quality V/A and certainly Loot Recordings third deck. Works well in my sets.” utterly enthralling. 'Version 2' the label's best to date. 9.0 04. DI CHIARA BROTHERS ‘Light Off’ Wreck displays a synthy techno edge as Robin delivers two classy originals; “Absolutely love this track! The drum frequencies roll perfectly and give the they reconstruct the percussion Hugo Barritt the upfront-and-techy 'Street track great energy.” for something tougher, faster, Neu Zeta EP Groove' and the tough, grooving 05. SANTE ‘Bring Back (Dale Howard Remix)’ Avotre Sonora Records “This remix has been working great in all my sets. The vocals were really cool, with more drive, but equally as techno-strewn cut, 'First Floor'. so it was nice to mess around with them and work them into the track.” captivating, and they finish off 8.5 Both easily warrant a standalone with a twisted slither of after- Hugo Barritt's latest EP on release but here we're treated to 06. KREATURE & RUDOSA ‘Nympho’ Promo “The bassline in this one is a killer.” hours tech-house entitled 'Beyond Lorenzo Dada's Sonora Records two incredible remixes from Poker Thought'. is a deep-set journey of natural Flat regular Martin Landsky, and 07. RONNIE SPITERI ‘Underwater’ Leena Music “Been hammering this track in all my sets!” atmospherics, silky-smooth Loot affiliate TRU. Martin's is a David Gtronic sub-bass and hypnotic production class re-fix but TRU steals the show 08 MAURO PICOTTO ‘Ayala (Luca Donzelli Remix)’ Alchemy “Another amazing track from Luca. For me, he has been the stand-out Cheska EP flourishes. 'Neu Zeta' gets a remix with an incredible, hypnotic and producer of 2016.” Tervisio from Lorenzo, who maintains unsettling take on 'First Floor'; 09. JORGE SAVORETTI ‘River Plate’ Visionquest 9.0 the deep, organic sentiment but dark and with an ominous melodic “Proper track! Such a cool vibe. Love it!” David Gtronic launches his adds a weighty, gripping bassline, focus — it's something special. vinyl-only Tervisio imprint with a whilst Culprit and Toy Tonics- Seek it out. 10. ALEX GROUND, PROUDLY PEOPLE ‘Lie To Kick It’ Desolat “One of the stand-out tracks on the sampler. Always works well!” serving of archetypal, Gtronic-funk affiliate Whitesquare inverts

112 djmag.com DISCO Alien Alien Secret Sabbah EP QUICKIES Meant Records 8.0 The Richie Family Roccodisco founders, Rodion and Summer Dance (Danny Krivit Edits) Hugosan spread a little studio time TK Disco between them as Alien Alien — a 9.0 project that marries rasping EBM Miami disco classic reissued on the recently revived basslines with haunting dub-disco TK Disco label with high drama edits from the rhythms — and overall this is legend, Danny Krivit. Features the energetic Wild something that works rather well. Honey ‘At The Top Of The Stairs’ on the flip. Joining in this heady melange, Glaswegian party-starter JD Twitch Bastedos/Rune Linbaek rips up ‘Secret Sabbah’ and works I Just Wanna /Supermann a rowdy industrial version, while a

JONATHAN BURNIP [email protected] Bastedos mix from Russian producer Moralez 9.0 adds an old school, Psychic TV/ New edits from Bastedos (aka Felix Dickinson) and Jack The Tab acid flavour. An Scando-disco hero Rune Linbaek, who both get excellent ‘robo-disco’ fix from deliriously cosmic on this double-header... West Coast duo JPSoul & Anthony Mansfield brings this strong Sonia Stein release to a close. Lotta U (Kiwi Remix) Marathon Artists Various 7. 5 My Favorite Winter Sampler London-based disco/electro producer Kiwi is all 2017 blissed-out on this dream-pop/vapourwave remix. My Favorite Robot Records White Isle sunrise music. 7. 5 My Favorite Robot bring a Boston Bun vs Weeks & Co. selection of new material for the Rock Ur World forthcoming , featuring Jiminy contributions from the likes of MONEY 8.0 label regulars Rodion and Sid Le Ed Banger’s in-house production guy, Boston Bun Rock to label debuts from Antenna SHOT! gets busy with that '80s disco classic from Weeks & Happy, HearThuG and Cristian Aeroplane. Together, they craft Co. Updated and tastefully done. Viviano and Caruan. Flirting with this seasonal anthem that boasts Kirlian Camera the more big-room techno of some classic old school references Helden Platz hardware fanatic HearThuG and that we’ve heard a million times Dark Entries VITALIC CLIVAGE MUSIC the spiralling acid from Antenna over; but with those hooks and a 10 Happy, it’s clear that the label are sincere vocal delivery from the one Dark Entries reissue this gem expanding their palate this year, and only Aloe Blacc, it’s really a from Italian minimal/darkwave but devotees will be pleased to challenge to resist. Top stuff. legends, Kirlian Camera. know that the label’s familiar dark, ‘Helden Platz’ was originally the disco-noir sound is present with Zee Eerf follow-up to their smash ‘Blue new- from the likes of Southern Room’ (which was significant Local Suicide & Rodion on ‘Abu Claremont 56 enough to land them a deal Dhabi’. 9.5 with Virgin) and was released New version of the -funk/'80s in 1987. Smeared with gothic Hammer club classic by original members of touches, this haunting classic At Once Freeez, now operating as Zee Erf. is issued in its full, sought-after Optimo For the first time since ‘81, Andy 12” version (as well as the 7” 9.5 Stennett, and Gordon mix) and includes the spectral, A new Optimo ‘Disco Plate’ lands as Sullivan have worked together beatless fantasy, ‘Burial’. 2017 chimes in — this is the new and now their perennial, brit-funk Essential reissue! 01. PONI HOAX ‘Hypercommunication (Alter Ego Remix)’ Tigersushi production ace from Bicep-affiliate anthem gets a breezy new sheen “Electro-disco at its best. A dark and epic track with superb vocoders.” Hammer. Seemingly a rather fun with stirring jazz vocals from 02. COWBOY RYTHMBOX ‘Rattle’ Phantasy spin on Dinosaur L’s ‘Go Bang’, this Francesca Mondi and mid-, Disco Fever “The rhythm signature changes make the track unstable and straight at the same time. The Spanish vocals recorded in a cave give a deviant twist that kill lo-fi, no-wave tune employs (what Balearic club mixes courtesy of Trax Vol. 39 the dancefloor.” sounds like) a snip of its “I wanna Claremont 56’s Paul Murphy under Cabin Fever see all my friends at once” hook, his brilliant Mudd guise. 03. JOAKIM ‘Come Into My Kitchen (Basement Dub)’ Versatile 9.5 “Re-discovered this one recently. Joakim is great at making weird disco.” plus a sample of that tumbling For a moment in this new year, bass to great effect. It also flips Femme ‘Disco Fever’ takes over on 04. LOUISAHHH & MAELSTROM ‘Listen (Be Patient)’ RAAR “I love them. Everything they do is good. The new RAAR makes no exception.” (what I can make out) another Debutante (Remixed) Rekids affiliate Cabin Fever, Arthur Russell production — a Tape Music interrupting the flow of tracky 05. BURIAL ‘Young Death’ Hyperdub “New EP from Burial. He is genius. It’s not designed for the dancefloor — it’s dub of Felix’s tropical disco classic 8.5 house and techno with a hypnotic just beautiful and intense.” ‘Tiger Stripes’. Cheeky, hugely Tape Music's Femme gets key edit of Ecstasy, Passion & Pain’s effective and another essential tracks from her ‘Debutante’ album proto-disco/modern soul classic, 06. TERENCE FIXMER & MCCARTHY ‘So Many Lies’ Planete Rouge “This song reminds us of the good old days of the duet in an updated 2016 release from the Optimo camp. sliced 'n’ diced by the likes of ‘Ask Me’. With an addition of version. Full testosterone EBM.” Lindstrøm, FaltyDL, Crewdson and some sizzling hi-hats and extra 07.  ‘Planet E (Daze Polyester Remix)’ Turbo Recordings Aeroplane & Purple more. Suitable to this page is the production nudges, I’ve no doubt “Another electro-disco track with a kinky twist and very unstable melodies. To me, the sound of the moment.” Disco Machine feat. lewdly-named, slo-mo boogie of that this will be a big one for the Aloe Blacc Crewdson’s ‘Golden Shower’ mix; label. The mood reverts back 08. NMO ‘One Leg Double Arm’ Diagonal Records Counting On Me the guaranteed floor-filling throb to more traditional Cabin Fever “The fanfare is on acid! Nothing more to say.” White Label of Lindstrøm’s killer electro- material on the flipside, with the 09. AGAR AGAR ‘Cuidado Peligro Eclipse’ Cracki Records 8.0 disco version and an Italo-disco tribal disco dub of ‘Ice Groove’ and “A new band from Paris. A dark, cosmic trip with enigmatic Spanish incan- tations.” Heavyweight production alliance throwback from Mind Enterprises. fits in perfectly with this release. from '80s club obsessives, Purple Honourable mentions to FaltyDL’s 10. VITALIC ‘Waiting For The Stars’ Citizen Records “My latest disco song with David Shaw, a new-wave singer from Paris. It is Disco Machine and Eskimo more experimental fix and a taken from my forthcoming album, ‘Voyager’.” Recordings’ long-standing artist, footworking rub from CRT CLSSX.

djmag.com 113 DRUM & BASS WHISKY KICKS QUICKIES Dub Phizix

Spot Light [email protected] Metalheadz 8.0 It’s always exciting when we see labels we love releasing artists we love, and that’s just what happened with ’ last release of 2016. Tumbling jungle breaks crashing like a torrent of waterfalls onto vast terrains of old school samples from Dub Phizix — oh yes!

Ulterior Motive feat. Verse The Real Shogun Audio 7. 0 A heavy, techy dark, distorted roller, featuring the vocal talents of Pendulum’s Verse. Although it certainly is a beastly banger, this track holds a little too much of an uncanny resemblance to the ever- famous modern classic ‘Dreadnaught’. Highlight of the EP is the beautiful, soft, old school-influenced ‘Jungle Jam’.

MONEY NEED FOR MIRRORS METALHEADZ/V RECS SHOT!

DRS feat. Patife & Vangeliez I Will Soul:R repeatedly. We must have listened There’s an intensely sinister 9.0 to it at least five time in a row. No, vibe which reminds us of two Starting off 2017 with a really, it really is that good! The gigantic other-worldy beings poignant and timely message, vocal has an old school garage mid-momentous battle, but then inspiring people "to be the vibe, and with its uplifting pads come these unexpected patches of solitary light in the dark", and bright effects it feels like it tranquillity; a juxtaposition which DRS slowly walks us through should be bottled up as liquid, but intensifies the whole affair. and forces us to confront the it has a much darker heart. There’s modern issues most of us so much space in this track, which Lakeway choose to ignore using his allows you to hear each element Shelled trademark, socially concious perfectly. Diffrent Music style. A gorgeous, soft piano- 8.0 riff and a meltingly warm Sicknote We hear , however we bass combine for the perfect SCM are wholeheartedly and very backdrop to a stunning vocal. Skeleton Recordings confidently assured that grime 7. 0 it is not. It's ‘d&b influenced by 01. NEED FOR MIRRORS & PHIL TANGENT ‘Shifting Tones’ CIA Over the last few years we’ve grime or grime at 170’, and that is Deepkut “This is taken from my ‘Shifting Tones EP’ with Phil Tangent on CIA Deepkut. I constantly been impressed by the why it very much should be sitting have opened a few sets with this, it sets the tone perfectly. It reminds me of Kryist care and skill coming from a little- on this page. Whatever it is (or early but at a d&b tempo.” Venomous known outfit called G.H.O.S.T. is not), it’s certainly power. Raw 02. DRS ‘I Will’ Soul:R Dispatch Recordings One member, under the guise and completely unrefined, it’s “Part of an amazing EP by DRS, all the tunes are equally as strong but this just 7. 5 of Sicknote, is showing us what got that feigned air of primitivity; has the edge. And great to see Patife back on the buttons. Spread love.” Like a deadly reptile on the prowl, he can do on his own — and it’s that complex simplicity which 03. SERUM ‘Ramparts’ Untitled Dub this track slinks by unassumingly, just as impressive. Starting out serves grime so well. Pounding, “I heard Doc Scott play this and was on the hunt ever since, proper later ‘90s Full Cycle/V vibe — funk funk funk.” with only the occasional rattle, as a glowing and sparkling piece, aggressive and insanely infectious. glitch or cowbell to alert you of the vibe belongs completely to 04. NEED FOR MIRRORS ‘Avairy’ V Recordings Dub “A little floaty number, forthcoming on my next V EP, a lil’ homage to the old its presence, before catching another world, before the soft SpectraSoul V sound.” you unaware and unleashing and delicate atmosphere takes a Second Chance Ish Chat 05. KID DRAMA ‘Construct Pattern’ CNVX Dub its unexpectedly lethal power. sudden and unexpected turn into “Drama pulled this one out at Soul In Motion. Reminds me of something from It’s a sharp and gritty stepper, harder, faster territory. 8.0 Matrix’s ‘Sleepwalk’ album, but flexed into the future.” filled with mutated twists which It has to be said, in our eyes, when 06. BREAKAGE ‘Elmhurst Dub’ Index Dub fly flippantly — knocking you Billian these two are making drum & bass “The first release on Breakage’s label, timeless and perfect as usual.” senseless. ‘Venomous’ starts off Badbots (Mindscape Remix) they can do no wrong. 'Second ‘Gate Of Paris’ Zoltar Bad Taste Recordings 07. NEED FOR MIRRORS the year with one almighty bite Chance' is as smooth, as beautiful “New music on my label Zoltar, this is some off-key hard-step business. Very from the Dispatch camp. More 8.0 and as enchanting as the pair's detuned intro and not your typical d&b structure. Conceptual.” serious output coming this year! It’s the first time throughout the previous liquid rollers. Full of the 08. NEED FOR MIRRORS FEAT. ONALLEE ‘Dead Poets’ Horizons Dub entirety of his career that Billion raw emotion the boys continue to “My second release with the talented Onallee from Reprazent. This is a deep laid-back roller. Breathe out...” Klax has ever had his tracks remixed. capture so well, the heart-tugging The The EP is particularly good, with vocal pleads along over layers of 09. J.MAJIK ‘Your Sound (Sb81 Remix)’ Razors Edge Dub Critical Music “A massive remix by Sb81, he has murdered this mix, and might possibly have the highlight for us being the cutting drums, deep-warming subs a new classic here.” 9.0 Mindscape remix. It’s as dark, and enthralling pads. If you’re 10. MINDMAPPER ‘Suppressor (Need For Mirrors Remix)’ Eternia We guarantee that when you gritty and industrial as ever and looking for something harder, “I loved the original on Lithuanian label Eternia. I retained the deep groove, hear this track you’ll be hitting keeps the main call-and-answer check out the double-A track, but stepped it out with some finger-clicks and a techno-inspired b-line — Burial d&b.” the replay button, instantly and lead from the original track. ‘Beat Keeps’.

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Untitled-2 1 14/12/2015 11:44 BREAKS & BASS Marten Hørger x Neon Steve QUICKIES You Don't El Stray Punks Music Good To U 9.0 NMR German bass ogre Hørger must [email protected] 9.0 get lonely in the studio on his El Stray is an offshoot of mega-bearded London lonesome, for he's forever coming badman Leda Stray, this time stripping the beats out with the collabs. Here's

BEN CHILD right down to a slinky but severely rude little another one with bright-eyed breakbeat-garage number. With its 2-steppy Canadian producer and DJ Neon rhythms, diva vocals, samples, brooding Steve, and it's a mean little synth-line and bumping b-line, 'Good To U' is floorfiller on a four-four/breakbeat perfect for hidden back-rooms and late-night flip, riffing around a central "You sessions. Fewer than 100 copies are being released don't want to fuck with us" rap on severely limited edition vinyl, so make sure you sample and spun into a brooding, snap one up. muscular work-out. One day he will make a tune all by himself, but Nina Wilde until then, 'You Don't' has enough Dun Know bowel-curdling, raw, destructive Yosh power to keep the Hørger flag 8.5 flying high. More dutty -inspired rudeness from the reigning bass queen of the UK Midlands. 'Dun Left/Right and jACQ Know' is a roaring four-four stompout, all rugged Bad low-end, ragga licks and mean percussion. Punks Music 9.5 Crawford Twisted arpeggios, gently- Oh My Gosh morphing low-end and spaced-out MONEY Free download FX are the order of the day on 8.0 'Bad'; a cultured, twisting, turning and piano rave combo on the Sherry S SHOT! Here's a cheeky little bootleg that borrows a certain trip into gorgeously-uneasy deep breakdown before side-swiping The Need infamously sassy Bassment Jaxx vocal and twists it territory for Texan right into a moody breakbeat Cocobolo Sound into a driving dose of 808 bass. 'Oh My Gosh' flits maestro Left/Right, once again drop. But for me, it's all about the 9.5 between breakbeat and four-four rhythms, West featuring majestic vocals from the destructive opening track. Splicing UK bass with techno- Country dude Crawford powering through with splendid jACQ. Night-time drive influenced percussion and heavy low-end and rinsing kick and clap combos. music for neon cityscapes and Barely Royal a heavy New York vibe, 'The flickering expressways from an Fire In The Dark feat. LO Need' deserves to be one of artist at the absolute top of his Saucy Records the biggest tunes of 2017. game. 9.0 Sherry S, hailing from bass WITTYBOY BUTTY RECORDS Here's one to shake things up culture capital , delivers Hybrid Theory & Nu Era in the place when you've been a rugged and muscular outing, Gucci Coat/Four dropping heavy bangers for all throbbing sub frequency Four40 Records the past hour and the people dynamics, exhilarating kick 8.5 need something a little deeper. and clap combos and snatches Brummie bass heroes Hybrid 'Fire In The Dark' conjures up a of hip-hop and diva vocal. This Theory and Nu Era send down a resplendent vision of washed out one needs to be heard loud on a Miami-favoured dose of low-slung pads, glittering FX and rolling system to really get the flavour: 808 in the form of booming , all topped off with it's a juggernaut of a track, a breakbeat killa 'Gucci Coat', which LO's wistful, super-heated lyric monster of a rhythm, an atomic arrives just in time to take Winter about unrequited, twisted passion. bomb of a beat, raw and ready Music Conference by storm next The prog guitar might be a little to be unleashed in the dance. month. On the flip, 'Four Riddim' too much for the dungeon kids, plumps for a similar vibe, but but we'll forgive Guildford-based without the A-side's key hip-hop Barely Royal his muso tendencies dusky percussion work-out, while vocal sample can't quite muster up when the flames are burning this 'Soundboy' dips into brooding the same energy levels. bright. Remixes come from the half-time territory. Finally, the 01. DJ Q ‘Hitter’ Q Recordings “The song name says it all. This one hits hard!” original artist himself, alongside wonderfully-named 'Your Mum Strange Rollers regular collaborator Bunnie, as Won't Let You Have A MySpace' 02. CHRIS LORENZO & SHIFT K3Y ‘Let You Go’ Columbia / Sony The Dark EP well as Inkline, Taim and VAHNI. drops in for a string and wobble- “Bass in the place.” Hot Cakes Bass bass-fuelled ruck in the car park of 03. BASSBOY FEAT. LAURA ASTON ‘Baby Cakes’ White 9.0 Pelikann your local nuthouse. “Whether you love the original or hate it, this rework is a monster!” Recalling everything from Taiki Internal Blue Screen EP InFlux 04. TAIKI NULIGHT & MIKEY B ‘Everybody In The Club’ White Nulight's more brooding moments SwankOut “The unlikely pairing of Taiki Nulight and Mikey B has been doing serious damage in the club.” to 'Dead Cities'-era Future Sound 8.5 Back To '91/In My Mind Of London, the lead track on In a musical landscape filled Top Drawer Digital 05. TS7 ‘Hulk’ 2-Tone Entertainment Northampton-based Strange with sombre sounds, Pelikann “This one is a serious roller! Perfect fusion of garage-inspired bass.” 7. 0 Rollers' debut EP for Hot Cakes continues to inject a welcome Double dose of retro, recalling the 06. DISTRO ‘Off The Chain’ Fabric Live Bass is the appropriately named dose of fun into the UK bass scene. classic rave-era, but SwankOut's “This funky-inspired banger always catches the crowd off-guard… In a good way, of course!” 'The Dark'. It's an epic, darkling 'Internal Blue Screen' might vibe is more throwback soundalike journey into the windswept suggest long dark nights of the than radical reinvention. If 07. HOLY GOOF X SIX BY SIX ‘Air’ HG Music “Holy Goof’s signature bass style always delivers.” of dance music, soul in front of your Sony VAIO, you're going to sample Angelo a percussion-fuelled vision of but the track itself is anything Badalamenti's 'Love Theme' from 08. KILLJOY ‘Let’s Go’ White twisted dystopian futures that but despondent. This one is all Twin Peaks, as the producer does “Nostalgic grimey four-four at its best.” sounds like it belongs on the 140bpm four-four rudeness, on 'In My Mind', then you'd better 09. FOOR X SHAUN DEAN FEAT. EFFIE ‘3 Words’ Yosh soundtrack to some as-yet- topped off with bonkers bass make sure the result is even better “Sexy vocals, dramatic build-ups and tight basslines… Winner.” unfilmed sci-fi opus. On the flip, motifs, intense synth-work and than Moby's 'Go', which did the 10. TC ‘Next Hype feat. Jakes (Taim Remix)’ 3Beat 'Fog Machine' plumps for cheerier wicked sample action. On the same in 1992. Here it's not up to “Catchy vocals and a drop that hits you like a sledgehammer!” territory, dropping in a diva vox flip, 'Laughing Cow' opts for a scratch.

djmag.com 117 GRIME [email protected] MARTIN FELICITY down some venom-laced lyrics on ‘Cold Blooded’ while name- dropping How Clean Is Your QUICKIES House? duo Kim and Aggie. That Kamakaze said, eye-rolling lines like “I’m Year Of The Kamdog tight like a nun’s muff”make you Astral Black wonder whether Devlin might 8.0 need a biology lesson…? The first taster of the hotly-anticipated EP from Kamakaze and Massappeals, ‘Year Of The Ets feat. PK Kamdog’ sees the hugely underrated MC going Everyday in over a slick . Watch out for ‘Royal MTP Blud’ dropping soon on Astral Black. 7.0 Back before Donald Trump was Gundam/Lemzly Dale flinging the phrase around in Pearly 001 presidential debates, PK was a Pearly Whites self-described ‘bad ombre’. West 8.5 London’s Ets links up with the Two delicious instrumental weapons kick off YGG member for a boisterous, Lemzly Dale’s new vinyl label Pearly Whites. skanking number (despite the Gundam chops up 50 Cent’s ‘21 Questions’ while MistaKay instrumental sampling bossman Lemzly’s ‘Mercy’ is another smoother- Mozart’s ‘Lacrimosa’). This than-your-average R&G bomb. pair of young grime stars are destined for good things in 2017. MR MITCH GOBSTOPPER RECORDS MONEY SHOT! Jaykae No (feat. Bowzer Boss) Blacks x PK Zach Boss When I Do Grime 8.0 Most Active Yet another artist putting 9.0 Brum town grime on the map PK is quickly becoming one is Jaykae, and sure enough in of the best-loved voices in the video to new track ‘No’ the grime. The YGG member, here Donae’O ex-Invasion Alert member is linking up with Blacks for Black feat. , posted outside Birmingham City a single on his ‘Most Active Donae’O Football Club, holding up his 2’ EP, lends his bonkers, very own blue Jaykae-branded 7.5 01. ODEKO ‘Construct Conduct’ Gobstopper idiosyncratic flow to ‘When Producer-cum-rapper-cum- shirt. Over a grimacing, “New single on my label from one of the most exciting new producers.” I Do Grime’. Considering singer Donae’O has always relentless bass note, the MC 02. TARQUIN ‘Grease (Chord Mix)’ Gobstopper the trajectory he’s on at the been a triple threat. Bursting creates an irresistibly catchy “Experiments in grime club music from Tarquin coming very soon.” moment, expect to catch with a garage bounce and nods hook with “Tell a man no” that him blowing up every single to funky, this new homage to can’t help but burrow into the 03.  ‘U Were Always feat. & Belly’ CTA grime tune this year. the noir aesthetic enlists the crevices of your brain. “Best Wiley track in a long time, Kid D killing it on production.” help of not one but two grime 04. DUVAL TIMOTHY ‘Pleats’ I Should Care heavyweights; Jme and Dizzee. Mist “Beautiful piano music from one of the most talented people I know.” Regardless of what you think of Madness Sickmade Records 05. ACE TEE ‘Bist du down ? (feat. Kwam.e)’ Nur! Musik Lay Off The Rocks ’s output these days, he’s “Music that transcends the language barrier.” Star Work Music very much still got it with bars 7.5 8.5 like, “Don’t wanna be on my It’s incredible to think how 06. LLOYD SB ‘Princess Anna’ Gobstopper It’s a Meridian Crew reunion! blacklist/Don’t wanna see the quickly Mist has blown up. “Maddest sounds from another producer experimenting with the club sound.” One of the singles to be plucked end of my black fist”. Garnering a million views in 07. MURA MASA ‘Love$ick (Mumdance Remix feat. Riko Dan)’ Anchor from Prez’s christmas present just a week, the Birmingham MC Point of an album ‘T On The Wing’, Devlin with the butter-smooth accent “My favourite Mumdance production since ‘One Sec’ with a dancehall flow.” ‘Lay Off The Rocks’ sees fellow Cold Blooded has dropped low-key burner 08. SINEAD HARNETT ‘Rather Be With You (Mechatok Re- Devlin Music Meridian members and ‘Madness’, produced by Steel mix)’ Rinse Bossman Birdie jumping on the 6.0 Banglez, which cuts deeper and “Exactly what you would want from Mechatok on a remix, perfect.” beat. With a dark and stormy We haven’t seen much from draws out more emotion than 09. CRAYZEE BANDITT ‘Leaving’ Unreleased instrumental courtesy of Levlz, Dev over the last couple of some of his previous tunes. This “Yet to be released/signed but a beautiful track from the veteran producer.” it’s another smash from the years. Making his return on a is looking to be the year of M I most presidential President certain recent Wiley collab, S to the T. 10. ABRA ‘Crybaby (Deadboy Remix)’ True Panther “Yaaas!” around. the Dagenham MC now throws

118 djmag.com HIP-HOP & TRAP Kingpin Somehow QUICKIES Bandcamp Rockie Fresh 8.0 December Rain Lovely smooth vibes on this Mass Appeal track from the 'Art Of Survival' 4.0 set — love the way that Chairman Sounds that must be banned from all hip-hop in Maf has mixed together some of 2017: autotune, gunshots, mobile-phone noises but the sublime lushness of a Lewis [email protected] most importantly ACOUSTIC fuckin' GUITARS. Part Parker production with the soulful of my wider campaign to have them banned from luxuriance of an Adrian Younge music altogether. A rocky road towards Ukelele- arrangement, and KP's rhymes MONEY town. No excuse for them in 2017, and no mercy. remain engagingly conversational Hip-hop is about ELECTRICITY, people. throughout. Lovely to start the SHOT! NEIL KULKARNI year on something positive, Chief Keef aggressive about nothing but its Micall Parknsun Empty own ambitions, and deliciously Practice N/A reflective and honest rather than Boot Records 1.0 sewer-minded and wretched. Don't 9.0 I'm both fascinated and appalled to see how bad/ worry — we'll be back in the sewer By the time you read this MP's great Chief Keef is going to get. I think he's almost with the wretches soon enough, newest long-playing opus hinting at the games he's playing with the title but this is a breath of almost 'Practicing Tag Team Moves' here. I mean, this track is exquisitely empty — of ambrosial oxygen as 2017 begins. will not only be out digitally but content, meaning and intrigue. It sounds like the also available as a lovely set of instrumental track was downloaded from LimeWire. Jam Baxter winter-gloom with beams of radiant 12" wax you will want to own. It's dreadful. I can't wait to see how he's going to Teeth Marks/Soi 36 wonder — Verb T's production is At time of writing, the only out-shite it. High Focus truly unsettling, a bizarre mix of track I can hear from it is this 8.0 ECM-style ambience, wonky jazz lead-off single and hotdamn Lloyd Banks Sneaking out at the tail-end of and groggy . Straight- it makes the album beyond Champagne & Caviar 2016 on a fab little hand-coloured up Dilla-ness in the oddity, in the essential — sublime beats and N/A 7" package from label-of-the- tripartite structure, in the peaking loops from the man MP himself 6.5 year High Focus, here's one of heart-rushing vibe of the verses (laced with great scratching On the quiet, Lloyd Banks' 'Blue Friday' series of Chemo, aka Telemachus', most and the hypnotic heartbreak of the from yerBootman Jazz T). Real, mixtapes last year was a dependably engrossing mind-bending productions, like a hook. Hats off and heads nodded to raw, vibrant, focussed, sharp set of street-poet narratives, backed by gorgeous hollowed out and hopeless Boards all concerned. hip-hop that asks the only '90s-style beats and lush modern textures. Of Canada, pointing towards important questions left for rap 'Champagne & Caviar' talks of lives way more 'Mansion 38' (entirely produced by Prince Rahdeaz music — those of motivation desperate than that title suggests and hits hard. Chemo) as being one of Spring's The Mission and why hip-hop is the only Get it. hip-hop highlife highlights. On Eagle Fly Squandererz Records artform that might deliver the flip, 'SOI 36' (presumably 8.5 answers in these late-breaking referring to the legendary Bangkok How the fuck did I miss Prince days for Western culture. CZARFACE SILVER AGE RECORDS street) pulsates with lysergic neon Rahdeaz' astonishing 'Vicious Superb and a hint that the luridness and simmering tension. Cycle' EP when it came out? No, I album might be one of 2017's Aces all. don't know either and I'm ashamed highlights already. Mandatory. and appalled at my oversight — Babylon Dead suffice to say both you and me Funeral have no excuse now not to explore ,style insistence and dread. But the Real Life Drama Records this intensely conscious, deeply fucking production immediately 8.5 thoughtful, hugely entertaining takes it out of the hot little room it As the home of folk like Creatures Of four-tracker from which 'The could be blowing your mind in and Habit, I kind of expected Real Life Mission' is the latest lift. Check out to the deoderised unmoving Drama's roster to be almost entirely this track to get a flavour of Cereal (un)confines of a festival stage or a 'harmless' if you know what I Killerz’ inimitably dutty production stadium. Grrr. Ignore. mean — fun, sharp, hilarious, but skillz and PR's sharp rhyme skills 01. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ‘Mobius’ Epic “In the same way Cons killed it on ‘The Chase Pt. 2’ going solo on a Tribe never exactly terrifying. Think but please go check out the full EP Freddie Gibbs record, this one has that same energy, and Busta BODIES his part... bonus points for saying Czar in his verse!” again. I don't know who the hell as well, and don't even think about Overtime Babylon Dead are and am only just progressing blithely through the N/A 02. VINNIE PAZ ‘Nineteen Ninety Three’ Enemy Soil catching up with their extremely rest of 2017 without hearing it. “Vin sounds like vintage G rap on this. Was tough to pick one of Cornerstone of 7. 0 the Corner store, Eclipse as usual cuts like a surgeon.” sporadic output but this is anything Sue Poib. FG had an interesting 2016, didn't but easy-going or funny. It's only he? The first-half spent in an 03. WESTSIDE GUNN ‘Over Gold’ Griselda Records “This is just gritty head-nod shit, Meyhem right in the pocket setting it off funny cos it's so damn dark and Migos Austrian jail. Unfortunately, his nice for Westside.” uncompromising, and together Call Casting experience of lederhosen-related Quality Control Music 04. NICK GRANT ‘The Jungle’ Culture Republic with the other track that leaked last shower-shenanigans doesn't make “One of the new MCs that really has that energy that music needs right now” year (April's 'Duppy') it suggests 4.0 it into this new single with Young that their long-threatened Goddamn — sort your fucking Buck and Skrewface from a mixtape 05. ANDERSON .PAAK ‘Come Down’ Steel Wool “Been out for a little bit, but glad to see it as a single, was one of my favourites debut album '2000BD' could REVERB settings out, people! So called 'Traps N Trucks Vol 111', off the album — plus the bassline is crazy.” be the gnarliest slab of dub- many trappy/slo-mo beats and which will have dropped by the time 06. CURREN$Y & ALCHEMIST ‘Spitta Andretti’ ALC heavy this side of a arrangements could be massively you read this. What elevates this “Was a big fan of this project but this beat is just rocking, hard as fuck.” new Triple Darkness set. Heavy improved if they just stopped trying above the usual trap confines is the 07. AVENUE ‘Harry The Greeks’ BAU heavy manners, avail yourself to sound like they were designed outrageous bass-tectonics thrown “Young spitter from Boston with a nice homage to a Boston initiation where immediately. for stadiums or super-clubs and together by producer Kris Carter, you could grab all the Carhartt and Adidas in the ‘80s/’90s.” instead let everything remain DRY, an oozing slab of feral low-end 08. DAVE EAST ‘Keisha’ Mass Appeal Chillman un-echoed, CLOSE-UP rather than that performs the dual function “Great storytelling, great album.” Hi-Lo rendered epic by big blowy hangar- of making the beat pop off even 09. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ‘Ego’ Epic In The Balance Records style reverb and echo. Case in point harder than it would while also “The bassline reminds me of some ‘Mr Incognito’ type, had to pick another off the new Tribe, the whole album has so many choices.” 8.0 — this crock-a-shit from Migos. providing the track's only hook. Really must check out the 'Abstract There's a fab little hook in here, It's de rigeur trap but it's fucking 10. PSYCHO LES FEAT. RA ‘Bars’ Pit Fight Patterns' LP this single is lifted hung together by the needling addictive as Bobby's Cheese Curls “Two of our favourites on classic production, just classic head-nod shit.” from cos this track lights up the keyboards which have a - all the same. Have at it.

djmag.com 119 Untitled-1 1 16/01/2017 14:24 BASS Lerosa SubCoutre QUICKIES Idle Hands Ogris Debris 7. 5 Lazer Gun I’m gonna go ahead and call The Enigma Corporation Lerosa’s debut 12” on Idle Hands [email protected] 6.5 a handsome selection of boogie- Ogris Debris latest cut, ‘Lazer Gun’, is a sort-of- infused party music because, satisfying, sun-drenched, stomping house tune well… that’s exactly what [50% that contrasts its goodtime vibe with its poetically of] it is. It’s a capably handled OLI MARLOW dark lyrical mantra. It comes presented with three selection of four house-focused remixes from Adesse Versions and Moony_Me. cuts that blend a selection of infectious melodies with Roska feat. Dread some straightforward but agile Cool And Correct drum-work. That’s precisely why RKS ‘Maryelen’ and ‘Scruffy’ are the 6.0 highlights: because they marry Does it feel way too soon to label Roska a stalwart? a groove with a menacingly His productions are always immaculate and he’s bouyant vibe so effortlessly. been producing for a fair while now. I dunno. Can we agree on the parameters for stalwartship ahead Ivan Conti of the next issue, please? Thanks. Mamao’s Break (Remixes) Far Out Recordings Gary Gritness 7. 0 The Sugar Cane Chronicles Vol. 2 Being a sucker for Azymuth’s Hypercolour boldly Brazilian fusion flair and a 8.5 lover of pretty much everything As a humongous fan of , Weather Report and any of the 22a associates have MONEY the soundtracks to the early Sonic The Hedgehog put out to date means that games, I wholeheartedly endorse this vivid and Tenderlonious and Reginald Max Graef & Glenn SHOT! saccharine, funked-up EP from Sir Gary of the Omas Mamode IV remixing Ivan Astro Bruce Gritness. ‘Steady Choosin’ is the lick. Conti (Azymuth’s powerhouse The Yard Work Simulator Remixes Before You Sleep drummer) feels like a match made Ninja Tune Hemlock in heaven. And the way the two 5.5 9.0 Shudan producers isolate their drum I had a conversation in a pub I like to internally celebrate the Ice Chirps parts and fracture the groove with my friend Tom a while back release of new Bruce music, White Peach doesn’t disappoint. It’s the where he disagreed with me quite because I honestly have no idea 7. 0 perfect example of each of their strongly about the work of Graef what to expect. It could be a Urban Dictionary defines the title of track two of respective bruk prowesses. & Astro. I told him that it was slice of long-sleeve-back Gildan Shudan’s 'Ice Chirps' EP as: “If what you say is probably because he was no fun. tee techno or it might be some untrue, or is an attempt at defaming my character, Klasey Jones 'The Yard Work Simulator' album other-worldly soundtracky bit I shall physically assault you” — a notion that fully Foreign Buyers Club was cheeky. It was zany. It was that quietly amasses a brilliance contrasts the lusciousness of the title track. Terrorhythm a load of other words that you far beyond its parts. Thankfully 9.0 wouldn’t really use to describe his Hemlock three-tracker has Any dude with a moniker that Tom, and he’ll probably hate shades of all those things and LETTA COYOTE RECORDS pays homage to TMNT is aight these remixes too. Unfortunately more. It’s brittle but supple and in my book but Klasey Jones’ I didn’t LOVE them either. it’s rhythmic without piles of music proves to be so much more heaving pronounced drums. than any type of gimmick. Eerie, Run The Jewels moody and enveloping, his debut RTJ3 five-track EP on Plastician’s Self Released somehow stretches his chords to Terrorhythm label is the perfect 9.0 the limit on ‘Vai’, but for me ‘Can introduction to his melting pot Aww hell, it’s another Christmas You Help Me Find The Please’ of slow boom-bap and emphatic miracle from Mike and El. 'Run is probably the most rewarding melodies. I kinda hate that I’ve The Jewels 3' dropped for free (if cut, full of clever sampling and an said this in print but it’s a blend you’re cheap) on Christmas Day, overdrive of rattling hi-hats. of Drake’s clean production with continuing the RTJ tradition of 01. LAST JAPAN FEAT. AJ TRACEY ‘Ascend’ Coyote “The song of 2016, and the Impey remix is madness.” UK grime synthesis. appearing from out of nowhere Odeko and both astonishing and Digital Botanics 02. SPOKES ‘Mercurial’ Coyote Records Clap! Clap! detonating the internet. A full Gobstopper “Drop this in the club and watch everybody get happy.” Ar-Raqis month ahead of schedule, Killer 9.0 03. SWIMFUL ‘ShaFaChuang’ Unreleased Black Acre Mike and El-P’s latest 14 tracks Clawing for a few adjectives “This makes me happy every time I hear it.” 7. 0 will take a time to decode as is simply a part of the process 04. CAPO LEE FEAT. BOYLAN & OIL GANG ‘Shell On Demand’ Un- Remember post-dubstep? they continue the dense, lyric- when you’re reviewing music but released Remember when people were heavy, sci-fi boom-bap bent they Odeko’s new two-tracker for Mr “Favourite MC x favourite gunman producers = nuff said.” fawning over terms whilst pioneered across their previous Mitch’s Gobstopper label had 05. SIR SPYRO ‘Topper Top (Double Clapperz Remix)’ Unreleased producers tried to define their two LPs. me reaching a little bit further “A huge remix of an obviously huge track. Big up the Tokyo grime scene!” own boundaries with rampant than most. ‘Digital Botanics’ is a 06. JT THE GOON ‘Flux Capacitor’ Boxed experimentation? Remember Drae Da Skimask cleverly hung-together mess of “Favourite song to play out this year at any club anywhere, at any time.” when UK funky blossomed out Ficante EP harsh hoover bass, arpeggiated Astral Black 07. LOOM ‘Dyed Black Hair’ Gobstopper of that? Remember those truly noise and reggae stabs, and “A total banger off a record of total fucking bangers.” infectious drum patterns and in- 7. 0 ‘Constructed Conduct’ sounds 08. SILK ROAD ASSASSINS ‘Deadcell’ Coyote Records the-box synth curls intertwining Drae Da Skimask returns to Astral like a swamp of computer voices “If you listen to this song in Joshua Tree, , at maximum volume, you and making some of the most Black, delivering a six-track humming tensely over a Pearson transcend space and time.” honest-to-god danceable music work-out ahead of the Sound beat. If a new year means 09. STRICT FACE ‘Promise’ Blacklink Sound ever? Clearly Clap! Clap! does with release of a new album sometime these kinds of new directions, “Strict Face hurt my heart in the best way possible.” ‘Ar-Raqis’ (the first cut from a new this year. Exploring the flips and I’m in. 10. GRANDMIXXER ‘Kennington Samurai’ Unreleased LP), which goes hell for leather as changes between half-time and Every tune I’ve ever heard by Grandmixxer is pure fire.” a cowbell-heavy rump-shaker. double-time with gusto, Skimask

djmag.com 121 THE NR. 1 DJ/DANCE COUNTRY

DJ and dance platform of the Netherlands and Flanders djmag.nl djmag.nl #20 - Amsterdam Dance Event 2015 - 20 jaar - ADE Pro - Soundlab - Harddance Event - ADE Next - ADE Green - #WIN djmag.nl #19 - Audient iD14 - Native Instruments Kontrol d2 - Reloop beatmix MK2 - Arturia MicroBrute SE White #18 - De Sluwe Vos - Gert van Veen & Release II - Dinant van Tongeren - Headliner Entertainment - DJ Korsakoff 10 jaar ground zero LIVInG & bREaTHInG DancE muSIc LIVING & BREATHING DANCE MUSIC LIVING & BREATHING DANCE MUSIC VooR nEDERLanD & VLaanDEREn VOOR NEDERLAND & VLAANDEREN VOOR NEDERLAND & VLAANDEREN 15x studio essentials behind the scenes herman Voor- en brood nadelen academy van Remixen living and breathing dance music living and breathing dance music living and breathing dance music

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Jaargang 3, editie 18 2015, € 4,99 Special Jaargang 3, editie 20 2015, € 4,99 Jaargang 3, editie 19 2015, € 4,99 red bull music 40 pagina’S Jaargang 3, editie 18 2015, € 4,99 Jaargang 3, editie 20 2015, € 4,99 Jaargang 3, editie 19 2015, € 4,99 academy 53 53 @ Sónar BCN TRACKS TRacKS Reviewed Reviewed

DJ18_cover.indd 1 05-06-15 12:59 DJ20_cover.indd 1 14-09-15 09:39 DJ19_cover.indd 1 17-07-15 10:06

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Untitled-1 1 15/04/2016 15:30 DJ Mag UK left.indd 79 15-04-16 15:30 HARD QUICKIES Organ Donors vs D3AF Don’t Speak Shit Audio Surgery 7. 5 Heavy electro lead beats from Bournemouth siblings the Organ Donors here on their Audio Surgery

DJ KUTSKI [email protected] imprint, with an '80s pop-inspired vocal with dark tones of electro melodies bubbling over the top in the breakdowns, and powerful twisted drops.

The Playah & Destructive Tendencies feat. MC Jeff Play My Game Neophyte 9.0 MONEY You know what to expect as the UK meets Holland in SHOT! this clash of high bpms. Rapid-fire distorted drums, dramatic melody and aggressive vocals make this Sound Rush one a sure-fire hardcore hit! The Final Enemy Hard With Style MickeyG 9.5 The Funky Technician Degos & Re Done basslines and an abundance of This Dutch duo are Gearbox Euphoria Die Slowly cool glitchy edits. destined for big things this 8.0 Nightbreed year. They exploded onto Gearbox has been one of the rising labels for some 7. 5 Da Tweekaz feat. the scene in 2016 and look time, but they look set to take things to the next 'Die Slowly' ticks all the boxes for Matthew Steeper set to dominate the festival level this year with an abundance of new talent a melodic yet energetic rawstyle Tomorrow main stages with hits like writing euphoric hardstyle anthems like this. A release, featuring an airy yet Dirty Workz this. A spooky dark vocal tonne of energy in this track, along with a super- uplifting vocal followed by a 9.0 sets a dramatic scene before catchy melody! rolling bass drum and screech Impeccable, uplifting vocal the most euphoric melody to compliment it on the intro. A hardstyle anthem here from our explodes out of the speakers. catchy melody on the main drop is favourite duck-loving duo in the With impeccable production GECK-O THE FUNKY CAT followed by an alternative melody hardstyle scene, Da Tweekaz — and sound design, this track on the second. This melody will featuring the vocal talents of is super-fun and bouncy, and get stuck in your head for months Matthew Steeper. He belts out the oozes class and originality. In to come! vocals in the breakdowns before a world somewhat dominated the uplifting melodies take effect, by rawstyle, this puts out some Radical Redemption & this time a little more subtle than happy vibes in the dark months D-Sturb most Tweekaz collaborations. of the year. Kill Me This lets the vocal be the main Minus Is More focus of the track — as it should. 9.0 Big singalong essential hardstyle ‘Keep On Calling’. Now, this new Radical Redemption & D-Sturb here! euphoric hardstyle release takes are certainly two artist names him to the next level! It features that peaked my interest when I Darren Styles twisted stabs verging on raw heard they were working in the Come Running ( sounds in the intro section, before

01. GECK-O ‘Alien Sound System’ The Funky Cat studio together. D-Sturb has been Remix) leading into a meaningful vocal, “The title track of my new album! Taking you on a very personal trip — smashing up dancefloors with his which takes the track into the I recommend listening to the continuous mix for the full experience.” solo releases and collabs recently, 9.0 euphoria of the main breakdown, 02. RAITO ‘Moon Dance’ Boysnoize Records now teaming up with one of the I love cross-genre pollination, building up again with energetic “We have this French guy playing at the fourth edition of The Funky Cat, and key players in the rawstyle scene — especially between similar artists and euphoric melodies and then this EP is why! A great fusion of ‘90s rave and modern house.” Radical Redemption — to produce who produce different styles. dropping with bundles of energy 03. AUDIOFREQ ‘The Grid’ Audiophetamine/Dirty Workz a new killer track. There are grimy Here we have the undisputed to keep those dancefloors alight. “His production is so rich, and of the highest quality you can get right now. I recommend you listen to his whole album, ‘Audiology’!” rap vocals with a trademark king of the hardcore anthem, Keep an eye on this guy in 2017, rawstyle melody on the intro of Darren Styles, being remixed by big things are predicted if he keeps 04. GECK-O ‘Pump Your Fist’ Hard With Style the track, and a heavy drop that hardstyle euphoric wonder-kid up this level of production. “I needed an energetic but alternative reverse bass tune for the summer festivals — so I made one! Out now on Hard With Style!” no rawstyle lover could refuse. The Atmozfears. This track is a full distorted kick on the drop has to remake, vocals and all, with an Titan 05. JOSH BROWN ‘Frequencies’ This Ain’t Bristol be one of the crunchiest-sounding acoustic guitar interpretation of The King “Next level UK sound from this man. Familiar feelings with very fresh produc- Fusion tion! Be sure to check his whole ‘Systematic’ EP.” kicks I've heard to date. the original before dropping into the trademark Atmozfears melody 9.0 06. T.C.C. ‘That Acid Tho’ Theracords Classics Remo-con and hardstyle kick. The part of me Living up to his name, Titan is truly “Standing for Theracords Classics Collective, this group of artists brings back the cherished underground sound of Theracords. Acieed!” Hydrangea (Extended Remix) that loves the original so much a giant amongst men in the raw R-Trax kinda wishes the original DS vocals hardstyle scene. Here he delivers 07. BOLD ACTION ‘Transition’ The Funky Cat 8.0 remained, but regardless, this is brutal, ear-blistering sounds “Broken beats and deep vibes on this single. Bold Action is working on his debut album, and I’m proud to be releasing it on my label!” Something a little different here, still an awesome remix that will on the Fusion Records label, some tech-y hard dance beats destroy the all over again. pushing the bpms high and using 08. JAY REEVE ‘Everybody’ X-BONE coming over from Japan. Remo- distortion to maximum effect. This “Not many people seem to know it, but for me this was the No.1 hardstyle tune of the summer festivals! Played it in all my sets.” con is a rave legend in Japan, JNXD new single proves why he is the writing some of the biggest tracks Spectrum Of Sound king of the scene right now with 09. GECK-O ‘Never Forget’ The Funky Cat that have also been featured in Scantraxx dark, sinister melodies in the short “Fusing early hardcore influences with my own alternative hardstyle sound. The name of the second mix says it all: ‘It’s Raving Time’!” the thriving arcade scene out in 8.5 but sweet breakdown, dropping the Far East. His latest offering One of the latest signings to the with immense power and brutality 10. AJJA ‘Bla Bla Bla’ Pixan Recordings brings tough and tech beats with a Scantraxx camp, JNXD has been on with not even a short break in “After visiting BOOM Festival in Portugal, I’m totally hooked on the darkpsy sound — this one’s a perfect example of how I like it.” super-uplifting break the rise in 2016 — delivering solid sight to catch your breath. before dropping back to crunchy releases such as ‘On The Edge’ and

djmag.com 123 Untitled-1 1 16/01/2017 14:15 Feb 2017 - UK.indd 1 1/13/17 6:51 PM TRANCE Mea Culpa The Child (Remixes) QUICKIES Pure Trance Recordings Forerunners 8.0 Prism Mea Culpa indeed — for ‘The Pure Trance Progressive Child’’s first three minutes, your 8.0 reviewer overlooked the fact that If ‘Prism’'s glacial tone is anything to go by, it was we’d been here before. The penny- a chilly day in the studio for Brenden LaBonte. drop comes in the break. They just Alongside Namatjira’s equally fine ‘Illuminar’, don’t use flamenco guitars this these represent a promising start to 2017 for Pure true in trance anymore. Tucked [email protected] STARK Trance’s prog division. away on cult act Mea Culpa’s 1999 ‘Time & Motion EP’ was ‘The Airwave Child’. PTR have brought it out Pray For Happiness of obscurity and had Alan Banks JOOF Recordings and Gary Delany work up a pair of 8.0 deft, effective, upliftingly angled In its Original Mix form, ‘Pray For Happiness’ has a re-awakenings. punchier runtime than last October’s ‘A Quest For Beauty’, though that doesn’t dent the appeal at Mike Saint-Jules vs all. If you’re missing the opulence of an extended Danilo Ercole Airwave opus however, The Digital Blonde’s Mars Rover 11-minute rework should service your avidity! Create Music 7. 5 Indecent Noise & Johann Stone Right down to its celestially- Rimur themed designation, ‘Mars Rover FSOE Clandestine (Extended Mix)' subverts no MONEY 7. 5 expectations whatsoever. It’s SHOT! After last month's label opener from Stoneface MSJ’s usual club-effective blend of & Terminal, more insight as to what FSOE’s uplifting synths and spacey pads, Clandestine division have in store here. ‘Rimur’ sees glazed with tech-ish trimmings. Will Atkinson & Indecent Noise & Johann hit a psy high, with some The Interstellar Mix, on the Deirdre McLaughlin ripping ‘Joyenergizer’-styled overload thrown in for other hand, does. Danilo Ercole’s Chasing After You good measure. influence perhaps — it’s slower, far Lostly Subculture moodier and with more dystopian Rage At The Stars 9.0 ether. Its mad, squally electronica- Outburst Twilight With none of its eccentricity RAM GROTESQUE RECORDS leaning culmination throws a 8.5 and quirk, ‘Chasing After You’ firecracker of a curveball into its Better or more enjoyable (or both) is a surprising follow-up to ‘Pat production too. with every track and remix, Andre Butcher’. What it does have, ‘Lostly’ Frauenstein is straight-up however, is harder to achieve. Midway smashing it at present. Initially It’s a centre-ground, everyman Monkey Forest (Casey Rasch ‘Rage At The Stars’ is harmonically trancer that excels in a far more Remix) concentrated, with top-notch congested and contested field. In Trance We Trust FX and several sub-riffs vying Arrangement, production, 8.5 for leadline status. Too cool to sub-riffs, mainline, vocal, lyrics The 700th release on ITWT… and be euphoric, too uplifting to be and so on — it doesn’t settle yes, you are reading that right. melodic or progressive, ‘Rage'’s for ‘sufficient’ once. Instead, in Unlike a good few others of its tone is as easy to lap up as it is every viable respect, it delivers time, it’ll be a chilly day in Death hard to pin down. bigger and better — outclassing Valley before this writer tires of everything else this month. 01. MARK SHERRY & RAM ‘Nordic Nights (Grotesque 250 hearing Midway’s career-high. Cosmic Gate Anthem)’ Grotesque Fusion “It’s a massive combination of feeling and energy, building up to a monster With its exhilarating, inventively Halo/Dynamic w/Ferry Corsten climax. Euphoric meets tech-trance.” written mainline and (remix-wise) Black Hole Recordings Released on his new Expedition 02. ANDRES SANCHEZ & KATHERINE AMY ‘These Ties Are refreshingly un-rinsed nature, 8.0 imprint, ‘Eem’ (pronounced ‘aim’, Binding’ Grotesque ‘Monkey Forest’ still has plenty Thanks to their impressive fact-fans) is a promisingly moody “This has been in all my sets over the last five months. Love the combination of the harmony and the vocals. A touching breakdown followed by a perfect to give. That’s something that ‘Materia’ album, there’s a clutch slice of prog-trance, with some drop.” Casey Rasch’s respectful yet of roots-returning material from endearingly '80s analogue synths

03. AHMED ROMEL ‘City Of Life (RAM Remix)’ Grotesque Reworked spirited remix treatment ably the Cosmics doing the floor- upping its mid-section atmos. “The original was a personal favourite for a long time, so I just had to remix it. demonstrates. rounds at present. ‘Fall Into You’ Such an emotional breakdown. It hits you straight in the heart… Trancepic!” with JES is pretty irresistible, but Above & Beyond feat. 04. CIARAN MCAULEY ‘In Memory Of You’ Grotesque & for those more instrumentally Alex Vargas “Breakthrough artist of last year for me. Killing it over and over again with his tunes.” Vini Vici with Hilight disposed, these two are prime. Sink The Lighthouse (Maor Levi Tribe Their second in four months with Remix) 05. ALLEN WATTS & AMIR HUSSAIN ‘Parallax’ Grotesque Anjunabeats “Two upcoming producers, each with a great sound. Together, simply a massive Great Spirit Ferry, ‘Dynamic’ melds grit and combination.” Armind melody in equal proportions. 8.5 ‘Halo’ meanwhile reaches higher I confess, I’ve little idea to the 06. THE THRILLSEEKERS PRES. HYDRA ‘Amber (Skylex 8.0 Remix)’ FSOE WAO138?! aside, Armin’s not yet, whilst retaining a strong meaning/metaphor of ‘Sink The “This is just a fairytale of a mix. Trance at its best.” shown a huge proclivity for psy’s emotional grounding. Lighthouse’'s lyrics. Frankly resurgence. As such, ‘Great Spirit’ though, their opacity only makes 07.  AHMED ROMEL ‘Drusilla’ Grotesque “Ahmed is, for me, one of the top guys when it comes to delivering unique comes somewhat out of . Arctic Quest for a more engaging listen; sound combinations and emotional breakdowns.” Those anticipating an artistic Eem intrigue-appeal in a proximate Expedition Music 08. JAMES DIAMOND Show the World FSOE fusion of what its protagonists do sea of generally familiar titles “Top notch producer who always delivers great tracks with a little twist in them. A showcase for diversity.” can think again. With its raincry 8.0 and lyrics. In its original album vocal and Native American chants To date at least, Arctic Quest is best version, it was a vocal/song tour 09. THE NOBLE SIX ‘Colony/Chernobyl’ Kearnage pivoted against racing bass, tribal remembered for a batch of 2004 de force from Alex Vargas. No “This guy needs to get more credit. Every single track is just spot on. This EP shows his tech side.” drums and sudden drops, this releases on Armin’s then nascent more though. Thanks to Maor’s is almost exclusively Vini Vici & Armind label. Thus, it’s good to booming, occasionally bombastic 10. SCOT PROJECT ‘W5 [Waiting For]’ Outburst “Big bad-ass track like we used to get from Scot in the early days. The bomb.” Hilight Tribe’s turf. As to whether see Emiel ten Hoor back up and floor-port, it’s now an even more it rocks? Well, does it ever. production-operational at last. accomplished dual-hander.

djmag.com 125 LEFTFIELD FOUND SOUNDS [email protected] FOUND Dave Aju 10101 EP Circus Company QUICKIES 7. 5 Max Cooper San Fran native Aju has always Order From Chaos trod the outer limits of electronica, Mesh techno and soul with his lateral 7. 5 approach to beat making. This Debut release on Cooper’s own label, and very lovely outing sees him pair down to just it is too. Traversing the realms of IDM, techno and three elements including a Roland electronica with consummate ease, it’s another 909, SH-101 and a microphone showcase of this clever man's talents. to add the soulful vocal textures. Coming off like a blend of Duke Garwood Moodymann and Dam-Funk Coldblooded mutating the house, beats and Heavenly Recordings techno blueprint, it builds new 6.5 forms into the Aju portfolio. Check Giving us his best rendition of ‘The Man Comes for the broken R&B of ‘Always Around’-era Johnny Cash, the UK bluesman delivers Never’ and the downtempo ‘Tell another lovely single from newest LP release, Her Why’. ‘Garden Of Ashes’.

Various Liv Dawson Gabrielle Poso Presents The Open Your Eyes Languages Of The Tambores Method Records BBE 7.0 8.0 With a new producer onboard, in the form of Fans of Yoruba’s spiritual-tinged Disclosure’s Guy Lawrence, things have taken a tribal outings will be familiar with decidedly more poppy turn for Liv Dawson with Poso’s work already, however to this single. Not that that’s a bad thing, mind. see what has influenced him and MONEY where he sits in the pantheon of percussionists and drumming GABRIEL GARZÓN-MONTANO STONES THROW SHOT! elders, check out this sampler from Bonobo his forthcoming compilation. With Break Apart feat. more polyrhythms than you can Ninja Tune shake a drum-stick at, it’s a great 8.0 record that conveys musicality Bonobo’s music has grown and through the tribal beat, where so changed a great deal in recent many who replicate the genre fall years. If you put some of his down. A great start to the year early EPs up against tracks for BBE. like ‘Flashlight’, for example, you might struggle to join The Egg & Greg Hunter the dots. With this single, Horizons EP though — the second from his Quartin’s catalogue, Far Out Loop De Loop Records sixth LP, ‘Migration’ — there is uncover yet another lost gem. 6.0 something almost comforting This time it’s the work of jazz Would it be fair to describe about the fact that you can saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil Horizons as ? Or like hear the distant echoes of very who lines up here (alongside The Egg, are we showing our age? early tracks like ‘Sleepy Seven’ Brazilian legends Edison Lobo, Either way, it fits the descriptive and ‘Terrapin’ within its DNA. Helio Delmiro and Edison bill. Swathes of textural ambience 01. EGBERTO GISMONTI ‘De Repente’ ECM Records Another beautiful record. Machado) for this amazing mini over a pulsing, ever so slightly “Meditation. A guitar workout in the best possible way. The harmony is so LP/Maxi EP which re-imagines the industrial rhythm, that although provocative and his pocket so deep. My mother played him a lot at home and it work of iconic musician Antonio is very nice and relaxing doesn’t always reminds me of her — this is a must.” Carlos Jobim within a raw, deep really show any innovation or twist 02. BJÖRK ‘An Echo, A Stain’ One Little Indian “Beautiful, delicate, potent. This beat is ridiculous. Love this interpretation L’Orange and visceral jazz framework. Very on the theme. With the epic Gas of dub.” Koala EP lovely it is too. boxset from Wolfgang Voight in Mello Music Group current circulation, your money 03. SPACE PEOPLE ‘DX7 Of Love’ Styles Upon Styles “This track is too funky. I love the dusty techno vibe here. One of my favourite 7. 5 Soulnaturals feat. Kyle would be better spent there for producers right now.” Whether on his own, or teaming Auldist depth, quality and ingenuity. Or 04. THREE 6 MAFIA ‘Talk Ya Ass Off’ Relativity up with MCs like Jeremiah Jae, Mr You Make Me Feel Like I Can more simply put, a record with “Those 808 cowbells! The groove is sticky and funky. This whole record blew me away from a production standpoint. I checked it out last week after I heard Lif or Kool Keith, this guy always Change The World more emotional pull. Kanye talk about how 80% of hip-hop sounds the way DJ Paul and Juicy J seems to bring something a little Standard made it in 1991.” different to the table. Here he 4.0 Julia Holter 05. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ‘Kids’ Epic goes it alone with this collection Whilst benchmark labels like So Lillies “Unstoppable. This beat has me on the floor. Love the changes. Theatrical Documents vibe and funky low to the ground Tribe. Love how Tip starts his verse of seven two-minute-plus tracks Daptone, Truth & Soul and Now with the drunken master flow.” that not only focus on a “personal Again exist, it makes it very hard 7. 0 tribute to love and love lost”, for other labels to push their Taking cue from the BBC sessions 06. PORCHES ‘Protect’ Terrible Records “Epic and calming. Simple as that!” but which also highlight his deft less credible and inferior musical blueprint, Domino are inviting touch when it comes to emotive, wares under the radar. Sadly this some of their finest on the roster 07. DJ ORANGE-JULIUS ‘Give 2 Fux’ Mall Music Inc “Newer Teklife. The gun-cocking sample gives it that mouth-watering juiciness. instrumental, sample-based hip- single seems to typify all that is to record at various high-end Cleverness with the drums. This whole tape is amazing.” hop beats. bad about modern funk and soul. London studios. Holter kicks off 08. SAGE CASWELL ‘99 Goodbye’ 2MR Musically the original version the sessions, recorded at the “Sage is a don. That slow, syrupy house for the heads, this man is too funky. Victor Assis Brasil is fine, but its purely imitative, eponymous RAK studios, home I love.” Victor Assis Brasil Plays Jobim popularist, pastiche and brings to some of the finest Mickie 09. PRINCE ‘Minneapolis’ Warner Bros Far Out absolutely nothing new to the Most productions, and as this “Purple in the ‘90s — probably the last type of Prince I got into. Heavy.” 8.5 table. The less said about the preview of ’So Lillies’ proves in its 10. PETRONA MARTINEZ ‘Tierra Santa’ MTM Further exploring the riches of woeful d&b remix the better. climatic conclusion, seems to have “Bullerengue from Colombia. Petrona is a goddess. Once again some of the Brazilian Robert Lowest common denominator! captured the spirit of the moment. funkiest shit I’ve ever heard; makes me proud to be Colombian.”

126 djmag.com Untitled-1 1 16/01/2017 14:15 Feb 2017 - UK.indd 1 1/13/17 6:51 PM ALBUMS

SINCE bursting onto the ‘Golden Hands’ and ‘Sunrise’ French electro scene back in kick the album off on a bright 2002 with bustling, cocaine- and breezy note, and that’s addled tracks like ‘Extraball where it stays in the main. and ‘Tonight’, Pierre- There are more freeform Alexandre Busson, better moments in the form of the known as Yuksek, quickly noodling ‘We Love (Nous became one of France’s most Horizon)’, which sounds like exciting electronic producers. Bussons’ subconscious taking For his second album, 2011’s you on an enthralling journey ‘Living On The Edge of Time’, through a kaleidoscope of Busson moved away from the experimental disco. sonic excess of his debut and ‘Nous Horizon’ is at its delivered an indie-sounding best, then, when Busson long-player where the track’s is at his most daring and synths weren’t the main experimental, and that’s attraction, but instead it was exactly what you get with Busson’s songwriting and a host of the album’s best vocals taking centre stage. tracks. Standouts include Since then, Busson has been ‘Make It Easy’, a prickly fusion on a journey of self-discovery, of jazz, soul and disco, the broadening his horizons toe-tapping jaunty pop of with a new label, countless ‘Sweet Addiction’, which collaborations and remixes, features Busson on vocals, and being a mentor to the and the proto Italo-disco of next generation with his ‘Keep Looking In My Eyes’. imprint Partyfine. While his last album took Taking inspiration from this on a somewhat predictable Yuksek more collaborative approach, indie slant, ‘Nous Horizon’ in Nous Horizon his latest album follows a contrast sees Yuksek in pop Partyfine similar path in that it features impresario mode serving up a a host of collaborations free-flowing, intelligent long- — from old and new faces play that more than lives up 8.0 — including Juveniles, Her to his considerable talents. Fine partying and US-based singer Monika. Andrew Rafter

9.0 6.0 9.0 9.0

Tycho Vitalic The xx Manu Delago Epoch Voyager I See You Metromonk Ghostly International Citizen Records Young Turks A singular vision realised Voyage to where? Thank you xx Hang drum vibes

If ‘Epoch’ represents for Bay Area French producer Vitalic’s 2005 debut, Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Revered Hang player Manu Delago producer Scott Hansen, aka Tycho, the ‘OK Cowboys’, came at a time when Jamie Smith return with their eagerly returns with his third LP that continues to completion of the trilogy he began in was wallowing in the anticipated third album. After Jamie’s propel this intriguing, rare and relatively 2011 with ‘Dive,’ and continued in 2014 hangover from the so-called French solo triumph ‘In Colour’ he defiantly modern instrument into notoriety. with ‘Awake,’ then it’s definitely the most touch. 12-years on, ‘Voyager’ delves into brings his trademark sound back to the Readers who’ve seen Björk’s live shows realised iteration of this sonic vision cosmic disco’s past, melding the work of band, with sprinkles of his dance music over the past five years for ‘Biophilia’ yet. All three albums feature the same Jean-Michel Jarre, Giorgio Moroder and influence working a treat. ‘I See You’ is and ‘Vulnicura’ have likely already been signature minimalistic artwork depicting other sonic explorers. But where many a beautiful love story, about how the privy to Manu’s mastery of all things a , and deal in the same prog-rock of Vitalic’s previous productions have three friends have reunited after having percussive. The Hang vaguely resembles psychedelia meets ambient soundscapes; felt groundbreaking, much of ‘Voyager’ drifted apart and putting time into other an inverted steel drum, but is capable of though ‘Epoch’ feels like the wonderful doesn’t do enough to bring the sound ventures. Their credentials in the pop a much larger wealth of resonance and end-point he was trying to reach. into 2017 with any real meaning. Miss music world are now impressive — Jamie tones due to its design. Manu utilizes its The rush in which he delivered the album Kittin’s idle chat with artificial intelligence has produced for Alicia Keys, Romy has full range on ‘Metromonk’, with some of via digital platforms last September on ‘Hans Is Driving’ is fantastic as a written with Kelela — skills that they’ve its standout pieces based solely around it (its physical release following this year) concept, but comes off pedestrian — as essentially put back into their own while a few others pair it with guest vocals suggested a certain confidence in what with too much material on the album. writing. ‘Dangerous’ is 2-step-inspired and instrumentalists. Each composition he’d just completed. Indeed, its sweeping There are highlights, but for every high beats and cinematic horn stabs. ‘On on the album evokes a different mood synth melancholy manifests in the kind point there seems to be extended periods Hold’ is timeless; retro Casio-style drum through its writing and production, of organic soundscapes that seem to ebb of stale sonic movement, suggestive that loops and dreamy pads alongside an making ‘Metromonk’ captivating, complex and flow organically, shrugging off any ‘Voyager’ is a body of work perhaps more effortlessly catchy hook. The album is and innovative. A simple and organic predictable sense of structure or formula. demanding of an EP, and too often feels uplifting from start to finish, with an warmth also exists throughout, and it There’s a huge amount of depth, nuance unadventurous for an artist of Vitalic’s element of romantic charm to their lyrics makes for a calming counterpoint to and detail to the compositions, where calibre. Rob McCallum that is warmly welcomed. Thank you The the many musical elements and ideas warmth and sadness meet as the mellow xx for setting the tone for a feel-good present. Zara Wladawsky and upbeat harmonies mash seductively 2017. Anna Wall into each other. Angus Thomas Paterson

128 djmag.com ALBUMS

9.0 8.0 7. 5 8.0 Babe, Terror Brian Eno Clap! Clap! Sherwood & Pinch Ancient M’ocean Reflection A Thousand Skies Man vs Sofa Phantasy Warp Black Acre On-U Sound vs Tectonic Recordings Full bodied Garden of Eden African trip Got guts

A strange and unsettling feeling emerges In a world of kicks and snares, here comes Cristiano Crisci, the Italian artist behind The title of their second LP might sound at the beginning of this album, but it’s a welcome return from the pioneer of Clap! Clap!, melts African rhythms and like a weight loss class you signed up to encased by a warmth and familiarity the ambient movement — Brian Eno. vocals into his multifarious electronic in a burst of short-lived motivation at the that makes it really very hard to stop Having changed our way of thinking with beats. Like Auntie Flo, Débruit or Daphni, start of January, but listening to. Sao Paulo’s ambient noise the Oblique Strategies technique, the he’s fascinated by the diverse sounds of and Pinch’s joint aesthetic seems to be artist Babe, Terror’s latest LP drops on idea has clearly kept his own productions the vast continent. about making things as heavy as possible: ’s Phantasy label. It’s a concept defiantly paralleled and forward-thinking. Following Crisci’s 2014 Black Acre debut a dubbed-out deconstruction of Ryuichi album accompanied by a comic book to For his latest instalment, instruments ‘Tayi Bebba’, ‘A Thousand Skies’ deepens Sakamoto’s piano theme to ‘Merry illustrate the story. For all the serious were sampled and laden with effects his musical identity and invites several Christmas Mr Lawrence’ aside, most of feeling the album conjures, the chaotic chains to create unique algorithms; the African collaborators aboard to create a ‘Man vs Sofa’ — from ‘Midnight Mindset’’s layers — some beautiful, others harsh, beautifully sustained note sequences welcome two-way street of sonic treats. bass frequencies to Taz’s snarl on ‘Gun most of which melancholic — reveal that are constantly evolving. “It’s a lot like , house and the LA beats scene Law’ — leaves size-nine holes in your when you pair the aural experience with gardening: you plant the seeds and are all hues to splash on the canvas. ‘Ode solar plexus. Overall, it’s more aggressive that of the comic book, a new perspective then you keep tending to them until you To The Pleiades’ weaves spooky string and uncompromising than 2015’s ‘Late takes shape. Humour. Following the get a garden you like,” Brian explains. instruments, beautiful vocals and found Night Endless’, seemingly slightly more comic whilst listening may seem a little Refractions of sound move across sounds with jazz piano. Wonky, skittering influenced by the techno-influenced laborious but it certainly shifts the boundaries and dreamy notes resonate beats and shocks of vivid electro wares of Pinch’s Tectonic label than experience into something visual (mostly into the ether. From one continuous melody constitute ‘Nguwe’, combining the more traditional dubwise sounds imaginary), which is where the music note to another, building subtly and alchemically with South African folk of Sherwood’s On-U Sound, but those thrives. Dubious? Well, this really isn’t developing into one of his most intricate singer Bongeziwe Mabandla’s vocals. seeking reggae righteousness will be anything high-brow or pretentious — just experiments yet. ‘Reflection’ is a finely The samples enrich the electronics; this more than satisfied with ‘Lies’ featuring approach it with an open mind and all tuned melodic masterpiece; a voyage into isn’t a case of appropriation, but closer the legendary Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, which shall be revealed, wonderfully. Leon sound design that all musicians of the to a cultural exchange. It’s a hypnotic, has the soulful splendour of Massive Clarkson modern day should be thoroughly taking transporting record. Ben Murphy Attack’s collaborations with Horace note of. Anna Wall Andy. Paul Clarke

Bonobo Migration Ninja Tune 8.5 Mi-GREAT-ion

MORE than three years on since acclaimed the overall sound thankfully doesn’t stray LP ‘’, Bonobo — aka far from what we’ve come to love about him Simon Green — is dropping his sixth over the last decade or so. album on Ninja Tune. ‘Migration’ is loosely ‘Migration’ does however show an based around Bonobo’s fascination with evolution in Bonobo’s ability to have an how spaces and people evolve as they album arc from beginning to end as a move location around the world. His own cohesive unit as it softly opens up, hits a personal experience with this stems from stride with a series of dynamic songs and his moves from the UK to fades away awash in reverb-soaked strings. and . This transitory theme Stand-out tracks include the joyous is strengthened by the guest artists on ‘Bambro Koya Ganda’, which pairs some ‘Migration’ that hail from various corners of the album’s most functional and of the globe. Many of the LP’s found propulsive dance music percussion with sound samples also come from disparate call and response lyrics and claps from New international places. York-based Moroccan band, Innov Gnawa. Musically, ‘Migration’ follows on in ‘7th Sevens’ also pits shuffling rhythms Bonobo’s signature style; lush and against freer, jazz-infused instrumentation downtempo pairings of woozy and emotive shrouded in layers of atmospheric sound electronics with acoustic instrumentation exquisitely produced and engineered to and vocals. While his songwriting, weave sonically between dense fog and production and composition have matured, clarity. Zara Wladawsky

djmag.com 129 ALBUMS QUICKIES

8.5 8.0 Artefakt FJAAK Kinship FJAAK S.A.M. Kingdom astvaldur Delsin Monkeytown Dream State Of A Tears In The Club At Least Sibling senses Berlin wins, again Bellmaker Fade To Mind oqko Delaphine 8.5 6.0 The Dutch duo’s ability to coerce It’s kind of odd to think that using 7. 0 Bawling out Cinematic sounds musicality out from the clutches of the breakbeats in 2017 can sound Dream time genre’s necessary monotone is their progressive, but that’s exactly what Berlin One word seems to From Iceland’s astvaldur, most wieldable asset on their debut trio FJAAK have nailed. But it’s not just Lush, minimal house crop up whenever the ‘At Least’ unveils his LP. Modulated arpeggios and snippets the finely-honed breaks that are forward- from the Copenhagen- LA-based Fade To Mind is multi-faceted skills for of real-life ambiences come diligently thinking here; it’s the whole package. based producer that mentioned: futuristic. Led texture in production, sprinkled throughout, spliced with a Although a techno album at heart, floats through engulfing by Kingdom, a pioneer with incredibly intricate subtle off-world futurism that avoids FJAAK’s self-titled debut crams in a ton of soundscapes, emotive of a unique brand of soundscapes. He crosses the predictable Blade Runner-esque vibes and influences, but still feels wholly techno and jazz-flecked forward-thinking R&B, but his influences rehashes so often seen. Techno ‘rooted in fresh. The three brains that made the jams. It’s an absorbing, doused with some of the are still rooted in the aesthetics of decayed tape’ asserts their record clearly have a lot of ideas spilling ambient affair, but with most visionary elements clubs. The album works bio — so it’s no surprise when the first out of them, and some fine, fierce stuff is just enough rhythm cherry-picked from the unconventional song track ‘Kinship’ kicks off in accordance, captured as a result. to steer things toward underground. Mining patterns alongside the gentle but driving ambience The finest of that stuff includes moody sharp and punchy at a trance, dancehall and beautiful tension-building blending nostalgic, wandering pads with pounder ‘Wolves’, ’90s-referencing ‘Das few choice points. Music pop, ‘Tears In The Club’ is strings, sparse drops fragile analogue bass work. The theme Programm’ and the mighty ‘Fast Food’, for the window seat of a extraordinarily beautiful. and haunting melodies continues with the sultry ‘Tapestry’, a which erupts into sheer banging, ballsy plane. Tristan Parker Felicity Martin aplenty. Anna Wall hypnotic ballad underpinned with warm bliss (reminiscent of fellow Berliners pulsing grooves. Stand-outs include the Modeselektor, who appear on the acidic electro-inspired ‘Somatic Dreams’ and ‘Fjkslkrt’), all underpinned by those the acid-tinged ‘Return To Reason’, it’s a creative, rave-referencing breaks. sublime composition of pitch-bent strings Intelligent, uncompromising club and haunting distortions. Rather than sounds. Tristan Parker just dance music, ‘Kinship’ is a listening experience. Morgan Jones Loyle Carner Red Rack’em President T Yesterday’s Gone Self Portrait T On The Wing AMF Records Bergerac Star Work Music 8.0 8.5 8.5 Family affair Lemme take a selfie Unpresidented

Soul-jazz inspired Red Rack’em, aka Dan Opening, bizarrely, with backdrops are nothing Berman, steps up with an edit of Katy Perry’s groundbreaking in his first album in four ‘E.T’, President T repeats 8.0 8.0 hip-hop, but beauty still years. Devised and created “Prez, where you been?” prevails when a skilled during a “period of It’s an apt bar, seeing Blue Fields The Golden Filter word-slinger can decorate transition” after moving as the cult MC has only Swimming In The Shadows Still // Alone them with a motive and a to Berlin, ‘Self Portrait’ recently made a return to Haunt Music Optimo Music purpose. The 22-year-old shows exactly where he’s the game. Considering In the deep end Half-remembered ’80s Londoner’s effortless at. Harsh, deliberate that this is only a prequel delivery reflects an honest sampling is combined to his ‘Stranger Things’ Japanese guitarist Takeshi Nishimoto Can’t get enough of Factory Floor? Pining humbleness that fits like a with bassline grooves album, due in Spring, it’s often evokes America as seen in an for some new Glass Candy? Australian/ glove. He even features his and deft use of melody. a serious return to form outsider’s imagination: a road movie American duo The Golden Filter, or parents. Classy. Mature. Seriously rich in ideas, from the MC who’s big in tableau of dusty desert highways with Penelope Trappes and Stephen Hindman, Fresh. Morgan Jones and incredibly fun. Leon heaven. Felicity Martin enigmatic loners hitch-hiking by the have got you covered. Originally formed Clarkson side. For their Blue Fields collaboration, in New York, they’re now in London, and he’s been picked up by techno traveller you can definitely discern what Optimo Mike Shannon, who takes Nishimoto’s heard in them. REPEAT THE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE... six strings down a different route into On their fifth album they channel a more sci-fi territory, floating amidst skeletal machine funk, part analogue a weightless atmosphere of gleaming techno, part post-punk serrations (in synths and softly brushed drums. Penelope’s vocals particularly). Strobe-lit Following on from 2012’s debut album dance for the first side of the record, they ‘Ghost Story’, ‘Swimming In The Shadows’ venture into dark on part two. once more has plenty of moments like ‘Questions’, with its ominous synth bass ‘The Breeze Through The Door’ which and Penelope’s -esque, could almost be Ry Cooder soundtracking disconsolate vocal is especially good. Playgroup Moiré Vermont Previously Unreleased No Future II the new ‘Blade Runner’ film. There are And while the acidic pump of ‘Now We Yes Wave Records Ghostly International Kompakt a few diversions like the slow-burning Get Lost’ would work wonderfully in dark 8.0 9.0 8.0 techno-jazz epic ‘I Felt That It Was True’ rooms with sweat dripping from the featuring Cobblestone Jazz’s Danuel ceiling, when they shift gears into ‘Drive’- Worth your ear, even if you While others try to sound Enough synths to make Tate, while French singer Ilhem Khodja style , the Golden Filter hit were still going to actual futuristic, Moiré actually Kraftwerk weep. adds a little trip-hop tinge, but in the pole position. This is excellent stuff that playgroups when it was does. main it’s Nishimoto’s guitar in the driving deserves a wide audience. Ben Murphy recorded. seat. Paul Clarke

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Untitled-1 1 16/01/2017 15:54 COMPILATIONS QUICKIES

Various Various Various Future Sounds Of Jazz 10 Years Of Dogmatik Terraforming In Vol. 13 Records Analogue Space: IRL Compost Records Dogmatik Remixes 2000-2015 Various Independent Records Ltd. Selectors Vol. 2: Young 7. 0 7. 0 All-round gems Weapon heavy 8.0 Marco IRL FTW Dekmantel From eerie beginnings — There’s nothing new about the beatless, atmospheric the idea of a ’10 Year’ Created in 2003 as Dernier Amour by label showcase, though a label to showcase 8.5 Van Hai — through in the case of Dogmatik contemporary Irish music Dek mental metronomic dub house Records it comes in the that evolved into a global on Karim Sahraoui’s form of a sprawling roster and platform, WITH this unmixed compilation series times — difficult to describe, if you can Father’s Legacy, and four-part anthology. If Independent Records Ltd Dekmantel encourages DJs to dig deep find any consistency at all it must be the the exotic percussion you’re already a Dogmatik celebrate 100 releases into their musical heritage in the same beats. Young Marco clearly likes ‘em fresh of Tony Allen re-read devotee there’s not a lot with a double album way they would at the namesake Croatian as fuck — perhaps best exemplified on by Ricardo Villalobos, that’s new, though it’s curated by Nick ‘Dubulah’ festival, so it should come as no surprise ‘Whirr’ by Frank Youngwerth, a breaks once again Compost no judgement on the Page (Dub Colossus, that the second instalment spans a track that wouldn’t be out of place on boss-gent Michael functional excellence of Syriana, Xáos) featuring mind-boggling range. Lackadaisical Layo & Bushwacka’s ‘Low Life’. Equally Reinboth proves he has the tech-house collected remixes of IRL’s catalogue percussive funk (Wolf Muller ‘Pfad Des apparent on the bumblingly cartoonish access to the finest global here. Dusky, Maya Jane from like-minded artists Windes’), sci-fi adventures in echoed — and accurately titled — ‘Mariopaint’, electronic curveballs Coles and many more who transform relatively tom rhythms (‘200 FA’ from The Force Ray Tracing’s ode to cartridge-based fun, imaginable. Martin besides. Angus Thomas simple originals. Zara Dimension), traditional Japan trapped whilst many releases claim to unearth Guttridge-Hewitt Paterson Wladawsky in a Casio (‘Swizzle’ by Ghostwriters) unexpected gems and oddities, in this and space-age neo-Detroit tech moods case it’s not just a marketing slant but (Larry Heard’s ‘Dolphin Dream’) are all rather a genuine invitation to investigate represented. And, regardless of birth the almost-forgotten recesses of a truly dates, all sound newly unboxed. privileged aural upbringing. Martin Explorative, rare, random and — at Guttridge-Hewitt

Various Various Matthew Dear The Best Of Get Slow Porn presente DJ-Kicks Physical 2016 Prise de Vue 1 !K7 Get Physical My Favorite Robot 8.5 7. 0 8.0 Melancholic to mad Bursting at the seams Nice ‘n’ sleazy Matthew Dear keeps the The fact there’s nearly This otherworldly ‘DJ-Kicks’ winning streak 9.5 8.0 50 tracks crammed compilation of 18 tracks alive with a comprehensive onto this annual ‘best couldn’t live up to the snapshot of his musical Various Various Artists of’ illustrates just how ‘Slow Porn’ name more if persona. A melancholic New Order Presents: Be Music Dreamy Harbor prolific Get Physical truly it tried. Sexy, immersive, opening from Nils Frahm Factory Benelux Tresor are, and there’s plenty low-BPM beats veer is swiftly followed by the History lesson Techno prisoners that probably slipped from avant-synth rock welcome sound of Dear’s underneath your radar last (‘Imperfect Launch’) to own gravelly vocals, its New Order’s affiliation with dance 25-years into its journey at the centre of year. While the glory days scuzzy sleaze (‘Never Ask gentler grooves morphing and electro music is no secret. It’s a Berlin’s electronic music scene, Tresor situated at the epicenter Games’), arpeggiated into funkier techno that prominent theme through their early shows no signs of slowing down after an of the house music synth-pop (‘Close To concludes with several work and, of course, their most notable anniversary year that saw a slew of top- zeitgeist might be behind The Next Beat’) to explosive cuts from his hit ‘Blue Monday’ will go down in music notch releases through its imprint. The it, this release reinforces atmospheric nu-disco Audion alias. A proper history, but exactly how involved they latest, a spellbinding collection of work its consistence. Angus (‘Moon Invaders’). Martin treat for Dear fans. Angus were in dance/electro isn’t necessarily from artists close to the club, offers a Thomas Paterson Guttridge-Hewitt Thomas Paterson common knowledge. Well here, with this home accompaniment for Tresor’s distinct Be Music compilation, a comprehensive brand of techno. Vainqueur’s ‘Solanus discography (36 tracks in total) of (Extracted 2)’ opens, a beatless synth THE PICK OF OUR LATEST productions by members of New Order, work-out, before Shao and Terrence Dixon ON THE POD PODCASTS & EXCLUSIVE MIXES and classic dance/electro tracks released drive things forward. Highlights follow djmag.com | soundcloud.com/djmag on Factory Records between 1982 and from the ever-impressive pairing of Juan 1985, the picture becomes a lot clearer. Atkins & Moritz Von Oswald on ‘Electric A bustling collection of tracks that take Dub (edit)’, TV Victor’s percussive workout you right back to the early ‘80s era, ‘La Beff’, and ‘Odawah Jam’ from French many of them — Nyam Nyam ‘Fate/ maestro, Marcelus. Hate’, Shark Vegas ‘You Hurt Me’ to name The darkness and light of the release is a few — clearly playing their part in scattered across the compilation, and inspiring the way dance music formed in it may have benefitted from separating the UK and Europe during the resulting these for a more cohesive listen, but as a formative years. A great education, and package ‘Dreamy Harbor’ is the perfect EXCLUSIVE MIX: FRESH KICKS: DJ MAG WEEKLY a welcome addition to any audiophile’s way to bring Tresor’s sound into your MAK & PASTEMAN ITOA PODCAST: HAMMER collection. Leon Clarkson living room. Rob McCallum

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