DJs: Most Charted - Minimal / Tech - September 2015

Review: Berlin's Alex Seidel is up next on Max Graef and Glenn Astro's new Money $ex Records and keeping on with the simply titled EP, which features five tracks fully in line with the label's aesthetic of dusty, sampled based, hip-hop derived deep house. Starting things off with the eerie soundscape of "-Encounter+" he soon launches into the usual biz you know him for, with the rusty acid workout of "Boogie Down Sessions" and the right party starter "Midnight Circle" which is reminiscent of Motor City Drum Ensemble's Raw Cuts series. Finally "W.T.T.D." presents us with yet another wacky VHS sci-fi soundscape.

Review:  Alcachofa, Ricardo Villalobos's 2013 debut LP for Playhouse, is rightly considered a classic of the minimal style and there remains a clamour for a repress today despite the fact one arrived only four years ago. Whilst that is nowhere in sight, the Chilean has elected to pick out two highlights of the album for re-release on his irregular label Sei Es Drum. Any self-respecting techno scholar should be more than familiar with the wistful abstraction of "Easy Lee" and the romantic minimalist bliss of "Dexter". Expect to hear these out again in the clubs over the coming months.

Review: Moscow Records boss Archie Hamilton appears this time on Enzo Siragusa's Fuse London imprint with these slices of rolling, Latin-infused tech-house for the beach party. This is the kind of stuff that lovers of Mindshake and Rawthentic will be all over. First up "Mind Blank" brings the tough yet sultry attitude that you could imagine playing peak time at Amnesia. "Works On Sunday" takes the tempo down a notch or two for something more suited to the afterhours, but just as sexy. There's also a remix of this on the flip by none other than label boss Siragusa with Seb Zito keeping the afterhours vibe intact but with a druggier, minimal take on things.

Review: Daniel Paul and Jens Augustowsky have been steering Cabinet Records for twenty years now, establishing the label as one of Berlin's most reliable outlets for techy, housey fare and contributing their own weight in productions under various aliases. Cab Drivers is one of their longest-running collaborations with Playroom their 11th 12" release under the name in those two decades, and their studio understanding is quite evident in the productions. Both the ten minute title cut and "A Less Complex Situation" are understated but wholly effective DJ tools with the subtle acid modulations of the former just edging it.

Review: Switzerland's Alci first made his name on Phil Weeks' Robsoul a few years back, and he's come a long way since then, now landing on Dan Ghenacia, Shonky and Dyed Soundorom's Apollonia imprint, home to Chris Carrier, Premiesku, and even Kerri Chandler, of all people! The young Swiss house aficionado slams down three killer, itchy and teched-out groovers, with "Garden Of Buddha" kicking things off with a minimal edge and some naughty little sonics, to boot. The flipside sees "All Bun" scurry its intricate percussion swing around stripped-back melodies, whereas "Travelling Soul" adds in a little bit of flavor and a lot more funk thanks to its deep bassline and echoing sways of melody. Nice stuff.

Review: Hamburger DJ Koze and his Pampa imprint never fails to impress. This time he recruits the legendary German producer Isolee to work his magic on this tremendous release. It's the quirkiest of minimal house that you'd expect on "Floripa" with its druggy and hypnotic style reminiscent of Perlon or Villalobos. On the flip is "Favouride" and undoubtedly one of the darkest tracks he's ever produced with its humming sub bass and creepy pygmy chants fading in and out of the mix over some seriously tight rhythm programming. It's just got to be heard. Tip!

Review: With previous releases on I'm A Cliche and Correspondant, Moscoman, originally from Tel Aviv but now in Berlin, arrives at the city's Salon zur Wilde Renate institution delivering them a fourth release. First up is "Girls Down South", a cool and sexy groover that's perfect for the warm up set, alongside a chugging epic that is "Deluded Heart". On the flip there's two versions of Devoue; the original is a real standout with low slung bass working off some cool drumming; punk funk anyone? The remix by Manfredas is a more for an afterhours take for the Sunday crowd.

Review: Colin McBean aka Mr G is back with another full length. We know what you're thinking; it's probably awesome? Well duh! Damn right it is, so here's more with the good news; several tracks of slamming tech funk that this man is renowned for and it's all killer. First track "Entrance" is the soundtrack to a techno aerobics class, take a listen! "Sub Level 3 (G's Freak Zone)" uses a nasty arpeggio untypical of his previous work but those strings that come in are just epic! "Interlude @ ?" keeps on with his typical sense of humour and in sound with its tough and dirty sense of funk that's so emotive at the same time. "Thrust" is proper peak time business that reminds you why he was once one half of The Advent; banging, doom laden hard groove.

Review: There's much to enjoy about Shine Grooves' first appearance on Kimochi, not least his seeming fascination with the humid, melodious positivity of classic '90s ambient house, Japanese deep house and the cheerier end of intergalactic intelligent techno. For those of a certain vintage, parallels can be drawn between "Tea", in particular, and the often-overlooked work of Mr YT, or - for a more contemporary reference - the new age influenced bliss of Hashman DJ. There are plenty of reasons to be cheerful elsewhere, too, from the rush-inducing ambience of "343", to the dense tribal-inspired stickiness of "Roughness", and the atmospheric warmth of "Old Radio".

Review: Emerging in 2001, Aybee has spent more than a decade gathering respect from all corners of the electronic music scene. Releasing music under a wide range of monikers over the years, Aybee's versatility is genre defiant and seamless in its quality. Tsuba score a coup here, coaxing him to remix "Reflexions" from Ethyl & Huxley not once but twice. The dub mix plays with a lonesome but bad ass bass loop and organic hand claps - coupled with the electronic melody Aybee shows us that simplicity is key. His second remix gets deeper and warmer as stretched synths roll and elegant wind instruments flitter along the top line. On the B-Side we have Ethyl and Huxley's "Slims"; dark, evolving and intense, the track is strewn with eerie recordings, chopped shakers and a creeping and spooky bass roll.

Review: Riding high on the success of a second release that introduced A-Scott & Chad to the Constant Sound fold, the third instalment finds Burnski back in the saddle to offer up "Changes", getting into a more techno-oriented frame of mind without losing that warmth and playful sensibility he has made his own over the years.
After strong remixes from Trus'me, Steve O'Sullivan and Cab Drivers on previous releases, Constant Sound 003 gives another opportunity for the label to call upon the finest in the business to reinterpret the original material.
In keeping with the heads-down workout tones of Burnski's original, it makes perfect sense to invite an artist as accomplished as Deadbeat up for a remix. Scott Monteith has long been a stellar example of how to push dub techno in thrilling new directions and it shows on his version of "Changes".
Kris Wadsworth has just as much to say for himself after years spent crafting heavyweight house and techno with a mercenary instinct matched by lashings of machine soul. He reduces the original track into a stripped down techno dub perfect for late at night. His remix will only be available on the vinyl.
It's yet another step forwards for a label committed to delivering nothing but the highest quality house and techno for those who seek a touch more depth from their music.

Review: To mark 20 years since they first joined forces, Freaks men Justin Harris and Luke Solomon have decided to get some of their best moments remixed. This first installment of the Let's Do It Again project - more volumes are due later in the year - is pretty darn strong, containing as it does a typically fluid, hypnotic, weird and trippy remix of 2000 album track "The Man Who Lived Underground" from Ricardo Villalobos. The Tuff City Kids remix of "Been Out" sticks closer to the vibe of the original version, whilst updating it a little for modern house dancefloors. If that wasn't enough, the EP also includes a previously unheard 1999 edit of "Instrument", a Freaks track which first appeared on the 1996 debut 12".

Review: French minimal house auteur Seuil is back on the scene and on form too. Dabbling in fairly naff deep house for the last few years, he's gone back to what he does best; clicky and quirky reductionist groove as seen also on his other collaboration Hold Youth with Le Loup. The bumpy and bleepy bassline working with a wacky micro-sampled rhythm section on "Vespere & Bongos" demands your attention. As does the tremendous remix by The Mole; a tad more dancefloor friendly and working those bongo drums infectiously well. The claustrophobic and beatless glitch-fest that is "Snow White" repeats the pitch-shifted phrase "so what are we doing?" It doesn't do much, but that's what's so good about it!

Review: Vox Populi Records head Frederic Scharf travelled to Turkey on an eight day trip. His team collected live recordings, jam sessions and field recordings and here are the results of it. Istanbul producer Baris K is up first with a truly majestic track that is "Chapter I" sounding like something Ricardo Villalobos would stand up and notice. Montreal's Valentin Stip appears on the same side of the record with "Chapter II" utilising more of the lovely exotic instrumentation incorporated into a smooth minimal house excursion. On the flip "Chapter III" by Berlin's Volkan Akin is the real standout on here; a percussion driven workout taking in the sounds of a busy street market, allowing you to imagine yourself on a motorcycle ride through the city. Finally "Chapter IV" from Tim Karbon gets its groove on in a nice rolling fashion complete with emotive strings and tripped out samples that will easily work a peak time dancefloor.

Review: Given his previous productivity, Andre Lodemann has been rather quiet of late, with his last release of note being the Coming My Way EP on DFTD in 2014. Here, he hits back hard, dropping an impressive two-tracker for Dixon's increasingly dark Innervisions outlet. While virtual flipside "Between The Notes" is particularly stripped back and wonky - think 10 minutes of throbbing, minimal-influenced grooves, epic builds and, eventually, spine tingling backwards strings - it's title track "Leaving The Comfort Zone" that really hits the spot. While similarly stretched-out in mindset, it's altogether tougher, and the minor key melodies a little spookier. It's also rather psychedelic, despite the presence of what sounds like a sly guitar sample from Odyssey's version of "Going Back To My Roots".

Review: Optimo Music's strictly dancefloor oriented sublabel cracks on with some killer new material from The Golden Filter and Morgan Hammer. "Heavy" doesn't really same as its name suggests, until the drop that is. Its simple but effective analogue groove reminiscent of Marc Houle's finer moments. "Outimacy" gets a tougher groove on complete with analogue squeals and washes of white noise for added effect. On the flip we have rising French producer Morgan Hammer offering us the charmingly titled "Arrogant Bastard" where an epic Italo disco style arpeggio rolls away beneath swirling synths and Hammer's own vocals; so hot! She also offers us "Killer Nighter" which keeps on with the Italo disco influences and more of her own vocals and it's all rather effective in a way than fans of Anton Malovvi and Giallo Disco will certainly appreciate.

Review: Acid Arab is a collaboration between Guido Minisky and Herve Carvalho, which seeks to unite the worlds of underground dance music and Middle Eastern tradition. In the wrong hands, this could have ended horribly, sounding like an advert for a package tour to Morocco. Thankfully on El Maghreb, for I:Cube's always essential Versatile, the pair manage to bring these two worlds together with great flair. The most functional track is "Mogador (club version)", where dense drums and spiraling horns create a fantastical, frenzied track. However, it's not hard to escape the notion that Acid Arab are capable of far more adventurous combinations and this is audible on the hypnotic, mysterious pipe playing and seductive pulses of "Hafla" and on "Amal", a slow-motion, dubbed out mood music piece.

Review: Something Records boss, elusive production room deviant, raw house outsider, and Perlon regular, STL, rises back up from the shadows and drops a new EP for Portugal's low-key Assemble Music. As per usual, he's cool, he's tight with his beats, and he means business; "Crank Notion" itself is a bubbly, playful house number complete with the man's signature percussive twist and deranged pseudo bells - all in all, an effective DJ tool with an edge. Over on the flip, "Neat Buzzl" gets all the love from us; a woozy, dark and cavernous techno bomb with a slow pace and a mean lean. It's exactly the sort of gear we want to be pulled out at 4am. Choice cuts, as always.

Review: Among other great outings, Tel Aviv's Red Axes have seen releases on Hivern Discs and I'm A Cliche. This time, however, the duo launch their own Garzen Records, and with it bring a flurry of gorgeous, off-kilter dance music that blurs the lines between many genres. "Kol Sof Sof", for example, sounds like a detuned 80's classic that's been given the electronic treatment, while "Kadima Ahora" is a gritty drum machine ballad with the Eylon A Crotch dropping some vocal spirituality onto the groove. Let's just call it Middle Eastern dance music for the future; oh, and let's also not forget to mention that it's great.

Review: Craigie Knowes is a new record label from Scotland, raising money for charity with music from the underground's finest. The First Annual Fundraiser: War Child will donate all profits to War Child International and have recruited an all-star cast to encourage us all to dig deep; not just for vinyl but into our pockets to help children affected by war. There's a lot of great tracks on here such as the analogue bubblebath that is "Grafta" by Lord Of The Isles, the driving, grinding techno workout that is Bicep's "Mallma" and not forgetting Move D's "Taps Aff For Glasgow" a slow burning epic that fans of Moufang will no doubt embrace. But it's Neville Watson's "War Child" that is our favourite; his typically soulful analogue machine workout summoning the ghost in the machines.

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

Review: Using the Turkish psychedelic project Insanlar as a jump off point, Honest Jon's have enlisted Ricardo Villalobos to turn out one of his grandiose remix projects that gels so naturally with more exotic sound sources. The original of "Kime Ne" is already an enchanting, Moog-infused groover rich with traditional vocals, and then Mr Villalobos locks the ingredients in for a typically cosmic ride into stripped and hypnotic house territory, letting the lutes intertwine with dusty reams of percussion using that alchemists touch that could only come the man himself. The remix spreads itself over two sides of wax, leaving one side of the double pack free for a fetching etching as well.