Electro Recommendations May 2011

Review: The third and last 1000 Lights In The Sky edition from The Exaltics on Dutch label Bunker is the hardest and darkest of all. Atmospheric dark electro/techno, the gruff and moody sibling of the trilogy is all about eerie corners and brimming pockets of acid. The ambitious three part album from the German underground electro heroes is well composed and impeccably produced, as the first two proved and the final upholds. "Things Fall Apart", "Leave The Ship Now" and "Fallen Planet" are as tough as they get, twanging beats and heavy drums bounce off each other in a sphere of depth and weave a story throughout with subtle changes. "Compressed Thoughts" meanders atmospherically through subaqautic electro, conjuring deep mind trips and easing into the dancefloor rhythm of "Creep Over" whose synth line holds hostage and doesn't intend to let go. Not for the faint hearted, this vinyl culmination is tough - beautifully so, but tough never the less.

Review: Big release from Citinite - one of London's best kept secrets - enlisting modern day artists synonymous with current electro-funk / boogie revival to reinterpret tracks from the cult 80s band Sexual Harassment! Focusing on the punk funkateers 1983 mini album I Need A Freak, Dam Funk, Jimmy Edgar and Citinite regulars Sweat X and Robert O'Dell step up on this brilliant looking twelve. Dam Funk enlists unknown vocalist Lil Kenny for a suitably steamy take on "You Are My Sexual Connection" whilst Sweat X drops a hot agro take on the band's most ubiquitous track "I Need A Freak", which is filled with jagged sonic turns and sinister synth work! On the flip Jimmy Edgar drops a surprising take on "Exercise Your Ass Off" - all spazzed out synths, loose limbed bass riffs and live drums excellently ridden by the equally frenetic vocals of G Rizo. O'Dell's version of "If I Gave You A Party" is one of those rare productions which will defy any attempt at genre classification - seemingly veering between different sonic atmospheres without ever sounding terrible! The band may have been short lived but their cultural legacy on modern day music can be gauged by just how much anticipation has been building around this release.

Review: The second release from the Clone stable this week aptly demonstrates why the multi faceted Dutch imprint will always have a place in our collective hearts! The lesser spotted Clone Crown Ltd series returns a lesson in Detroit electro funk history courtesy of Erik Travis. Responsible for the Detroit collectors item "Programming" under his Sound Of Mind alias back in 1987, Travis seemingly fell off the radar before reappearing in the late 90s. Having set up his own FACT Records label, he's been quietly releasing his own unique take on Detroit music ever since. A round of applause to Clone then for squeezing these four slices of Travis brilliance out of him, with the title track the sort of expert boombap melding of vintage electro and techno that demands you play it in the discoteque. Elsewhere "Arise" and "Can't Get Off" sounds like a Viagra embellished take on the fresh beat sounds of James Pants debut opus. Finally "Phone Sex" is a sample heavy Detroit electro funk epic with the rudest kick drum in some time! Big tip!

Review: Dutch label Bunker have always adorned their wax with a healthy dosage of track offerings. This time, Bunker 3092 serves up eight electro fuelled pieces that reek of early mornings wrapped in underground grime and strobe filled basements. Each track is equally trippy, for the mind and for the floor with electro synths, keyboard bleeps and wailing samples swooshing through all of the eight untitled tracks.