Minimal House/Tech House charts

Review: Digwah keeps it tough on this next drop on their own self-titled label. It's a ninth outing and in the time it has taken for those to come out, increasing numbers of people have been catching on to the label's work and making it a 'must check' in their mental lists. This one opens up with 'Couldnt Hate You' which has some Ian Brown vocals samples stitched into a glitchy and menacing beat. 'Open Ended' is just as twitchy and anxious with steely drums and brain frying synths all working hard to fire every synapse in your brain. Effective stuff.

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

Review: First released in 2006, 'Ceerial Port' is the ultimate wildcard in the electro profligate Ceephax's towering discography. The seven-or-eight track album does things with the electro form that few of Mr. Jenkinson's contemporaries would dare ever indulge, were it not for this initial fatherly stamp of approval. lead reissue cut 'Acid Whorl' is the foremost case in point, hard-limiting and soft-clipping a cyclonic 'whorlwind' of pitch-whacked acid effluence. Further 8-bit playtimes come in the form of 'Acid Highway' and 'Acid Causeway', recalling the feeling of scouring the outer edges of an Atari Kart game and encountering nothing but rolling, pixelated skies; 'Tough Grugoy Acid' and 'Woodlice Acid' make up the longer wavelengths on the spectrum, stomping and echo-rimshotting to ever-weighty, yet jolly ends.

Review: Kreiskollaps is the track which starts the new Oslo Label, having proved it's ability to rock dance floors nationwide. Christian Burkhardt presents a slice of contemporary Minimalism, adding lush atmospheres and rounding it up with a deep pumping bassline. Think that's enough? Wait till you here Federico Molinari's Remix. It's more on the housy and hypnotic tip but still maintains the whole context of the track and is sure as hell going to move your butt.

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

Review: French based DJ queen Karmina makes her debut with this minimal smasher "Wonder 21". This Opossum release is supported by a deep waving Mathew Jonson remix and a dark spherical Blackwall remix.

Review: German born DJ, producer and remixer Matthias Heilbronn relocated to Brooklyn, New York, to become Frankie Knuckles' roommate and to fully focus on his musical career. His "Jungle Dub EP" on Poker Flat reveals the more techy and reduced side of his musical creativity, with groovy and hypnotic bass-loops.

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