Minimal / Tech House Recommendations Best Of 2012

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: Ricky V's return to Perlon this year! That's correct, some four years on from his last appearance for the Frankfurt label, Villalobos returns with a two track 12" housed in those distinctive Perlon colours that precede the release of the Chilean's fifth studio LP later this summer. While Ricardo has been in experimental mood of late - see the Shangaan Electro remix or the Re: ECM album he completed with Max Loderbauer - both tracks here are very much in the canon of trademark Villalobos productions. Lead track "Any Ideas" plays around with the repetition of a vocal sample over stretched out textures that veer into mind bend territory whilst the pitter patter groove at times sounds like a ping pong game in action. On the flip "Emilio (2nd Minimoonstar)" is reminiscent of a ZX Spectrum having a meltdown in time to a minimal bump.

Review: The second of two EPs collecting Ricardo Villalobos's third album Dependent & Happy saw the producer go further in with the tunnelling grooves, with six tracks that take an explicitly darker turn than the first EP. "Zuipox" consists of micro bass and skewed vocal echoes, while "Kehaus" takes things in as ravey a direction as the producer goes with its insistent bass stab and rolling percussion and "Die Schwarze Massai" takes a more syncopated approach with it's complex rhythm and dreamy chords. "Put Your Lips" takes an insistent vocal snippet and welds a solid 4/4 groove to it with very little else. "Samma" however is the real killer, a melancholic combination of spring loaded percussion and chords warped out of shape.

Review: **RAUM REPRESS** Although Ricardo Villalobos has already appeared on Raum Musik under the RiRom moniker together with Roman Flugel, the Baby EP is his first full release for the label. The title track sees a firm kick and wood block snares forming the backbone for a drifting piano chord and sensual vocals which lead to a climax of delightfully glitchy vocoder. On the flip, "hansup" takes on a tougher groove, as sprung bass and minimal house stabs are joined by ethereal chords and twisted vocal samples.

Review: Ricardo Villalobos's third full-length (unless you count his Fabric mix and Re: ECM project with Max Loderbauer) entitled Dependent & Happy had been eagerly anticipated since its announcement early this year, and on its vinyl release finds its 14 tracks split up across 5x12" singles. The results are as sublime as you would expect from the master of minimal; "Tu Actitud" opens with its half-spoken vocals and jaunty electric bass, "Timemorf" continues with its minimal Chilean rhythms, while "Grumax" is the undisputed highlight - a combination of tense, sprung bass and discordant strings arranged in the way only Villalobos can.

Review: Senor Woolford has joined Loco Dice, Bug and Troxler in the small but well respected band of producers to contribute to NRK's compilation series The Lab, which is thankfully rolling on despite Nik Harris' recent decision to close down operations at NRK HQ after 15 years in the game. This four track vinyl sampler gives you a well judged taste of the double CD which presents Woolford at his most wilfully eclectic. The A Side has two titans of US House in Chez Damier and Terrence Dixon, while the flip sees Skudge turn in a typically gripping remix of Iron Curtis and Edit Piaf's Achterbahn D'Amour next to "Berlin Sunrise (Die Dammerung)", Daniel Wang's stunning electronic disco turn for the Ghostly label.

Review: Japanese-born Fumiya Tanaka has been around for donkey's years, having released some timeless techno explosions on Tresor, Sundance and his very own Torema Records. It's time for his shot at the Perlon catalogue and "337" quickly sets the tone what what develops into a lo-fi, glitched-out frenzy of aqueous melodies, distant bass riffs and crunchy percussion - a subtle masterpiece. On the flip, things turn more raucous thanks to the nervous bundle of cowbells and snares spewing from all angles. Another great EP for Perlon's best year in a while!

Review: It's always pleasing to see major-league players making a nod to their roots and revisiting the music that makes them truly excited, and this is no more apparent than with Groove Armada's request to do this EP on Hypercolour. Admittedly they've picked a canny time to get back into 90s flavoured analogue house, but context aside, they've served up four very workable belters for the floor. "Stevie Latenight" is particularly addictive with its teasing flurries of organ and drawn out restraint. "There Was Rhythm" sounds more like typical Armada fodder with its yearning vocal and direct chords, while "Luv 91" gets more stripped down and sexy with woozy synth lines and abstract vocal slices.

Review: What can we say about Visionquest? It was another historic year for the crew and adding Guy Gerber to their roster is certainly one way of confirming that! "The Mirror Game" is classic Gerber funk, where a mid-tempo beat fuses to seamlessly with luscious synth chords and anthemic pads. If we turn to the flipside, "One Day In May" injects more party-time vibes and does so with its insistent snares, smooth bass lines and sweet, elusive vocals.

Review: The final chapter of Senor Villalobos' third full-length LP came in the form of an A and B side - two tracks which end Dependent & Happy in true Villalobian fashion. "Defixia" is an irresistibly skippy trail of gentle snares and even more amiable melodies. The closing track, "Koito" continues this new found harmonic style by Ricardo, adding a hefty dosage of sub-aquatic synth bleeps all complete with his trademark percussion.

Review: Romanian producer Adrian Niculae hasn't pulled up many trees in his short production career, but his name has turned some heads thanks to this 2-tracker for All Inn Black. Both "Morning Haze" and "Spiritu Haret" fuse stark, hypnotic, minimalist rhythms with beautiful and engaging musical elements. "Morning Haze", for example, benefits from the combination of deep chord stabs and loose, additional percussion. "Spiritu Haret", on the other hand, has a breaksy shuffle and muted riffs that sound like filtered horn hits. Throughout, there's much warmth, something often lacking from similarly stripped-back productions.

Review: Autoreply offshoot Stuga Musik welcomes back Apoena, who hails from Porto Alegre, capital of the Rio Grande Do Sul state in southern Brazil. His first 12" for Stuga Musik - Falando Serio - was championed by the likes of Baby Ford, Willie Graff and Jus-Ed among others, the latter proceeding to release the self-titled Apoena album on his own Underground Quality imprint earlier this year. As an accomplished musician of many instruments and nationally renowned reggae artist it's no surprise he knows a thing or two about making a killer record. Here he steps up with "Mover", a warm, hypnotic floor-workout that references the early pioneers and is equally suited to peak time or early morning play. On the flip "Cooler" displays layer upon layer of colorful emotion whilst showcasing the artists love for vintage keys and analogue synthesis. Enjoy.

Review: Scoring big hits across the modern house underground, Maxxi Soundsystem makes his way to Maceo Plex's Ellum Audio imprint for the warm and soothing tones of "Stella's Way", which centres around a looping synth riff that sounds as though it was lifted straight out of 80s radio. Huxley's remix pares down any such frivolities, homing in on the scattered vocal flourishes and dropping a mean shuffle and off-key chords for some ultimately funky functionality. Shall Ocin rounds things off with a version that capitalises on the lush melodies of the original and bolsters them with additional synths for an equally fuzzy jaunt.

Review: Maayan Nidam & Vera Heindel rekindled their rarely seen Mara Trax project for this Sensibilia double drop on the recently quite impressive Perlon imprint (the heads at Juno were on that Fumiya Tanaka 12"). There's an undeniably intoxicating and unhinged quality to lead track "Words Of Love" which twists a mind bending vocal refrain of "Sister, lover, friend" around the off kilter percussive rhythms and rough hewn bass line with echoing reverberant glee. "Murphy's Laugh" begins equally experimental in tone, embellishing the nether regions of the track with ocean deep echoed effects, though the track adopts a straighter rhythmic poise than the jagged A Side. Bizzarely brilliant.

Review: Rekids offshoot, Cabin Fever has continued their fine line of duty in 2012, ever-developing their familiar tech-step sound. This time it comes in the form of the aptly names "Blow Smoke Up The Ass", a relentless house bomb grooving with mild effects and dampened vocals. The dub version is the one here though, filling the arrangement with a gnarly bass line and a heavier dosage of drum beats.

Review: Four very different interpretations of house music prevail on Power. First up is Geffen, whose dubby, staccato drums, bursts of percussive noise and ominous bass provide the backdrop for a series of frequency-shifting tonal blips. Danny F opts for a different path on "Chalole Batata", where a pulsing bassline and heavy drums steer the arrangement into an ethnic chanting break down. Christian S's contribution is tracky and designed specifically for DJs; centring on rolling, insistent drums and mangled filters, its crashing cymbals enhance its impetus. Finally, the trio of Philipp Gorbachev, Hugo Capablanca and La Muerte deliver the deranged vocals and noisy voodoo groove of "Berlan Esta Helado" - which sounds like vintage Chicken Lips on acid.

Review: Although Ricardo Villalobos had already appeared on Raum Musik under the RiRom moniker together with Roman Flugel, the Baby EP is his first full release for the label. The title track sees a firm kick and wood block snares forming the backbone for a drifting piano chord and sensual vocals which lead to a climax of delightfully glitchy vocoder. On the flip, "hansup" takes on a tougher groove, as sprung bass and minimal house stabs are joined by ethereal chords and twisted vocal samples.

Review: As well as this month's debut appearance for 20:20, Jay Bliss is also busy over at All Inn, where he got one of his first breaks back in the day. On this tense three tracker, the mood rarely gets lifted but the sound stays immersive and stoutly digital. Lead track "Kookoo For Coco Puffs" crackles with micro-sounds that decorate the minimal beat, leaving ample room for sombre arpeggios and chilling textures to create a thoroughly loaded atmosphere. "War Of The Worlds" plumps for a more prominent beat but keeps the same creepy mood, while "Mission Control" struts off on a more abstract techno tangent that keeps things stripped and funky.