CD Album Recommendations January 2012

Review: Despite the accolades heaped on techno's top producers, there's always been room in the genre for faceless music. While Equalized is not that faceless - his identity has been revealed as German producer par excellence Shed - the music certainly is. For the last few years, he's gleefully been releasing 12" singles full of untitled dancefloor tracks. While some are little more than extended locked grooves, others pair cold rhythms and icy percussion with sparse melodies and warm, hypnotic chords. This first full length for his Equalized label gathers together the best of those tracks on a bleak but surprisingly entertaining aural manifesto.

Review: This is something of a treat for fans of British electronica. Originally released as the first ever Skam 12" in 1991, Lego Feet's eponymous debut was the first glimpse IDM fans had of Sean Booth and Rob Brown, the duo who would later go on to greater success under the Autechre moniker. With original 12" copies changing hands for several hundred pounds online, this expanded 20th anniversary CD issue is a welcome reminder of the original's raw power and glistening finesse. With the album presented as a near seamless musical journey - in parts clanking and industrial, at other times shimmering with melodic intent - Lego Feet is far more grandiose and ambitious than anything Booth and Brown have recorded since. A thrilling blast from the past.

Review: You might know Ali Renault from his work as part of Heartbreak, or from many a fine release on the seminal Dissident, or maybe more under the radar releases on Cyber Dance, Future Flash and more. An impressive understanding of the four corners of the electro galaxy in Detroit, Rimini, Den Haag and London has permeated all Renault material and is certainly evident here. On this CD version, Renault squeezes out plenty of bicep rippling moments fit for speaker exposure at World Unknown. Additional nods to Renault's influences come in the shape of a guest vocal spot from the iconic Italo voice that is Fred Ventura, whose delightfully off key tones line "Fade Away". Special mention too for the opening track "Snowdrift", which sees Hotel Motel front woman and best pie maker in London Marika Gauci shine.

Review: This collaborative full-length from Loxy and Resound has been in the works for some time, having been slated for release since 2009. Perhaps we should be grateful for these delays and re-writes. Burning Shadows certainly shows greater ambition than most drum and bass albums, opening with two typically atmospheric, sci-fi tinged electronica cuts before gradually increasing the dancefloor pressure as it progresses. It's spooky and atmospheric, but blessed with a far more interesting aural palette than many similar full-length D&B excursions - not to mention a thrilling variety of rhythms and drum sounds, from tribal dubstep beats to skittering junglisms via eerie downtempo grooves. Epic stuff.

Review: The Madrid-based twosome Wagon Cookin' have enjoyed a long and varied career, thanks in no small part to their ability to reinvent themselves. Having previously touched on broken beat, nu-jazz, deep house and the kind of organic, wholesome fodder that would once have been classed as "spiritual", this fourth long-player finds them in full-on synth-disco mode. The result is an album that draws from both classic NYC synth boogie and mid '80s soul, recreating the ubiquitous synth-pop and disco futurism of the era through a series of hooky creations. Along the way there are enough diversions to keep things interesting, including a synth-heavy hip-hop collab with San Fran rapper Melina Jones.

Review: Before Omar-S became a global cult hero amongst the underground house and techno community, there was Oasis - a collaborative project with fellow Detroit producer Shadow Ray that spawned two full-length albums of deep, stripped-back Motor City grooves. This timely reissue offers an expanded version of their 2004 debut set, Oasis Collaborating. Given that it was Alex "Omar" Smith's first attempt at an album it's pretty impressive, offering a hypnotic, otherworldly mix of cuts that icily flits between stone-cold drum tracks, droning ambience, mildly aloof club workouts and glistening, space age techno. This edition also includes three previously unreleased cuts, including two 2011 remakes that bring the originals bang up to date.

Review: At a time when classic-sounding techno is at a premium, Boris Bunnik aka Conforce is one of its main proponents, right? Wrong. It would be too easy and simplistic to dismiss the Dutch producer as merely revisiting the sounds that were current during the mid-90s, and Escapism, like his other releases for Clone, Rush Hour and Delsin, does much to dispel any pre-conceived notions about him. One of the common themes and sources of inspiration on the album is Bunnik's love of swirling, ambient textures. Spacey melodies unfold all the way through "Aquinas Control" as a dubby, rippling bass takes hold, while on the title track; glassy percussion and shuffling 808s provide the electro backing to Bunnik's atmospheric chords. There are times too when it sounds like Conforce has completely immersed himself in electronic music's reflective, esoteric side and the evocative, shimmering synths of "Timelapse" could have been part of a long lost sci-fi soundtrack. On other occasions, Escapism sounds earthy, grainy and twitchy, especially on the detuned textures of "Diversion" or "Revolt DX", which sees Bunnik drop a gained, jarring rhythm track. However, the real highlights occur when Bunnik occupies a place where all of these sounds meet, like the ghostly pads and forceful bass of "Elude" or the hushed tones and uplifting synths of "Ominous". It's also where you'll find this year's most eloquent articulation of techno escapism.

Review: Despite being only 20 years of age, Kazakhstani liquid funk maestro Command Strange has already built up a discography of well over 50 releases - including 12s on Hospital, Fokuz and Influenza. Say what you like, but the kid's got some work rate. Of course, this would mean nothing without skills and musical talent, but Command Strange has both in bundles. As a result, this second full-length - a follow-up to 2010's impressive debut album Soul Booster - is something of a delight. It mixes typically deep and cosmic concoctions (see the brilliant "Just Relax & Look At The Sky") with serious liquid rollers and occasional forays into straightforward downtempo territory ("Untitled"). If you like your D&B deep, liquid and musical, you should be all over it.

Review: Having previously excelled with a series of dancefloor-shaking techno 12s for Ritchie Hawtin's M_nus imprint, Jon Gasier shifts focus for an album of sparse, icy and occasionally otherworldly ambience. Feeling at times a little like Siberia-cold minimalism stripped down to the bare bones, No Sudden Movement is initially a hard record to warm to. Listen again, though, and you'll soon find yourself beguiled by its drifting melodies, glacial soundscapes and Biosphere-ish compositions. At times it recalls classic early 90s ambient moments such as Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works series - an accolade rarely given to contemporary downbeat electronica.