Review: French game-changers Daft Punk's tours are always some of the most iconic in all of dance music. They took the band around the world at the height of their powers and in 1997 they dropped a live recording from one of the shows in Birmingham on November 8th. It contains a 45-minute excerpt of recorded during Daftendirektour which the band themselves said was one of their favourite ever live gigs. Plenty of their biggest hits of the time make the cut such as Homework cuts like 'Da Funk', 'Rollin' & Scratchin'', 'Revolution 909' and 'Alive' but they all sound vastly different when played live.
Around The World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (5:42)
Burnin'/Too Long (7:10)
Face To Face/Short Circuit (4:50)
One More Time/Aerodynamic (6:11)
Aerodynamic Beats/Gabrielle, Forget About The World (3:39)
Prime Time Of Your Life/Brainwasher/Rollin' & Scratchin'/Alive (10:22)
Da Funk/Dadftendirekt (6:34)
Superheroes/Human After All/Rock'n Roll (5:36)
Review: 'Alive 2007' is known as one of the most influential live albums ever, and this new reissue via Daft Punk's parent label Daft Life cements that influence. Performed at the French venue Bercy, we feel much harder, better, faster and stronger as we listen eagerly to the the pair's signature talkboxes, samples and hooks, this time drenched in crowd jeers and natural reverb. In this instance, Daft Punk manipulated their established material, transposing and deconstructing the structures of their studio tracks and paving the way for the future of live electronic music performance.
Review: Originally released in 2003, Daft Club was the first official compilation of any Daft Punk material, and they chose to gather together some of their most prominent remixes from the likes of The Neptunes, Cosmo Vitelli, Basement Jaxx and Slum Village along with a few other exclusives and obscurities like 'Aerodynamite' and 'Overture'. It's a must for any fan, especially now we know (or at least assume) there won't be any more DP material to come in the future. Repressed to fox the resellers, you can finally grab this one on wax once more, and you don't need to be told it's packed full of bangers.
Review: With each album, Daft Punk threw down something new for their mammoth fanbase to deal with. Never ones to repeat themselves or play it safe, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo ruffled feathers when they followed up the pop-tastic heights of Discovery with the rock-tinted stylings of Human After All. In hindsight, with the world-beating project brought to an end, the album sounds like Daft Punk through and through, not least on lead single 'Robot Rock', but full credit to them for not taking the easy route to give the fans what they want. As we reflect on the legacy of one of the biggest dance acts of all time, it's a fine time to revisit this album with a sparkling new pressing as part of the Daft Life Ltd series.
Around The World (Kenlou mix - Masters At Work) (7:49)
Around The World (Mellow mix - Masters At Work) (7:53)
Around The World (Tee's Frozen mix - Todd Terry) (7:57)
Burnin' (Slam mix) (6:45)
Burnin' (Ian Pooley cut Up mix) (5:26)
Review: We find it hard to believe it's taken Daft Punk all these years to compile all their favourite remixes of 'Homework' onto a single album, but they've finally done it. This up-and-comer remix double album compiles myriad interpretations of three of the helmed robo-crusaders' most iconic tunes - Around The World, Revolution 909 and Burnin', specifically - from artists as unexpected as DJ Sneak, I:Cube and Masters At Work. Don't miss this one, as it's set to be a raucous spinal-scratchy affair.
Review: So, after all the hype, social media arguments and YouTube parodies, here it is: the most talked about dance album of 2013. By now you should all know the story: Daft Punk do old-fashioned disco-pop with the help of a legion of high profile guests and collaborators. So is Random Access Memories any good? Certainly, it's a fine pop album; lavishly produced fare with an authentic, organic swing that benefits enormously from Chic man Nile Rodgers' distinctive guitar work. At it's best, such as on the goodtime disco rush of "Get Lucky" and "Lose Yourself to Dance" (both featuring agorgeous vocals for Pharrell Williams), or the quirky but brilliant "Girorgio by Moroder", it's impeccable.
Review: It's difficult to ignore the sobering realisation that the swan song LP from French robo-duo Daft Punk is already celebrating its ten year anniversary. Although divisive amongst their fan base, the organic instrumentation and compositional homage to retro disco still feels like an artistic endeavour the pair of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo needed to add to their back-catalogue before graciously bowing out (or powering down) on their own terms. Following an expansive deluxe edition released earlier in the year, this drumless version strips away any and all notable percussion to offer the velvety basslines, glistening synths and lush grooves a chance to take centre-stage. With re-imagined approaches to hits such as 'Instant Crush' (featuring The Strokes' Julian Casablancas) as well as the plethora of Pharrell Williams collaborative bangers from 'Lose Yourself To Dance' to the once inescapable 'Get Lucky' (also featuring Nile Rodgers of Chic), this project is a unique and vital addition for lifers, newcomers and boogie enthusiasts alike.
Lose Yourself To Dance (feat Pharrell Williams) (5:51)
Touch (feat Paul Williams) (8:04)
Get Lucky (feat Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) (6:03)
Beyond (4:49)
Motherboard (5:42)
Fragments Of Time (feat Todd Edwards) (4:39)
Doin' It Right (feat Panda Bear) (4:12)
Contact (6:17)
Review: Now celebrating its ten year anniversary, there's a sobering realisation to the fact that the swan song LP from French robo-duo Daft Punk is already a decade old. While divisive amongst the fan base, the organic instrumentation and sonic homage to classic disco still feels like a creative endeavour the pair of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo needed to add to their catalogue before graciously bowing out (or powering down) on their own terms. Following the expansive deluxe edition already released earlier in the year, this drumless version strips away any and all notable percussion to allow the velvety basslines, glistening synths and retro grooves to take centre-stage. With re-imagined approaches to hits such as 'Instant Crush' (featuring The Strokes' Julian Casablancas) as well as the myriad of Pharrell Williams collaborative bangers from 'Lose Yourself To Dance' to the once inescapable 'Get Lucky', the project is a unique and vital addition for lifers, newcomers and boogie enthusiasts alike.
SSomething About Us (Love Theme From Interstella 5555)
Review: Daft Punk may have put away their robot heads for good, but interest in their work and legacy remains high (as the recent announcement of a slew of books about them proves). It's for this reason that it's little surprise to see 2003 odds-and-ends album Daft Club get the reissue treatment. For the most part, what we get is remixes of tracks from the then-fresh Discovery LP, with highlights including the Neptunes' deep, warming, electro-meets-hip-hop revision of 'Harder, Better, Faster, Sronger' (complete with additional Pharrell vocals), a hard and loopy 'French touch' revision of 'Face To Face' from Demon, Slum Village's woozy electronic hip-hop take on 'Aerodynamic', a carnival-ready Basement Jazz tweak of Homework fave 'Phoenix' and a beat-less, guitar-and-voice cover of 'One More Time' courtesy of Romanthony.
Review: Talk about unearthing forgotten gems, or indeed gems that were never really known in the first place. Back in 1983 Soren Fauli - then 19 years old, now an established Danish artist - decided to step away from the punk bands he'd been playing with and indulge his inner autobahn. Daily Fauli was the one-time project result, with this raw, mechanical but intimate record, which has as much in common with Kraftwerk as it does Powell, the only product. While there's a rough and ready (and charming) aesthetic to the record, despite his age at the time, and the fact he had very little idea what to do with the Casios in hand, it's incredibly accomplished stuff. The playful, shuffling warbler 'Bus' representing the lighter end of a spectrum that runs as fast as the edgy arpeggiations of 'Speed' and the pared back, proto-punk runaway train of 'Hard Kogt'. A fantastic album and an interesting talking point.
Review: Phonotheque Records presents Juan Dairecshion (a pseudonym of Juan Bozzolasco) with 'El Metodo' for its eighth release, laying down an extremely well-crafted, tenebrous techno, house and tech house spine-tingler for the sensitive ear come nervous system. The Uruguayan producer is said to possess a broad range, flaunting an ability to indulge both club-ready rhythms and darker, deeper moments, and this is more than laid bare on the exposition 'Low Pression', coining a brilliant new cognate of "pressure" while opting for a kickless, sinister tension, its space-age SFX and eerie percussions landing the tune somewhere between Roswell and a New York alleyway. Things get more orthodox from there, though the record never once lets up on its eerie dance dramatics; 'Nostalgico', 'Re-progre', 'UBM' and 'It's All About Love' are the increasingly ethereal highlights among them, as the record grows weirder and weirder, hollower and hollower.
Review: Over the course of her three year solo career, London-based Australian Carla Dal Forno has steadily moved from a dark, stylish and bleak all-electronic sound to something a little warmer and more organic in tone. On "Look Up Sharp", her third album, she continues this trend, complimenting her usual lo-fi drum machines and synths with low-slung post-punk bass and the kind of pastoral, traditional instrumentation more often associated with folk music (think flutes, recorders, clarinet etc.). It's a curious blend, but one that works wonderfully well throughout the album, and especially on those songs to which she adds evocative, often melancholic vocals.
Review: Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Carla Dal Forno was once a member of a number of legendary Australian outfits. These days, the Melbournian resides in Berlin, which is presumably where she met Blackest Ever Black boss Kiran Sande. He loved her clandestine, atmospheric take on pop - think minimal wave, cold-wave and early Joy Division mixed with contemporary ambience, and leftfield synth-pop - and has decided to put out this debut album. Comprised of four songs and four instrumentals, You Know What It's Like has a timeless feel; the folksy, Scott Walker-influenced "Dry In The Rain", for example, sounds like it could have been recorded at any point over the last 40 years, while "Dragon Breath" has a genuine Radiophonic Workshop feel.
Review: Tyler Daley is a UK hip-hop mainstay and the vice of the brilliant Children of Zeus. Here he branches out with his own solo album, Son of Zeus - see what he did there? It comes on the band's home label of First World and bares plenty of their signature sonic hallmarks - dusty, undercooked production, lazy hip hop beats, and gorgeous vocals that sit somewhere between neo soul, golden era boom-bap from Tribe and something else a little unique. It's a warm world where yearning bars, lush harmonies and hooky melodies all float around the stripped back but bumping beats. Superb stuff.
Review: Take it from us - you want to get to know Denovali Germany on an intimate level. The label has been putting out tearjerking contemporary classical and far-reaching electronic compositions since 2005, lays claim to its own festival of forward thinking music and generally doesn't put a foot wrong. Home to the likes of Electro Guzzi and Les Fragments De La Nuit, it's an imprint and then some, to put it mildly.
Dalhous' The Composite Moods Collection is another one for the ages - the kind of album that you're bound to come back to for years because each play through seems to reveal new layers and elements that may not have presented themselves immediately. While for the most part this is all ambient, there are elements here that take us into much more muscular and ferocious ends, from 'Everything Is Bleeding' to the cinematic tension of 'Open As A Glade Unfolding'.
Review: With an artist name like Dali Muru & The Polyphonic Swarm, and an EP title of Murmer of The Bath Spirits, the fact at least part of this record features a narrative about spiritual awakenings in bath houses, set to an eerie, atmospheric ambient soundscape, will surprise very few people. A 15-minute trip into the ether, noises and tones are as wet as they are warm, and the experience like heading out to uncover a faery land mystery.
Things get a little less specific on the appropriately christened 'Track 2', which moves us on from the dreamy quiet into a place that's more forceful, purposeful, harsh, perhaps even darker. Hypnotic loops set above staccato beats, grabbing hi hats and other elements as the track grows in ear worm qualities with each second.
Review: Robert Dallas's latest album is another doozy for lovers of real reggae. Each soulful vocal track is paired with a companion dub version by Hermit Dubz which makes this a dual-pronged attack with jams for all caissons. Dallas's signature style shines throughout as he blends conscious lyrics with rich melodies while Hermit Dubz's expertly crafted interpretations add depth and dimension. In all, this means this one is a perfect fusion of traditional reggae vibes and modern production techniques.
I'm Just Tryna Survive (In The Big City) (feat Q-Tip - bonus track) (4:40)
Kaint Let 'Em Change Me (bonus track) (3:56)
The Acceptance (bonus track) (9:20)
Review: Dam-Funk recently took to Twitter to bemoan the disparity between the positive feedback he gets from listeners, and the largely disappointing reviews from music critics. It's certainly odd that critics have been sniffy about Invite The Light, his fourth solo full-length for Stones Throw, because it's arguably his most varied, accessible and attractive album to date. Packed full of proper songs, cheeky dancefloor workouts, and high profile collaborations - pals Q-Tip, Snoop Dogg, Computer Jay, Jody Whatley and Nite Jewel all lend a hand - it's an album that still sounds hugely futuristic, despite Dam-Funk's reliance on vintage synthesizers, drum machines, and '80s soul, funk and boogie influences.
Take Three - "Tonite's The Night (All Right)" (7:22)
Brandon - "Suzy Hijack" (6:37)
Henning - "Arrival/Departure" (4:22)
Dam Funk - "Believer" (7:51)
Moon Moon B - "Oof"
Nicci Gable - "Close To Who?"
Randell & Schippers - "Love Jam"
Verticle Lines - "Theme From Beach Boy"
Brandon - "Suzy Hijack"
Take Three - "Tonite’s The Night (All Right)"
Index - "Starlight"
Uncle Jams Army - "Dial-A-Freak"
Gemini - "Log In"
Nexus - "Stand Up" (instrumental)
Reggie B - "Poison Candy"
L33 - "Keepin It Tight"
Gaussian Curve - "Broken Clouds"
Tony Palkovic - "True To Yourself"
Henning - "Arrival/Departure"
Nite-Funk - "Can U Read Me?"
Dam Funk - "Believer"
True Design - "I Wanna Break"
Crystal Winds - "Funk Ain’t Easy"
Review: Dam Funk has been foundational in crystallising Stones Throw's undisputed leadership in the nu-school funk and boogie scene, and he's up there with the great J Dilla in our books. Naturally, he's been asked to mix up the latest series of DJ Kicks and, ladies and gentlemen, it's a real masterclass - one of those comps you can safely leave on and let it do its thing on you. The mood is personified by a fine blend of electronics and tougher, funkier rhythms by artists such as Index, Moon B, and Dam himself. There are also a few rare cuts by Chicago house legend Gemini that fit in perfectly, and a whole heap of wavy, Cali-inspired electronic funk. Badass.
Review: Formed in Barcelona's underground scene, the Italian-Catalan duo Silvia Konstance and Viktor Lux Crux aka Dame Area blend industrial-tribal rhythms with minimalist synths while drawing inspiration from avant-garde pioneers like Esplendor Geometrico, Suicide, and Einsturzende Neubauten. This highly anticipated fourth album, Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area ("The Whole Truth About Dame Area") marks a more aggressive, percussion-driven sound and a departure from the melody-focused album they dropped back in 2022. The dynamic live performances the pair are down for are distilled into an album that perfectly captures their experimental edge with unpredictable rhythms, metallic percussion and plenty of energy.
Review: Earl "Damu the Fudgemunk" Davis returns with Peace of Action, the latest addition to Def Presse's KPM partnership series. Known for his standout Conversation Peace in 2021, Damu builds on the momentum, delivering nine fresh, fully instrumental tracksihis first purely instrumental project in over seven years. With no vocals and an absence of guests, Damu dives deep into KPM's archive, unearthing new sounds while breaking his own creative boundaries. Peace of Action blends jazz sensibilities with hip-hop techniques, crafting a dynamic, story-driven album where each track stands alone yet ties into a broader, transformative theme. From the meticulous crate digging to the rich textures, it's an intricate exploration of rhythm and sound, reflecting the accelerated changes of the past few years. A masterclass in storytelling without words, Damu reimagines jazz through a contemporary lens, rooted in the tradition of classic samples but with a fresh, forward-thinking approach.
Review: Dana & Alden are an acid jazz duo consisting of a TikTok comedian and an organic farmer, blends personal muses with musical innovation in this vibrant collection. Coyote You're My Star is their second release together. The album starts off with the title track, 'Coyote, You're My Star', which starts as a charming ode to love before evolving into a passionate anthem. This theme of celebration continues with 'You Can Do Anything', a motivating piece that exudes creativity and resolve. The track 'Ivan's Theme' offers a cinematic shift, reminiscent of classic soundtrack motifs. Mid-album, Dana & Alden deliver standout tracks like 'Garden Famil,' featuring Melanie Charles, which pays tribute to nature's healing role, and 'Bourdain,' a poignant homage to Anthony Bourdain. 'Maria' stands out with a great groove, while 'PB' acts as a transitional interlude. The final tracks, including 'Chocobanano' and 'Popular Front', present dynamic and thought-provoking fare. Closing with 'Return of the Coyote', the album revisits its central themes, expanding the emotional and sonic landscape. Coyote, You're My Star is a unique trip that masterfully intertwines the old and the new.
Review: &Chakib is the debut album from Swiss Producer, DJ, and live-act Dominik Traub, also known as Dandara. Infusing influences from Africa, Asia, and Latin America with European techno and house, Dominik's signature sound shines through. The album's inception came after a fateful encounter with Algerian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Chakib Bouzidi at a festival in Basel. Despite Chakib's untimely passing, Dominik continued the project, honouring his memory by completing the work. Infused with Chakib's voice notes and collaborative recordings, the album serves as a heartfelt tribute and through resilient collaboration and creative influence it emerges as a fine collection of globally influenced dance music.
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