Review: Warp presents 'EP 1' from Mark Pritchard's latest incarnation - a funky beat driven, Detroit sound. Limited to 2000 copies worldwide.
Mark Pritchard (Harmonic 313) is the man behind Global Communications, Jedi Knights and Harmonic 33. He's also co-creator of one
of the most acclaimed ambient records of the 90s, '76:14'. This EP is the opening statement in a campaign ending with a full album in
late Spring. It showcases a crisp, fresh, beat-driven Detroit sound.
Review: Matthew Herbert's return to the dancefloor, via the re-launched Part series (volume one landed way back in 1995, amazingly), has been one of the good news stories of 2014. Part 8 is the third instalment in the long-running series this year, and features another quartet of wonky, left-of-centre house cuts in his inimitable style. Naturally, there's much to admire, from the piano jazz-meets-outsider house swing of "Remember Ken" and the glitch-funk of "Ticket", to the acoustic-goes-electronic pulse of "Her Face". Arguably best of all, though, is "The Wrong Place", which boasts many of Herbert's aural trademarks - think cut-up vocal edits, tipsy electronics and a delightfully odd, low-slung groove.
Review: Matthew Herbert has been busy dropping reissues of his most treasured house gems from the '90s, but let's not forget he's more focused on experimental pastures these days. Foom clearly know, and what better label to carry some intriguing electro-acoustic interplays from the maverick marvel? These pieces were all the product of a week-long residency in Berlin, recorded in front of (and sometimes with the participation of) an audience, and they veer from the bouncing synthesized freakery of "Day Three" to the clangorous baroque composition of "Day Five" and then the minimal experimentation of "Day Seven". There's still no one that does it like Herbert.
Review: Hidden Sequence have appeared on legendary dub techno label Mosaic in fine form of late and now they land on the Lempuyang imprint with four more serene fusions. Their Theories of Time EP opens up with the swaggering dub rhythms and bottomless depths of 'Distortion', a cut as heady as they come. 'Travelling,' as the title suggests, has a deeper rolling groove and more movement to it as it snakes through underwater dub caverns. Flip it over for more widescreen and serene explorations of the ocean floor with 'Shift' and mysterious leads of 'Delay' which is a fourth and final frictionless dub dream.
Review: On previous albums, Francis Harris has tackled some weighty subjects, including memory, loss and grief, intertwining these artistic inspirations with a woozy, organic and multi-layered deep house framework. "Trivial Occupations", his third full-length excursion, is not only less conceptual in tone, but also marks a conscious attempt to move away from the constraints of the dancefloor. Of course, there are still hypnotic, ultra-deep house beats scattered around the album, it's just that they largely operate at a more leisurely pace and usually come smothered in crackling field recordings, ambient chord sequences and slowly shifting melodies designed to worm their way into your consciousness. Combine these cuts with some superb, beat-free ambient explorations, and you have a hugely atmospheric and entertaining set.
B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition
Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***
We never quite know what to expect from leftfield explorer Jon Hopkins, but we know it will be worth a listen. Immunity, his fourth solo album (he's recorded two others, one with Brian Eno and another with King Creosote), doesn't disappoint. Rooted in shuffling, forthright and occasionally off-kilter rhythms, it melds hazy, late night atmospherics and subtle melodies with intense, droning chords, woozy electronics and all manner of inventive noises. It's a blend that repeatedly pays dividends, from the mournful pianos and jumpy rhythms of "Breathe This Air', to the crystalline, soundscape ambience of "Abandon Window", and glitchy wonkiness of "Form By Firelight".
Review: We never quite know what to expect from leftfield explorer Jon Hopkins, but we know it will be worth a listen. Immunity, his fourth solo album (he's recorded two others, one with Brian Eno and another with King Creosote), doesn't disappoint. Rooted in shuffling, forthright and occasionally off-kilter rhythms, it melds hazy, late night atmospherics and subtle melodies with intense, droning chords, woozy electronics and all manner of inventive noises. It's a blend that repeatedly pays dividends, from the mournful pianos and jumpy rhythms of "Breathe This Air', to the crystalline, soundscape ambience of "Abandon Window", and glitchy wonkiness of "Form By Firelight".
Review: Most commonly known for his minimalist, click house endeavours as Akufen, Marc Leclair switches attention to one of his lesser used aliases in Horror Inc, serving up a full album for the Perlon label. Leclair has operated as Horror Inc sparingly over the years, serving up only three original EPs and a smattering of remixes - with his last release under the name coming in 2010's Aurora EP for Haunt. There's a sense of the unknown about Briefly Eternal then, moreso as Perlon have been pretty guarded about it ahead of release. A decidedly cinematic downbeat opener in the shape of "Phowa" sets the tone, as Leclair uses the LP format to showcase his talent for instrumentation and orchestral arrangement more than ever before. Perlon fans need not worry, those skipping, expertly produced beats are still there for the most part.
Review: Amazingly, it's been over a decade since Mark Leclair's last solo album, the micro-house masterpiece, My Way, under his Akufen guise. Given his immense talents, that's a long time between drinks. The good news is that Briefly Eternal, under his lesser-known Horror Inc. alias, is something of a triumph. While there are nods to his micro-house past - most notably on the mournful, string-laden "Rememberance", jazz-flecked "I Can't Look At You" and wide-eyed, melody-driven "The Sentinel" - Briefly Eternal is a far more complex and wide-ranging set than that. Along the way, there are successful forays into jazz (the dark "Crepscule" and baggy "Bardo Thodol"), The Field style organic techno ("Jhator"), and even jaunty jazz-funk ("Mourning").
Review: HVOB's fourth full length, "Rocco", is undoubtedly the Viennese duo's most expansive and ambitious work to date. It's a conceptual work, with the two LP set's 13 tracks being linked by "connected narratives" that explore "letting go, farewells and new beginnings". While there's a weightiness to the concept, the resultant music is surprisingly diverse, with the duo offering up both all-out dancefloor moments and more reflective home-listening fare that's in turn cheerily positive, introspectively melancholic and wholeheartedly poignant. Highlights include the piano-laden downtempo bliss of "2nd World", a swirling vocal number that increases in intensity as the track progresses - the breakbeat-driven, wall-of-sound sparkle of "Bloom" and the drowsy, heart-aching tech-house-pop of recent single "Panama".
Review: HVOB's fourth full length, "Rocco", is undoubtedly the Viennese duo's most expansive and ambitious work to date. It's a conceptual work, with the two-disc set's 13 tracks being linked by "connected narratives" that explore "letting go, farewells and new beginnings". While there's a weightiness to the concept, the resultant music is surprisingly diverse, with the duo offering up both all-out dancefloor moments and more reflective home-listening fare that's in turn cheerily positive, introspectively melancholic and wholeheartedly poignant. Highlights include the piano-laden downtempo bliss of "2nd World", a swirling vocal number that increases in intensity as the track progresses - the breakbeat-driven, wall-of-sound sparkle of "Bloom" and the drowsy, heart-aching tech-house-pop of recent single "Panama".
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