Highlights: April
Benn Rogue - The New Gods [Dissolute]
April’s showers parted way to reveal a silent gem amongst a tide of hyped and sought after Record Store Day releases. ‘The New Gods’ by Benn Rogue, out April 23rd, is a 4-track offering from the Dissolute Records debutant.
A self professed homage to early sci-fi and fantasy, all four sub six minute tracks build from heady introductions into dance floor records which fill any after hours space. Dissolute producers feel ‘the release chases through black markets and handheld devices leaving the users body as an empty husk’.
The drone backing on 'Into the Maze of Wires' (A1) builds tension like a Twin Peaks episode, before falling into shoulder rolling rhythms. 'Inchaea Tec-surveillance' (A2) downs the tempo and exposes a raw infrastructure of dashboard button pressing and acid-squelches.
Rogue’s inspiration and love of science fiction can be seen most plainly in 'Gorgon Telecom' (B1), where the synth rolls along with a Josh Wink addictiveness; it rises, falls and swells ceaselessly.
Finishing the EP, 'Moloch Home Security' (B2) packs the final punch of what is a sensational debut and an excellently produced collection of electronic music. Faultless beat patterns betray experience far beyond his years and we hope to see much, much more from him.
Wait until June 23rd for the 12”.
DJ Seinfeld - Sakura [Deep Sea Frequency]
DJ Seinfeld’s new EP, 'Sakura', is somewhat surprising. Deliciously dark, it is a mixture of gritty basement bass lines and asymmetric, exotic high ends, and has glimmers of techno, dubstep and breakbeat. The record is a deviation from the defiantly lo-fi house sounds of Seinfeld’s previous releases, but feels like a natural progression and amongst the buzzy, chunky beats are distinguishably housey high hats and drums. The 4 track EP listens like a soundtrack to a space expedition, and it is little wonder that Seinfeld describes the record as an exploration of ‘fragility and force’.
The label behind Sakura, Deep Sea Frequency, is run by Or:la and Jessica Beaumont, and is still in its infancy, having put out only two EP's previous to Seinfeld’s. This third release is a fitting addition to their catalogue of complex, meaty records- Or:la’s 'Kyoto Dance' and Pepe’s 'Weightless In Orbit'- both released last year.
My personal favourite track is 'Sagrada', a jittery, bold tune dripping in ethereal vocals. The whole EP, however, is a fantastic production from DJ Seinfeld, and is well worth a listen.
Alma Negra - Maloya [Alma Negra]
The Swiss Collective are at it again with their second 12 Rhythm Series release. The new record is dedicated to the sound of Maloya. This form of music originates from La Réunion, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. Maloya was initially of African influence, however more recently the drums used in Tamil rituals were introduced, adding an essence of India to the sound. The quick tempo and energy pulsating from the production was not originally made for listening pleasure. The initial purpose of this sound stood as a powerful protest against slavery. As a consequence, it created a movement and in-turn political unrest. This saw Maloya banned due to its strong association with Creole culture and autonomist Marxist beliefs until the eighties.
The release contains two re-works of Lindigo’s ‘Tany Be’. The remix majestically taps into the Afro and Tamil influences. It’s filled with energetic drums, soulful chanting and undulating synths. The Dub version is less party focused and more hypnotic. The hazy vocals, synth work and trudging drums induce a spiritual awakening. The flip side of the record focuses on Christine Salem’s ‘Kabaré’. This edit is pitched down compared to the original, but still carries the weight with its exciting snares and deep bass that would fill any dance floor.
Alma Negra has respectfully and masterfully honoured the ideology and history of Maloya whilst also adding a modern flair that does not disappoint. This EP is more than music… it’s energy, history and politics, one that deserves to be in any world music collectors bag.
Donato Dozzy - Mindless Fullness [Eerie Records]
The professor-extraordinaire of hypnotic techno mesmerizes once again with a spell-bounding trance track on his latest EP, released on Marco Shuttle’s Eerie imprint.
The label boss has raved that for him, “it's been love at first listen in a way I had never experienced before with his (Dozzy’s) music.”
'Cleo' on the A-side is an exceedingly emotive trance hitter, with a rich tapestry of carefully layered elements: deep pillowy chords, warm broken beat and immersive bass, all built around electrifying arpeggiated progression. This track should be played as a soothing celestial hand cooling a crowd enthralled in techno-induced trances. The title track is another deep cut, but less emotional and more tense. Made up of subtly looped tinkering bells and a floaty bass-line, it’s pure hypnotic Dozzy power.
The Italian maestro has never shied away from sentimentality or using loops and abstract sound textures to their entrancing limits. But, as he shows again on this EP, what marks Dozzy out from the rest and puts him at the forefront of the rising cohort of Italian techno producers, is his ability to incorporate familiar stylised sounds of previous decades and encode them in his signature experimentation to fully encapsulating effect. Just as on his last release he reimagined the 2000’s tech-house groove; here he puts his signature stamp on the remerging 90’s trance sound.
Buy: Vinyl
Various Artists - Dear House, With Love! [Clouded House]
Sweden lays claim to many a fine house gangsta. The Studio Barnhaus crew spring instantly to mind, HNNY, Ida Engberg, Basshunter? - but one who has swum sufficiently under the radar and is now fully worthy of the highest praise is Stockholm’s Lukas Lyrestam. Taking the reigns of his Clouded House imprint in 2015 with a string of solo releases, CH001 – '1989' being a sure-fire staple to add to anyone’s collection, Lyrestam has now delivered his label’s sixth release, and second various artists compilation; 'Dear House, With Love!' – and a love letter to his genre of choice it most certainly is. Packed full of energetic bounce, featuring the UK’s ever dependent Ben Gomori, as well as Poth0les and Pelati Riviera, the 4-tracker is an effervescent, feel-good ride from start to finish charting the course of the genre’s development. The A-side leans on warmth and well-rounded sampling, as well as a fundamental Italo undertone throughout 'Love for the Party'; Gomori delivers the heavy hitter in 'Mind Palace'. Yet, as with his entire discography, Lyrestram’s own 'Joy-Ride' stands out for its shining guitar-riff and accompanying wonk. Taken collectively, CH006 truly delivers as homage to all things house.
Buy: Vinyl