DVS1 has gone a long way in a short period of time. Building his atmospheres on what seems to be endless journeys through the history of techno (and in some cases house) through his dj sets, he manages also to charm, inspire and give hope through sparse, tense and suggestive tracks on Klockworks, Transmat and his own new label Hush.
‘Break Away’ gives a tense and thrilling groove, where DVS1′s style shines through in a way that feels refined and carefully arranged. Broken structures swirl around a straight and hard edged beat, similar to his previous releases. He has become a sort of expert in this field.
When going deeper into his own territory, something in the lines of ‘Behind Lines’ is what lies ahead. Less eccentric than the sounds and production than the other tracks from him, DVS1 give way for a more experimental edge, that shatters and rumbles in just the right way.
Being part of the ‘Berghain 04′ mix CD from Ben Klock, ‘Confused’ is a well established track in the case of Ben Klock, but also gives DVS1 a special place and atmosphere. This is perhaps the KW08 equal to ‘Running’ from KW05, but less tense but built on a more of a floating approach.
A1: Love And Machines (ft. Spaceape) A2: Viper A3: Masks B1: Distortions B2: Popgun B3: I Saw You At Tule Lake C1: Ghost People C2: Twice As C3: Bauplan D1: Horror Vacui D2: We Are You In The Future
You know when an album has that cinematic feeling that seems to endlessly paint pictures in your head? Martyn’s ‘Ghost People’ might be the blockbuster when it comes to that scenario.
Martyn’s signature is all over this record, even more so than on ‘Great Lengths’ from 2009. Being a producer with such eclectic influences and having such a character sound wise, one of the real accomplishments with ‘Ghost People’ is that Martyn has managed to package it all onto two LPs.
Starting off in a futuristic (an ironically present sound), the intro is one of the perfect examples of how Martyn has grown into knowing how to find the perfect grooves and building structures. A mixture of both cinematic scenery as well as tracks closer to the dance floor, ‘Ghost People’ is interesting in that sense, where two different atmospheres meet and creates a personal space.
The highlights is when Martyn freaks out a little bit, such as the intro or the last track, where it seems as if a clear vision has been recorded under a live take—something that probably will boost his live sets that he’s just begun with.
As a second album, Martyn has done a great job to keep it personal and more in a story-telling direction, something that leans more to a one way dialogue from Martyn—in a sense something that has previously been lacking due to experimenting with styles and so on.
My favorite tracks:
Love And Machines (ft. The Spaceape)
We Are You In The Future
01. Raudive – Shiver 02. Crotaphytus – Cnemidophorus Sexlineatus – The Mr. Pauli Monster Bass Guitar Remix 03. Tommy Four Seven – Armed 3 04. Marc Romboy vs. Paris The Black Fu – Dark N Lovely – Kenny Larkin Remix 05. Ray 7 & Malik Alston – I.D.F.D.F.I. 06. Cristiano Balducci – Pride 07. Cute Heels – Silence Complot 08. Stephane Signore – Sacrifice – Radical G 2k11 Edit 09. Gesaffelstein – Aufstand 10. Scape One – Time Falls – Dynarec Remix 11. Exzakt – Clarity – Lethal Agent Remix 12. Sync 24 – We Rock Non-Stop – Heuristic Audio Remix 13. Heliopause – Destination Planet Earth 14. Dez Williams – Foreign Object 15. Clatterbox – Coolicon 16. w1b0 – Alternate Sequence 17. Baz Reznik – The Attic
Always going in his own way, Dave Clarke brings a very specific aesthetic into his productions. Leaning to a very “hands on, boots strapped tight”-sound, Clarke gives his this mix his own style and taste maximum headspace.
There is a pursuit of an industrial sound, where Clarke gets deep into a spectrum of repetition and a “dirty” sound. To tread carefully here is vital for not making the mix feel meretricious but rather honest. The first problem with ‘fabric 60′ is shown here. Clarke manages to showcase himself in an excellent way, keeping the mix interesting in moments, but the tracks he has chosen doesn’t feel as gritty, noisy and expressive as his older mixes, and foremost productions.
Keeping the mix soudwise submerged and “deep”, Clarke also manages to keep the lights and cold air style intact—a balancing act between deep beneath and high above, a mixture of two complete opposites. It’s also here where Dave Clarke shines on ‘fabric 60′—but in the long run, it’s simply not enough to keep it all together.
The mix starts off in a organic type of way, where chrystal clear sounds and actually a bit shallow track selection takes place. The problem with this type of opening is the clear resemblance and tedious debate over digital and vinyl dj’s; ‘fabric 60′ is a testament of the rock solid track arrangement and static transitions which occours when two tracks are mixed in absolute perfection. The difference is that no matter what format a dj chooses, it’s always more interesting to hear trasitions that communicates a “in the now”-sense, where everything falls into place and elevates the dancefloor.
Dave Clarke manages to go through a lot of tracks that sounds hand picked for this mix, which saddenly resemble each other in a way that doesn’t give any space. Imagine a air locked chamber, where everything is all good but you would really love to get some air.
Although ‘fabric 60′ isn’t Clarke’s finest moment, he has a style that is personal, tasteful and carefully developed in a way that stands out.
Light, dark, hopeful and exact—Robert Hood’s new release as Floorplan goes in a lot of parallel directions. The ‘Sanctified EP’ feels as a very personal release from Hood, as a religious theme is center in this release. The aim with Floorplan is to give output to the tracks that Hood believes is in between his usual styles and inspiration—much like an artistic playground of high quality.
With ‘We Magnify His Name’, Floorplan delivers a fresh and interesting take on gospel in general, and house in specifics. A very well made foundation with straight jacked beats, companied with excellent hats and moods, the track floats perfectly and gives a new and special angle of Hood’s sound.
The B1 gives into a jacking and dramatic swing, as the track title is repeated into suspense, release and groove. A very simple but powerful track that does a lot with very little elements. Where ‘Baby, Baby’ gives the lightness of the release a bit more strength, total darkness falls over ‘Basic Principle’. Here, Hood goes straight into a significant amount of depth, where super tight beats fits perfectly beneath a organ driven melody—one of the best Floorplan tracks to date.
Marcel Fengler is always able to present a multi-faced personality in his music. At one moment, the course and energy of his dj sets can suddenly shift, but it’s hard to notice that specific moment. Due to his talent in reading in how the tracks float, the shifting between them is done flawlessly and without momentum—a strength that is very unique for Fengler.
The strength in ‘Berghain 05′ is the uniqueness and feel of it. There is a subtleness that lies as a foundation similar to a real piece of art, where everything comes together in a pace that is hauntingly slow and never loses energy at the same time.
From the start, Fengler puts in a anthem like approach. For the sound of his residency, this is a mark of a very special night there and usually a sign of a well engaged dj or live act. The sign in this case, is the excellent beginning, where Dettmann’s vocal edit has somewhat become one of the tools for this. Following the exclusive ‘Axis Mundi’ from Belgian Peter Van Hoesen, Fengler manages to capture a lot of emotion whis is streamlined into a euphoria—a daring and pushing track that fits perfectly as a beginning.
Continuing on through the mix, a very futuristic attitude is presented, where broken rhythms, gritty sonic architecture and aggressive beat programming sets the mood from Germany’s capital. The special sound isn’t one similar to your regular noise-based techno, but closer to a spiritual journey put into a cathedral like atmosphere.
‘Berghain 05′ peaks in the middle, where all the built up tension gets released. Going through a anthem like parade of tracks, Fengler shows a real strength in keeping the pace. Nearing the end, the mix echoes through as it will never end, a emotion that is closely knit to Fengler’s Berlin residency, and somewhat the point of the Berghain-mix CD releases.
For Levon Vincent, the momentum between the releases is used as a strength utilized as a driving force in order to put out tracks that are meaningful to himself as well as to all other’s experiencing them.
A careful ear will hear all the developments in the tracks, where a tighter groove with a little less light on them sets the atmosphere in a much quicker way, as well as going into more interesting states and areas not so present in other releases right now.
For the A side, ‘Man or Mistress’ recalls ‘Late Night Jam’ in one way. Only this time, the anthem-warning is put on a more wild approach and thus making the ‘Man or Mistress’ track feel more unique and perhaps more tasteful. With a very reminiscent texture and sound, Levon goes two steps forward and brings a playful, yet perfectly moody melody into focus, with perfected arrangements and excellent use of effects. Some might regard time and “getting tired of” as a factor to watch out for concerning the A side, which is usually mentioned for a track using a melody in this way and having this type of energy—the other side of this coin is, in fact, that the energy is always there and provides enough memories in order to stand out as other more classic anthems over time.
‘Making Headway’ and ‘No Regrets’ feels as more personal transmissions from the studio to the turntable, as a more cool and laid-back production feels as the outset for them. This is of course not a bad thing, as Levon proves that he is a master of both being able to make music that goes into a extreme party level (‘Double Jointed Sex Freak Pt. 1′, ‘Late Night Jam’ or ‘Man or Mistress’) and also being able to deliver super cool tracks as these.
A focused and much welcomed return on Novel Sound, Levon Vincent shows what he has in store and what he’s capable of when things are on his terms.
01. Steffi – Sadness 02. DJ Duke – Heard 03. Hunee – A Leaf For Hand In Hand 04. Soundso – Untitled 05. Theo Parrish – Twin Cities 06. Morgan Geist – Current 07. Romanthony – The House O’ God 08. Circulation – Sincerely (Creation Mix) 09. Lil Silva – Pulse vs. Flex 10. Soundstore – Take U 11. J.T. Melody presents Tina René – Prove It (Instrumental) 12. Fingers Inc – Music Take Me Up 13. Oracy – Bass Mood 14. i – L.T.B.C.Y.B. 15. T.S.O.S – Over And Over 16. Servo Unique – Let’s Swing It 17. QX-1 – Love Injection (Inject Me Love Mixx)
Putting the discussion about “how important mix CDs are today when podcasts are around” or similar aside, and simply enjoying being in the hands of one of the most competent and no-nonsense house dj’s around, you surely not only forget useless debates over this and that, but you also sink into a area without time and only space.
Leaving the controls perfectly balanced on the mixer to leave maximum headroom is a technique that has been around for ages, but when it comes to creating headroom through music—that’s a different story.
I remember once when Prosumer was letting ‘DJ Boom – Kinda’ Kickin’ go, doing something very strange as lowering the pitch into unbearable slowness. For a afternoon with sunlight going through the shutters, myself and the fellow dancers got lost for a moment. For myself and probably other people as well, these moments are rarely there, but when they are, it’s something you remember forever.
When it comes to ‘Panorama Bar 03′, the sound of the bar is not where the emphasis is put. Interestingly though, Prosumer has captured a moment in his sound where it blends perfectly by the high standards of his residency, as well as releasing a personal document in time, not far away from the legendary ‘Berghain 02′ that came three years ago.
The mix starts off with Steffi’s best track to date, continuing down a long stream of classics that is either a little bit forgotten or previously unexplored. Theme-wise, it’s hard to pinpoint the ups and downs in the mix, which is actually very refreshing. Hearing a few small pushes on the vinyl’s here and there actually brings more magic into the atmosphere, by sensing the sweat and hard work that shines through not only the track selection, but the composition as a whole.
For ‘Panorama Bar 03′, it’s certainly a mix you will carry with you for at least some time to come in a use-and-throw away culture.
1. Bells At Dusk 2. Run 3. Alpha: Alive 4. Omega: Alive 5. Minimal, Minimal 6. Who Taught You Math?: Alive 7. Unix: Alive 8. Side Effect: Alive 9. Minus: Alive
Bonus Tracks:
10. Alpha – James Ruskin Remix 11. The Family 12. Atomic
Recommended!
With the ‘Omega’ album from last year, Robert Hood took charge of techno once again. By going for his own interpretation of ‘The Omega Man’ movie from 1971, Hood showcased a side of his music that would fit in a new context, filling up the atmosphere with a more experimental mindset—but not at the cost of his forward headed and driving tracks from the early days.
At the time of the release of ‘Omega’, the very structured sound could at times feel that it was lacking something more. ‘Omega’ came on and off by delivering structures that was firm but at the same time Hood-like, which was forgiving. Although. almost a year has passed since ‘Omega’, where the sound has grown steadily, especially when it comes to Robert Hood’s own dj and live sets from last year, where his material from the album made perfect sense in the way he played it.
‘Omega: Alive’ is almost an hour long showcase of how the previous album could sound when Hood performs it, where the sound architecture fits perfectly and creates a killer mix CD.
Combining old and new material into new shapes, Hood starts out with the tripping ‘Bells at Dusk’, which completely engages and forges the rest of the album in a special way. Continued along the track ‘Run’, which draws a lot of the more classic Hood tracks, with steady and static arrangement.
The mood is transformed a lot throughout the mix, where Hood blends both the calm and wild aspects of his tracks, shining special light over ‘Alpha: Alive’, a new version of ‘Alpha’ from the ‘Alpha / Omega (End Times)’ EP from last year. This time, the sound of this track is more down to the earth and less penetrating, as a new atmosphere follows in line with new melodies—a perfect reworking into a new state of mind.
Straight from the mind of the master; ‘Minimal, Minimal’ is an anthem of crazyness. Working perfectly as a bridge for the live set, it is interesting and good that Hood includes the briding tracks too, as they are needed to continue on when playing live. Even though it might seem as a strange track, it makes perfect sense in a live set, especially from the man himself.
A dangerous move, but a very good one in this case, is the reworked classic material from Hood’s extensive back catalogue. He manages to rework them so they fit the atmosphere of the ‘Omega’ live set and pushes them into a new territory. The reduction both limited to the style of his, but also by the probable equipment used at that time has made the tracks into the special ones that they are today. Interestingly, Hood has elevated the sound of them into a different one, not being able to compare them (there’s really no point), but gives a feeling of refreshment and excitement.
For the bonus tracks, Robert Hood included the James Ruskin remix of ‘Alpha’, as well as the previously released ‘The Family’ and the new track ‘Atomic’. ‘Atomic’ is more experimental in a way that was introduced in ‘Omega’—just as with the album from last year, it will probably grow a lot within time.
‘Omega: Alive’ is released on CD and digitally the 20th of June.
My favorite tracks:
Minus: Alive Alpha: Alive Bells at Dusk Minimal, Minimal Thanks to Jonas at EPM and Robert Hood for this release.
A: Soundstore – Take U B1: Steffi – Sadness B2: Hunee – A Leaf for Hand in Hand
Straight from the combined forces of tracks from the ‘Panorama Bar 03′ mix CD due later this month, Ostgut Ton releases a sampler with three previously unreleased tracks. As with the previous mix CD’s from Ostgut, a lot can be said about the diversity that the label is displaying by getting this material out for other djs as well.
The difference this time though, is that it’s much harder to pin-point a common ground for the sampler, due to the diverse range of styles being put into it.
Soundstore’s ‘Take U’ strikes out in a traditional sound, based around a high energy mode and extravaganza, being balanced perfectly between what could be considered a “party” sound but keeping the depth of sound in check. A momentum track that goes straight for the gold—as well as a perfectly insane ending not suitable for any eardrum.
‘Sadness’ is a new track made by Steffi, who with her excellent and unique ‘Yours & Mine’ LP set her ambition soundwise, where ‘Sadness’ feels even more thought out and carefully crafted for the special moments. Especially the moments created by her residency, but Steffi manages to also transform that spirit into a track that carries a lot more weight than a specific place, which in return makes it stand out a lot and almost reaching out of the structures of a track-like sound.
The last track of the EP comes from Japan’s Hunee, who goes deep into the momentums and details, bringing in a fresh approach to the essential piano tune action. ‘A Leaf for Hand in Hand’ showcases a studied sound, with a perfect balance between the old and the new, making the atmosphere positive as well as pushing into territores of Prosumer’s dj style—something that explains a lot for Prosumer’s choice to feature Hunee’s track on the Panorama Bar 03 mix CD.
The EP is out soon, together with Panorama Bar 03.
Even Skudge can not avoid the fact, that depth in the kind of sound they pursue lies within a structure above what at first might seem as dance floor tracks; paying a lot of attention to the tracks, getting the sounds to go into each other with perfection and to put them into the analogue expression of not only the equipment used, but also through the tape recorder, Skudge manages to achieve something that is more unclear than what has been said about ‘Phantom’ already.
‘Phantom’ shows the best of its strength in the ambient pieces, the details trapped between the beat structures and the progression in the tracks. An experiment in removing the beats in all of the tracks would simply showcase their ear for what is simply defined as techno, rather than trying to aim directly to the dancefloor—although Skudge manages to aim with precision and delivers in that field as well.
Combining the two; creating tracks that are meant for the floor as well as setting a mood for an atmosphere reminiscent to areas far below the earth, Skudge sums up a lot of ambition and dedication to their journey this far.
The album sums up Skudge’s previous work in a interesting way. It does resemble a lot to their B sides of their EP releases, but there is not a single track that goes into the direction of the sound they became most famous for—the A sides. A interesting, but more importantly, bold move. By creating a album dedicated to a deeper sound in which they always have been going for, Skudge manages to explain more of their sound in this album than all the A sides from previous EP releases combined.
The diversity in each and every track lies in the details. Splitting them up one by one may seem as they follow each other in a quite static way, but the truth is that they are meant to be viewed, and listened to as a whole. Highlighting differences between the tracks is hard when Skudge has established themselves soundwise, but ‘Phantom’ doesn’t require this in order to stand out.
The most important aspect of the LP lies somewhere in between the functionality and style. This aspect comes into the clear with ‘Realtime’, a track with its steadyset mood and attitude creates a penetrating track that has a strict framework in which it moves around freely—something fans of Skudge will recognize and take in.
The highlight of the album, except the brilliant ambient material, is in ‘Pressure Drop’. A track that is so static in its progression that it tickles just in the right places. The sounds that feel in a way misplaced fits perfectly in the secure groove, as it creates a utterly unique experience. Especially under the feet of the right crowd.
Even though a few tracks have been balancing on the edge of going into a more haunting direction, ‘Shivers’ feels almost as a visual experience and surely falls over. Stabbing synthwork that at first might feel a bit uneasy, makes perfect sense as the track digs into itself through the pads that surrounds the rest of it, in a perfect way, making it extremely mesmerizing and that unexplainable weirdness feel more natural than ever.
