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Review: Shed – The Traveller

Published August 21, 2010 Review 1 Comment
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Label: Ostgut Ton
Catalog#: OSTGUTCD14

Tracklist:

1. STP 2
2. Keep Time
3. The Bot
4. Atmo – Action
5. 44A (Hard Wax forever!)
6. …Can’t Feel It.
7. Mayday
8. No Way!
9. HDRTM
10. My R-Class
11. Final Experiment
12. The Traveller
13. Hello Bleep!
14. Leave Things

Recommended!

Review of the CD version.

Head strong and confident, Shed delivers an album that is far more atmospheric and abstract than his previous work. Even though there has been a big turn in the actual output, the constant feeling of energy has gotten more room from ‘Shedding The Past’, and fills ‘The Traveller’ album up with a lot of inspiration and thought. As told by himself previously, Shed tries to “go back” to his own roots when making these tracks, drawing inspiration without nostalgia from that time.

An important aspect of this album, is the fact that it’s not so much of a “techno album” in a generalized sense, but rather a formula that delivers its emotions in a very advanced way. Combined with the melodies that differ a lot from each other, Shed delivers also advanced beats and structured patterns – something that has also been taken into a new level. Cravling and constant developing excursions are present on the more ambient pieces, reaching highlight with ‘Leave Things’ as well as the important ‘The Bot’ and equally heavy ‘Keep Time’ made to put the emphasis on the beats.

With the broad spectrum of styles and tastes, it’s hard to pin down the favorites. There are always a special moment in every track, there’s always details or shifts in the music to look out for, something Shed has managed to make the listener abide to.

‘The Traveller’ will be released on August 30th.

My favorite tracks:

Leave Things


Atmo – Action


44A (Hard Wax Forever!)

Review: Skudge – Overture / Mirage

Published August 21, 2010 Review 2 Comments
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Label: Skudge Records
Catalog#: SKUDGE 003

Tracklist:

A: Overture


B: Mirage

Buy here

Recommended!

When Skudge releases their third release, they have not only proven that they maintain their quality sound over three EP’s, but they also manage to display a more hypnotic and less melancholic sound.

There’s a lot of thought and process behind every release; When Skudge’s working conditions aren’t optimal in the studio or not being met during day-time, they simply sit up all night working – the result might at first be something tangiable but yet to be completed, which means another all-night session the day after. Even though the results that does get a pressed release are worth it, there’s a lot of different ideas getting processed for every 12″. This means that the quality control is almost equal to the amount of time spent on creating each track, which also reflects on their capability and deliberate DIY-approach.

With ‘Overture’, there’s been a shift upon where the depth of their sound lies. Going from a very subtle and detailed sound, Skudge seem to have put forward one of their most raw tracks to date. The gritted and reel to reel treated track instantly kicks in into a state of hypnosis – especially during the progressions that remains detailed for the trained ear. The result feels very unique but at the same time as something you’d expect from the dancefloors it was made for.

Keeping the pace with ‘Mirage’, a track that shakes the walls (especially when experienced live) and keeps that boxed in feeling of well arranged and structured feelings of a 7 A.M. atmopshere, it just makes you want to let go. Enduring a night with ‘Mirage’ getting dropped in just the right moment, there is a unique atmosphere brought with it, in which Skudge proves they own the territory.

Review: Maskin Ljud – Den Första Färden

Published August 10, 2010 Review 4 Comments

Label: Färden Records
Catalog#: Färden 001

Tracklist:

A1: Metro X01


A2: Kombinerad Syra


B: Filtrerad Symfoni

Buy here

When this type of techno comes out, there’s always the line between what feels “sufficient” to put out as a release and what actually feels like something that needs to be released.

The difference between the two has in recent time resulted in, unfortunately, “we need to just release” – a stream of output that in some sense is fun and interesting to follow, to digitally cratedig and going to the stores to listen to them. What gets lost along the way though, is the momentum every artist and label actually has with their initial release, the release that will somehow put out the path of it’s sonic and atmospehric artistry.

What at first might sound as “just another one of those records”, which has as a phrase become somewhat overused due to the unprecise ears of a few, the attention to rhythmic details strikes Maskin Ljud as a producer knowing what works and what doesn’t; with the paradox of releasing tracks that actually works very well on the floor might not suffice for others.

‘Den Första Färden’ is the first release from the new label ‘Färden’. Featuring a swedish artist by the name Maskin Ljud, the ‘Färden’ label puts out three tracks that follow a structure set out a long time ago; but doing it with a fresh style.

As the A-side really is the highlight of the record, ‘Kombinerad Syra’ and ‘Filtrerad Melodi’ does not act as fillers, its just that they deserve a different momentum than ‘Metro X01′ on the A side.

With a sound that goes broad comes the advantage of being suitable for many djs and listeners, which is something that in this case is entierly good.

Review: Skudge – Remixes 1

Published July 17, 2010 Review Leave a Comment
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Label: Skudge Records
Catalog#: SKUDGE001R

Tracklist:

A: Convolution – Aardvarck Remix


B: Overture – Jared Wilson’s Cass Corridor Treatment

Buy here

Recommended!

Skudge’s first remix release takes their own sound into the hands of others, creating a new atmosphere fused in with their attitude and sound.

Aardvarck brings ‘Convolution’ into a swirling groove, where his Bloom-label together with his other work stamps its well-known elements onto it. Here, a more stepping and different attitude takes place, with a dread soundscape and a beat that makes you fall right down the hole.

The strength of ‘Remixes 1′ comes into its right with Jared Wilson’s take on ‘Overture’. Where his attitude towards the music keeps on being uncompromising, the remix result is very true. Maintaining the beat structure through traditional machinery, rather than going through each element of the original, he somewhat interprets the original’s sound to create this unique and haunting piece.

With this being the first remix output on Skudge Records, sounding this good, the follow ups will hopefully keep the pace.

Review: Ben Klock – Berghain 04

Published June 19, 2010 Review 1 Comment
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Label: Ostgut Ton
Catalog#: OSTGUTCD13

Tracklist:

1. 154 – Apricot
2. DVS1 – Pressure
3. Junior Boys – Work – Marcel Dettmann Remix
4. Martyn – Miniluv
5. STL – Loop 04
6. Levon Vincent – The Long Life
7. Jonas Kopp – Michigan Lake
8. ACT – RoHd
9. Mikhail Breen – Veracity
10. DVS1 – Confused
11. Rolando – De Cago
12. Kevin Gorman – 7am Stepper
13. Ben Klock – Compression Session 1
14. Roman Lindau – Keppra
15. Tyree – Nuthin Wrong
16. The Echologist – Dirt – Ben Klock Edit
17. James Ruskin – Graphic
18. Ben Klock feat. Elif Biçer – Elfin Flight
19. Rolando – Junie

If you ever had the chance to hear Ben Klock play records in a state where he seems to have just as much fun as yourself, you can be assured that the dancefloor is in good hands.

Bringing a mixed CD with this atmosphere, where years of all night sessions in his prime residency has made it tangiable, Ben Klock manages to feature a lot of aspects in his longer dj sets into a one hour mix. ‘Berghain 04′ feels very unique in the same sense as Klock’s own record taste; there is a lot of new material that manages to encapsulate his selection of old and new tracks, but also bring something new to the table.

A side effect of this is that ‘Berghain 04′ requires a certain mood to be appreciated in its fullest. Whereas a purist heart and mind would see this as a positive thing, there is something that feels a bit overlooked.

The mix feels liberating, and in the highest sense, very fresh. In these times where people have a steady idea of the “Ostgut Ton sound” and the “Berghain sound”, he draws away the attention from the dark and throbbing records to make way of a melodic and unexpected track selection that actually feels more true to the club and label than recent outputs from other directions (following the previous said comprehension). The place Klock has created with this mix has so much more to it than just simply put “dark”, “hard” and “Berlin”.

For most residents at Berghain and Panorama Bar, when hearing them play the records they want and getting the people at the floor to follow, there’s always the feeling of not knowing what to expect. This is exactly the same case with ‘Berghain 04′.

‘Berghain 04′ is out the 28th of June, with both vinyl samplers out now.

Review: Robert Hood – Omega

Published June 9, 2010 Review 1 Comment
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Label: M-Plant
Catalog#: M.PM8

Tracklist:

1. Alpha (The Beginning)
2. The Plague (Cleansing Maneuvers)
3. Towns That Disappeared Completely
4. Alpha
5. Think Fast
6. The Workers of Iniquity
7. Are You God?
8. The Family Watches
9. War in the Streets
10. Saved By The Fire
11. The Wheels of Escape
12. Omega (End Times)

Buy here

When being able to create a conceptual album, it often feels as the old traditions in the artist’s sound disappears in benefit for just that concept.

Robert Hood re-issued his ‘Minimal Nation’ last year, where his early and classic sound was made available again. The timelessness of ‘Minimal Nation’ was still tangiable and it felt natural for it to be available again in new copies, but it was also time for a new album.

Even though there’s clear references to ‘The Omega Man’ movie, the album is not meant to run along it as a soundtrack, but rather to be considered as a techno interpretation of the film. The result is an atmospheric and very steady LP, where Hood reveals a side of his music that is less tied to the dancefloor as such, but rather focusing on this inspiration.

Even though the album feels true to his music, there’s a feeling of that something is missing out. For me, that feeling is the uncompromising core which has driven his M-Plant as well as ‘The Vision’ alias towards the timelessness of his hypnotic grooves.

When listening through the album, that missing feeling is replaced by a sense of calmness. Even in its most pounding moments, the sound remains steady as within a relaxed atmosphere. Valuable enough, that feeling alone makes up for the missing aspects, and also gives ‘Omega’ a place of being essential in a different way.

Following up on the single ‘Alpha / Omega (End Times)’, the rest of the album has a different sound going off from that single – especially in the highlight sound of ‘The Wheels of Escape’ and ‘The Family Watches’. Here, Hood is able to use sparse elements in a way that, subjectively, feels as previously untouched areas of his sound. The rhythm always feels as it’s going somewhere, reaching deep within the heart as well as keeping his original idea for ‘Omega’ intact.

‘Omega’ is appreciated, but in a different way from Hood’s previous material – being the judge of that, it’s hard being totally certain of it’s essentialities comparing to the previous material. This special piece of work is one that needs to be decided from personal factos, rather than being suited for the DJ or dancefloor.

My favorite tracks:

The Wheels of Escape


The Plauge (Cleansing Maneuvers)


The Family Watches

Review: Skudge – Melodrama / Ontic

Published April 30, 2010 Review 1 Comment
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Label: Skudge Records
Catalog#: SKUDGE 002

Tracklist:

A: Melodrama


B: Ontic

Buy here

Recommended!

Going for a more concrete direction, the ’002′ from Skudge feels different from the first, creating an atmosphere that is subtle in a different way.

Kicking beats, haunting elements and a flow that is rare these days, ‘Melodrama’ keeps the pace with a lot of originality as well as the feeling from the ’001′ – a knowing in the right sense. Small variations occour throughout, but they are very subtle and yet they seem to always present themselves in the right moment, which is even more clear on ‘Ontic’ featured on the B side. It’s hard to pin down what makes this record into what it is, it has so many different sides to it as well as a unique sound. Even though the structures of the tracks might be traditional in some sense, both of them feels as if they brought in something new – which is always appreciated.

‘Ontic’ is more of a deeper ride through the tunnels, where swirling percussion and a floating atmosphere binds the rhythm together – without losing track of itself and leaving the “dj tool” stamp far away. ‘Melodrama’ swings more steady, where the uncompromising beat tangles itself onto the vocal, creating a piece that seems essential today as well as in the future.

Review: Dettmann – Dettmann LP

Published April 21, 2010 Review 2 Comments

Label: Ostgut Ton
Catalog#: OSTGUTLP05

Tracklist:

A1: Quasi (Intro)
A2: Argon
A3: Screen
B1: Motive
B2: Drawing
C1: Reticle
C2: Irritant
D: Captivate
E1: Silex
E2: Home
F1: Viscous
F2: Taris (Outro)

Buy here

Recommended!

When collecting all inspiration that certain producers have, creating a certain demonstration of strength, a timeless yet at the same time defining “piece” is created. The most interesting aspect of it though, is that the sense of being pulled in the direction of the sound that fills up the release – especially when it’s collected in an album.

Marcel Dettmann is a producer that has been pushing this sound for a long time. Through the Berghain label Ostgut Ton, his own MDR label as well as remixes on a lot of different artists – maintaining a difference in the approach, sound and style, but at the same time always remaining true to his own quality of production as well as keeping this perticular sound intact. Filling up the empty space between going through records, otherwordly sounds and pumping tracks, his own material seems so natural when combining the thought of process behind the work of his own.

The emphasis is very uncompromising. It’s hard to truly define where it is in a concrete way, as “darkness” is clearly not enough to explain this album – there is so much to it, that is very parallell to what we have been hearing as well as his most recent tracks and remixes. Sure, a lot of focus is put on a dystopian sound, but the trained ear can clearly desinguish between those who try and those who know – Dettmann being one of the latter.

Surrounding the album is a lot of talk of “the Berghain sound”, where producers pursue perhaps their own impressions of it as well as attempts to follow it. What seems to be a result of this, is releases that feels as an empty shell with a hollowed space where the energy is “supposed” to be.

The ‘Dettmann’ release is clearly a blueprint of Marcel’s own interpretation of the club, people and music, as well as his personality and style taking up most of the productions – hence creating a release that feels almost too defining for it’s own good. At least, he created something that is honest, that will probably maintain this sound in a energetic and uncompromising way.

Thanks to Marcel Dettmann for this release.

Review: A Guy Called Gerald – Tronic Jazz: The Berlin Sessions

Published April 5, 2010 Review 1 Comment
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Label: Laboratory Instinct
Catalog#: LI017CD

Tracklist:

01. People Moover
02. Nuvo Alfa
03. Flutter
04. Iland
05. Just Soul
06. The Dip
07. Round Eco
08. Dirty Trix
09. Wow Yheah
10. Indi Vibe
11. Pacific Samba
12. Conclusion F min Blue
13. Merfed

As the album title states, this latest output from A Guy Called Gerald fills up the more intellectual spectrum – a true spirit and a refreshing and original take on techno and surrounding sounds.

The most inspiring factor of this release, is that while maintaining an original sound, Gerald manages to shine through with the inspiration and energy that in common practice is more or less absent in straight up CD releases. Where a musical taste lifts every track into a new level, Gerald displays a knowledge not only sonically bound, but also knowing his way around the equipment he uses in a very solid way – the result is a combination of both perception and craftsmanship.

The mysterious and labyrinth-sense of every track makes it feel diverse and fun – rather than a straight up proper techno LP, which would seem only a bit strange if that was the case, Tronic Jazz feels strongly related to old tradition and style within the genre, rather than current explorations.

‘Tronic Jazz: The Berlin Sessions’ is due in early May.

Thanks to Jonas at EPM for this release.

My favorite tracks:

Dirty Trix


Round Eco

Review: The Panamax Project – Subsolo 006

Published March 26, 2010 Review 2 Comments

Label: SubSolo
Catalog#: SUBSOLO 006

Tracklist:

A: Maximum Height


B: Maximum Width

Buy here

Recommended!

In continuation of Shed’s remarkable dub material, Panamax stands for a freight weight of bass. With a modern feel, old tradition and a slow paced evolution within the tracks, the productions are up to his own standard (which he has defined and refined for years).

An easy going aesthetic surrounds these tracks, where the groove goes from a dub centered style into René’s own definition of music – everything is very electric, but at the same time it’s always structured enough to keep the funk. A dusty sense glues every element together in a very spiritual and mighty way on ‘Maximum Height’, where a jackin’ sense fills up between every bar. The groove is just there – a feeling that is required to make a track essential.

‘Maximum Width’ gets the same treatment as the Wax No. ’10001B Panamax Mix’ got last year; sparse, heavy but at the same time very forward. What gives the track a taste, is the excellent influence it’s based on. As well as the A side, things feels very forward pushing and timeless. Excellent production which only leaves a heavy soundsystem weakened.

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