Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Vinyl and digital reviews: Rothkamm and [a]pendics.shuffle & Dilo

Title: Alt
Artist: Frank Rothkamm
Label: Baskaru
Release date: Early 2010

Sounds like: A novice playing around with a home studio and keyboard from Cash Converters

High notes: Ok, this is coming out on Baskaru, the experimental music and sound art label, so you could be forgiven for abstract tones, obtuse composition and the rest - if the end product can be appreciated for interesting or moving electronica - but this doesn't happen here. Or at least not for this writer, who remembers telling a teacher that Philip Glass was their inspiration after a rather disastrous composition for Higher Music to cover up the lack of form. This perhaps requires a great deal more chin-stroking from art bods, and less listening from ambient electronic fans.

Bum Notes: The 'Alt' album, but admittedly 'AAA' has some potential outside 'the art world'.


Title: Vaquero
Artist: [a]pendics.shuffle & Dilo (Cascabel Gentz)
Label: Trapez
Release date: 8 Feb 2010

Sounds like: Green Velvet and Jamie Lidell making dubby techno with hooky melodies

High notes: When America and Argentina join forces you get tracks like 'Cowboy Flyers', with trippy, melting voices and an almost erotic kick drum making you relentlessly move to the beat; and the more forceful 'Never Beat' with Lidell-esque vocals over booty-wobbling techno. Across 'No More No Less', hints of tribal cross-rhythms and pscyhedelia mesh with manipulated interviews and a varied use of melody - sometimes difficult to do with techno without sounding too cheesy or too morbid.

Bum Notes: 'No More No Less' is available with digital downloads only, sorry vinyl enthusiasts!

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Clash Music Reviews: Vinyl and Digital

I sometimes forget I can post my reviews for other media here, but voila!



Prosper, Zam'x, Hi! Population - Kiss My Neck Ep
Expressillon

... breakin'... into paranormal territory

Commencing with perhaps the first vampire themed electro-house / breaks tune, 'Suck My Neck' by Prosper and Zam'x featuring Miss Peg; it comes across as a B-movie horrortune, but is not as genre-overloaded as Prosper and Hi! Population's 'Strawberry Moon'. 'Chavroo Night' by Prosper and Zam'x steals the EP - perfect for slamming over a film montage of people clubbing and 'getting crazy with it'.

Release date: Feb / March 2010

Gramophonedzie - Why Don't You
Positiva / Virgin Records

... Fails to make a splash

Flashes of Mr Scruff are conjured by this sax-dominated funky house groove, awkwardly giving way to samples of Peggy Lee's jazzy version of 'Why Don't You Do Right' - the Audio Bully's would be proud of Gramophonedzie's mix of the kitsch and modern, but it's not enough to create waves in the wider house community.

Release date: 22 Feb 2010

Psychonauts - Take Control
Gigolo Recordings

... it's all in the remixes

Psy-trance and its related branches are not Gigolo's regular fare, but as part of a re-release they couldn't resist updating this 2003 track for the new decade. The original pscyhedelic and spacey track featuring Sam Lynham has been remastered, but it's the punchier house of Naum Gabo and dubby Pscycatron remixes we're interested in here!

Release date: Feb 2010


Silicone Soul - Hurt People Hurt People
Soma Records

... Capturing their namesake

Taken from their 2009 'Silicone Soul' album, 'Hurt People Hurt People' is a lovely tech-house groove, rubbing in flecks of deep Chicago to accurately capture the sound of one's soul if it were silicone. Bearweasel's remix is a less-forgiving techno take, while Jairo Catelo follows a tribal house path and Master H summons imagery of Fischerspooner and Mortiis going head to head.

Release date: 15 Feb 2010


Joel Alter - Soul Clap EP
Sweatshop

... 909 goodness

Put simply, 'Soul Clap' will generate heat on the dancefloor and rekindle passion for old school synth and key stabs, set to clean and determined techno beats. Savas Pascalidis re-edits the track to a Chicago template, sustaining the filters and a 909 clap breakdown, and the flipside's 'Mellan Raderna' alters the pace to a deeper and languid house dub for three well-fitting EP partners.

Release date: 10 Feb 2010