ATTENTION ALL ARTISTS/DJ's: If there is any of your material I posted on this site that you would like removed, please email me at nminieri@yahoo.com and I will have it taken down immediately.
Pretty sure this is the first trancey tune I have uploaded here. I found this record pretty recently at Salem Record Exchange and turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It’s a 3-track EP by producer Quantum Leap, who only released five singles under this alias in the late 1990s. All three tracks have a chilled, hypnotic feel to them but the highlight is definitely the 11-minute Telestar. With it’s distinct use of triplets in the main break, single-note bassline, and simple yet effective arpeggiated lead, Telestar definitely holds it’s own on the scale of uniqueness. Additional subtle elements are revealed as the song plays on, keeping the simple loops from becoming too monotonous.
OK here’s another rarity deep in my archives. This is a plate I acquired from an ebay auction roughly 3 or 4 years ago. Side 1 of this acetate has a track by Dylan called “The Eyes”, which was a very early release on Renegade Hardware back in late ‘97 or early ‘98. The flip side, however, is where things get interesting. This side doesn’t have a label and was actually scratched out by whoever owned the record (meaning that they probably weren’t nuts about the track). However it’s still playable despite a few skips towards the beginning, in all it’s snap crackle pop glory.
Honestly it was probably scratched out for a reason; the song itself wasn’t anything special amongst all of the other techy drum & bass that permeated the genre in those days, but isn’t bad either. Anyone know anything about this track? My guess is it’s another Dylan track or possibly Facs, but my guess is also as good as yours. Side note- this is NOT Kombat, which was ultimately released on the flip side of The Eyes on the full release!
I love finding super obscure releases like this. The only information I’ve been able to find about Ari Jukka is that he had a small handful of techno releases on little known labels during the mid 1990s, this being one of them. This song is a pretty simplistic techno affair. The 909 permeates itself over all of the percussion and helps add a bit of a nostalgic feel. There are about three short synth stabs and a 1-beat vocal sample that are used interchangeably around the percussion. The other tracks on this record are similar; they use very few samples yet are still catchy. The label this record came out on (Trainspotters Nightmare) was owned by producers Glenn Wilson and Cari Lekebusch. The latter of whom went on to work with Adam Beyer in the past decade and has a slew of releases on Truesoul, Drumcode, and Code Red. I’m assuming Jukka is either from Sweden or Germany.
Side note- I like how the label was named “Trainspotters Nightmare”. Flicking through pics of their back catalogue on Discogs, I’ve noticed that none of their releases had track titles on the labels. On this specific record, the label title was written in braille and pressed to blue marbled vinyl. A punter never would’ve been able to decipher who this track was by if they were watching some DJ play it at a rave in 1996!
Hollertronix adds a brand new title to it’s catalogue, this time by none other than Dutch booty bass bandits the Party Squad. Renowned for the simplistic, stripped-down baltimore club joints, along with their quality-over-quantity mantra (they only release 2 or 3 singles a year TOPS), Hollertronix still attains a high position within the genre.
Trainspotters who follow Diplo religiously already know many of the four tracks released on this EP. For example, the energetic Crazy Funky Style with it’s memorable trumpet stabs and opening synths reminiscent of a 1992 breakbeat hardcore tune on a label like Reinforced has floated around the hands of top tier DJ’s like him since 2006. The really short opener, Pull Up (which clocks in at barely two minutes), has also been around for about a year and is pretty much an instant floor filler. Want to make the tune a little longer in your set? Just do what the lyrics are telling you and rewind that shit! Side 2 injects a little reggae action into Murderer, while Rage is probably the best tune of the lot with a squealing lead synth that you definitely aren’t going to forget well into 2010.
Really like the variety of flavors injected into this one; with influences coming out of baltimore club, electro, fidget, bassline house, hip hop, drum and bass, and old school hardcore, all rolled in to roughly ten minutes of listening pleasure. Although it’s a short release, I’ll take an epic 2-3 minute track over a boring 10 minute one any day of the week!
One of Europe’s masterminds of techno music, Adam Beyer, has been a busy man in 2009. When he’s not constantly releasing tracks on his legendary label Drumcode, or touring the entire world DJ-ing, he makes time to occasionally shine a bit of light on some older, long-forgotten tracks on his label, exposing them to a new audience of fans and allowing other producers to give them a modern studio re-rub.
Remainings III is the most recent track Beyer has culled from the archives; he selected a team of six producers, including himself, to slow the original version of the track down a bit so it can work well with the vast majority of techno and minimal being released nowadays.
The digital version of this release includes two versions from Joseph Capriati: one version of which flips the original percussion around and incorporates breaks into the breakdowns, the other one strips the original drums entirely for more of a classic, 909-laced kit. Paul Ritch’s remix is barely recognizable and takes on a character of it’s own; the only thing imported from the original is the elusive growl of the lead synth. Alan Fitzpatrick’s remix is probably my favorite; it has a driving backbeat, exciting build-up, and flips the script on the original drum loop quite nicely. Dustin Zahn’s version tinkers with the lead synth far more than any of the other versions and is an interesting listen, while Beyer and Jesper Dahlback (the authors of the original piece) slow it down considerably and, similar to Ritch’s remix, brings over little from the original version.
There is also a vinyl version of the release; this however only includes the Beyer/Dahlback collab, along with one of Joesph Capriati’s versions.
For a sneak peak of the Alan Fitzpatrick remix, check out a quick ten-minute mini mix I made below. Included here are 7 or 8 tracks; the first lot are some classics circa 1997-98 on Drumcode’s sister label, Code Red, by the likes of Beyer, Joel Mull, and Cari Lekebusch. The original 2000 mix of Remainings comes in at around 6 minutes, followed by the first part of the Fitzpatrick mix shortly thereafter.
There are about ten or twelve now-defunct record labels from the 1990s that I wished I had more releases from in my library. I’d have to say that Evolution/Universal Language, run by legendary artists Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard, is easily one of them. Evolution was mainly used as a canvas to showcase the versatility of Middleton and Pritchard (under their many different aliases, such as Reload as in this video), however a few additions such as The Horn and Gerd came along for the ride.
Rhodes is a two-part downtempo piece that was released towards the tail end of Evolution’s life span as a label, in 1997. It’s a really nice melodic piece with densely layered strings and pads coming from every direction, juxtaposed against a very simple bassline and drumloop. The first part of Rhodes is actually in 6-8 time (how often do we see an electronic music piece that is in something besides 4-4 time?). In the middle passage we see the bass and drums get stripped away, leaving just the pads for a few minutes. When the underlying elements return in part two, it switches into 4-4 time; the bassline from here on out changes completely and the drums take on more of a light swing feel, very reminiscent of 2-step garage. Unfortunately I couldn’t include the whole piece as it’s around 13 minutes long. I need to track down more releases from this label, the Global Communications crew are pure legends!
If you ask pretty much any garage producer who has been active within the past 15 years who their most influential artists are, chances are you will hear the name “Todd Edwards” mentioned within about three seconds. Todd’s signature style of chopping bits and pieces of vocals and using them to create a complimentary rhythm that syncopates perfectly around the beat of the song has been imitated and duplicated so much that it’s probably the most ubiquitous feature showcased in a garage tune! This track came from his “New Trends 1995” EP, released in 2002. Funny how it mentions 1995 in the title, because it’s very difficult to distinguish the music he was producing in the 90s to what he’s worked on recently. Todd Edwards’ style has been so unique and respected that there has been no need to change his formula. Not many producers produce music that manages to stay fresh and relevant a decade down the road!
And this folks, is fresshhhh! Hailing from Sweden, Dada Life have been all over the globe spreading the sounds of their infectious gnarled-up lead synths in efforts to promote their most recent album “Happy Hands and Happy Feet.” Let’s Get Bleeped Tonight is their most recent single, a nice electro house stomper that is perfect source material to get the party started. There’s no shortage of vocals in this five minute piece; mainly consisting of the one-line song title. A little too simple for my personal tastes, yet catchy enough for the younger cats to latch on. Very well produced overall; the lead synth pierce through all of the tracks other components like the first rays of morning sunlight.
In the world of music we are currently witnessing the merger of a variety of styles stemming from a wide range of different influences. Two specifics that are in vogue right now are the synth-laden harmonies extracted straight from late 1970s/early 1980s pop and disco, as well as dub-oriented music (in all of it’s reverb-saturated glory). Today’s answer to these musical artforms include electro and dubstep; each camp taking cues from the respective elder styles. Due to their inherent differences and origins I have personally only heard a few fruitful attempts at successfully combining both into one composition; few have fortuitously achieved combining both while making a lasting impression, thereby producing something that sounds like more than just a throwaway novelty.
Architeq is a pleasant surprise. Not only have they merged the saw waves and the echo chambers, but they have also managed to combine live instrumentation with standard sampling and sequencing. Architeq is primarily the brainchild of Sam Annand, however he regularly incorporates the talent of session musicians and spends a great deal of time re-working the live instrumentation they create into a tightened, polished piece without sacrificing the funk and flow of the sounds eminating from the guitar amps and drumkit. There is an impressive balance of electro, breakbeats, and dub vocals in his recently released EP entitled “Birds of Prey.”
This 6-tracker obviously focuses the most on the title song, of which there are five different versions here. The live video below is a longer, more loose interpretation of the version included on the EP. Each version manages to keep a fairly steady beat while allowing plenty of space for echo effects, stuttered drum hits, vocal stabs coming from all directions of the stereo space, and an amen or two if you listen carefully enough! A few versions, such as Fulgeance’s and Kelpe’s, put the synth a bit more into the forefront than the others, but each one carries on the same impact of the original. James Pants (of Stones Throw fame) also performs the remix duty of “Sleeping Bear” here, which relies on a crunked-out hip hop bassline to carry the listener through to the bitter end.
Like what you hear? Be sure to check out Architeq’s full length LP, Green & Gold, while you’re at it!
Stateside baltimore club label Dress 2 Sweat has been unleashing an onslaught of party jams in 2009, including work by DJ Funk (under his alias “Deeon”), Starkey, and Piddy Py. The most recent release comes from a pair of wobble-bassline-oriented producers from the UK: Bok Bok and L-Viz 1990.
Spearheading the popular Night Slugz parties in London for the past several years now alongside Fact Magazine, these guys are well revered for pushing any form of music with a groove and a heavy bassline to both serious and casual listeners. This slab of wax is a nice timepiece to some of the more specific sounds they spearheaded over the course of the last half of this past year: the more laid-back but drum-centric sound of UK funky music.
Each artist takes a side of the record here; and all four songs are individually produced, none include both Bok Bok and L-Viz.
Side 1 opens with Bok Bok’s “NNTF 2009”, a very sparse dubstep affair that subtly wraps choppings of baltimore-club breaks very tightly around the fairly typical snare-kick combo. The squealing, high-pitched synth and wobble bassline make an appearance too. Not the strongest track on the plate, but a good warm-up. Ripe Banana lives up to it’s name however, this cut is pure funk! It builds pretty nicely with an opening sustained pad and a clean drumkit to boot. When it drops, about a dozen different synth sounds are introduced for the first time, all coming from different directions forcing you to take note.
We flip over to the pair of L-Viz 1990 tracks on side 2. “Run” very nicely marries vintage organ sounds and skin tight female vocal chops reminiscent of early 1990s garage house to the sound of UK Funky; it is probably my favorite tune on the record. “Hired” proves to me that the “1990” in L-Viz’s tag is there for a reason; he does an excellent job at combining vintage sounds from that bygone era in this song as well. In this case it’s clearly more of a throwback to acid techno rather than deep house, so as you can ascertain he’s bringing in some dark 303-laden stylings. And similar to “Run”, this one is also fairly UK Funky-centric as well.
Very solid 4-tracker overall, definitely keep your ears open for these guys. Their night in London isn’t going away any time soon! By the way, if you order the vinyl on Turntablelab, you will also get a bonus mix cd from Dress 2 Sweat labelmate Jackmaster.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 1:17AM 
