The second release on Raw Basics is a solo single from Basic Rhythm that brings a summery Techno vibe to your turntable.
The A side opens with a bright lush pad lowly panning from left to right, coupled with a bouncy kick drum and light percussive hits, before unleashing a heavyweight bass line designed to rattle your sub stacks and knock the air out of your chest. Cha is a stepper that draws from, and combines Dancehall and Detroit Techno with a deftness that only Basic Rhythm can bring to the dance floor.
The B side is a more subdued affair, invoking clear blue skies and a warm summer breeze. Opening with a lush chord and muted 4/4 kick drum, the layers of tape hiss obfuscate and add a little lo fi fuzziness, while gradually building layers of percussion in that unique Basic Rhythm style, adding hints of sub bass before finally opening up into a straight stepper around the half way mark, with a solid kick drum and warm bass line that compliments the lush airy chords. This is one for the summer!
Fiedel launches SUPER SOUND TOOL, a series that puts BIG SOUND before BIG NAMES. SUPER SOUND TOOL, the new FIEDEL II sub label, is dedicated to perfectly crafted, yet playful, techno tracks for those DJs who still mix vinyl in the club.
A long-term project originally conceived in a small village in the north-east of England. Now with a residence permit and happily based in Berlin, Horden Colliery Country Club presents its first offering- The Away from the Hammock District EP.
Following a string of well received releases on Not an Animal, ESP Institute, MeMeMe and Future Boogie, Ian Blevins’ label takes its name from his hometown of Horden, a former colliery village which shares the humour, warmth and occasional menace of the imprint’s debut EP.
Opener Hammock is a no holds barred, dance floor primer which revels in its own magnetic immersion. A propulsive, nocturnal banger, side A of HCCC001 has much to offer in nine and a half minutes, its depths as euphoric as its peaks. The B Side comes packing with a snappy remix from Edmondson, another Berlin based north-east England comrade, and owner of the sublime Lissoms label. Edmondson’s version is a deep, jazzy number which lulls you into a false sense of security, sounding not unlike something Floating Points may be involved in.
Closing with You Are Alien, Ian plays on a more restrained pop sensibility, deployed with a distinct deftness of touch. Brimming with intent, there’s still plenty going on here to drive it home.
Taken as a whole, Away from the Hammock District embodies the style of set Ian Blevins has become known for- perfectly balanced, controlled chaos with a massive bang. More to come.
a1. Ian Blevins - Away From The Hammock District
b1. Ian Blevins - Away From The Hammock District (Edmondson Remix)
One of the UK’s most respected electronic artists, Al Wootton (formerly known as Deadboy) presents his first album under the Al Wootton name, Witness.
Since emerging in 2009, Wootton has been behind some of the biggest dance records of the last decade, releasing on labels like Numbers, Local Action and Aus Music. In 2019, he re-located from London to the seaside town of Ramsgate (following a period spent in Montreal) and re-branded under his birth name, building a home studio and honing a style of dance music that draws heavily from his long-term loves of garage and dub.
Wootton has enjoyed a rich run of form since going back to basics: he’s released five 12”s in two years through his Trule label, copies of which now swiftly sell out as standard, and has also expanded the label to house releases by Melbourne producer Pugilist and old foil Julio Bashmore. On Witness, he channels this focus and momentum into an 8-track album that explores techno, garage, jungle and more, all tied together by the dub-inspired effects and atmosphere that has characterised his Al Wootton records to date.
The tracks that became Witness flowed out within a couple of weeks during a period of real creative ease that I cannot remember having before or since”, explains Wootton.
I have struggled and failed to make ‘dance’ albums many times over the years. I’ve tried to avoid making something thats just a collection of club tracks or noodley electronic self indulgence. What I realised is that the only albums I really love and repeat listen to are drum and bass albums. Albums like Photek’s Modus Operandi, Goldie’s Timeless and Roni Size’s New Forms perfectly capture that raw club energy and yet are intricate and textured enough that they still sound fresh to this day and still bear repeat listens.
I allowed tracks to develop and mutate as I introduced new sounds and textures with a much greater sense of freedom than when I am focusing on making tracks work solely in a club context, but I don’t feel like that dampened the energy of any of the tracks. The creation of Witness was for me one of those rare times when the practical and technical conditions are just right and creativity flows from some unknown source beyond yourself and all you have to do is get out of your own way.
Essential CiM (aka Simon Walley) classic, originally released on Headspace Recordings in 1999. Now re-mastered and re-cut on Delsin Records. Crispy and soulful idm-techno in line with CiM's Delsin debut Service Pack released later that year.
Danish duo Lyra Valenza (aka Hjalte and Jens Konrad) operates on the outskirts of contemporary electronic dance music. Armed with a playful approach and a patchwork of digital and analogue equipment, Lyra Valenza carved their own space in the Copenhagen scene by genre-blending Jungle, UK Garage, and Footwork into a mix of forward-facing and euphoric dance music for 2020 and beyond. A testament to the duo's unique approach to sound design, they were selected for this year's SHAPE - a platform for innovative music and audiovisual art from Europe.
Lyra Valenza's latest EP, Nightshade Edition, is a package of sweet and dangerous cuts to the taste of dystopian romance. The prime dance floor material hits with metallic percussion and bursts of fluttering synths tuned with just the right amount of trance. From stepping UKG, to lush digital soundscapes, the four breaks heavy tracks are hyper-modern sonic experiments processed through a retrospective haze.
The Nightshade Edition EP is released on Lyra Valenza's own Petrola 80 label. It follows their 2018 debut EP "Scan Deliver" on UK imprint Opal Tapes and an appearance on this year's Kulør 006 compilation.
Nathan Micay is elated to present the third reissue on Eternal Schvitz: Earthlink - Spectral EP. Originally released on cult Australian label Thunk Recordings in 1996, Spectral was a milestone release for the Syndey scene, garnering international acclaim among tastemakers of the time such as John Digweed. The EP was written by label cofounders Brett Mitchell (of Boxcar) and noted international DJ Phil Smart. It remains electrifying today. Four tracks of genre-hopping hybrids, sonic gymnastics and stupidly fed back guitars. Lovingly remastered and restored on vinyl.
As always, Schvitz gives back. To fight the evil no-ID-DJ forces currently at work, every Eternal Schvitz release will be providing 60% of the cut to the artists and ensuring their credits are front and centre. The remaining 40% of profits will go to aequa, a Berlin-based collective with a focus on empowerment of women, trans and non- binary folks through gatherings for interpersonal exchange. Schvitz is Love. Schvitz is Communal.
After previous releases on Gerd Janson's Running Back Records (including 2018 hit 'Tim's Symphony' being rinsed all over by Dixon, Ame & Sven Vath), Younger Rebinds (aka Benny Rodrigues aka ROD) starts his own eponymous label with 2 eclectic summer jams filled with earworm melodies and retro drums right in time for the festivalseason... FUN allowed!
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