Paul's Picks
Polly's Top Picks for 2009! 1) Quantic And His Combo Bavaro - Tradition In Transition (Tru Thoughts) Take a precocious english electronic music producer obsessed with fusions of synthetic and organic music forms and throw him into the wilds of Colombia and this is what you get! His first "Tropidelico" was to these ears the best realization of a long exploration of old forms in a decidedly modern context. You only need to hear "She Said What? Feat. J-Live" to absolutely conclude this man's most definately on the right road! "Tradition In Transition" while being more of the same, is also a much deeper meditation on these themes. It isn't a coincidence that for the first time, his band is featured on the back sleeve. This is a deep group effort filtered through the prism of a very modern musical mind and so what you get is a latin hybrid without the excess that can be the pitfall of this genre simmering in a sea of cosmic jazz influences; hello Alice Coltrane! Lushly produced without being slick, Sensuous, earthy, an anchor for modern times!
2) Fontan - Winterhwila (Information) Another golden moment for Sweden's Information imprint, the home of the massive Studio. If the idea of Lindstrom crossed with Sigur Ros sounds intriguing to you, you need to hear this. Slo-mo indie rawk inspired disco with a decidedly cosmic bent, beautifully paced, with echoes of a modern day Pink Floyd when they do decide to sing and that's rarely. One of the more unique releases i was fortunate to stumble across this year from a true jewel of a label.Iconoclastic!
3) Falty DL - Love Is A Liability (Planet Mu) A runaway surprise from this soon to be very well known American, New Jersey to be precise! It's been a long time since an American electronic music producer has been able to WOW me like this lad and to top it all of, he had the audacity of releasing another full project barely a month after this motherlode! Falty DL is so many things and yet utterly his own; think Burial, early Warp, 2 Step, Dubstep and left field beats a la Flying Lotus and you get the picture. While all of this thrown together could turn out a terrible mess! Our man managed to make one of the sexiest, euphoric releases of the year. A project that was deep, textured and cerebral but also equally fun, mysterious and euphoric! He's got Burial's sense of mood and space but also references so much from the golden coming out party that was all the early, Warp, Mo Wax and Ninja Tune. "Bravery" his 2nd is a complete departure from this one; darker, heavier, more dubstep and Lotus but uniquely his own. A brave new talent for sure and coming to Toronto in the new year. We will most definately keep you posted on this one!
4) Holger Zilske - Holz (Playhouse) One half of Smash T.V., This was arguably the biggest surprise this year from a veteran producer more closely associated with the trancey side of techno. "Holz" was a revelation of patient, bubbling and oh so funky techno. Most assuredly a release more comfortably swaying in your living room than the night club and we were the better for it! Zilske, wonderfully pieced together a full project with echoes of Lawrence, Villalobos and classic Plastikman, that firmly referenced minimal techno but also pointed the way forward to a sound that could be rigourously cerebral, textured and deep but also funky, groovy and fun! Zilske, with a veteran's sense, eschewed unnnecessary ornamentation and focused on the fundamentals, these tracks sound like they could have been denser and more detailed before the final take, as if he pulled one element after another until what remained carried the fundamentals as well as the last touches. This is dance music you can love with or without drugs.
5) Sonantes - Sonantes (Six Degrees) I still shake my head at this one, make it two releases on a label I would normally not even give the benefit of a listen. "Six Degrees", the San Francisco based imprint conjures images of world fusions gone bad and Bebel Gilberto inspired coffee shop muzak and I like Bebel, just not a lot of the lighter fare they also champion. Anyway, I still don't really know why I popped this one in the player but i do know that it kept getting play and more play. Sonantes are fronted by Ceu, who's released solo full lengths on this label and like a handful of other young Brazilian females came to North American ears in the wake of Bebel Gilberto's surprise runaway success with "Tanto Tempo" way back in 2000! None of them ever achieved the ubiquitous presence of Bebel's first but that didn't stop labels like Six Degrees from trying. Sonantes, has that easy going Brazilian charm but what sets it apart is a sense of adventure and a variety that conjures images of carnival music, rumba and latin theatrics. This is a release that's easy to like, not revolutionary by any means but just plain fun with enough edge and variety to appeal to more than just the coffee house crowd. 6) Lawrence - Until Then, Goodbye (Mule Musiq) News of a new Lawrence release seems to always cause a bit of a frenzy in these parts and this latest for the fantastic Mule Musiq imprint doesn't disappoint! Our man seems to get better with every release and probably not coincidentally further and further away from the dancefloor. "Until Then, Goodbye" has more in common with the organic whimsy of Herbert or David Sylvian than the lush melodicism of his work of yore. This is subtle deep night listening, almost the ghost of techno with whispered melodies hanging about the fringes like some hazy dream you keep falling back into. The kind of project that needs time to seep into consciousness and best heard as a whole and on repeat. A quietly beautiful masterpiece from an original at the top of his game. Truly, one of the more maverick voices in dance music. 7) Subway - II (Soul Jazz Records) 8) DJ Sprinkles - Midtown 120 Blues (Mule Musiq) 9) M. Ward - Hold Time (Merge) 10) Beto Villares - Beto Villares (Six Degrees) 11) 2562 - Unbalance (Tectonic) 12) Bottin - Horror Disco (Bear Funk) 13) Luke Hess - Light In The Dark (Echocord) 14) Lee Fields - My World (Truth & Soul) 15) Lusine - A Certain Distance (Ghostly)
Top Reissues Of 2009 1) Light: On The Southside (Numero) 2) 24-Carat Black - Gone- Promises Of Yesterday (Numero) 3) Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Ghanian Blues (Soundway) 4) Edward Williams - Life On Earth: Music From The 1979 BBC T.V. Series (Trunk) 5) Tumbele! Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds (Soundway) 6) Nicola Conte - Viagem 2 (Far Out) 7) Africa Boogaloo: The Latinization Of West Africa (Honest Jon`s) 8) Black Rio 2: Originaal Samba Soul 1971-1986 (Strut) 9) Panama! Vol.2 & Vol.3 (Soundway) 10) Joyce - Visions Of Dawn (Far Out)
Top 10 1) Africa Boogaloo: The Latinization Of West Africa (Honest Jon's) 2) Trus'me - In The Red (Fat City) 3) 8 Bit Reasons Part 2: Mixed By Gorge (8 Bit) 4) Peverelist - Jarvik Mindstate (Punch Drunk) 6) Tumi & The Volume - S/T (Mr. Bongo) 7) Club Des Belugas - Zoo Zizaro (AC) 8)Light: On The Southside (Numero) 9) Ghana Special: Modern Highlife And Afro-Sounds (Soundway) 10) Elemental - Messages From The Void (Runtime)
REVIEWS
Best deal in the shop these days for sure! Nascente, was responsible for the fantastic "Brazilian Funk Experience" that sadly, we are not able to get a hold of these days, PITY. It's been awhile between releases but in the span of a month they roared back with two monster tropical compilations, "Cuban Funk Experience" and now "Tropical Funk Experience" curated by none other than Sofrito, and if you don't know that name, you most definitely will over the next year or two, this guys been on fire releasing a series of obscure edits to make contemporary tropical DJ's foam at the mouth!! This wonderfully compiled collection features a handful of tracks rare groove collectors will know but mostly loaded with bullet after bullet of ecstasy inducing poly-rhthyms running all over the tropical groove universe! NICE Manuel Tur - 0201 (Freerange) CD This one really caught me off guard. Freerange, focuses almost exclusively on proper deep house and they do it very well! This, is most definitely deep house but from the quirky haunted side of the tracks. It will remind you of Pepe Bradock, Moodyman, Theo Parrish and most recently, DJ Sprinkles. This is ghostly, spacey and utterly original, bedroom beats for sure; but what beats and for someone who cringes when he hears vocals in house music, these are some tasty pipes for sure, fierce , yearning and DEEP. KILLER
Luke Hess - Light In The Dark (Echocord) CD/12X12 Echocord is one of those labels that drive me crazy. They have impeccable aesthetic sense and produce micro,detail perfect takes on that whole cavernous decaying Basic Channel thing. Toronto's techno masses are obsessed with this sound and I have to say that I'm a huge fan of Rhythm N' Sound and that whole beautiful school! When this label first surfaced, I loved them, and that whole homage they did so well but after some time it just felt like it was all too reverential. There whole schtick was such an exact copy, almost letter perfect, and that started to drive me crazy. Where was the 2009 permutation or subversion of a sound pioneered more than 10 years ago? Well, this first full length from Luke Hess is to my years the best thing they've ever released! A gem from start to finish that is all things they've always championed but so much more; Cavernous dub, sprinkled with shades of deeptroit and informed by all the massive stuff that has been pouring out of Germany for the last half dozen years. This is one deep and funky work that never trips into over baked abstraction or monotonous dirge. It's epic without sounding like trance, surprisingly playful for this type of release. This one's on high rotation right now!
Higamos Hogamos - Higamos Hogamos (DC Recordings) CD/LP DC Recordings is as many of you may know, one of my favourite labels, from the beautifully unique cover designs to the spastic left field twisted disco punk funk they love to throw out into the world. Taking cues from there last compilation, "Death Before Distemper 2" This is a glorious first full length from this duo, who channel classic "Can" through a 2009 prism of laptop trickery. These guys do what Fujiya And Miyagi have twice attempted but really failed to capture. That whole metronic "Future Days" era Can is hard to get right and easy make dull and repetative without the gonzo genius of a proper front man. Higamos gets all these ingredients right and splash it all with a glorious wall of sound reminiscent of prime era My Bloody Valentine. Very nice if you like your indie rock with a twist! Luke Vibert - Rhythm (Sound Of Speed) CD Luke's been around forever, back in the day, and that's going back a decade now, he produced effortlessly brilliant drum n' bass, Trip Hop and weirdo electronica. To say the man was prolific is an understatement and early on the quality was there in spades. The past half dozen releases have had genius moments but overall they've been patchy and weird in a bad sense. So you can imagine the surprise when we loaded this little gem into the house player. We we're expecting the usual 50's UFO obsessed sample fare over tripped out magic mushroom flavoured beats but what boomed out was an inspired Jay Dee pastiche of of phat beats over a twisted stew that managed to balance the quirky with the funky. This is one of the best things he's done in a very long time, solid from the beginning to end. If you love those head snap beats that are all the rage these days and you like your Flying Lotus as well, look no further! Alexander Nut - Rinse 08 (Rinse FM) CD The dubstep scene continues to impress and evolve. It's amazing to think that dirty dark and punishing dubstep can co-exist with clubbier 2-step and Garage but what looked on the outside like a very narrow very male musical form has grown impressively over the last few years. Rinse FM have, along with Tempa, been instrumental in releasing a string of quality mix discs that never fail to surprise. This, their latest is a masterful look at what the U.K. is trying to label as "Wobble" and for the uninitiated, that is all things leftfield Hip hop with the kind of compression favoured by Flying Lotus, Bullion, Onra, Hudson Mohawke and the like. Rinse 08, is a pleasure, funky, groovy and twisted impeccably programmed and well mixed. This is a great introduction to 2009 beat mastery! Stimming - Reflections (Diynamic) CD Looks like Diynamic is making a run for techno label of 2009! The excellent "Saturday I'm In Love" isn't even a month old and there back with there first proper full length from none other than Martin Stimming. This is gorgeous dubby 4/4, intricate and spongey with just the right amount of melody that references the best in Booka Shade and Ame. It's also deep and German with touches of Basic Channel and Perlon but never mechanical or dry like the worst elements of that sound. In essence, proper minimal techno or more like the plastic funk! Joyce - Visions Of Dawn (Far Out Recordings) CD Far Out has been instrumental in getting many Brazilian lights back in the studio to record modern orthodox takes on the sound that defined them back in the sixties and seventies, Sometimes inspired other times coming across like most modern jazz; efficient, technically perfect but lacking the magic of that trailblazing time. There have been exceptions and The Ipanemas "Call TO The Gods" is a great example of wizened elders pulling off an inspired classic take on a sound pioneered almost 50 years ago. This is however a mid seventies look at the breezy scat wonder that is Joyce, and though Mr. Bongo released the essential best ten or so odd years ago, this is a killer release from start to finish illustrating Joyce's mastery of Brazilian scat. Augmented by the amazing Nana Vasconcelos, this is one loose, expressive joy of a listen full of an inspired and sensative expression that is a hallmark of Brazilian bossa. If you've never heard the wonders of Joyce, this is a great place to start! Well done Far Out! DJ Sprinkles - Midtown 120 Blues (Mule Electronic) CD Superb release from this great great label. This one's been on mega rotation for a couple of weeks now. it's one of those druggy slo mo Theo Parrish type grooves, deceptively spare and haunting with some heady spoken word commentary on the nature of House music. it's a project best appreciated as a whole and one that really builds as it goes. this is perfect winter listening, a creeper that slowly bubbles in the background. Highly recommended.
Efdemin - Carry On, Pretend We Are Not In The Room (Curle) CD A total surprise from this minimal master! Efdemin, released a wonderful full length on the fantastic Dial imprint a couple of years back; run by the sublime Peter M. Kersten (Lawrence). Dial specializes in the kind of warm intricate techno that turns haters of the genre on their heads. Always characterized by a propulsive 4/4 and a sense of quiet and space that seems to fill the entire room. This is not rigid and austere minimal tape hiss coupled to mathematical programming but instead a brilliant marriage of melody and discipline. Most definately, one of my favourite techno labels hands down! This release sets our man behind the decks for a DJ mix and what a mix it is! Taking cues from the latest Sten release "The Essence", This is groovy minimal house in the best sense of the word; funky, deep and insistent, put together with a surprising mastery and swagger. KILLER! Count Bass D - L7 (Mid-Life Crisis) (1320 Records) CD Third full length release from this criminally overlooked Hip Hop artist. Friend and collaborator with the fantastic MF Doom. This is effortlessly creative lo fi hip hop; witty,diverse and subversively funky! The Kind of street basics that made legends of the Freestyle Fellowship. Dwight Farrell, samples, plays, sings and raps coaxing the most out of basic bedroom production gear. A triumph of creativity over fancy equipment and a reminder that Hip Hop minus the thuggery is very good indeed!
King Midas Sound - Cool Out E.P. (Hyperdub) 12" The latest salvo from the superb Hyperdub imprint. This is none other than Kevin Martin (The Bug) And long time collaborator, Roger Robinson. Hyperdub; has been surprising the Dubstep clique with these future beat releases over the last year. The last by Samiyam just a few months back; this one boasts the the double punch of both Dabrye and the ubiquitous Flying Lotus. I have to say, Dabrye has out done himself on this one, producing a head nodding dirty little grinder that reminds me of "Maxinquaye" era Tricky!!! And for those of you who remember, that little record surely sparked the whole Trip Hop thing way back in the day! If these three tracks are any indicator of the rumoured full length, this will be massive. While most lazy beats these days tend towards "chill out", this is the deep twisted chit Massive Attack mined so well!!! HYPE.
Christian Prommer - Drumlesson Vol.1 (Sonar Kollectiv) CD Finally available in North America, Prommer has been teasing us with a select peek at this project for about a year now. Basically, he takes the genius idea of transcribing techno and electronic dance tracks for Jazz trio and when it works, it's guaranteed to bring a grin to your face. Ame's, "Rej", Kraftwerks "Trans Europe Express", Derrick May's "Strings Of Life" and believe it or not, Daft Punk's "Around The World" are some of the stellar highlights. Who would have thought that the hedonism of dance music could have survived such a perilous undertaking!
Belleruche - The Express (Tru Thoughts) CD The second full length from the fabulous Belleruche. While the first surprised with echoes of flapper culture and the roaring 20's; "The Express" takes a decidedly deeper Deadbeat - Roots And Wire (Wagon Repair) CD / LP A massive leap for this ex-Montreal native. Scott Monteith, eschews the bedroom for the dancefloor on this his sixth full length. While he seemed comfortable mining the future dub territory maped out by Pole and the ~scape label until now. This, is a bold collision between Basic Channel production, the rattle of dancehall and bass whump of dubstep. Anything with the mighty Paul St. Hilaire (Tikiman) is worth a listen in my books!!! And he does a wonderful job bookending this boombastic project with enough new flavour and verve to breathe in a decided newness to a genre that can at times seem bogged down in orthodoxy. KILL-ER!
Menahan Street Band - Make The Road By Walking (Dunham) CD / LP Wow! Daptone continues to perfect that mid sixties soul thing they do so well. Initially i found their sound just a bit too retro and outside of Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings, I would sooner listen to the original period stuff than anything they seemed to be producing. I have to say that all changed with the absolutely fabulous Budos Band II full length, A Record that seemed to sublimely marry sixties instrumental soul to the bubbling stew of Mulatu's Ethiopian groove! This latest, a sublime marriage of some Dap-Kings, some Budos and a bit of the El Michels Affair, is an inspired take on instrumental soul!!!! Boasting a wonderfully deep array of musical colours keeping everything fresh and unique from track to track!! Really, it's the soundtrack to the Fall!
Lee Jones - Electronic Frank (Aus Music) CD Lee Jones, One half of the wonderful MYMy; drops this, his first proper full length. I've been a long time fan, his productions always seem to have the right balance between head nodding swagger and the textured, layered techno that works best rocking out of my living room. If your a Dial fan, and i'm a huge one! This will definately appeal to you!! Monday night funk that harks back to ambient period Brian Eno!!! VERY VERY NICE, and with gorgeous album artwork to boot!
Bronx River Parkway - San Sebastian (Truth And Soul) CD / LP A superb marriage between members of El Michel's Affair and the Candela Allstars. What you get is a wonderfully stripped down latin funk bomb filtered through a Hip Hop sensibility. They've included the 7" singles that really made me stand up and take notice. Great BBQ soundtrack! Lulu Rouge - Bless You (Music For Dreams) CD Trentemoller is the mastermind behind this new act and if you loved his debut release, "The Last Resort" you will love this! Moody, atmospheric and with a slew of sultry vocals to boot! I love the way he uses space and mood, I've never been a huge fan of vocals in my Techno but this one has really slayed me! Nigeria 70 Lagos Jump : Original Heavyweight Afrobeat, Highlife And Afro Funk (Strut) CD / LP What can you say, Strut was doing Afro compilations before the recent explosion. This, there first foray back into the dark continent is no slouch and that's saying a lot considering the quality behind labels like Soundway, Vampi Soul and Analog Africa. The Strut comps are always superbly paced and the selection top notch. There recent collections of Kid Creole and the Compass Point label have been masterful examples of deep digging expertise. respect is due! Jorge Ben - 1969 (Dusty Groove) CD Jorge has at least 10 great full lengths you need! He's basically essential from his debut in the mid sixties to the classic "Africa Brazil" from 1976. While the Brazilian musical establishment of the sixties loathed the Tropicalistas, considering there output a bastardization of pure Brazilian form, they loved Jorge Ben and surprisingly so did the tropicalistas. who respected his appropriation of African forms. Jorge is just classic 60's Braziliana! It's great Dusty Groove has made two classics available once again. KEEP THEM COMING. Toby Tobias - Space Shuffle (Rekids) CD The man behind Rekids, only one of the best Techno labels two years running. Toby's, style runs more to the Cosmic Disco side of the spectrum and if Lindstrom and Prins Thomas mean anything to you, Toby Tobias is well worth checking out.
Take a precocious english electronic music producer obsessed with fusions of synthetic and organic music forms and throw him into the wilds of Colombia and this is what you get! His first "Tropidelico" was to these ears the best realization of a long exploration of old forms in a decidedly modern context. You only need to hear "She Said What? Feat. J-Live" to absolutely conclude this man's most definately on the right road! "Tradition In Transition" while being more of the same, is also a much deeper meditation on these themes. It isn't a coincidence that for the first time, his band is featured on the back sleeve. This is a deep group effort filtered through the prism of a very modern musical mind and so what you get is a latin hybrid without the excess that can be the pitfall of this genre simmering in a sea of cosmic jazz influences; hello Alice Coltrane! Lushly produced without being slick, Sensuous, earthy, an anchor for modern times! |
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