Yikes!Nearly two weeks and no posts,how do you all cope with such infrequency?I blame Trevor in Sandy Shores.....
Starting off with the DRVG CVLTVRE EP on Porn Wax out this week,this is some industrial strength deep chug indeed.I first heard this on a mix by Tusk way back in February entitled "forthcoming",not ones to rush quality it is finally out and worth grabbing if you can.Popping up on various labels,Rothmans being a recent sort to have them grace their vinyl,DRVG CVLTVRE can go one of many audio ways but whichever way they do take you it's going to be a good journey.
Also worth checking out is the most recent Tusk mix on Test Pressing , again full of solid tunes you will be hearing out and about quite alot (if you frequent the places I do).As they say on the site,it is a rarity for there to be a track list on any Test Pressing mix so get stuck in.
Next up is another Emperor Machine release entitled Hey! and is slightly more upbeat and less sleazy (in the best way) than previous material produced by them of late.It is also a worthy purchase for the two Ewan Pearson remixes included, making it value for money in a world where uber limited new vinyl releases containing a single track verge on the £10 price point.
I have chosen 3 releases to bring to your attention (waffle on about) this week,all available at Piccadilly Records naturally along with all other decent independent outets.
First up is a reissue of Movement by Daniel Avery on Throne Of Blood. Another relative (?) newcomer who has been fortunate enough in being not crap with any releases of his therefore getting the support of all the people that matter in the dance music industry as it is.Able to turn his hand to various styles this one has a definite 90s styling to it and features a remix by (one guess) Andrew Weatherall. Apparently this caused some surprise as it was regarded as a bit fractured even for him but to me it sits perfectly on the B side by echoing the more left field electronica that came to the fore around that era.
Which brings me to Purple Maps by L/F/D/M on Optimo Trax,the first release of many on a record label with an already solid and respected founding. Each track is a minefield of bubbling acid and sharp percussion in varying degrees of intensity. L/F/D/M Purple Maps
Created by one R Smith,this reminds me somewhat of European acid of the early to mid nineties and certain labels like D-Jax Upbeats and Trope.Tracer and Abacus are definitely the more accessible of the songs,not to say the others are bad but they are very much more for the "proper banging" clubs in your locale.
I await the second release from this new label with keen interest.
Lastly is Episode Of Love by Frederick on Miseriedits.Simplicity is the key in its original slo mo version, a simple synth progression with hauntingly beautiful sweep backing it up lulls you into a trance before you know it.Of the two remixes I definitely favour the Hardway Brothers remix to the Hot Lunch New Beat edit,good as it is.All in all a good release and one sure to not hang around for long.
So after a hectic and sweaty few weeks of moving home and weddings I am hoping to get back on track with the posts.Out this week on download is Somewhere In the City by Timothy J Fairplay,who needs no introduction to those who follow these ramblings of mine. I like artists who don't stick to one distinct style of music and you never know quite what you'll get with Mr Fairplay,from dark and brooding techno to light and joyful melodies he can cover all styles with great aplomb.Mixes come from Daniel Avery (standard these days with the two being involved in the Axis artists based around the East London hive,others being Scott Fraser,Sean Johnston & Weatherall) and two from Tiago it is a definite winner on all fronts.
The Asphodells album remixed by most of the axis powers is finally upon us (friends and colleagues of messrs Fairplay and Weatherall not the bad ones from world war two) and here is my humblest of opinionated thoughts upon hearing it with my own two ears.
Opening with Another Lonely City by Group Rhoda (one Mara Barenbaum), this easily sets the mood for the rest of what is to come.Ethereal and melancholic as it is the original sound is still present within its new body,short enough to not get boring yet it has enough potential to be one of those good earworms you undoubtedly prefer over Agadoo. Phil Kieran steps up on a remix of Late Flowering Lust, with a swaggering riff accompanying sinister pulsing synths creating a sweeping east end film noir feel sitting atop a tightly structured percussive rhythm section.
Third in the queue is Justin Robertsons Deadstock 33s remix of Beglammered,stripped down and leaving just the ghosts of the original and then forming any remaining components into a sleeker more unforgiving beast. Next up is the mysterious (George Thompson,now less mysterious) Black Merlins take on Skwatch,effortlessly sounding like a John Carpenter track fed steroids by the anti christ. This chugs along with enough menace to make lesser mortal tracks step to one side whilst it cruises by like nobodies business,it certainly has had the most plays from me so far. The singularly plural Hardway Brothers take on Never There,whilst it would have been easy for Sean Johnston to ring this one in you know he made a choice to create a less is more approach and tweaked it to tease us into wanting the dirty bassline to pulsate to a crescendo that never is.
Daniel Avery submits his remix of We Are The Axis,starting off with the familiar percussion but slowly removing almost every trace of the original and placing layer over layer of harmonic dissonance to create an ecstatic rapturous effect and ending with a rather discombobulating wobble. Danielle Baldelli and DJ Rocca turn in a wonderful version of Another Lonely City, adding their own layers and Mediterranean cosmic motifs to the distinctive guitar of the original version. Beglammered gets sharpened up by Richard Sen,retaining the Arabian sound of the original and upping the tempo to add a sense of focus and drive.You (by you I mean me) can almost envisage The Asphodells themselves mooching around the Soukh and chuffing on a hookah before riding off into the night perched on ships of the desert.
Scott Fraser brings us back to a sweaty night in a distinguished club near you in a remarkably jacking style,keeping the bass bubbling under just enough to give a lead to rimshots, claps and other percussion.The biggest surprise for me on this album and rounding it all off is Ivan Smagghes remix of One Minutes silence,in a good way it is not what I was expecting.A banger is what I would have thought he would produce but it is gloriously freeform and uncaring,well I say freeform however it starts off like the original but mutates from there on in to something like audio Marmite.
Asphodells remixed is currently available on CD and download from Rotters Golf Club here with the vinyl release not far off. The usual physical record stores and online outlets will have this available from Sept 2nd.
Jagwar Ma have decided to share Andrew Weatherall’s take on Howlin highlight
“Come Save Me.” The pairing of Weatherall with Jagwar Ma feels a
natural fit, Weatherall takes the upbeat bounce of the album version and
gives it a slinky, late-night feel all while keeping the essence of the
original intact.
Summer is coming to an end (for once we can't complain about it this year as it was good) and autumn is rearing its head,for many this isn't well received news but I love it as it means new collections are not far away. Adidas have a plethora of shoes and apparel launching over the next few months ,they have always been reliable for a mix of sensible sportswear and outlandish creations.Included in the next season are many collaborations with known designers and respected brands who really compliment the mark with the three stripes.
From the garishly popular Jeremy Scott ,think what you will of his creations and takes on established models there is no doubt of his popularity and his power to divide opinion,to Mark McNairy and established collaborators Ransom.In addition it marks the trefoil brands first foray into partnership with Bedwin and the Heartbreakers,the Tokyo based label with a history of understated style indebted to classic American clothing design. Taking 70s era Adidas clothing and adding their own subtle hints and pallettes they have definitely raised a bar in casual sportswear collaborative design. Not forgetting that Adidas themselves are taking on their own catalogue and giving it a new spin with themed prints and recurring patterns to dazzling effect. Expect to start seeing these new pieces make their way into the shops soon.
