just a second

So, the Loco Dice and Adam Beyer sets at Cielo last week were fantastic. Beyer especially blew the crowd away, with his iconic mix of hard, padded beats and dubby, hallucinogenic synths, as well as some fantastic mixes and cuts. Sorry no further updates since then, but being in New York can be a bit...uh, overwhelming? It was good to see all you friends who are reading this, and hope it happens again soon!

Anyway, tomorrow, get ready for that Mario Diaz de Leon track as well as a totally massive new track from deep, minimal masterminds Kiki & Sasse.

rawesome

Off to New York to see Adam Beyer and Loco Dice tonight at Cielo. That Mario Diaz de Leon track should be coming later in the week. In the meantime, in case you missed it earlier this year, take a listen to Loco Dice's remix of Dennis Ferrer's "Son of Raw." Certainly a contender for remix of the year!

A report from the set and more tunes up later this week.

Dennis Ferrer- Son of Raw (Loco Dice Remix)

hedonist playtime

This post, we return to the newer side of techno, with a great minimal banger from 'newcomer' Marcel Fengler. Why the quotes around 'newcomer'? Well, Fengler's been working with Marcel Dettmann and is a regular at Berghain, so it's not as if his predilections aren't known-- it is simply that this is his first proper solo release.

"Playground" begins with a somewhat chunky, kick-driven beat and a dry, toy-piano like synth line that becomes wetter and more pronounced as the track builds, replete with congas, clave and woodblock hits, and hi-frequency washes of sound. By the time the 127 bpm track arrives at its apex, a harsher, buzz-saw like wash has settled over the undeniably hypnotic, tightly-constructed rhythmic structure that Fengler has built around the beginning synth line. A true peak-time crowd pleaser, expect to hear more great tunes from Fengler in the future. Or, if you get the chance, get your ass to Berghain-- he's spinning there nearly every weekend. On the shooting-star of a label, Ostgut Tontrager.

Marcel Fengler- Playground

Next time? Possibly a track from Tzadik's newest signing, my good friend Mario Diaz de Leon. Plus a new Loco Dice isht.

drivin' the I-94

First track of this post is culled from a record send to me by the elusive and wily lfam. By previously featured "Godson of Detroit," Omar-S, "Set it Out" is a low-level, soothing track more reminiscent of early Chicago house than Detroit techno, mostly because of the vocal samplings (from Midway's 1984 single, "Set it Out") and the softer synths displayed. Speaking of which, the mid-level synth line in the track is one of the most infectious melodic lines I've heard in a good while-- I find it hard not to hum it all day. Omar-S sells his records for incredibly low prices, and you should support him as one of the brightest 'newer' stars of Detroit, despite the fact that "Set it Out" appears on his first 12". Anyway, enjoy some more Omar-S.

Omar-S- Set it Out



Next up is a new Chicago juke joint from DJ Slugo, often referred to as the Ghetto Don, and considered one of the best ghettotech producers of our times. "Back Seat Hoe" doesn't really depart much from what one expects from a master of juke-- 150 bpm, filthy-yet-sexy lyrics repeated as mantras, and analog synth sounds that take one back to the late '80s in Detroit. While not altogether complicated, this is spectacular music to dance to, and I think that the genre's moon shall be waxing again within the year. Need some proof? Look at this:



Now that is some sick-ass dancing. God damn.

DJ Slugo- Back Seat Hoe

Next post, look forward to a newish minimal banger from Marcel Fengler and another treat. This time, it won't take me more than a week, I swear.

absence of explanation

I've been very busy and things have been a bit...dry, but tomorrow: that promised Omar-S track, and a really filthy DJ Slugo juke track called "Back Seat Hoe." Also, look forward to a live report later this week from the Adam Beyer/Loco Dice set taking place at Cielo, as well as a mix, perhaps?

i'm shaping sound

So, the plan of doing a special on the Basic Channel family has sort of been ruined by the people over here. Uh, posting almost entire catalogs of a certain record label is a bit questionable, I'd say, but there you have it.

Anyway, instead I'm going to give you a track from September by relative newcomer Jim Rivers. From Bristol, Rivers' tech-house sound is quite something-- it has a heavy Detroit vibe, but some very Bodzin-esque moments as well. His track "I Go Deep," available for free download over at Beatport, could even be compared to Aril Brikha's more relaxed moments of recent. From the same EP, "For My Need" is a 126 bpm banger with a killer vocal loop, bright and airy synth lines that become darkly squelchy ones, and a driving bass-line. The harmonies and background synth stabs are excellent, as are the hi-frequency squelches and cymbally washes. Finally, Rivers obviously has a real knack for creating perfect peaks and valleys-- there are more than one of each in "For My Need," making it a perfect track to play out to a crowd looking for more visceral techno. On Satoshi Tomiee's Saw Recordings.

Jim Rivers- For My Need

Next time, another Omar-S track that needs to be shared with the world, along with another treat.

la crepuscule

Sorry for the longish absence-- lots of work, concerts, and birthday celebrations (among them mine own) kept me a bit too busy to post for the past week. But today I have two treats for you, both with much style and flair.

The first is a really enchanting 2006 remix from Joakim. He takes a decades-old Antena track and turns it into a monstrously bass-bumping, rimshot-laden affair, with so many different synth lines and textures that his melodic and harmonic genius really shine through. At 120 BPM, it is banging and anthemic enough to bring people onto the dance floor, but subtle and flowing enough to make for great listening in almost any atmosphere. Hailed by many as one of the best remixes of 2006, its rhythmic complexity and harmonic beauty are sure to prick up one's ears, despite recent backlashes against the deep tech vibes that Joakim (among others) is most known for producing. On Permanant Vacation Recordings.

Antena- Camina del Sol (Joakim Remix)



Next up is a release from September, "The Last Shooter" by Ernesto Ferreyra, a native of Cordoba, Argentina. "The Last Shooter" is a wobbly-bassed lesson in minimal, with fantastic congas, dry wood-block hits, and other excellently phased secondary percussive flourishes that keep the track in a constant state of forward movement. The bass-line slowly becomes more and more defined as the track moves, eventually becoming almost acidy in its squelch. Hi-frequency alien hisses, in harmony with the bass-line, begin riding above the mix by the track's middle, and combined with occasional delayed vocal moments, the track is an unbeatably mesmerizing force. Ferreyra is certainly a producer to watch out for-- I wouldn't be surprised to see him on a bill with Ricardo sometime in the next year. On Mike Shannon's Cynosure label.

Ernesto Ferreyra- The Last Shooter

Next post, a focus on the family of record labels under the Basic Channel umbrella, so if you're dying for some Quadrant or Maurizio, come back soon!