EarPIPE » Single Review

SECT – Man of Wisdom | Single Review

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:50:15 +0000

SECT is an acronym for the new Boston based super DJ crew made up of Soul Clap of Wolf and Lamb fame, Tanner Ross of Dirtybird and Mothership fame, and their mate Sergio Santos who’s making his own way up through the ranks. They’ve recently been rattling around their parent’s basements coming up with new material that fuses their collective styles together.

With their first release on LA based label Culprit you can get a feel of everyone in the mix. The release is made up of three slow deep house tracks that have that trademark Soul Clap soulfulness combined with the Ross and Santos’ Dirtybird hypnotism. On the A-side track ‘Man of Wisdom’ the low slung grooves and snake charmer-esque horn sample is a recognisable Soul Clap trait, whilst the gently jacking beats are reminiscent of the Dirtybird fidget sound slowed down. Combined together Man of Widsom is a moody track that unfolds at its own comfortable pace to reveal the infectious horn sample.

On the B-side ‘Hi-Fi All’ is another deep, slow burner. The lo-fi bassline, retro drums and vocal snippet give it a soulful Miami Vice sheen which gives it plenty of warmth and plenty of chic wiggle factor. Whilst second B-Side track SECTsy leans more towards the Ross/Santos sound with its muted percussion, spatial production and hypnotic fidget. Collectively they’ve brought together three great twilight tracks that are warm and hypnotic.

Sebo K – Spirits | Single Review

admin — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:00:18 +0000

Sebo K has been keeping quiet for most of the year with Spirits being his first release for Mobilee since his 2008 smash Diva. Two tracks come on the package, but they’re essentially the same track with two added options. Kind of like picking out the upholstery for a car except with Spirits you chose the hook. You can choose between the bongo-tastic drum version or the basic no extra cost strings and piano riff version. The main body of the track is warm classic house. Deep synth stabs and bulbous beats provide a typical 2009 house backing. On the strings and piano version the beats are a tad hollower to make room for the Strings of Life-esque riff. Its pretty catchy but a bit…well… Strings of Life. Strings of Life strings + standard deep house = meh.

But for the leather interior option, ie the Drums Version of Spirits you get some intricate bongo work from Max Moya. Sebo has beefed up the kick drum to make it punchier whilst Max Moya skits on top with some really infectious bongo rolls. It breathes some life into the track with the bongo skit making it highly addictive. Bongos plus deep house isn’t a 2009 invention, but it does bring out the tribal dancing instincts in you which win over the strings and piano combo any day.

Subb-An & Shelton – Musik EP | Single Review

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:00:13 +0000

Subb-An and Shelton are the residents of Below – Birmingham’s only decent answer to house and techno. They’ve taken the typical UK dance music route – learn to DJ, start a night, make a few records, start a label. Subb-An has already put a few tracks out on Leftroom and Immigrant so its time for the duo to start a label. One Records is the new venture and its first release is by the duo themselves.

The inspiringly named title track ‘The Musik’ is roaring tech house with acid spat in its face. Industrial clinks and a round kick driven bassline open the track before short bursts of acid squelches wriggle in between the beats. Standard issue string sighs and a “Musik” vocal sample punctuate the track to add some contrast between heavy and light. It’s punchy with an infectious groove and will definitely play on the basic emotions of any techno dancefloor in the UK.

For the name of the B-side, it’s clear to see Subb-Ann and Shelton have clearly spent some time talking about the “concept” of the label to give their tracks these edgey clean cut names – ‘The Musik’ and now ‘The Vision’. Anyway, names don’t win prizes, it’s the music. ‘The Vision’ doesn’t really win any though. Deep basslines, clinkering percussion and spooky synth snippets create a warm and hypnotic house track which is well rehearsed for 2009. It’s produced well but it can so easily blend into the background with all the other deep house tracks of 2009. Not what you need if you want your label to make a splash on its opening.

Simon Baker – Moonblock / Mamaia Highway | Single Review

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:13:12 +0000

I do enjoy a Simon Baker release. Plastik released on Playhouse was everywhere in 2008 whilst X Y and Z was a fantastic follow up on Leftroom. Other than a release for 20:20 Vision in July we haven’t heard much from Simon Baker, until now. His latest release on MurMur is probably just to keep the “look at all the great labels I’ve released on” list ticking over. Fair enough. MurMur is a good label and Simon’s Moonblock is a great release.

Title track Moonblock is a pumped up houser with an incredibly contagious wiggling bassline. It doesn’t really let up for breath, it just grooves away blissfully unaware only occasionally breaking down with a splash of bossa nova. It’s catchy and very danceable, very much like Mamaia Highway the track on the other side. It’s got another great wiggling bassline that sounds like a computer crunching numbers on an old sci fi show; there are the staple bossa nova/carnival samples which bring a party vibe; and like Moonblock it just doesn’t let up. It’s these tracks which are becoming a staple on the London scene – continual rolling house come techno tracks which swish and release in such a way that they’re perfect for the club and a crowd up for some straight up dancing.

Semtek – Bells EP | Single Review

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:02:28 +0000

I’d say it’s a ballsy move to call a house or techno track Bells as there’s been some guy called Jeff from Detroit who’s been hammering his own version for the past 10+ years. But that doesn’t deter Semtek who’s put out the first release for Don’t Be Afraid – he’s obviously trying to carve out his own Bells niche. But names are names and that shouldn’t sway the music. So what does ‘Bells’ have to offer, well the main track named after the EP title is dark, moody and hypnotic. Its throbbing bassline gives the track some stripped back attitude whilst the 8-bit percussion adds an understated groove. Layered on top are hypnotic wobbling keys punctuated by some strange spoken words about Liverpool bells and a sporadic electronic motif. Quirky and a bit different to what’s currently doing the rounds – Semtek is definitely carving out a new Bells niche.

Mr G fills in the minimal gaps with a punchy remix of ‘Bells’. Bigger beats are incorporated with clattering percussion and a beefier bassline to turn it into a peak time stomper. However the less is more approach on the original seems to produce a more unique track compared to the very typical but very practical Mr G techno work out.

On the flip is more original Semtek. ‘Keys’ falls in a similar vein. Twinkling synths, 8-bit percussion and warm enveloping pads create a computerised wobbler. Whilst on the second part to the flipside is ‘Village’, an electro breakbeat robot coming straight out of 1984. More low tech sounds, sparse production and mechanical rhythms operate in an assembly line style. Both are put together well but aren’t as distinguished as ‘Bells’.

Ricardo Jefferson – Brutal Truth EP | Single Review

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:48:24 +0000

Ricardo Jefferson – bastardised love child of Villalobos and Marshal Jefferson? – Probably not. But his latest EP does have an old school sound circa Marshall Jefferson’s time. ‘God of the Machine’ plods along in the wilderness with insect sounding shivers and spaced out synths. It has a disparate feel but it doesn’t really hit home with its point. The retro sound doesn’t really help its cause and the same can go for the rest of the EP. ‘The Egg Part One’ has classic 909 cymbals and squelchy acid riffs whilst ‘Persons Unknown’ uses drifting layers of melody and juddering sweeps. Both are a bit more interesting yet they still don’t give you any lasting memories.

The only track that stands up to be taken notice of is the title track ‘Brutal Truth’. A heartbeat break backs some epic echoing Orbital style keys. It’s simple yet so effective with the way it cycles through different patterns using the two main elements – drop the synths out, breakdown to the beats; thunder that wall of synth back in – instant winner.

Tracklist:
1. Brutal Truth
2. Persons Unknown
3. The Egg Part One
4. God if the Machine

Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Party In My | Single Review

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:48 +0000

From the album 1000 Dreams we gave Party In My Head a conservative thumbs up. We thought that Miss Kitten’s vocals had been layered with the Blondie/Moroder style disco synths just right. So its good to see that the Thieves Like Us run with the disco bit and churn out a great strutting piece of NYC disco funk. The vocodered vocals sit with the natural percussion and funk lines. So much so that it far surpasses the original.

Kiko on the other hand is at the other end of the spectrum. He’s gone for a brash whirring remix with rough electronic synths and stern marching beats. It’s noisy and in your face so it’s totally made for the big rooms. That leaves Mr Pauli’s remix. He’s gone with the 80s synth pop influence on the original and taken that to town. Think shoulder pads, Miami Vice and those great 80s electronic tom toms. I was confused at first, but the retroness has its charm.

TRACKLISTING:

A1.Party in my Head (Original)

A2. Party in my Head (Mr Pauli Remix)

B1. Party in my Head (Thieves Like Us Remix)

B2. Party in my Head (Kiko Remix)

Geddes & Alex Jones – Tubular | Single Review

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:38 +0000

Geddes and Alex Jones team up on the latest MurMur release for another slice of deep house action. Tubular has some great beats. The only way I can describe them is that they sound like big bubbles that rise up inside a water cooler bottle. Kind of that bassy tubby sound, ya get me? Geddes and Alex Jones then sprinkle a few hi hats and vocal snippets to give you another simple yet hypnotic slice of deep house; however its not Geddes and Alex Jones who are the stars of this show. It’s Lauhaus who turns out a remix which retrofits the hypnotic vocal snippets over a far hookier bassline and shuffling up beat rhythms. I’m pretty sure he’s done something similar on his own productions, but like they say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Tracklist:
1. Tubular
2. Zeiss
3. Tubular (Lauhaus remix)

Monika Kruse – Changes of Perception Remixes Part 2 | Single Review

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:08 +0000

Bright techno stars Erman Erim and 2000 and One are called up for Monika Kruse’s second batch of remixes from her latest artist album Changes of Perception. New comer Erman Erim was charged with the task of reworking Don’t Come Close. He keeps the eerie darkness of the original but exacerbates the melody with its big plunging keys. The slowly unwinding melody gives the track a great progression in a prog way of yore.

2000 and One head down their tried and tested route of chunky house and make ‘When I Woke Up’ their own. They inject some ballsy beats and a rumbling intermittent bass groan to create a surprisingly slow and smooth house track. It is however a bit thin on the ground with progression but I’m sure the bass groan makes up for it on a large system.

Tracklist:
1. When I Woke Up (2000 And One remix)
2. Don’t Come Close (Erman Erim remix)

Miss dicA – Freak EP | Single Review

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:38:52 +0000

Miss dicA is Barbara Tampiér, an Austrian producer and DJ who now lives in, you guessed it Berlin. Her Freak Out EP is self described as Electro-Techno-Trash and I can’t say I disagree. Freak Out uses trashy synths over high riding percussion and some farty electro basslines giving you a scatty electro-techno-trash workout. Freak’n Proud pines for a techno sound but keeps it intensely trashy with wave after wave of throbbing acid synths; whilst Freak In restrains itself with spindly electronic keys and whirring acid lines. It’s a good release but I can’t help think it sounds a lot like Miss Kitten and DJ Hell. But that’s no bad thing.

Miss dicA – Freak EP is out now
Tracklisting:
A1 Freak In
A2 Freaky Stars
B1 Freak Out
B2 Freak’n Proud