Electro House Recommendations March 2013

Review: Having presumably got tired (for now, at least) of their long-running Kitsune Maison compilation strand, the people behind the Parisian indie-dance stable have decided to look closer to home for material. So, it's a belated return for the Kitsune Parisien brand, which first appeared with an acclaimed comp in 2010. This third volume unearths more little known, home-grown talent, veering from glistening slo-mo synthwave (Cinema, Toys) to excitable synth-pop (Le Crayon's lovingly rendered "Cosma") via singalong indie bagginess (You's "Color") and Justice-ish power-pop pogo material (Joris Delarcoix's "Air France"). While there's little unexpected in the music itself, there's certainly plenty to enjoy.

Review: Russian producer Proxy has long been a valued member of the Turbo family, and a firm favourite of bossman Tiga. Having previously released some stellar singles and EPs, here he delivers his debut album - a two-disc trawl through grizzled electro, cold war grooves and 'Iron Curtain'-inspired nu-rave madness. It's all formidably fuzzy and hard-nosed, as if he'd recorded it with the KGB's finest pointing a gun threateningly towards his temples. While it does take a while to get your head round it all - there are 23 tracks, after all - after a few listens you'll be hooked. There are some genuinely thrilling floor-filling moments, too, with the rave revivalism of "Junk" particularly impressing.

Review: Listening back to this collection of remixes from UK producer Dave Taylor aka Switch, one is reminded of how different electronic music sounded during the mid-noughties. The bleepy bassline, chopped-up vocals and lo-fi sample aesthetic belongs to a different era, yet there is still something endearing about Switch's approach. On his version of Ben Westbeech's "Dance With Me", this manifests itself through a grimy acid line, boisterous vocals and a shuffling groove that sounds like an early incarnation of the UK bass/techno groove. Switch's interpretations of The Futureheads and Spank Rock (one of the era's genuine classics) are even more radical, with his take on the former's "Worry About It Later" containing merely a stuttering vocal and looped guitar riff from the original, and on the latter's "Bump", he moves from filtered disco stabs into a carnal ghetto house narrartive.

Review: Superstrobe has undergone some interesting changes over the years. It was once a duo, but now just a solo soldier in the shape of Manuel Winkler. Stylistically Superstrobe was once a trance tinged project, but it appears to be a genre-bounding electro-tech stew. Pumping and jumping with the times, Winkler has managed to stay relevant for nearly a decade... And he's only just unleashing his debut album. Totally dancefloor-focussed, each cut showcases his ability and variety. From the hypnotic assents and descents of "Strip Down" to the funkier, filtered loops of "The Drive" via the arena-level Picotto techno of "Talking Speaker", this is the most honest and extensive snapshot we've ever enjoyed of Superstrobe.