DJs: Most Charted - Minimal / Tech - February 2015

Review: Last year's Ballad of the Ice LP for I'm A Cliche seemed to open quite a few doors for Tel Aviv pair Dori Sadovnik & Niv Arzi with Red Axes appearances on Kompakt, Highlife, and Relish. The commencement of a new Shem series of records brings the Red Axes back to Cosmo Vitelli's label with a remit being tracks geared towards the dancefloor but always retaining the one-of-a-kind approach that it distils in all its productions. The four tracks on Volume 1 set the tone nicely, be it the Delia Derbyshire does cavernous acid house vibes of "Na Da" or the spectral "Balma" which features the Portuguese crooner Abrao. Best of all however is the effervescent jack track "Nu" which really exemplifies the talent of Red Axes to make club-ready tracks out of organic elements.

Review: After the first collaboration on Samuel Deep's Native Tribe EP, these infamous jungle brothers decided to do a full EP together. When together they go by Ingi Visions and have a unique heavy underground sound made for dancefloor destruction. The "Get Slapped" EP features two solo tracks as well wich really represents their own styles. U can expect a lot more music from the brothers in the future.

Review: Perbec is Mark Broom and Baby Ford. Their last vinyl outing was "Variety Club" for the seminal Ifach imprint in 2001. Here they return with "Chaser" an epic journey into the original principles of house music. Infectious bass, Chicago-style keys and deep, analog synth pads announce that the party is very much in full force. Flip the disc for "Long John" which features stripped rhythms with plenty of swing and energy - equally suited to the main room or afterhours. Mastered at D & M.

Review: With a few scattered releases behind him, Denney makes the leap to Hot Creations with the self-assured strut of the Pimp Out EP. "Low Frequency" has the potential to be a huge track with its slick use of acid touches, hooky bassline and catchy vocal sample. "Pimp Out" gets more tripped out in its own use of 303-esque sounds, keeping the drum machine rhythms pattering and flying in playful touches of melody to keep the warmth in there. Luca Cazal steps up to deliver a remix of the latter track, working it into a drum focused slice of dancefloor functionality which should prove useful in a plethora of situations.

Review: After the adventures in Meditations from Thomas Melchior, Perlon's latest release of an impressive 2015 so far finds the label turn to a lesser known artist in Bihn. The production alias of Berlin based Germann Nguyen, BIHN emerged last year with a pair of low key 12"s as well as working with Onur Ozer as Treatment. What Nguyen lacks in profile he makes up for in punchy Perlon-worthy productions skills on the basis of his two tracks here with opener "Visio" a quite haunting cut where stripped back drum programming allows a neat bassline and detailed synth work to shine. Complementing this, it feels like "Ruski" is Nguyen letting his more urgent desires reign free and is likely to become a B side many selectors cherish.

Review: It's 12 years since Dresden-born, Leipzig-based Martin Enke first made waves under the Trickform alias, and four years since he launched the Lake People project. Given his production vintage, it's surprising Purposefully Uncertain Field is his debut album. In turns uncomfortable, blissful, woozy and melancholic, it sees Enke confidently join the dots between shuffling Germanic deep house, early '90s "intelligent techno" (see the brilliant "Cooping"), yearning tech-house, aqueous ambience (the swirling "Bora" and glacial "Distance"), clanking drum tracks ("Glease") and loose-limbed IDM ("Drifting Red"). Throughout, there's a curiously distant sense of atmosphere, with detached melodies and ghostly pads riding tight, bubbling rhythms.

Review: With a style rooted in classic 90s rap-house styles, System2 have already flown out a wealth of material for various imprints including Underground Audio and Politics Of Dancing, but on this occasion they're back on their own System2 label to deliver two upfront jams that will sit right on any old-skool minded dancefloor. "Movin (Edit)" may have a dubbed out flavour to it, but it's still a peak time belter with a smooth hip-house vocal flow atop of loose and limber breakbeats and a satisfyingly punchy bassline. "Backed Up" may take things deeper with some intricate drum machine patterns and soulful keys, but it's still a neat time machine back to the good old days of early house music.

Review: The Acid Test series from LA operation Absurd Recordings return to Achterbahn D'armour's fine 2014 LP Odd Movements with an equally compelling remix 12". Compelling because the four artists invited to contribute here each bring their own distinct voice to the table, and the results are likely to intrigue fans of modern techno of all its various shades. First up is Marcellus Pittman who transmogrifies "Holy Roman Empire" into a wonderfully effervescent slice of percussive techno laced with that Detroit grit, whilst Italian producer Chevel continues his recent strain of abstracted productions with growling take on "Odd Movements". Gerard Hanson seems perfectly suited to remix "Passagen" as Convextion, bringing a low gravity electro hum to proceedings, but our pick is most definitely the superlative rework of "Konigstr" from Sued co-founder SW.

Review: Signs Under Test is the 12th album released by John Tejada since his emergence in the late '90s, putting aside the various other projects he's been involved with, this alone is the kind of fact you have to applaud. Arriving some 2 and a bit years on from The Predicting Machine, this new album naturally surfaces via Kompakt and it's 11 tracks suggest Tejada's creative powers remain undimmed despite his vintage. Apparently built from the ground up using hardware synths, Signs Under Test succeeds as Tejada doesn't feel the need to cater to any particular musical trend, instead relying on his tools and his talent to deliver a rich and rewarding listen. Heavyweight 2LP pressing + CD edition.

Review: The minimal house tackle seems to be coming thick and fast from the Dilated Pupils supergroup, with this latest missive springing up on the slowly emergent German imprint Tabla. "11MYJ" leads the charged with a hypnotic mantra that works around a tight, looped up percussion combo and ethereal swathes of pads. "31TBJ" has equal amounts of ambience in its veins, although the groove comes stepping out with a little more sass in amidst the misty tones. "Drosophilia" resides on the B side with ample room to spread out another dubby exercise in subtlety and patience, ensuring this EP shows there's more to this group than shuffly, hard grooving house music.

Review: The fortieth release on Scuba's label is a collaboration between Locked Groove and the fast-rising Italian pair Mind Against. If there was any doubt that Hotflush represents an accessible take on underground techno, then this is it delivered with a palpable self-confidence. "Elysium" is based on tribal beats, but its groove pulses insidiously and the melodic breakdown is reminiscent of Kompakt's classic trance sheen. "Pulsar" follows in a similar vein and the arrangement, erm, pulses hypnotically. Although similarly pristine hooks and sparkling synths are audible, on this occasion it's all about the groove that gets increasingly intense until the inevitable climax.

Review: Using the Turkish psychedelic project Insanlar as a jump off point, Honest Jon's have enlisted Ricardo Villalobos to turn out one of his grandiose remix projects that gels so naturally with more exotic sound sources. The original of "Kime Ne" is already an enchanting, Moog-infused groover rich with traditional vocals, and then Mr Villalobos locks the ingredients in for a typically cosmic ride into stripped and hypnotic house territory, letting the lutes intertwine with dusty reams of percussion using that alchemists touch that could only come the man himself. The remix spreads itself over two sides of wax, leaving one side of the double pack free for a fetching etching as well.

Review: And so the Perlon Meditations continue... Late last year German producer Thomas Melchior made his first appearance on Perlon in some three years with the exquisite Meditations 1-3, which naturally channelled the iconic label's vibe perfectly. The first Perlon release of 2015 presents a further three Melchior produced Meditations, 4-6, with the opening track something of an understated epic. At 12 minutes long, "Meditation 4" demonstrates Melchior's craft for slowly building a groove, adding elements in a fashion that sounds subtle on headphones and deadly on a soundsystem. Face down, the 5th Meditation is an infectious little house groover, with hi hats and vocal samples jousting playfully whilst the closing track is a sub heavy number rich in vocal abstraction.

Review: Featuring the collective talents of Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Sondorom and Shonky, it's little surprise the Apollonia project has swiftly become a force to be reckoned with in house music over the past two years. Less a production unit, more an excellent DJ tag team and label collective, Apollonia output to date has been the sole Trinidad 12" issued through their eponymous label back in 2013. A debut album then is something of an ambitious move, yet Tour a Tour demonstrates the Parisian trio are more than up to the task. Said to be inspired by their unified approach to Djing, the album consists of 13 tracks that ramp up the intensity deftly in a manner to reflect a DJ mix. French legends Phillip Zdar and Alexkid lend their considered touch to proceedings throughout.

Review: For a small label with minute sounds, An dromeda is a heavyweight when it comes to releasing the finest in experimental, sparse and dub-laden, extra-ordinary minimal techno. Vid inaugurated the label in 2012 and now provides the outlet with its first album via a triple 12". Should you find the early releases of Giegling appealing, its likely Vid's debut LP will be of interest too through its poppy beats, watery undertones, balanced percussion and dynamic piano manoeuvres. Productions plunge deep without the need of booming kick drums as demonstrated in "Pasul Unu", or the looped chords of "Tripusor", while rustic tribalisms form in "Landrum Bun". An intriguing album transforming how we perceive the micro-isms of danceable electronic music.

Review: With a prolific surge of output in the past few years, Lady Blacktronika has firmly positioned herself in the upper-tier of US deep house producers, with her productions spreading in scope and landing in all sorts of places, like here on D'Julz's ever trusty Bass Culture imprint. She's in a refined and simmering mood here, with "Learn Me Baby" in particular keeping the mood bubbling just under the surface thanks to a brooding piano lick and distant vocal hits. "All In Vain" might be a livelier track but it's still thoroughly smart in its merging of distinct and feverish elements to create a dense but smoothly delivered peak time jam. "Lord Knows" is equally cunning in its ways, dropping in something like a classic house approach without losing that clamouring intensity.

Review: Vermont's self-titled LP from 2014 was one of Kompakt's most successful releases over the last couple of years, and the German imprint has decided to continue its remix re-rub after Prins Thomas' wet and wild excursion. This time, we have another three winners dishing out the reinterpretations: both Mano Le Tough and Marcus Worgull have a go at "Ubersprung", the former going for an ultra-slick, deep space vibe while the latter lives up to the Kompakt sound with his minimalistic yet beautifully melodic version. Last but not least, DJ Tennis remixes "Majestat" into an airy, outsider house joint for the more introspective sets. Quality, as per usual.

Review: Any Diego Krause fans out there wondering when the Berlin producer and co-owner of Beste Modus was going to hook up with the Apollonia crew can rest easy, it's Right About Now! So goes the title of this three track 12" and the lead cut which finds the K man on simple and wonderfully groovy form over its 7 minute duration. A perfect DJ tool for the house music selectors out there, and there is more of the same on the B side though "Manitu" offers a more stripped back and techy side to the Krause palette. And what to say about "Dreams" other than it lives up to its title and then some!

Review: There's a reflective quality at work on the latest Ellum Audio release, which finds label boss Maceo Plex teaming up with emo-tech-house stalwart Gabriel Ananda. The resulting "Solitary Daze" is laden with melancholic chords and synth sweeps, featuring a delicate drum section that buffets along the heartbreak harmonies with patience and poise. Barnt gets snapped up for a remix that injects a touch more mystery and dancefloor bite into the proceedings, using a little Eastern mysticism and a punchy bassline to make for a catchy revision that will help confirm the widespread praise the producer has been garnering of late.

Review: Switzerland's Rora imprint comes through with its eighth release and it's by debutant Rodraq, who neatly slots into the label's sleek and stripped-back approach. "Arche" is a house-techno hybrid with a gorgeous set of background atmospherics and one hell of a kick groove, while on the B-side, "Ben Dover" is a little funkier and club-ready, while "Nuages" heads back into the total depths. All in all, it's deeper than deep, son!