Staff Picks w / c 25 November 2019

Review: Rene Pawlowitz is back on Ostgut Ton with his first album for the Berlin powerhouse since 2010's "The Traveller". It's an interesting time to hear Shed diving into his own particular distillation of techno and soundsystem ethics - sounds that have coalesced and splintered into so many factions in the past 10 years. Of course there's no doubting the man's ability to bring us the freshness - just listen to the steady dub throb and madcap break science of "Menschen Und Mauern" and marvel in the compositional heft. This is stunning, nimble, smart and downright fun club music and home listening fare sitting comfortably side by side, rarely mutually exclusive and shot through with the kind of studio precision we've come to expect.

Review: The always excellent Be With turn their attention to Samuel Jonathon Johnson and his fantastic 1978 album "My Music", which was the only full length he put out. The smooth vibe you get from the cover art alone says a lot about the music the man recorded: steamy, downtempo soul, romantic disco and lots of strong laden gems to warm you and a loved one through. The well known "What The World Needs Now Is Love" is a slow motion soul soother, while "Sweet Love" is pure positivity and "You" brings gorgeous orchestral disco funk fusions that brim with vitality. His own libidinous spoken word vocals add loveable sleaze to "Just Us" and makes for one of many highlights.

Review: Under the E.R.P. alias, Gerard Hanson has been making some of the finest intergalactic electro known to humankind since the tail end of the 1990s. His catalogue is meaty and some of his older, out-of-press records are now frustratingly hard to find - hence this tidy double-pack from Frustrated Funk. It includes all three tracks from Hanson's 2007 label debut, "Vox Automaton" - the body-popping brilliance of the title track, the Drexciya style underwater trip of "Nerve Play" and the deep electro lusciousness of "Parfume Persuasion" - as well as the trio of cuts originally released on the "Alsoran" from the same years. These are arguably even better, with the melodious, cinematic and futuristic title track, and wonderfully poignant "Irma" standing out. Exceptional.

Review: If you like dark, scuzzy, hypnotic, druggy rock 'n' roll with an extra helping of hallucinogenic FX then Portuguese three piece 10,000 Russos should have crossed your path by now. On the off chance that hasn't happened, let's start by you preparing to ask "where the hell have you guys been?". This is where Mark E. Smith and Neu! meet for a dance off in a pitch black room with only a strobe to guide their moves. Taking its name from "compromising material" used by the KGB for coercion and blackmail, on "Kompromat" the band have managed to genuinely distill that concept into something that's not just listenable, but repeatable. All tracks are delivered with pin-point accuracy, whether that's the hook-bass of post-punk nod "Runnin' Escapin'", spacey opener "It Grows Under", or the rough and ready squeal of distorted guitar reverberations on last hurrah "The Wheel".

Review: The fascinatingly future-facing reggaeton pairing of Clara! and Maoupa Mazzocchetti unleash their stunning debut album here on Low Jack's Editions Gravats. The Brussels based pair offer eight new cuts that include lead single "Badman". Future trap beats, whirring machines and neon, dayglo synths all light up these bottom-heavy tracks while the frosty, zero fucks given vocals of Clara Amfo finish each track with real power. Instrumentals are also included, but the originals sure do take some beating.

Review: With the exception of Skee Mask and the Zenker brothers, no producer has released more EPs on Ilian Tape than Stenny. For that reason, it would be fair to say that "Upsurge", his first foray into the full-length format, is long overdue. In keeping with the creative opportunities provided by the longer format, the 12-track set is framed as a "journey through the ups and downs", with hazy strolls through ambient, IDM and dub techno sitting side by side with skittish, off-kilter and occasionally dark forays into more club-focused electro, post-jungle and broken techno territory. There are plenty of subtle variations to be found within both broad categories, with Stenny managing to provide a unified front thanks to the pleasingly atmospheric and mood-matching nature of the collected cuts.

Review: After spending so much of their career to date releasing on Jazzman, it's interesting to see The Greg Foat Group make their way over to Athens Of The North for this cool and deadly new record. "The Dreaming Jewels" keeps the grooves simmering low down - all the sweeter to sink into. Just lock in on "Eric's Breakdown" and ask yourself if the track needs any more than that sweet conga flex. "The Door Into Summer" is a beautifully mellow jam too, all sultry Rhodes and sax to signal the start of lazy days. There are more tender moments and some breezier affairs, but the vibe remains chilled throughout this wonderful set from an accomplished band.

Review: And the award for most apt compilation title of the year goes to... While on face value it may seem like the USA's Pacific North West and UK's English North West have very little in common, this collection of tracks confirm there are similarities. And they go further than the damp conditions both regions often have to endure. Cheshire-born Burgess and West Coast native Stanley have been friends for 30 years, and their respective homelands collide here. Tim Peaks Diner, established by the former as a festival pop up, apparently owes much of its stylings to "Twin Peaks", and that series-cum-movie-cum-legend has inspired much of the soundtrack to said eatery. New Wave (The Chills), opiate folk (Gwenno), psychedelic country (Blue Orchids) and plenty more help capture the mood of a fantastical waypoint on some fictional road trip.

Review: Calibre has always displayed an affinity for sounds beyond the confines of drum & bass, but he's never gone as far out as he does on his latest album, "Planet Hearth". Leaving the club behind altogether, he's brought piano-led composition front and centre, folded in an ample dose of ambient and struck upon a cosy Autumnal mood that feels perfect for the time of year. There are still beats to be heard here and there, but this is a personal expression first and foremost. There's a catchy pop tint to "Eratik" while the title track is more concerned with minimalist composition and cathedral reverbs - that's the kind of range he's exploring on this accomplished departure from his usual comfort zone.

Review: CYM's self titled debut is a confident one. It finds British artist Mike Greene aka Fort Romeau link with US bass player and Vampire Weekend member Chris Baio for a widescreen kosmiche exploration: opener "Capra" is a surging seven minute rhythmic odyssey that elevates mind, body and soul followed by "Far Gone", all killer bass guitar riffs and wandering pads. "Super Cannes" closes out with some fantastic live drumming, nailing down a motor kick that races forward beneath nostalgic keys coated in analogue hiss and hum. Future retro never sounded better.

Review: Miss You's latest release is a reissue of an arguably under-celebrated lovers rock gem from 1989. Copies of the original 12" have been changing hands for rather a lot online of late, hence this new edition. The original version which opens the EP is everything you'd want from a lovers rock cut: warm, dreamy, soulful and synth-heavy with plenty of bass, nice horns and a superbly emotional lead vocal from the obscure Louisa Miller. The "Dance Mix" is effectively a dub, with Miller's sweet vocal rising above a stripped-back, toughened-up drum track with plenty of delays and trippy synthesizer motifs, while the "Sax Version" is a saxophone-sporting, mostly instrumental that veers a little closer to "Pages From Ceefax" territory (kids: ask your parents). In summary: superb!

Review: Cititrax present the sinewy synthwave sound of Tornische, a project first showcased on label boss Veronica Vasicka's Resident Advisor mix from earlier this year. We don't know much about them, but neither does it matter when the music is this good. The reference points are clear, but Tornische don't sound bogged down by nostalgia. Their tracks bristle with energy, and the interplay between the vocalists is theatric and ineffably cool in the same breath. Meanwhile the productions are deceptively nuanced even as they stalk in the raw alleyways first traipsed by plucky '80s bedroom studio dreamers.

Review: "Quando Tu Dances" was a hit for Micky Milan back in 1982 when it came out on Salsoul, and it has that seminal label's brand of disco funk spilling out of every bar. Now Faze Action have drafted a strong serving of remixers to bring a few deft touches to some of Milan's biggest hits, leading in with Willie Graff and his tasteful edit of the title track that lets the original vibe shine through in all its sunny finery. Faze Action themselves take on "C'est Une Bombe" - another slick '80s jam with plenty of boogie licks to complement the warmth of the guitar and Latin percussion. Finally we get an untouched original, the more spaced out cosmic pop jam "Les Vacances On S'eclete, On S'evade".

Review: After the success of "Helium", 2019's long-form from Montreal singer, songwriter and multi-instrumental hypnagogic pop soloist Homeshake, we are now presented with a slew of top drawer remixes from a selection of unarguably varied producers. Opening with Ciel's Daylight Savings Mix of "All Night Long", the trippy, dreamy garage effort sets the bar high. Similar broken joys can be found in the bass-R&B hybrid "Like Mariah", as re-read by Jessy Lanza, not to mention Cecile Believe's take on "Another Thing", with its extended build and eventual release into rolling, acid euphoria. More subdued and scatty, "Other Than", reworked by TAYE/PAL, might invoke the likes of DNTEL to some, while disco don Project Pablo delivers the finest dancefloor moment with a two-stepping vocal anthem-in-the-making - that re-rub of "Just Like My".

Review: In recent years, David Sumner's music as Function has tended towards the dark, lo-fi, industrial and minimal. "Existenz", his first solo album in six years, is an altogether more melodious, thoughtful and ear-catching affair. Of course, there are still some suitably mangled, mind-altering club cuts on show - see the buzzing, shape-shifting heaviness of "Ertrinken", the spaced-out hypnotism of "Kurzstrecke" and the Berghain-ready "Vampire" - but these largely play second fiddle to more playful and tuneful expressions of electro, Detroit style techno, dreamy fusions of deep house and early UK style tech-house, and ambient cuts so lovely you'll want to bathe in them. He even makes room for a couple of vocal collaborations with Robert Owens. It all adds up to a stunning set that's undoubtedly one of the most instantly arresting techno albums of the year.

Review: The late and eternally great Callisto sadly passed away before he could see his stunning creations get a second run in the spotlight. Eight years on from the first volume of retrospective gems from his modest but incredible catalogue, Guidance gather together another eight stunners that show just what an incredible talent this guy was. Bringing a level of expression and invention to deep house without losing a handle on the soul side of things, this is proof the genre can be true to itself and totally groundbreaking at the same time - a lesson a few more artists could take on board. Don't sleep on this double pack of wall to wall perfection.

Review: Music From Memory's latest must-check reissue is a fresh pressing of an obscure 1985 album by Musica Esporadica, a six-piece collective whose members included regular label contributor Suso Saiz. It's a hugely atmospheric affair from start to finish, with bubbly drum machine grooves and Afro-influenced hand percussion rhythms being overlaid with languid synthesizer melodies, atmospheric chords, distant guitar sounds and aural textures so warming you could probably use them as a duvet. There are naturally nods towards ambient, new age and Steve Reich style minimalism (see "I Forgot The Shirts") as well as the occasional operatic vocals and the most Balearic of sounds: fretless bass.

Review: Alton Ellis' "I'm Still In Love" is one of Jamaica's most famous songs. It has a rich history, too, that was the inspiration for Althea and Donna's 1997 smash "Uptown Top Ranking" and here it gets a loud-cut 12" pressing that allows it to soar. It's a track full of longing, with dusty keys and a natty bassline finished off with gorgeous vocals. The flipside houses the Soul Vendors' "Just A Bit Of Soul" featuring Jackie Mittoo. It's a more upbeat ditty with bumpier drums and jazz flecked keys to get you grooving.