Electro House Recommendations April 2012

Review: Largely dormant for far too long, Principles of Geometry have seemingly been coaxed back into the recording studio to deliver a long overdue third album, the soon to be released and rather epically titled Burn The Land & Boil The Oceans. Ahead of transmission, Tigersushi call on their A Team to re-edit material from the forthcoming LP with label boss Joakim joined on this twelve by Krikor and Pilooski. Mr Bazooka's Tape Edit of "LA" begins in grandiose form, slipping through an expansive beatless synthesized intro before a decidedly chunky mutant discoid groove elevates the track into something eminently danceable. The presence of Pilooski on the flip is welcome, with the producer turning in an rubbery edit of "ISM" that's reminiscent of his early, quirky D-I-R-T-Y gems. Finally Krikor tweaks "Carbon Cowboy" teasing out the track's machine funk intricacies before allowing the sensual analogue warmth to flourish.

Review: Germany's Fachwerk stable dropped a second collaborative EP from label heads Mike Dehnert, Roman Lindau and Sascha Rydell. Entitled, quite simply, Fachwerk EP 2, it follows last year's Fachwerk EP which included tracks from each of the three producers at the centre of the label's quite singular techno vision, which combines crunchy, swung mechanical rhythms with warm, rolling, dubby tones. It's one of several releases which will culminate in the release of the label's 25th release, which we imagine will be something quite special indeed. The EP is as brilliant as you'd expect, with the muscularity of Dehnert's "M10? augmented with vocals that sound like snatches of Arthur Russell, the metallic strings of Lindau's "Grow" and the manic piano groove of Rydell's "When You Play It" all offering solid entries into the label's formidable catalogue. This label is simply on fire at the moment - don't sleep.

Review: For this unlikely comeback album, nearly eight years since Orbital's last full-length, the decidedly mediocre Blue, the Hartnoll brothers have wisely gone back to what they did best - namely club-friendly electronica bristling with big moments, cinematic melodies and catchy synth riffs. There are tracks that recall their greatest work - see the "Belfast"-ish strings of "Stringy Acid" or "The Girl With The Sun In Her Head" style "New France" - and cuts that offer a timely reminder of their ability to create sublime electronic music. It's not perfect, by any means, but there's enough to excite, not least a bonus disc containing rousing live versions of some of their greatest hits.

Review: Recently premiered via a dizzying video recorded in their studio, Hot Chip's "Flutes" offers an insight into how their forthcoming album In Our Heads might unfold. The UK troupe may have a new label home in the shape of Domino Recordings, but this new environment doesn't signal the change in a reliable formula that's delivered so many iconic singles since they surfaced with the low key Down With Prince way back in 2003. Compositionally "Flutes" bears plenty of production nuances (wood block percussion and African vocals looped up form the intro) and there's a dewy eyed melodic sentimentality to how the track develops that's clearly influenced by Joe Goddard's recent bloke house endeavours as part of 2 Bears, though Alexis Taylor's falsetto dominates throughout.

Review: Following their move to Kompakt for last year's fourth full-length, Knee Deep, Danish trio WhoMadeWho have toned down some of the more abrasive elements of their punk-funk/electro sound. While this fifth album still features many of their sonic trademarks - the sturdy basslines, the bubbling electronics, the rasping live percussion - it boasts a more considered, bittersweet and grown-up sound than their celebrated early work on Gomma. With Tomas Hoffding's raw vocals to the fore, Brighter nervously shuffles between fuzzy pop ("Running Man", "Fireman", "The End"), synth-heavy melancholia ("Greyhound", the Junior Boys-ish "Head On My Pillow") and stomping glam-rock ("The Sun").

Review: It's entirely typical of Pepe Bradock that the French producer's first original material in several years should arrive with little prior warning. Since arriving on the house circuit in the late 90s, the Parisian has cultivated an enigmatic presence thanks to a paucity of releases and a disinterest in the self promotional circus that has consumed his peers. This of course hasn't stopped him getting collared for countless excellent remixes over the years, thus adding to the cult of Pepe. A four part Imbroglios series commences in supreme style here, with Bradock's unique production style shining through from the opening bars of "Katoucha?" which accrues all new levels of mind bending texture as it progresses. Few other producers would think to actually sample a cat purring or indeed succeed like Bradock does on the intoxicatingly off kilter "Inconsequent Pussy", and the remainder of the EP is an equally rewarding fusion of eccentric sounds and quirky rhythmic swing.