Album Review - Stan Kolev "Emotional Content"

If Stan Kolev's "Don't Be", released last year on Ready Mix Records, was a sign of things to come then he was well on target. Riding the fine lines between house, tribal, progressive and trance, "Emotion Content", is a breath of fresh air so far as electronic artist albums go in recent years. Making dance floor tunes is one thing but producing a quality album which can be listened through and appreciated as one work is another. "Emotional Content" has done just that.

Leading in Kolev lays down his style pretty quickly. An laid-back ethnic and progressive mash-up of styles paves the way with "Routts" and "Suspended Memories" before the tempo picks up with "Inner Sense", a sultry 90s-style New York house number - subtle and groovy. "Deep This" follows on and you can see where Kolev is going - adding in synth riffs and more edgy elements.

Last year's album teaser "Don't Be" is included in an album edited version before the next peak-time numbers fall in the form of "F-substance" and "Flashback", one of those x-factor tunes which defies genre: future-garage-tech-prog to make a wild attempt. "Even Flow" and "Hollow" kick ass in a more energetic synthy way and will bode well with fans of more euphoric (I didn't say 'trance' but goddamit this makes me like the notion for a change) sounds.

It isn't often an album makes the top grade for me but "Emotional Content" gets an easy 5 out of 5. There doesn't need to be any genre sticker attached to this release except: forward-thinking dance music.

- "Emotional Content" is available now on Ready Mix Records at Beatport. The single release of "Flashback", including a remix by Eelke Kleijn, will be released in March. Other remixes due in 2008 from Bart Van Wissen, Add2Basket and more.

Music Spiel Reviews with Rob Warner - January 08

Rob's Music Spiel - New reviews for Jan 2008

It's bombs away for 2008 as house maestro Milton Jackson returns with his latest Urbantorque release alongside Sei A, as does Valentino Kanzyani and Marko Nastic with a more minimal number on he new WOW! Records label. Tribal and progressive make a renewed showing with Keith Blackstone, R.O.R. Collective and Sancho & E-Lation. Read on...

Milton Jackson & Sei A – Jinzou (Urbantorque)
After a cracker year in 2007 Milton Jackson returns with Sei A with a more low-key track in that hazy in-between style Jackson is known for. It's full of mellow chords, blips and subtle transitions between deep house and tech-house – you could call it future garage – classic but futuristic. Scope add a twisted bass-heavy re-edit with raw Detroit influences as well as a full remix which is a heavier version for the floor. Manuel Tur adds the final mix which has a soulful house touch with an old-school piano line and epic break. Cracker record! myspace.com/miltonjackson06

Keith Blackstone- Enhancer/Yube (Fatal Music)
Fatal Music kick the walls down with their usual subtlety of tribal rhythms and big-room fx. The original of Enhancer is a dark and jacking pure NYC house track full of sinister synth stabs and pitched down, drugged-up vocals. Jaimy's remix is tribal to the bone with a breakdown to tweak out even the most sober person in the. 'Yube' is a more minimalistic number with a low sub bass to rumble the speakers overtop of the snappy groove and spoken vocals. A few small change-ups throughout the track and a funky old-school stabbing synth give this tune an infectious hook. myspace.com/keithblackstone

R.O.R. Collective - Scarface (Slanted Black)
If percussive, syncopated rhythms are your thing then you can't go past the label which is fast becoming a tribal house institution. Scarface is a track with a tribal groove which gets more and more intense as the track goes on. In fitting with its namesake the track uses elements of the theme music from Scarface. You'd think this would make for another movie-sampling cheese-fest but you'd be wrong. R.O.R Collective weave it into the groove and arrangement subtly and without overdoing it one bit. Find yourself a dark room with a large sound system and this will shred. myspace.com/rorcollective

Sancho & E-Lation - I Want Your Soul (Pure Substance)
The original of 'I Want Your Soul' is straight up big-room synthy prog with a great energy and nice arrangement full of little drops and direction changes. Sancho does his own mix – a straight-up clubby version with a bouncing party groove and looped/cut up vocals. Aber's Soulhunter remix is more laid-back and melodic and has Nick Warren written all over it with subtle synths and deep rolling bass sitting underneath a stabbed melody. Starlab add an in-your-face mix in the form of a glitchy breakbeat remix full of distortion and endlessly edited segments to create a pretty intense mood. www.myspace.com/sanchoandelation

Valentino Kanzyani & Marko Nastic - Twisted Movement (WOW! Records)
Twisted Movement shows the more restrained side of Kanzyani and Umek with a simple, chipper groove using their usual flawless production skills. With little more than a percussion kit and some nicely tunes FX they produce a groove which most can only hope to achieve. Add some muted saxophone-esque sequences and the result is as twisted as the track's name implies. 'Unexpected Cure' is a more dance floor track with a house groove and solid, almost Kerri Chander style, keys and bass. Nicely delayed snippets and quirky steel drum rolls round this off as a useful tune to have in the crate. myspace.com/djmarkonastic

Rob Warner - Top Ten Chart January 2008

2008 kicks off with a bang and a roar. Hybrid tech/tribal/house is the name of the game...

Rob Warner - Top Ten Future Garage chart, January 2008

- house, techno, tribal, space disco -

1. F.Sonik & Tomy DeClerque - Pleasant Noise (CDR)
2. Valentino Kanzyani - Prizmas & Boomerangs (Jesus Loved You Ltd)

3. Nutownproject & Jeik - Petit Bruit (Immigrant Digital)

4. Vierro - Take My Time (Slanted Black)

5. Tech - Circulation (CDR)

6. Alejandro Roman - As Seen On TV (Bando remix) (Vezotonik Ltd)

7. Keith Blackstone - Yube (Instrumental Mix) (Fatal Music)

8. Ailo - Sunday Afternoon (Aenaria Chill)

9. Arno Cost & Norman Doray - Apocalypse (Cr2 Records)

10. Edin Chuturic - Soul Acoustics (original mix) (Astrodisco)

Enjoy!