Rob's Music Reviews - September 2009

A few gems which made it into the Our House Magazine review section. Techno is on fire this year as is a quiet resurgence of deep, dubby prog.

Orlando Voorn – Angles (Nice & Nasty)

‘Angles’ is the next in line for Irish techno label who've turned to some locals for remixes. The original is magic - as you'd expect from Voorn - a morphing of house and techno with raw rhythms and a hypnotic synth which hooks you in without resorting to any bells or whistles. Dave Ellesmere’s remix retains much of the soul but goes for an almost pounding tribal rhythm which will definitely work on the dance floor while Manuel Perez takes the cake with a deeper version which morphs and twists through a distorted synth and a stark piano line. It all fits together so so well. Simplicity has always been the magic of Voorn’s releases and this is no different. More remixes by Itokim, Fran Hartnett and Jamie Behan due shortly. Angles @ Junodownload

Markus Wesen – Kindergarten EP (Ohral Recordings)

Kindergarten sampling minimal house is the name of the game here. The original is a bouncy sparse groovy with various cut up samples of children talking and singing. It’s actually not as odd as it sounds and makes for a quite infectious groove. The killer here is the M.in remix which is no surprise at all – 2009 has been a breakthrough year for the German. In his usual hooky, percussive style he builds a great vibe using subtle delays and thumping deep bassline. When the vocals finally feed into the mix half way through they add that extra hook to seal the deal. Very quirky. Kindergarten EP @ Beatport

Serial Smokers – Talk = Cheap (Fatal Music)

The label which lives and breathes tribal rhythms returns with a stormer. The meshing of Spanish tribal sounds into more modern minimal style of tribal house makes this record bouncy, funky and very infectious. Nicely cut up vocals complete the hook and a well-paced arrangement make the ride a good one. Jaimy's remix serves up an even more current sound which has the sort of bite which is so lacking in most so-called tribal records. His mix adds plenty of twists and turns to make it a sure winner on any open minded dance floor. Talk = Cheap @ Beatport

Daniel Kyo – Synecdoque (Ready Mix Records)

Daniel Kyo has hit the mark a couple of times with his remixes so it’s good to hear his debut on Ready Mix. Synecdoque is sort of futuristic deep house in a similar vein to Stan Kolev. It has summery vibes and sits at the deep and progressive crossover point with good results. It floats and morphs with subtle changes rather than big drops and grooves along nicely. Da Fun's remix takes the idea and twists it into a steppy electro-tech version with a more peak-time vibe. Edwin & Ferdy’s remix is almost a reprise with the focus taken off the kick/snare. It oozes the vibe of a day by a pool chilling and grooving with subtle keys, claps and vocal snippets. Nice! Synecdoque @ Beatport

Check out my Junodownload Future Garage chart for September.

Reviews with Rob Warner - March 09

Daniel Kyo - I Can (Dark Energy)

Following the theme set by Milton Jackson and Shur-i-kan's releases on Dark Energy, Daniel Kyo's 'I Can' is a deep techy track with a hint of Chicago, full of crisp percussion and looped vocals. The Milton Jackson remix is the sort of spacey house he's nailed as of late with a sparse arrangement and nice use of some stabby synths which quirkily make the melody and extra rhythm all in one. 'Shake It' is the gem here though, rolling along as a dubby drum track before adding a great melody which kicks the track into another gear. Wicked track. Dark Energy at Beatport

Isolée - A Nightingale (Diynamic Music)
OK, so it might not be Beau Mot Plage all over again but Isolée's latest is a pretty darn fine track - especially as a set-starter. Using his crazy bleeps, woofs and wooshes style 'A Nightingale' builds from a throbby bass noise to a maniacal number which would sound amazing at 4am. The stepped deep bass is sick sick sick and shows why Isolée is always worth checking out for sheer surprise value. Great to hear he still marches to a different drum to most and is still amongst the best in the game. 'A Nightingale' at Beatport

Chymera - Sumatra (Figure)

Ireland does 'Detroit' better than Detroit these days and Chymera leads the pack after a stream of top releases. 'Sumatra' is no exception and continues his theme of lush epic chords over subtle building tracks which have a hypnotic x-factor. The original mix climbs right through the layers to a big-room anthem peak which gets there without any overuse of bells or whistles - a rarity these days. Deetron does a more gritty, hectic mix in their usual solid, jacking fashion and with the addition of some well placed cut-up vocals. Chymera 'Sumatra' at Beatport

Developer - In Search EP (4 Track Records)

This EP spans heaps of ground. 'Walk On Air' is a straight up dubby techno which keeps the flashy bits away and lets the solid hypnotic groove do the work. Add a few spacey snippets and you're done. 'In Search' is a spacey synth excursion with a techy groove running below. It's not a massive track but definitely original enough that people would take notice for sure. 'Chosen' hits the nutty tech-house category to perfection with computer-ish sounds and detuned notes. Nice!