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Single Of The Month: Makaton/65D Mavericks ‘Luxury and ...’ (RODZ-KONEZ)
Album Of The Month: The Black Dog ‘Temple Of Transparent Balls’ (SOMA)
Read and comment on October's Record Reviews Here |
Written by Mark EG, published in M8 Magazine.
SINGLE OF THE MONTH:
Makaton/65D Mavericks
‘Luxury and Violence’
(RODZ-KONEZ)
Serious ball-breakers here with two of the best tracks to be released so far this year. Makaton’s A-side spandangle wreaks havok on the subs, puling and pushing from all angles - mechanical overload at extreme pressure. With the break half way, the feeling switches to a subtle calm - the flip from whence you originally came. Stick with it and you’re drawn back into the nightmare with dark chaos that defies description. The favorite here though has to be the flip, with the 65D Mavericks presenting something that even Carl Craig would have kittens over. With jazz hits and dark Detroit textures at precisely the right point, this makes for an accomplished masterpiece. Unmissable. M8/M8
ALBUM OF THE MONTH:
The Black Dog
‘Temple Of Transparent Balls’
(SOMA)
Re-released on the Soma label, the ‘Temple Of Transparent Balls’ is one of the most groundbreaking albums of the 90’s. Originally available on Warp it made a serious dent on the way many artists made and thought about techno music. In amongst other Warp releases from artists such as B12 and The Aphex Twin, this sat perfectly in it’s own niche - drawing on the past but also heading straight for the future. With this re-release, it becomes immediately apparent that The Black Dog created a timeless masterpiece, something that is still as perfect now as it was back then. ‘Cost I and II’, ‘Sharp Shooting On Saturn’, ‘Cycle’, ‘In The Light Of Grey’ and of course the tear jerking ‘The Crete That Crete Made’ - there’s not one bad moment here. If only all music was like this. M8/M8
Abe Duque
‘Following Conditions’
(INTERNATIONAL DJ GIGOLOS)
Abe Duque first came to our attention with his Kirlian pseudonym, releasing music on labels such as Tension and Rancho Relaxo. Fifteen years on and he has a discography as long as your arm, with releases on labels such as Disko B, Novamute and Tresor. The favorite here has to be the bell-infested FX roller on the B-side entitled ‘Outlook’ - something that works wonders on more spaced out floors. M6/M8
Yarda
‘Tan(z)te EP’
(!”@.*!%)
Often one track will stand out on an EP like a sore thumb and here we have one of those. Slovenia’s Olga and Jozef deliver a knockout remix of ‘Place In The Sun’ with it’s melodic stabs and hooks, but at the same time keeping a furious pace with a prominent kick and snappy snare. The other three tracks from Yarda are good minimal fodder, but you just can’t top the remix here. M7/M8
Rob Gibson
‘Hutch’
(ADVANCED)
Released this month, ‘Hutch’ features on Dave Clarke’s new ‘I Love Techno’ compilation. An electro inspired rock-fused classic, you’ll be hearing this out a lot in the clubs over the forthcoming months. The B-side features a slightly deeper 4/4 groove with cleverly pitch bent riffs and plenty of subconscious atmospherics. An offbeat ride adds peak time flavors too, rounding off a great value-for-money EP. M6/M8
Milanel
‘Teynpasten EP’
(APEX)
After a selection of tribal percussion, it’s not long before you realize that the bassline is going to become a major issue here. Sure enough, the beats fade and you’re left with beautifully filtered top end, but all is soon forgotten and the track rolls on - until the break that is. The master of dancefloor tension does it ones again with something that slaps you senseless once the bass filters up. M7/M8
Christian Smith and John Selway
‘The Coming Storm’
(SINO)
It’s been a long time coming but finally Christian Smith and John Selway give us their long awaited debut artist album on one of the best labels the techno world has to offer. If melodic techno is your bag then get sniffing cause it doesn’t come more melodic than this. It’s an album packed full of memorable moments, including my own personal favorite ‘The Coming Storm’, which featured as the B-side on their last single. M8/M8
The Micronauts
‘Damaging Consent’
(CITIZEN)
Super-sexy mish-mashes of sound from The Micronauts. The journey is fascinating - encompassing techno, acid, electro, hip-hop and rock. If you’re sick of the same old loop, you can’t get more diverse than this. Twenty-five tracks over two CD’s, giving you more than enough tools to fire at any unsuspecting listener. Chrisophe Monier is the man behind the wheel here. M6/M8
Orlando Voorn
‘The Truth EP’
(FINEST BLEND)
Dutch legend and Underground Resistance agent Orlando Voorn presents two very different styles of techno on one extraordinary EP. The title track ‘The Truth’ is almost ‘Knights Of The Jaguar’ versus ‘Strings Of Life’ - a piano inspired old school vibe full of emotion and content. The one that really destroys is ‘The Matador’ on the flip. Trippy arpeggio’s meats dark rolling kick meets funky clicks and pops to kill for. M7/M8
Dave Angel
‘Taurus EP’
(NIAH)
Dave Angel is one of the UK’s innovators of techno. The 90’s saw him release some of the most influential pieces of music the genre had ever heard. In 2007, it’s fantastic to see him still fly the flag and release some of the best music you can lay your ears on. Niah is his new sub label for the tech-house side to his sound and this is the perfect start with a mixture of Voorn-style melody and Angel-style funk that will turn many heads. M8/M8
Uusitalo
‘Karhunainen’
(HUUME)
A mention this month, for a terrific slice of freaky innovation from Uusitalo aka Vladislav Delay. This is music that you wont have heard before - ambient, techno, electronica - it’s all over the place. Sequenced patterns are shifted, percussion is indiscriminately mangled and bass is compressed like nothing else out there. One thing to note here - the whole album has been made on analogue equipment. Digital does not get a look-in. M8/M8
Various
‘Expansion/Contraction’
(MINUS)
The latest seven track CD offering from Minus and if you’re into the sound of Richie Hawtin, this one is a killer. All seven tracks are good but two stand out about the rest: The first from Marc Houle entitled ‘Porch’ uses a rising and falling bass that somehow erupts out of the mix like nothing you'll have heard. The second is from Minus favorite Troy Pierce, using a filthy bass sound and subtle 70’s space ship noises to freak you in the middle of next week. M7/M8
DJ 3000
Sacred Time EP
(MOTECH)
DJ 3000 is a one-man show when it comes to blending tribal elements into the Detroit sound and this is perhaps one of his finest examples yet. Admirably he’s not afraid to use cliche’s here - especially when, on the most unexpected of moments, a repetative crash hit pops up and results in a room full of deafening shreaks and screams that can be heard the world over. M7/M8
Jens Loden
‘Inner Thoughts’
(FINE ART DIGITAL)
Abstract, deep minimal techno from Swedish bass player, producer and composer Jen Loden. This release sees him present a plethora of blips and glitches with a smooth mechanical groove that sits well on a Sunday night floor with a selection of like-minded mosh heads. Three perfectly playable tracks for those who like the rolling side of minimal. M6/M8
Unknown
‘Meus Prosapia EP’
(TEKKNIK EXPERIMENTAL)
Rolling Primate-style techno, it doesnt take long for maximum crowd appreciation. The production is faultless and the real moment comes half way with an old school stab sound taking you straight back to the days when music was firing out of the motor city. You’ll love the fact that the riff just seems to go on forever, until an easy mix out begs for an instant rewind. M6/M8
Mark Archer
‘Song For Einna’
(DS:93)
From the guys that have bought us the superb Dust Science label, you’ll be super-lucky to get hold of this as it’s on a limited ninety-three only copy release. DS:93 is their new label concept and this is the first in the series. ‘I Said Funky’ is the main track here - with dustbin-hats and a dark ‘funky’ vocal sample that fires you straight into the Saturday night side of techno heaven. The rest of the EP could easily be something released in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Perfection. M8/M8
C.F.M.U.
‘Let’s Dance’
(DJ SPECIAL NEEDS)
The bootleg-style DJ Special Needs label is at it again with a cheeky re-work of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’. Sure, it’s one of those records that you’re either gonna love or hate but play loud at 1am on a party dance floor and the chances are you’re gonna love it. A three track DJ tool for those that don’t take themselves too seriously. M6/M8
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