The Best New Singles This Week
The Greatest of the Last Seven
SING OF THE WEEK
J: Kenzo - Crossroads (Sounds of ZamZam)
ZamZam has a long history of providing producers with the extra layers of dub most commonly found on dance floors. Artists such as DJ Madd, Danny Skrilla, Von D and J. Sparrow have already worked for the Portland label, each creating their own style and infusing it with big doses of dub and ZamZam vibes. It's not like they're making a comeback in sound, and it's definitely music to dance to, but these artists have an established approach that's rooted in sound system culture anyway. Something about the way ZamZam works encourages artists to delve deeper into these influences and stick to a strong tradition of an honest and respectful scene.
J: Kenzo has a lot going on with his label Artikal Music, is admired on 31 Records, laid a solid foundation with Tempa and even appeared on one of the legendary Dubstep Allstars mix CDs. In his third appearance on ZamZam, the Kent-based producer brings everything he needs to rock the dance floor and shows why 140 remains such a powerful field to explore. On the Traverse, the Traverse split is perfectly formed, retaining tight, throbbing hi-hats and assertive low-frequency percussion. It's a powerful track that minimizes fills, pauses, and falls to keep you locked in, just like a good stepper should do.
However, the Deuce deviates slightly from the script as it leaves the garage area. The Beat is a 2-step guitar with all the power you'd expect from an entry-level club turntable, but Kenza is always on top, pouring out plenty of dubs. In the context of synth rhythms, dub-techno impulses are reminiscent of early 2562 releases, but play a little less noisily. The best thing about Kenzo's approach is that by limiting and prioritizing meditation, he created an eclectic piece. dub An abstraction that can act as a bridge or power switch for a proper ensemble look 140 .
Australia:
Gary Martin - Organic Players Club (DET313)
Once considered one of Motor City's best-kept secrets, Gary Martin has stepped out of the shadows of those who stand over Metro Detroit over the years. While Martin may not be the city's most popular techno purveyor, he now occupies the spot his impressive catalog deserves. Releasing brutal sounds under various aliases, the most popular of which are Gigi Galaxy and Teknotika, he has remained true to his underground path, and nearly 30 years of lovingly crafted music have cemented his place in the Detroit techno pantheon.
The DET13 re-release label he co-founded with Yossi Omayal helped draw attention to gems from his Teknotika catalog, showcasing hard-to-find (or expensive) features alongside new fixes and remixes. The Organic Players Club does just that, featuring seven archived and retouched tracks on two wax discs, introducing Martin's vintage sounds to a new audience and saving diehard fans and collectors a few dollars. The mini-album begins with an extended version of Amoyal's "I'll Be Back I Promise", in which his emotional strings and confident bass are happily combined with powerful drums and heavy percussion, creating a soulful sensibility of rhythmic mastery and extended tempo. . Dancefloor moments come in the form of the hyper-active "All Night Long Girl" and the equally energetic "Be Your Own Girl", and the set comes alive with the amazingly lively "In Rhythm", a must-see here. .
The original's cascading drums create brash bass tones and infectious vocal tones, while menacing strings add to the atmosphere of the music, while House Mix's kick drum embellishments are a dead testament to the room's highlights. The lush rhythms and otherworldly harmonies of "Manhattan" ensure that the floor-centered dynamics don't falter, while the closing jam "Aurora Aura" maintains the kinetic energy with jazzy thrusts that gleefully dance to bass drums.
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Takuya Matsumoto - 85–88 (Clone Jack for Daze)
Japanese producer Takuya Matsumoto is ending a five-year hiatus under the Clone banner with his latest album, creating a series of retro house jams on EP 85-88. The packaging states that the material comes from the producer's long-lost archives, but while Matsumoto has been at least somewhat active since 2001, the '80s probably came too quickly for the Tokyo-based artist to find his studio rhythm.
Plus, it would be easy to believe that the four tracks included were created in the early days of house music, so the authenticity of their production and the tone of their content are key. Of course, Matsumoto seems to dislike being the center of attention due to his seemingly elusive personality coupled with his unsteady gait. However, the quality of his releases on Clone Royal Oak, Fina, Meda Fury and Iero has earned him a well deserved reputation among Deep House purists, with each quality release embodying a distinct appeal.
The mini-album exudes vintage charm: analog synths and FM amps set against classic car drums and a set of deep Chicago-style grooves. Opener '85' is built like an early fingerpicker, with sour bass mixed with atmospheric pads and solid analog drums. Then 86's euphoric pads, spoken words and powerful bass hits continue the soulful drive until '87' picks up steam and plunges into raw, sour house territory.
Finally, "88" is perhaps the most unusual of the numbers, with drum vocals seething over sparse drums and stretched synths. Fans of early house and the depths of Chicago's golden age are likely to enjoy every track, and 85-88 marks the long-awaited return of Matsumoto San.
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Ke Thu - Like A Lighthouse Against The Fog (Still Techno USA)
The Ke Thu Mantra (Tim Barrett and Stephen Suropoulos) is "a serious exploration of techno and what it's capable of." Few artists have charted such a wide field, but since this is the philosophical foundation of a 10-year-old artist duo, this is a playbook that clearly gives them just enough momentum to keep moving forward.
For example, can techno overcome formal gender restrictions? Should techno be about music and cars getting in the way of people? Contrary to its title, Like A Beacon Against The Fog hardly answers these questions and serves us more as a fog than a beacon. On that note, however, the EP continues to explore what we might call techno, with further exploration obviously reserved for future releases. We can also call this part suspicious lo-fi techno. Ke So's concept of "reality" is this: a mirror of smoke and sound. strong conflicting moods clouding our vision; The chains on the stairs rattle like the ghosts of the past and the future that haunt memory palaces. Through techno, the couple emphasizes what reality is: dialectical and intricate, rather than concrete and reasonable.
The title track only appears as a remix by one Jerome Derraji, not the original. Upon closer examination, it turns out that this is some combination of the first and third traces. It's more like a toned down version of the Johns Hopkins Collider; The chain dub sounds extend to a wide low end, while the more direct hi-hats are front and center. Like all types of massage, this is a real meditative highlight. The lack of high frequencies forces us to turn them up to hear less noticeable details in the (erroneously) maligned mids. It is clear that Detroit techno today is striving for much more than just machine futurism; Ke So the last song is a soothing song about the unity of man and machine, a dialogue with primal uncertainty.
Concert:
Pangea - Fuzzy Logic (Hessle Audio)
Hessle Audio's track record of shaping the genre over the past 15 years is impressive. 'Fuzzy Logic' devastatingly demonstrates the label's pangea, showing exactly why the label has maintained its position as one of Britain's underground sound beacons. David Kennedy, Ben Thompson and Kevin McAuley have done a sensational job of creating Hessle Audio's varied, ever-changing yet beautifully coherent and recognizable timbre. Here the latter dons his familiar Pangea hat to illustrate this by presenting a pair of tracks that are both extremely strong yet display a subtle sophistication that belies their rhythmic prowess.
McAuley is responsible for some of his most memorable moments on the label, and the title EP has the same flavor as the best of his catalogue. Shaking drums drive menacing pads and floating synth textures, rhythmic pulsations flow into dirty basses and brutal drum beats, creating an exhilarating dance spark. Perhaps even better is the B-side track "Still Flowing Water", where Detroit-inspired chords mingle with warped synths and dramatic strings over fast drums, fusing a retro rave aesthetic with a distinctly modern sheen.
Solid yet subtle, both tracks are created here and both are driven to stunning effect.
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Caroline Polachek - Billions (Regular U.S. Newcomer)
"Billions" by Caroline Polachek was released in February this year as the next single from hyperpop and pop artist Pang's latest album. To keep up with such breakneck acceleration, Polachek's next album is already set for release in a year.
Since Polachek has been on the scene for a long time, "Billions" is the latest addition and will be released on vinyl this week. We thought it was an intriguing maneuver. Even today's so-called "ultra-digital" hyperpop cannot escape the primordial, entropic physicality of wax. Similarly, reading between the lines of music by artists such as Polachek, one of the leading artists of modern music, goes a long way in understanding where we are. "Billions" is mysteriously about a passionate affair with our narrator's partner.
"Psychic... priceless... lies like a sailor but loves like an artist... look at him as an intermediary... horn of wealth, my cup may overflow (billions)!" Something good is happening to this man, and Polacheka can only describe it in economic and quantitative terms, but, of course, cannot help but admit that he is "priceless." He also calls him a psychopath. oh but yes
In the texts of Polachek there is a contradiction between quantity and quality. Now his music is both human (with his voice) and robotic (in collaboration with some of the craziest and most alien producers in the world, Danny L. Harley and Oneohtrix Point Never). OPN's "Long Road Home" remix fits the bill. With the extraordinary power of his voice, he humanizes the artist, who acted only in the shadow of the hot 80s, like a retrograde machine.
This interaction between human and non-human is very important. Hyperpop is one of the most controversial pieces of music in the world. That is why it consumes a lot of energy.
Concert:
Keita Sano - The Legacy Of Leyton EP (ROW)
Keita Sano of Okayama has been busy creating variations of contemporary club music that are hard to guess. From 1080p and Let's Play House to Discos Capablanca, Mister Saturday Night and Mad Love, he's now returning to the label he founded Germany's Row in 2016, and it's interesting to see how much has changed since then. bowl of water EP.
Rather, in Leighton's Legacy , Sano is guided by a more minimalist mindset. The fundamentals of the sound system's dynamics are still absolutely in place, but instead of using loud booming kicks throughout the mix and digging into melodic bright samples, Sano sounds more homely to set the mood. and works with space, such as Blurred Ceramics. More attention is paid to the overall development of the track without sacrificing the experimental instinct that has characterized Sano from the start.
"Inner Hall" refers to a more intricate, complex type of fragmented techno that can be easily moved along Hessle's timeline, maintaining a sharp immediacy in the drums, but rewarding the attentive listener with micro-details in a subtle sound design. "Legacy From Leyton" is reminiscent of Sano's earlier work with his late-stage hi-fi synths, but the unwavering percussion still takes center stage. Also hailing from the Japanese underground, Dayzero are ready to update the track, which will give the sound a more psychedelic tone, without sacrificing solid club status.
Australia:
Hard Drive Library / Darrell Parr / Andy Ash / Tom Carruthers / Asa Tate - MAD 004. V.A. Volume 1 (MAD)
Continuing their delightfully simple, space-filling manifesto, London-based label Make A Dance is now inviting the cast to perform their magic on the first murder of a diverse new artist.
Since the release of the incredible prog EP Somebody in 2001, the MAD team has been busy writing new chapters of equally effective house and dance disco jams. The addition of a recent piano release has added fuel to the disco fire, and 'VA Vol 1' looks set to further boost the release's already impressive reputation. First, in the Hard Drive library, disco-stringed and swirling basses are layered on tight house beats for true disco house rock, then exotic arpeggios and otherworldly synths descend on "Nanyuki Nights" with infectious bass, riffs, and looped vocals. excess
Liverpool diva Andy Ash, on the other hand, performs with surprisingly distinctive Drums For Acid straight from the warehouse and a full strobe light. "Forgotten Grove" by Tom Carruthers adds a pleasant note to the record: trippy synths flow into catchy drums and muted bass. Finally, Asa Tate's "That It" takes us through short hours of bass and otherworldly synth creation to a sweet, rushing climax.
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Pub - Autumn (Ampol)
Following their recent re-release on Ampoule Records, this time they're tapping into the exhilarating talents of the label's founder, Pub. So it turns out that the label that works as a "shop" is just a talented guy releasing his unreleased material.
"Autumn" was the first original Pub release under that title in nearly a decade. Here is the crater. throw in the heavenly stutter of Voitax or Barker and the synths of the Aphex Twins emu trackers and the powerful sonic medicine that Pub exudes most positively (that is, when the infusion is done). Mostly autumn road music. This is an extraordinary joy. The problem is, like the seasons, we are no longer free. We are domesticated animals in an artificial intelligence biome, happy only thanks to digital preservation and a carefully planned ecology, people studied from afar in the "wilderness".
As today the bot flips the switch at dawn, so the artificial singing of birds at the dawn of Autumn. The track is clearly optimistic. Meanwhile, "Fall In Leaves" describes twilight as the drums skim through the same melodic pattern as the sun (actually just a giant lamp) gives way to the night phase of this terraformed world.
Concert:
This week's critics are Ollie Warwick, Patricia Cavaliere, Jude Iago James.
