Mar 16 2016

[Audio] Jari Menari’s ‘Tiki Man’ EP

The Tiki Man EP is the latest release from London’s Musik Box label and it’s arguably their best, and most eclectic, to date. Musik Box is, of course, home to all things House, Disco and Boogie set up by renowned beat-mongering duo Punks Jump Up, now PJU; now on it’s sixth release after a string of rock solid, and slightly quirky, floorfillers.

Tiki Man is the product of Jari Menari; who are, in turn, one half of PJU teaming up with one half of Swiss Disco experimentalists In Flagranti. Which makes sense as they are both products of that early 2000s Indie-Dance boom.

In Flagranti have been knocking out woozy Disco epics since way back in 2002, largely on their own label but occasionally for the likes of Kitsuné, Phantasy and Gomma. Intergalactic Bubblegum and Business Acumen both hold a massive place in my heart as the soundtrack to my last few years living in London. Similarly Punks Jump Up have served up some of the finest Boogie-fuelled monsters of the last decade. From Dance To Our Disco to the Chromeo’s Dave1 featuring Mr. Overtime, via collaborations with Dubka and Earl Grey, a new PJU release is always something to get excited about. Particularly the basslines. Oh how I love me some PJU bassline!

The EP’s title track is an insane six minutes of half rapped/half chanted vocals over one of those basslines. A thick late-80s House groove, pure white glove stuff, accentuated with synth stabs and popping purcussion, Tiki Man has a Chicago House core with a particularly British twist. Tanz La Tête continues in a similar vein, upping the jacking element into a hypnotic symphony of rolling 909 purcussion and punchy Roland bass; tied together with looped vocal snatches, a pure vintage floorfiller.

There’s a slight EBM/Newbeat slant to Body Conscious with it’s reverb heavy synthetic industrial purcussion and undulating waves of effects rolling in and out of the track while I Want U (But I Want U 4 Myself) serves up an almost New York Indie-Disco flavour mixed with a little Detroit Electro and Chicago warehouse vibes. Live bass and organ set this one apart from the rest of the EP.

The TIki Man EP is an example of what can happen where people truly steeped in the history of dance music come together to experiment, the results are eclectic and left-field, but rock solidly classic House.

♫ Jari Menari – Tiki Man

♫ Jari Menari – Tanz La Tête

♫ Jari Menari – Body Conscious

♫ Jari Menari – I Want U (But I Want U 4 Myself)

Jari Menari’s Tiki Man EP is out now.

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Sep 30 2015

[Video] PJU’s ‘Give It To Me’

Remember Punks Jump Up’s Give It To Me from last year? The track was inspired by 80s Chicago House classic Donnie by The It, and featuring vocals from original Donnie vocalist Robert Owens, and was available on Exploited’s Secret Gold Volume 6 compilation. Well the jacking tribute to all things warehouse is getting a nice reMix package release on PJU’s own Musik Box label. The October release comes equipped with mixes from KiWi, Vanilla Ace & Berber, Musik Box (we guess PJU), Want More and Horse Meat Disco. The original is pretty amazing, we can’t wait to hear the reMixes.

It also comes with this particularly retro video which looks like any number of VHS tapes we have in the back of a wardrobe loaded with dance music videos taped off the telly. The perfect accompaniment to the track.

[PJU’s ‘Give It To Me’ is released 23rd October.

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Aug 26 2015

[Audio] Hot Natured’s ‘Off World Lover’

2013’s Different Sides Of The Sun, by robotic House supergroup Hot Natured is still one of our favourite albums of the decade so far. The outfit, consisting of London SynthPop turned synthetic House master Ali Love, Chicago DJ superstar Lee Foss, Wales’ fines Jamie Jones and Cazals’ Luca C delivered an instant classic in their début full length record. Sounding unlike anything else around at the time, the album grabbed house and took it down a decidedly 80s Electro alleyway for a good seeing to. Ali Love’s futuristic, Sci-Fi themed vocal performances, paired with a host of quality guests, and an array of stripped down & groovy, analog dance tracks made Different Sides Of The Sun something both compelling and unique. It’s an album that still in heavy rotation round these parts.

It’s been eighteen months since the last new tune from this foursome. We’ve had reMix singles in the meantime (including the amazing Luxry mix of Benediction) but new in terms of original track. Well the wait was finally over with the announcement of Off World Lover. The single is due out in September, as a prelude to the group’s sophomore album that is slated for a 2016 release and will feature a remix from Bristolian producer Will Clarke.

Appropriately released on Jones and Foss’s Emerald City label, Off World Lover continues deeper along their visionary House journey. From a title that brings BladeRunner to mind, to Ali’s interplanetary lyrics, to the otherworldly lead lines this is definitely SynthPop and House music for futurists.

Hot Natured have this knack of making raw, analog sounds sound rich and full. Like most Hot Natured tunes, Off World Lover is quite minimal in it’s arrangement, but never feels like it. In lesser producers hands this synthetic orchestra might sound lacking, but these four maestros can eschew flashy, cheap, modern production tricks and still sound as bombastic as any of today’s big, overproduced, dance tunes. With a growling, rumbling bass undulating over a skippy House beat the foundations are laid for this galactic opus. Synthesizers bleep, sounding like the alerts of a spaceship’s computer while electronic strings zip past like starlight and an otherworldly hook plays in the distance like a half-heard Theremin. Over this Ali’s passionately delivers his long-distance lament, calling out between the planets to his long lost love. Howe Hot Natured manage to sound like this, and never once stop being unbelievably funky is a mystery. But they do, and we’re all thankful for that.

♫ Hot Natured – Off World Lover

Hot Natured’s Off World Lover is released 18th September.

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Aug 4 2015

[Audio] Black Magic Disco’s ‘Break It Down’

London based House master Black Magic Disco recently released his long awaited new single, Break It Down, after what seems like quite the holiday. Oh sure, the man has steadily released a stream of killer mixtapes and reMixes, but it feels like it;s been ages since we were treated to a brand new original. Break It Down slipped out over a week ago to slightly less fanfare that we would have expected, but hear it is featuring some lovely vocals from Aussie Amber Maxwell.

Break It Down is set to carry you off on waves of enchanting nostalgic bliss. If you know Black Magic Disco you know warm and inviting Chicago House and with this new single he truly delivers. Easing itself into your life with a shuffling drum pattern and a classic piano hook, Break It Down soon ramps up the good vibes with a Deep-y hook and Maxwell’s chopped up vocals. It’s got a touch of London club scene about it, keeping the historic House sound contemporary; but more than anything, this one is just about pure good vibes. Sink into this!

♫ Black Magic Disco (Feat. Amber Maxwell) – Break It Down (Original Mix)

Black Magic Disco’s Break It Down is out now.

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Aug 3 2015

[Audio] Alixander III And Marsupials’ ‘Broken Promises’

Having spilt up from Azari & III, III of Azari & III, know to you sir as Alixander III, is serving up a nice line in deep and acidic classic House. Returning to the Toy Tonics label he’s about to release a collaborative EP titled Heavy Friends EP II. The first track to break ground from the forthoming release is Broken Promises. The tune features work from Italian fellow House heads Marsupials and although the EP is said to be inspired by the early Techno sounds of Detroit, we can hear a lot of Chicago in there too.

Broken Promises is deep and dark, but with a solid groove, like all good Detroit Techno should be. A six minute beast that counters undulating Techno beats with Warehouse Acid and Disco strings. Dropping those Disco loops into a bubbling Acid track gives it a nice little twist while all manner of intoxicating 303 hooks, House organ and filtered arpeggios dance around the track. Set to a solid mix of 909 kicks and 808 purcussion, Broken Promises is a heady floorfiller for late night underground parties.

♫ Alixander III And Marsupials – Broken Promises

Alixander III’s Heavy Friends EP II is released 14th September.

Check out more from Alixander III on SoundCloud.

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Aug 3 2015

[Audio] Earl Grey’s ‘Arabian Nights’

We’re a bit late to posting about this one; although it’s been in our headphones for a while now we appear to have accidently had a little hiatus. Our weeks have been crammed with paid work stuff and our weekends full of fun adventures so the poor old ‘zine has been a little neglected. No matter though, we’ve never been that bothered about being the first to post about something (who remembers the days before Hype Machine when no-one cared about being ‘first’ and people just wrote about music they felt passionately about? Good times!). So anyway, here we are with the new(est) release from Danny Ashenden A.K.A. Earl Grey. Arabian Nights is the title track from his new(est) EP and takes us further down this one time Cosmic Disco don, as part of The C90s, ‘s journey into the realms of the dark and twisted.

With each release and reMix from Earl Grey we’ve seen him delve deeper into the world of stripped down, analog grooves. His initial releases giving a nod to his Cosmic Disco roots but opening up a moody Italo sound pallet, it was inevitable that he would end up with both feet firmly planted in the world of strobe-lit Acid. Now, we don’t pretend to hid out love of Acid House, a burbling 303 gets us going (we’re still waiting for Acid Disco to properly become a ‘thing’) so the Earl’s hypnotic synths are right up our street. Arabian Nights plays around with the forms a little, layering 303 lines for added Funk value and mixing up a little old school Electro and Detroit Techno into the mix Juan Atkins style. As ominous as it is groove, Arabian Nights brings the late night, exotic, mysterious, synthetic vibes hard.

♫ Earl Grey – Arabian Nights

Earl Grey’s Arabian Nights is out now.

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Jun 3 2015

[Audio] Pat Lok reMixes Antony & Cleopatra’s ‘Take Me’

Antony & Cleopatra (Anita Blay, as in CockNBullKid, and Alexander Burnett (of Sparkadia) have just released their new single, Take Me, a genre spanning dance track that absorbs the history of the dancefloor and delivers one timeless track. One of our favourite Canadian groovers, Pat Lok, takes things to the next level with this storming reMix of the track.Lend him your ears.

Mr. Lok’s take on Take Me pays respect tot he original while turning into a jacking track that has one foot on both sides of the Atlantic. Working up a Chicago House groove, Lok dabbles with bassier UK elements; injecting the tune with all manner of subby goodness. Despite the rumbling tones, Pat keeps things light with playful melodies and full usage of Anita’s soulful vocals. An energetic slice of sunshine House that shows off why Pat Lok is on top of his game.

♫ Antony & Cleopatra – Take Me (Pat Lok reMix)

Antony & Cleopatra’s Take Me is out now.

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May 6 2015

[Video] PJU & Earl Grey’s ‘Call Me’

The amazing collaboration between Punks Jump Up and Earl Grey, Call Me Up, a retro slice of brilliant bassline House, have gone and got itself a fresh new music video. Peep this.

The clip was directed by STVN/STRM and has got that Punks Jump Up style to it with crazy, vintage looking animations.

PJU & Earl Grey’s Call Me Up is out now.

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Apr 27 2015

[Audio] Awkoder’s ‘Need U’

French SynthWaver Awkoder turns his talents to sunrise House with his latest tune, Need U. We first heard his foray into this world on his reMix of Goldroom’s Embrace and he seems to have a knack for the sound. Check out his continuing journey into House on Need U, the man will be opening up the tune for free download when it hits 100 Likes on SoundCloud.

Easing you in with some warm keys, Need U soon sets up a filtered groove that flows into a euphoric and uplifting House tune. Balearic to it’s core, Need U’s playground is full of Island percussion and jazzy, 90s, melodies and a hint of a Tropical vibe. It’s a combination that demands to be spun in the sunshine; a surefire summer staple.

♫ Awkoder – Need U

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Mar 18 2015

[Download] Zimmer X Pallace’s ‘Saturday Love’

Parisian Horizontal Discomeister Zimmer is back with a brand new track. Saturday Love has the French producer teaming up with fellow Parisian DJ and Producer Pallace and enlisting Boston based singer Aria Lanelle for vocal duties. It’s his first tune since last summer’s Sensify Me and it sees Zimmer side-stepping his normal smooth groove and wearing his love of Piano House on his sleeve.

Saturday Love is warm as hell. Zimmer put’s his own Tropical twist on a Chicago House sound, complimenting the deep warehouse bass and hammerfall piano hooks with the ubiquitous poolside Disco vibe having island keys shoulder to shoulder with skippy 909 drums and vintage House synths. Lanelle’s playful vocals tie the track together nicely. Summertime stuff!