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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Nov 19 2014

[Video] Hercules And Love Affair’s ‘Do You Feel The Same?’

Here’s another slice of Acid Pop from Hercules And Love Affair in the form of forthcoming new single Do You Feel The Same?. This huge slice of club gold features vocals from the prolific Gustaph.

AlexandLiane directs this suitably 90s video; giving it a post-apocalyptic outback vibe.

Hercules And Love Affair’s Do You Feel The Same? is out February 2015 on Defected Records

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Sep 1 2014

[Audio] Ali Jamieson reMixes Christianoshi’s ‘Fake Blood’

London SynthPopper Christianoshi’s Trademark produced track Fake Blood first graced these pages a couple of years ago, and like his other tune, Trust, has got itself a re-release. Except this time he’s enlisted Disco renaissance man and political satirist Ali Jamieson to drag the track a couple of years into the present. Out money is on I Feel Sick being the next Christianoshi release, then he’ll be disappearing for a couple of years to write three new tunes.

Ali get’s his House groove on with this new one; in fact, at times the track veers into the realms of (dare we say it) Techno and even EBM. Amid all the Germanic arpeggios and chopped up vocals it’s reassuring that the tracks rests on a skippy House beat to keep you moving. Layered with a nice line in 90s space-y pads; a Dub version of the tune could nicely fit along side the likes of Orbital in that kind of early-to-mid 90s tough-but-ambient era of dance music. It’s a good job then, that a sweet Dub version of the reMix is also available for your downloading and dancing pleasure.

♫ Christianoshi – Fake Blood (Ali Jamieson reMix)

♫ Christianoshi – Fake Blood (Ali Jamieson Dub reMix)

Christianoshi’s Fake Blood is out now.

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Aug 18 2014

[Video] Scarlet Soho’s ‘Two Steps From Heartache’

Two Steps From Heartache is the lead track from from UK Indie-Electro act Scarlet Soho’s forthcoming new EP. A contradictory intertwining of retro melancholy SynthPop and optimistic breakin’ beats makes for something strangely anthemic. Check out the video below.

Directed by Steve Hogg the clip which blends glamorous performance footage with the duo being harassed by a mime. We’re not sure how we feel about that. Fucking mimes!

Scarlet Soho’s new EP is released 18th September.

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Aug 1 2014

[Video] Dirty Vegas’ ‘Setting Sun’

Legends Dirty Vegas’ new single Setting Sun has been out a while now. If you needed a reason to revisit it’s feel good excellence, check out this brand new video.

It’s some yoga and whatnot on a beach, there’s not much more you can say. Play it loud though!

Dirty Vegas’ Setting Sun is out now.

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Jul 16 2014

[Video] Magnus’s ‘Singing Man’

Magnus is a project from the legend that is CJ Bolland and dEUS frontman Tom Barman. This Belgian duo have just teamed up with Thomas Smith from Editors to deliver this glorious post-EBM crooner Singing Man.

The video was put together by Sander Van De Pavert, and while we wouldn’t normally feature videos that are cut and paste jobs from other peoples’ footage, this one really had to be seen to be believed. The timing is astounding!

Magnus’s Singing Man is taken from the forthcoming album Where Neon Goes To Die, due out 1st September.

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May 2 2014

[Video] Hercules And Love Affair’s ‘I Try To Talk To You’

Here’s the video for Hercules And Love Affair’s new single. The John Grant featruing I Try To Talk To You, taken from the House collective’s forthcoming album, The Feast of the Broken Heart.

David Wilson directs the clip, a moody kinds of reverse interpretive dance noir.

Hercules And Love Affair’s The Feast of the Broken Heart is released 9th June.

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Apr 4 2014

[Audio] Hercules And Love Affair’s &’Working Miracles’

Working Miracles is one of two B-sides to Hercules And Love Affair’s new single Do You Feel The Same?, released ahead of Andy Butler and crew’s forthcoming The Feast Of The Broken Heart album. The A-side is a spacious funky Acid Disco monster, so H&LA deliver something deeper for the flipside.

After a shaky piano and sample intro, Working Miracles drop and thumping, almost Psy Trance, beat. Undulating and hypnotic, the groove builds and builds into an ecclectic and bassy House juggernaut. Taking cues from their Industrial roots and their Warehouse DNA, Working Miracles moves in both dancefloor and avant-garde circles.

♫ Hercules And Love Affair – Working Miracles

Hercules And Love Affair’s Do You Feel The Same? single is released 14th April.

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Apr 4 2014

[Audio] André Obin’s ‘Loaded Soul’

Boston based producer André Obin made some ripples last year worth the release of his The Arsonist album. He returns in the first half of this year with another collection of eclectic electronic tunes called Ways Of Escape; the first track form which is Loaded Soul, and EBM lite Germanic opus that should have him nervous that Goths might like him, ‘cos then his career will be over.

A lot of people are throwing around the word ‘Darkwave’, and whilst those word throwers have probably never heard of Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Project Pitchfork or Das Ich they do have a point. The simplistic, growling synth bassline and whispered vocals are loaded with Teutonic, mascara fuelled, connotations. There’s a little House flavour in there too, and a surprising funk, amidst the synthesizer swirls and Loaded Soul turns-in a confident and engrossing SynthPop soundtrack.

♫ André Obin – Loaded Soul

André Obin’s Ways Of Escape is released 29th April.

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Jan 15 2014

[Audio] Nightly’s ‘Build One’

So, it seems like everyone is jumping on that Gesaffelstein Nu-EBM, Techno train these days. Making that mad Powernoise cash, yo! Next up is Nightly, new alter-ego of German Disco dude Christian Strobe, who releases a double A-side single this week consisting of Build One and Build Two. Also, we can’t be the only ones geeky enough to see the words ‘Nightly’ and ‘Build’ together and have our minds immediately go to software release schedules? Yes? Oh well…carry on.

To be fair to Mr. Strobe, he does inject a fair amount of Groove into his pulsating, grinding Techno. Set among a relentless onslaught of Industrial purcussion, siren screams, Electro zap and drone synths, there sits a little bit of Funk that gives the track an unusual swing. There’s a bright lead line that is strangely reminiscent to Russ Chimes’ Never Look Back that elevates the track above the noise. The upshot of all this contradiction if a song that is forcefully powerful, a dancefloor destroyer, but one that will stand out for the Teutonic Techno pack.