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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Mar 15 2016

[Audio] Lindstrøm’s ‘Closing Shot’

Norwegian Cosmic Disco pioneer Hans-Peter Lindstrøm’s output can swing from the crowd-pleasing floorfillers to eclectic and freeform sonic experiments. You never know quite which you are going to get but you know what either way it will be musically exciting; and no doubt funky as all hell.

Closing Shot is the man’s new single, taken from a forthcoming EP set to drop 8th July on Lindstrøm’s own Feedility imprint. Closing Shot kicks off Lindstrøm’s 2016, after a super busy 2015 loaded with collaborations and reMixes (notably reMixes from Foals and Grizzly Bear and collabs with Todd Rundgren & Emil Nikolaisen), and see’s Hans-Peter getting his head down and serving up what he does best. Full on Cosmic Disco weirdness.

In the classic Lindstrøm vein, Closing Shot hits around the seven minute mark and is loaded with nice vintage synth hook set to a wobbly bass groove. The opening salvo of claps and chords set the tone for this return to the dancefloor, as with all Lindstrøm tunes; taking it’s time to ease you into it’s hypnotic flow. Gradually layering bright retro leads and spaced-out percussion over a commanding kick, Closing Shot builds it’s base until it’s final minute kicks in with a spine-tingling finale of sparkling arpeggios and syncopated synth stabs.

It’s a lovely, nostalgic and fun track aimed squarely at the dancefloor and one that bodes extremely well for the forthcoming album.

♫ Lindstrøm – Closing Shot

Lindstrøm’s Closing Shot is out now.

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Mar 7 2016

[Audio] BeatLoaf’s ‘Texas Benchmark’

Y’know what we love about BeatLoaf? The Detroit based producer isn’t scared of making music. The man has got his groove, and it’s a groove seeped in the history of dance music, but he’s not afraid to experiment either, to think outside the musical box. While his tracks are unequivocally House floorfillers, he spices them up with hints of Detroit Techno, Electro, PowerNoise, Berlin sounds and SynthPop; all the time keeping things funky.

BeatLoaf has released a string of fresh single over the past few years, each one bringing new surprises to his robotic dancefloor sound, not least with last years mechanical monster Romantic, and this year he releases his latest robust beats in the forms of the intriguingly named Texas Benchmark; due out tomorrow.

Texas Benchmark bristles with shuffling electronic percussion and in terms of overall tone feels very much like a spiritual sibling to Romantic. Those slowly building beats and the occasional snatched of hollow synth bass before the riff fully drops are reminiscent of the tension that Romantic built. Texas Benchmark, however, has an almost playful, magical quality provided by effervescent and sparkling melodies that intertwine themselves throughout the track.

These shimmering and intoxicating hooks dance around your brain, taking control of the track. Weaving in and out of this techy House jam giving it a kinetic sense of narrative. Fat beats to take you on a journey. Toy-town synths telling the story.

Equally fit for headphones or dancefloor, Texas Benchmark is one to forget the world for seven minutes and let BeatLoaf do the driving.

The single is released 8th March via trill.wav

♫ BeatLoaf – Texas Benchmark

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Dec 21 2015

[Audio] Goldroom reMixes’ Chvrches’ ‘Leave A Trace’

Well now. This is a cheeky end to the year. We were actually not going to be writing about anything new now until 2016. Aside from the electronic rumors Awards just before the new year we had cleared our desks and left the office for the holidays. And then this happens.

We actually knew this was coming, but when it didn’t arrive when we expected we just assumed it had been delayed until the new year. Not quite, this one snuck out this last weekend before X-mas pulling us back to the keyboard like we were on call. As much as we wanted to be putting our feet up with a very large drink this was just too special to pass on.

What can make us temporarily put aside seasonal laziness you ask? Two of our most favourite acts of the century on the same release. That’s what. Chvrches have only gone and got Goldroom to reMix Leave A Trace for them!

You know we love Chvrches. You must do. Whether it’s handing their début album, The Bones Of What You Believe, the tops album spot in the 2013 electronic rumors Awards or calling seeing Chvrches live “a religious experience for us” on Instagram or owning every Chvrches vinyl release, including the ones that are worth three figures; you could definitely say we were kinda’ fans of the Glaswegian trio. One of the best things to happen to ElectroPop for some time both in terms of intelligent songwriting that connects with people and makes people dance, and in terms of popularity for the genre. Just type “Chvrches” into the search field on the right, you’ll see post after post praising their new synthetic emotions, you can read our lengthy review of their new album, Every Open Eye, right here..

Similarly, what can we say that we haven’t already said about Goldroom. Josh is a long-time friend of electronic rumors. Coming up with his band NightWaves and his label/collective Binary in parallel to ourselves our relationship with Josh has always been one of mutual support, he’s contributed tracks to our label; and we once ran an entire week in collaboration, devoted to Binary artists. When he changed gears and became Goldroom the man just blew up, and well deserved it was too. There are fewer more talented, and nicer guys on the scene today. Goldroom is living proof that sometimes the cream really does rise to the top.

So Goldroom reMixing Chvrches has us excited even before pressing play. Also apprehensive, a pairing like this has a lot to live up to. Goldroom sweet, comfortable, Disco and House should be a refreshingly euphoric backing for the impassioned vocals of Lauren Mayberry.

And it is! Phew. Crisis averted. This is right up there with Ikonika’s reMix of Chvrches’ Lies.

The latest Chvrches album tends to veer more toward the 80s in terms of songwriting and arrangement (if not sound) than their première offering, and this plays right into Goldroom’s blissfully nostalgic hands. Josh presents a deceptively complex tapestry of interwoven synth lines and percussion to bring together a little Balearic and a little summery House, and even a little of his own 80s retro past,to Chvrches anthemic SynthPop. One of the things that struck us about this new reMix was that, aside from being one of the hugest floorfillers we’ve heard this year, how this is the most Dreamwave track Joash has releasing in a long time (Josh invented, or at least christened Dreamwave back in the day). It’s kinda like the musical equivalent of a bunch of old friends throwing an awesome surprise party for you,

Josh keeps things immensely deep and groove on this one. The brick-wall solid kick and Californian Moog-y bass providing the foundation for waves of warm synths and intricate instrumentation. From the distorted vocoding and the bright Indie-esque riffs to the majestic and emotive piano hooks; Goldroom delivers a rich and always compelling soundtrack which complements Chvrches’ anthemic opus perfectly. At once rousing and decadent while at the same time being aimed squarely at the dancefloor. Crikey, that’s quite a build too!

♫ Chvrches =- Leave A Trace (Goldroom reMix)

Chvrches’ Leave A Trace is out now

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Dec 16 2015

[Video] Röyksopp Vs. Star Wars

We’ll be seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens tonight, or tomorrow morning (however you want to look at it) at 00:01. So excited! Ahead of that, though we thought we’d quickly post this little bit of cool news. Scandinavian Electronica Jedi Röyksopp, one of our favourite acts of all time, announced at their Oslo Spektrum a few days ago show that Disney had approached them to produce some Star Wars themed tracks. No idea how they will be used yet, but you can check out one of the tunes below. It’s sounding pretty amazing; a solid floorfiller with just a hint of a galaxy far, far away….

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Nov 24 2015

[Audio] mighty mOUse reMixes Air Zaïre’s ‘Love ’94’

Cosmic cruiser mighty mOUse is back with a brand new reMix. The UK’s Disco don has been concentrating more on his own releases recently, with the likes of Luna and Dusk slaying it, and a hectic touring schedule. Couple that with his work in superduo Du Tonc and it’s no wonder he hasn’t had time to reMix for a while. The reMix silence has just broken, however, with this new work for Air Zaïre’s Love ‘94.

Air Zaïre has been bubbling away for a while now, not making massive waves but getting on all the right mixtapes with the likes of Tensnake and Goldroom rocking his jams,. The Brooklyn based producer has teamed up with AIMES’ Wonder Stories label for this latest release. Love ‘94 features Daniela Cabrera on vocals and some smooth and carefree summery piano vibes to be put on hold until the weather is better.

mighty mOUse cooks up a tasty treat with this one. A piano fuelled House track with comforting Tropical overtones. Switching between a gloriously relaxed piano hook and a similar riff played out on squelchy, almost Acidic, synths is a nice way to keep the groove sounding fresh as mighty mOUse weaves it in and out of a symphony of island percussion and pleasing pads. Tied together with a joyous rubbery bassline, this reMix is pure top-down feel good vibes, using just a hint of the original’s vocals to keep the hazy mood going. Top stuff to keep you warm this winter.

♫ Air Zaïre (Feat. Daniela) – Love ‘94 (mighty mOUse reMix)

Air Zaïre’s Love ‘94 is out now

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Nov 23 2015

[Audio] Rex The Dog’s ‘You Are A Blade’ EP

We’re big fans of Rex The Dog around these parts. He’s like this nexus point of everything we hold dear; SynthPop, Disco, Electro, Italo, vintage drum machines and analog synths. There’s nothing glossy or overproduced about Rex’s music, this is the raw sound of electronic music. Groove leaden and intricate. Robotic drum machines ticking and undulating modular arpeggios.

Arpeggios that, these days, come from an increasing number of had-made modular components born of the time between 2013’s Do You Feel What Feel?, and Sicko from earlier this year, not being wasted. The more human side of the dup, Jake Williams, having spent 2014 and 2014 taking electronics classes to learn to build rack modules exactly how he wanted them.

Once on the way to building his new colossus Jake and Rex (the canine contingent part of Rex The Dog) returned to releasing, and returned to their original label Kompakt, to drop Sicko on us a few moths ago and are now following that up with another three tracks of organized electronic chaos in the form of the You Are a Blade EP.

The EP’s title track is an atmospheric slice of Sci-Fi Electro. You Are A Blade could easily soundtrack a dystopian future with its; gruelling Techno bassline and array of ethereal lead lines. Sweeping over an old School Electro beat, layers of analog warbling paint a neon soaked picture loaded with mystery and intrigue. But don’t worry, it’s a full on dancefloor beast too, and when it hits it’s peak around the seven minute mark you will be compelled to dance. Musik Hypnotises, the first of the flip-sides is an analog squelching excursion in nostalgic grooves. This is proper Electro, B-Boy style, with added 303-esque riffs. It brings to mind some of the darker Electro and Acid experiments of Juan Atkins. If you like Post-Kraftwerk robot beats and burbling Acid hook then this one is for you. Intoxicating and imposing. The EP completes itself with Iain Bank homage Wasp Factory whose spiky modular synth patterns complement the title perfectly. A powerhouse Techno track with unrelenting layers of intertwining hooks that was no doubt the result of Jake jamming with his modular set-up. You Are A Blade is one for the synth aficionados as well as those who love losing themselves in deep electronic soundscapes on the dancefloor.

♫ Rex The Dog – You Are A Blade (Radio Rip)

Rex The Dog’s You Are A Blade is out now.

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Oct 28 2015

[Audio] Pat Lok’s ‘Your Lips’

If your want soulful House of Funkified Disco and you’re in North America you had best be going to Mr. Pat Lok. The Vancouverite (is that a word?) is one of the most consistently amazing producer working in this genre right now. Whether he’s getting smooth and soulful, or getting the party started, Pat Lok always delivers.

He’s gearing up for the release of his second single this year, which we think (taking into account reMixes and whatnot) is a good release schedule. Steady and regular without oversaturation. Pat Lok keeps them wanting more.

The maestro has teamed up with fellow Canadian Electro Soul trio Dirty Radio for his new single, Your Lips. The single follows on from his smooth House collaboration with singer/songwriter Desirée Dawson, the well received All In My Head, from the beginning of this year and by the sound if it, will be doing the same kind of damage.

Your Lips serves up an easy groove. Dirty Radio’s Shaddy’s vocals are a smooth as silk here as he croons over Lok’s analog fuelled groove. Lok eases off of the attack on the synths he uses in this one to give to track a lazy groove; the hooks here have no urgency, they are content to flow with the tide of the tune. Carried along by the laid-back beats, the tune is all about giving room to the vocals, so they can do their thing and weave their sultry and smoky atmosphere throughout.

♫ Pat Lok (Feat. Dirty Radio) – Your Lips

Pat Lok’s Your Lips is released 13th November.

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Oct 20 2015

[Audio] Bit Funk’s ‘Off The Ground’

Brooklyn based groover and all-round nice guy Bit Funk is kinda’ considered somewhat the ‘producer’s producer’. Alongside being a big chunk of the Nu-Disco scene’s go to mastering engineer Bit Funk makes the kind of tune that make other producers say “damn”.

He’s been around for a while too, first coming to prominence around 2009 and since then racking up some top reMix and production credits, with some pretty big names, but his own original releases have been far too rare; the last one must have been 2013’s Soul Satisfaction, the man’s gruelling touring schedule must be something to do with that.Thankfully, for us, though when the man does release a new original tune it’s generally something to be excited about as he mashed genres and brings the funk.

His latest offering is Off The Ground; a track for which he has enlisted the help of UK R&B vocalist Shea Jacobs to inject a little Pop flavour. It was released last week on Universal and looks set to be a slow burner that does big things.

Leading immediately with a soft piano hook and Jacob’s soulful vocals, Off The Ground pulls no punches in letting you in on what to expect. Uplifting and euphoric, with a warm comfortable groove, Off The Ground is effortlessly classy, breezing through with it’s dancefloor focused blend of Disco and Deep House. At it’s heart a Pop tune, Off The Ground comes complete with a catchy chorus and a heartfelt refrain, but works that around an array of modern club techniques, most noticeably a stonkin’ UK Deep House bass drop that pulls the track into a more Disco friendly Gorgon City type territory. Big, summery, anthemic stuff that you’re bound to be hearing more of in the coming months.

♫ Bit Funk (Feat. Shea Jacobs) – Off The Ground

Bit Funk’s Off The Ground is out now.

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Oct 20 2015

[Video] Little Boots’ ‘Get Things Done’

Little Boots is knocking out the videos these days, isn’t she? Get Things Done is one of our favourite track on the recent third album, Working Girl (now finally out in it’s vinyl form) so we think it’s pretty cool that this slice of catchy, bounce-ified ElectroPop get’s it’s own clip.

The video, directed by Nova Dando, slips comfortable into the Working Girl aesthetic that Ms. Hesketh has build up around the album. The pastels and powersuits showing off just what a tight ship she;s runs at On Repeat.