Minimal / Tech House Recommendations September 2014

Review: French producer Laurent Garnier (or Larry as we like to call him at Juno) has spent the entirety of 2014 flirting with one label and the next, tailoring his approach dependent on the operation in question. After drops for Musique Large, Jerome Derradji's Still Music, 50 Weapons, and Danilo Plessow's MCDE, Garnier's international tour of labels ends with BA371, a two tracker for the ever-dependable UK house titan Hypercolour. Quite possibly named in honour of the flight from Marseille to London, BA371 sees Larry turn in two 10 minute plus tracks with "ENCHANTe" a searing exercise in string laden house music. Flip it over and "Confused" has the French legend trying his hand at Detroit techno in the vein of Jeff Mills. Succeeding too, naturally.

Review: With their own unique pool of hitherto unfamiliar artists to draw upon, Project London have been doing a fine job a crafting an identity in the murky underbelly of minimal house music. On the label's fifth release they turn to a host of different artists to throw down the goods, including the moody low-end throb of Alsi's "Marea Captura" and the nervous shuffle of Ztrl's "Shining". There are some lighter moods to be found on Anestie Gomez's "Sketchagram", which shimmers with the kind of playful micro sampling that made Telegraph an essential label in the mid 00s, proving this is stripped down music with imagination and flair.

Review: Having released their fifth album, Dreams, on Darup Associates in April, Danish punk-funk trio Whomadewho jump ship to the Plexmaster's Ellum Audio label for this raft of big name remixes. Maceo Plex naturally features, delivering one of his typically muscular yet emotive remixes of "Heads Above", transforming it into the kind of end of night fare you can imagine closing out a festival set beside the Adriatic Sea. The hypnotic piano loop and sun-soaked vibes of Mario Basanov's take on "Hiding In Darkness" show just why he's such a hit with the Innervisions crew, while FoF Music artist Kyson delivers a sumptuous downtempo version of the same track, swathing the original vocals in symphonic strings and heart-wrenching melody.

Review: Harry Agius seems to have settled into a confident production groove over the past year or so that has seen him work with some highly respected labels, not to mention set up his own Graded operation. After Midland drops on Aus and Autonomous Africa, Agius returns to Phonica for this sublime exercise in snapping, effervescent house music on the Soho shop-cum-label's Phonica White series. The presence of a remix from Gerd The Word Janson shows the regard with which Midland is now held, and the fact the London-based producer isn't overshadowed by the German's contribution demonstrates how classy his productions are right now. Based around a core string sample and some great drum arrangements, "Before We Leave" is a track you won't get tired of hearing any time soon.

Review: Rocking up to the Slices Of Life imprint in fine fettle as always, John Tejada drops this sturdy three-tracker that draws on his classic floor filling approach as exercised on Playhouse et al over the years. "Times Like This" shivers with a minimal twitch, but the sounds come through full-bodied as playful synth hits and freaky samples make for a prime cut of micro house goodness. "A Slice From The Past" packs a more dubby outlook, with aqueous chord reverberations forming the core of the track around which slender rhythms unwind, while "From A Slice To A Draw" gets into a deeper kind of house throwdown with moody stabs and a crisp beat that will find favour with all manner of spinners.

Review: Returning to Kompakt for their first single of 2014, ever-active production duo Blond:ish have more of their moody tech house on offer for all those that like a touch of sass in their polished beats and a whisper of indie in the melodic elements. "Wunderkammer" moves with poise and presence, calling to mind the likes of Booka Shade with its brooding synths, cheeky noises and big room dynamics, while "Birds Eat Birds" takes on a more aggressive stance full of growling textures and distorted voices. "Stolen Romance" however reveals the more contemplative side to Blond:ish, working a guest turn from Audysea around a slow, organic beat and languid guitar tones with a melted down Balearic feel to it.

Review: After making his debut with the Slum EP on Bucharest-based Te Iubesc Records, Romanian producer Ionu? Arapu has spread his wings with a series of releases across a wedge of European labels such as Dusseldorf's Gua Camole and London crew Moss Co. This Mdmamazing 12" for Michael Peter & Siggi Schulz's Movida label is Arapu's most high profile to date and despite the slightly dubious title will probably land the Romanian some new fans too! The title cut is a powerful minimal dancefloor tool with a supple bassline driven groove and some nicely broken drums, whilst "Chivoice" finds Arapu in more abstract territory.

Review: Jamie Blanco and Chris Stoker recently debuted their Ess O Ess project with an impressive single on Love on the Rocks. "Baboon" was particularly potent, offering a decidedly Balearic fusion of low-slung, Italo-influenced rhythms, punk-funk bass and jangly, bluegrass-infleunced guitars. Here they deliver a speedy follow-up for Japan's impressive Ene imprint. "Re-enter" is a decidedly tougher prospect, with relentless, Italo-style arpeggios and Detroit techno style chords riding a wave of locked-in, jackin' percussion. Man Power remixes, turning the original into a sprawling chunk of late night Balearica complete with tactile melodies and a faintly foreboding groove.

Review: Following his runaway success in 2013 - and no less than seven 12" singles across the course of the year - Gerry McCartney seems to have calmed down a little. The Belfast producer is still capable of making potent house productions, though, as this solid three-tracker on his new Exploris imprint proves. Opener "Rick Flair" sets the tone, building a rolling tech-house bomb out of garage-influenced beats, pulsating sub-bass and all manner of twisted electronic noises. "Skitter" doffs a cap to acid whilst retaining his usual tech-house bounce, before he darts off into space with the deeper, shimmering "Prototype".

Review: Previous remixes in the Nightmares on Wax 25th anniversary series - from the likes of Special Request and JD Twitch - have been fairly reverential, sticking to the sweaty spirit and sub-bothering bleep techno feel of the original material. Here, Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer take the opposite approach, turning in radical revisions that recast "Aftermath" as a minimal techno after-party anthem. There's very little of the original present, though what is used - most notably the vocal, cut-up and reversed, plus a few notes here and there - is brilliantly woven into the fabric of their wonky, 18-minute Dub. Adventurous DJs should check the thrillingly odd Electric Jazz Version, which re-animates the track as a quirky tech-jazz wig-out of epic proportions.

Review: There is no shortage of emotive dance music in Matthew Dekay's back catalogue, from trancey turns on Armada to proggy house on Deep Records amongst others, and now he slides up to Maeve with a pair of immersive jams that draw on diverse sound sources to express melancholic tones with a crisp modern edge. "Fangtango" uses poignant blasts of string and horn to offset a stout, bongo-laden beat with just enough mystery woven into the fabric of the track. "Patience Please" meanwhile reaches for that mournful vocal lick pitched down low to extol its own message, touching on the progressive throb that Dekay made his name with.

Review: Originally started in 2004 as an outlet for Richard Fearless' Death In Vegas project, the Drone label had been on hiatus for almost a decade when the English musician decided the time was right to reboot it. The new era of Drone was inaugurated with a 12" from Fearless himself which featured a remix from the always excellent D'Marc Cantu and it seems this is a template that will be used for the foreseeable future. Here Fearless indulges his cosmic side with the bristling analogue techno business of "Gamma Ray" which is turned inside out by Danny Wolfers whose remix uncovers all manner of textural detail and pitch bent vocals. Let's hope the italo disco gem from Fearless that Prosumer has been dropping makes it to Drone some time soon!

Review: This Avocado 12" by French producer Alexkid may well be the best thing he's released yet, which is quite the praise seeing as Alexis Mauri has been putting out records since 1997. Avacado also provides him with a debut on Josh Wink's Ovum, and what a debut it is. "The Dope" is deep, squiggly and atmospheric with pulses of bass tones bleeping in and out of sync like a modular system gone mad, while the future Chicago house of "For Josh" will indeed be a hit, if it isn't one already, for Wink's DJ sets, whether it be in Ibiza or the basement venues of NYC.