Minimal / Tech House Recommendations September 2015

Review: To mark 20 years since they first joined forces, Freaks men Justin Harris and Luke Solomon have decided to get some of their best moments remixed. This first installment of the Let's Do It Again project - more volumes are due later in the year - is pretty darn strong, containing as it does a typically fluid, hypnotic, weird and trippy remix of 2000 album track "The Man Who Lived Underground" from Ricardo Villalobos. The Tuff City Kids remix of "Been Out" sticks closer to the vibe of the original version, whilst updating it a little for modern house dancefloors. If that wasn't enough, the EP also includes a previously unheard 1999 edit of "Instrument", a Freaks track which first appeared on the 1996 debut 12".

Review: Romanian minimal techno; often imitated but never matched. And you know when you hear it from the source, just like in this instance. Vincentiulian is up next on the always quality Metereze with four slices of sublime, reductionist groove that are truly awe inspiring. On the first side is the chunky, funky groove of "Started" that you could just imagine playing peak time at Sunwaves. Things get deeper and more mysterious on "Ended" with its swirling immersive pads that hypnotise you into submission. On the other side is "No More" getting funky again but with its tripped out, sci-fi atmosphere providing the perfect dichotomy. Finally "Le Van A Cantar" provides something a bit more upbeat with cheeky vocal samples, groovy keys and more of his immaculate drum programming. Tip!

Review: After recent releases on Sleep Is Commercial and Silver Network, Frenchman Ludovic Vendi turns in an impressive array of minimal house grooves for Moscow based label BodyParts. Fans of the tripped out, bass heavy reductionism from Romania will love "Ayawashk" and "Underneath" on the A side. On the flip things definitely get weirder with the charmingly titled "Syndrome De Tourette" where the sound of a marble dropped on a floorboard goes through a tape delay, amongst more field recordings. And then that chunky bass comes rushing in! Finally "Skills" is a feelgood upbeat affair for the open air with a funky, broken beat and savvy Rhodes piano.

Review: Lee Burridge and Matthew Dekay's All Day I Dream Parties are proving a force to be reckoned with if their popular worldwide day shindigs are anything to go by. They've hand selected three artists that nail the ADID vibe so perfectly. Resolute NYC resident Lauren Ritter is up first with the sublime "Glass Hours" which could easily have been on Kompakt with its mesmerising, floating groove." Oona Dahl" by High Eyes is that sultry deep house track you've heard a lot this year, finally seeing its day on a vinyl release. On the B side San Francisco legend Behrouz also makes an appearance with "Endless Summer" dipping into a more commercial sound.

Review: Life and Death's recent crusade in bringing back the progressive house sound shows no sign of slowing down and have upped the ante by recruiting one of the finest proponents of said sound with Bremen's finest Stephan Bodzin. And he crafts a huge slow burning epic guaranteed a one way ticket to euphoria. The Herzblut main man who made his mark on the scene ten years ago with his trademark sound is letting everyone know he's back, bigger and better than before. On "Singularity", its catchy modulated synth dances over ever intricate drum programming and hypnotic melodies that drift beautifully through the sonic spectrum. The second track is an edit of 'Singularity' by CLR player Monoloc who turns in a suitably darker and slightly more aggressive take, carefully executing a much more sinister side to the track for the after-hours.

Review: Leeds tech house Heroes Audiojack celebrate five years of their own Gruuv imprint with another EP commemorating the occasion. We're up to volume four now and the pursuit of slinky sure-fire tech house continues. Tuccillo's "Afratrack" is sultry and druggy after-hours vibes reminiscent of Robert Dietz while "On The Record" by Audiojack and Kevin Knapp is the kind of rolling peak time tech house that will be tearing up Ibiza this Summer. On the flip we have "Big Black Car" by Paul C and Paolo Martini which equally reeks of the island with its sleazy, truly funky, big room vibes.

Review: More impeccably executed minimal techno from Romania on none other than Midi Romania! This time in the form of the relatively unknown G76 who delivers two tremendous tracks for serious afterhours sessions and real underground punters. On the A side is "Timber So" that is funky and somewhat uplifting but still full of all the stutter and quirkiness you'd expect. On the flip is "A Fractured Neck Nock" which is darker and more mysterious, complete with haunting atmosphere, unsettling sound design and just the right amount of reductionist groove to give it its momentum.

Review: Vox Populi Records head Frederic Scharf travelled to Turkey on an eight day trip. His team collected live recordings, jam sessions and field recordings and here are the results of it. Istanbul producer Baris K is up first with a truly majestic track that is "Chapter I" sounding like something Ricardo Villalobos would stand up and notice. Montreal's Valentin Stip appears on the same side of the record with "Chapter II" utilising more of the lovely exotic instrumentation incorporated into a smooth minimal house excursion. On the flip "Chapter III" by Berlin's Volkan Akin is the real standout on here; a percussion driven workout taking in the sounds of a busy street market, allowing you to imagine yourself on a motorcycle ride through the city. Finally "Chapter IV" from Tim Karbon gets its groove on in a nice rolling fashion complete with emotive strings and tripped out samples that will easily work a peak time dancefloor.

Review: Moratu remains as shadowy as ever with his comeback on Oldvavis, an imprint which he inaugurated with an EP earlier this year. Much like his previous outing, the mood is tense, minimal and itchy thanks to his intricate percussion swirls and eerie, outsider electronics. "Felde" is a head-strong house belter locked in a tight lo-fi groove, and backed by a hefty kick drum in its depths. On the flip, "Little Olt" is more on the musical side thanks to a flurry of flutes, but the driving minimal edge remains loud and clear, and its bass tone swells deeper than ever before. For fans of Villalobos, Perlon and that whole gang of nutters.

Review: All Day I Dream, known for its majestic slices of deep house, returns with the third chapter of its Summer Sampler series, a chapter of their catalogue channelled at collaborative efforts. On this final instalment, new signing Marc Scholl offers some seriously dreamy business with his "Liquid" track - a true excursion into the ether thanks to those mild pads and melancholic keys - along with another debutant for the label, Yokoo, who comes through with itchier tech-house sways on his own "Vali". Last but not least, label regular Powel and his "Hor" tune offer another escape into the unknown, an excursion tune for the pensive moments on the dancefloor...

Review: Leipzig's Moon Harbour Recordings know quality tech house so who better to call in than electro house don and Get Physical! Main man DJ T for some more playtime in the boogie playground. The title track "The Growing" gets straight down to business with its throbbing bassline, pitched down vocals (courtesy of American Nick Maurer) and snappy rhythm section getting it all down pat. Next up "Time We Had" features Maurer's nostalgic monologue backed by acid house style vocal stutters and a kicking beat with the right kind of shuffle. The Emanuel Satie remix of "The Growing" is a great rework that doesn't deviate too much from the original but gives it that tech house, peak time edge.

Review: Tijn hasn't released a great deal of music since his debut on In Haus Wax in 2013, but what he has put out has been of the highest quality nonetheless. After appearances on his own self-named label, the Dutchman returns to action on Overall Music Limited Series, an offshoot of Overall Music. "Jam Six" launches the 12" with a dusty house swing and a minimalistic sonic pattern, whereas "Sputnik" is a little deeper and whole lot funkier. Over on the B-side, "Strasse" goes for a loungier approach thanks to its wavy pads, and there's even a DJ Es remix of "Jam Six", dropping in a twisted bassline and harsh snares.

Review: Those in command of a rudimentary understanding of French will know "Pourquoi Pas" translates as "Why not?" Those who possess a rudimentary interest in floor filling minimal 12"s will be happy to hear Pourquoi Pas by Luc Ringeisen merits further investigation. That it should surface on Vinylclub is no surprise; the Frenchman made his 12" on the label back in 2006 and has committed a steady stream of vinyl-shaped groovers ever since. Pourquoi Pas features three productions from Ringeisen that suggest his versatility remains undimmed, with the slinker lead cut "Miuzik" the pick of the bunch. Complementing these is a fine deep, groover of a remix from The Mole who brings his own innate sense of funk to "Dr Smooth".

Review: Terranova's comeback album Restless gets the remix treatment and the title track featuring UK legends Stereo MCs gets the script flipped on it; firstly by Miami's Danny Daze. He hands in a truly druggy version for afterhours dancefloors. Re You gives it the injection of the proper Kompakt sound; all dreamy and atmospheric and rather epic. On the B side we have "Underverse" which gets a re-rub by Berlin's Adam Port, sounding like its on the Get Physical! vibe. Finally there's the accapella of said track featuring Mandel Turner all on his own and giving you his lowdown on the nightlife.

Review: Los Angeles' legendary John Tejada's classic "The End Of It All" from his 2006 album Cleaning Is A Filthy Business (on his own Palette imprint) gets a modern revision. Some might say if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but he's certainly raised the bar again on this one, retaining the epic vibe and dreamy vibes. It comes with two new tracks in the form of 'Activation", providing sweet, bouncy tech house with the same crisp and pristine sound design he's renown for and "Sheven" which gets a bit deep down and dirtier with an anthemic melody almost as good as his other classic "Sucre" backed by thumping 909 and squelching 303. Tip!

Review: Adding label ownership to his CV seems to have creatively reinvigorated Berlin-based Kevin McHugh, the success of both Delft and Valence pushing the US producer to explore new stylistic directions as Amber and La-4a. Still it's Ambivalent that McHugh is known best for and a full debut on Josh Winx's Ovum after his collaborative 12" with Michael L Penman on the label back in 2013 results in two fine cuts for the floor. Lead track "Phase Doubt" is marauding in the best sense of the term with incandescent synth riffs, rapid fire snares and pulsing chords combing with ecstatic results, whilst "Selfed Out" offers a more frantic and slightly proggy vision of Ambivalent's techno utopia at 3am.

Review: Basel, Switzerland's Miajica is up next on Bucharest's' Origami sound imprint. Not pursuing the usual high-brow minimalism the city is known for, instead some dreamy deep tech house with "I Forgot About Love". The original's mesmerising sitar being at the forefront and backed by a tight rhythm. The Acid Pauli remix up next does is good remix that doesn't deviate too much from the original, instead injecting a nice rolling bassline and some wacky synth melodies for added dramatic effect. On the flip is "Au Lord De L'Beau" with its beautiful hammer dulcimer melody backed by tight rhythm programming perfect for after-hours sets. The Wareika Vocal Dub is wonderfully tripped out and epic in the same style of a Kompakt record with its powerful male vocals and swirling layered pads.

Review: UK rising star Jordan Peak is back with a new one on up and coming tech house label Instinkt. On the A side he offers us early nineties breakbeat house vibes on the title track "Holding On" which comes with an instrumental version too for those not so fond of the smashing vocals. On the flip is "Routine Anxiety" which is a more straight up tech house affair; perfect the afterhours and for fans of Sascha Dive or Brothers Vibe.

Review: South American duo DJs Pareja land on Turbo Recordings after an impressive string of releases for the Comeme imprint - home to a certain Barnt (Hinge Finger, Magazine). It's a collaborative effort this time, featuring two grizzly techno-filtered house excursions with Tom Tom Clubber in the form of "Vamos Viendo" and the totally off-the-wall "Multimedia. The pair then team up with Von Party for another two cuts, the deranged "Serpientes y Escaleras" and drum machine jam that is "Alarma". The techno edge comes from their last collaboration with the aforementioned Tom Tom Clubber, the sublimely arranged "Dock Sound". Check it out for an analysis of its name!