Juno Recommends Minimal / Tech House September 2018

Review: On the 28th of April this year, legendary British DJ John Digweed performed at Tokyo clubbing institution Contact. The Bedrock head honcho's entire set has been captured on digital format, but those of you you lucky to snatch up these limited edition vinyl runs can have access to some of those exclusive tracks played as part of his amazing performance that special evening in Japan. The third and final disc features Brazilian veteran Renato Cohen, who makes a return to the scene with "Sauna" - this spacey nu-disco number is far cry from his legendary "Pontape" we can tell you that much. Scottish hypnotic techno expert Edit Select similarly makes a surprising addition with the typically ethereal "Above Ground" and finally something more typical of Digweed's programming courtesy of fellow progressive house legend Jimmy Van M (with Juan Hansen) on the euphoric epic "Madin" (Gala dub).

Review: Earlier in the year, Bedrock chief John Digweed headed to Tokyo for a set at Contact - one of the best underground clubs in the world. The basement club has a low ceiling, minimal lighting and an incredible sound system. The set (which featured a whopping 64 tracks) captures the legend's set from start to finish: from the deep/moody opening tracks, to the peak time bangers and everything in between. The tenth edition in his 'Live In' series is released on a limited vinyl run, with a select number of tracks on wax. Disc Two here features the hyper-melodic drift of Systematic's Marc Romboy on "Asteroids", the veteran artist formerly known as Rob Acid (Robert Babicz) with some powerful futurist soul on "Space Disco" and Luke Brancaccio & Simon Berry with some tripped-out tunnel vision on "Close Your Eyes" (feat JJD).

Review: Steve Bug has racked up a dizzying number of releases over the last quarter of a century, but the Poker Flat and Dessous founder shows no sign of slowing down. "Different In Detroit" might be his first solo single of the year, but follows well regarded collaborations with regular studio buddies Langenberg and Cle. Bug's original version is wonderfully deep and hypnotic; a hazy late night affair where spacey, delay-laden synth riffs and choice vocal samples wrap themselves around a locked-in rhythm track. The flipside boasts two alternative interpretations: a looser and more bass-heavy take by Rhauder that veers closers to typical European tech-house territory, and an impeccably deep, dub techno influenced "DubHouse" revision by Marko Furstenberg that drags Bug's original further towards the outer reaches of the cosmos.

Review: Seb Zito is undoubtedly a producer on the rise. Having wowed DJs and dancers with a string of fine singles in recent years (most notably for Fuse London, Rawax, F&Z and his own Seven Dials imprint), Zito's latest missive has been snapped up by Seth Troxler for his much admired Play It Say It label. It's something of a toe-tapping, hip-swinging earworm all told, with the Vocal Mix boasting a wavy and impassioned female vocal that attractively bobs in and out of Zito's rubbery, off-kilter tech-house beats, booming bassline and dreamy deep house pads. The obligatory remixes reside on the B-side, where a chunkier and dreamier Zito dub comes accompanied by a deliciously funky, fuzzy and rump-shaking interpretation by Enzo Siragusa that drags "On It" in a decidedly dirtier direction.

Review: Since he made his debut on Diynamic back in 2009, Mulen co-founder iO has shown an aptitude for crafting killer singles in a variety of underground house and techno sub-genres. This three-tracker for Slowdy Mowdy finds him exploring off-kilter tech-house pastures, wrapping funk-fuelled basslines and trippy electronic flourishes around some fine, floor-friendly grooves. We're particularly enjoying the tough-but-funky tech-house chunkiness of A-side "Module", which reminded us a little of some of Swag's vintage early 2000s productions. Elsewhere, "Angular" is a smoother but still funky tech-house roller, while "Goliath" sees the talented Ukranian wrap computer bleeps and spacey electronic textures around a rubbery, shoulder-swinging rhythm track.

Review: Romanian export Teo Bejdechi AKA Sepp has barely put a foot wrong since making his vinyl debut six years ago. Along the way, he's impressed via a series of atmospheric EPs for such labels as Uvar, Bleu Cel and, most recently, Pleasure Zone. Here he makes his first appearance on Rawax, serving up two cuts that notably veer away from his minimalist house and techno past. A-side "Nilut", for example, boasts an altogether chunkier and bolder groove than you'd perhaps expect, with his usual trippy effects and micro-edited samples being accompanied by shimmering synthesizer lead lines and starry electronics. B-side "Tevoim" is even more melodious and synthesizer-heavy, with Bejdechi wrapping blissful lead lines and jaunty electronic riffs around a rolling drum machine rhythm.

Review: MFDP is a project by Frankfurt scene stalwarts Markus Fix and Dorian Paic. They've released a handful of EPs thus far on the likes of La Pena and FA>lE - and this new one is on the always impressive Savor Music out of Argentina. They've even got homeboy Franco Cinelli on the remix. The Going Places EP features the spaced-out and bleepy minimal funk of the title track, plus the dubby liquid tech-house of "Fly" which is perfect for rocking the afterhours. On the flip, the aforementioned Cinelli takes A1 into even trippier and reductionist territory and works the original elements really well - creating a really hypnotic atmosphere.

Review: All aboard the Mannheim - Nuremberg express: 8 bit head honcho Gorge teams up with Markus Homm (Still Hot/Bondage/Highgrade) for some sleek tech house expressions - their third studio effort thus far. Featuring the tough rolling, main-room workout "Black Coffee" which is sure to rock The White Isle and beyond this summer, there is also the funky and lo-slung deepness of "Way Back" (which is super sexy) and not to mention the adrenalised "Follow Me" which is a slinky progressive house styled groove. This one is perfect to play when the strobe light and smoke machine comes on: to get those heads-down on the dancefloor.

Review: It was over two years ago when Henrik Schwarz first revealed his remix of "Asembi Ara Amba", a 2015 cut by Ghanaian artist Yusuf Bayani and German funk stalwarts Poets of Rhythm under the alternative Polyversal Souls alias. Here the now legendary rework finally gets an official release. On the A-Side you'll find Schwarz's now-familiar "Version", where Bayani's superb vocals and sampled Afro-funk horns rise above classic-sounding (think Inner City circa 1989) electronic riffs, rolling house beats and a chunky, dub-wise bassline. You'll find an inspired, previously unheard bonus on the flip in the shape of Schwarz's 'Beatless' mix, which re-imagines the track as a spacey, other-worldly chunk of mesmerizing Afro-ambient.

Review: Although Amsterdam's Daniel Sanchez has appeared regularly on classic tech-house labels like Area Remote or Bla Bla Records since the late 00s, he had yet to make an appearance on Mannheim's ever-impressive 8bit Records. Home to peeps like Nick Curly, Alex Niggemann, Audiofly, and even Steve Lawler, they are the masters of the modern Balearic dance. Sanchez's "Thang" obviously slides into the roster with utter ease, the groove smashing out intricate waves of glitch and heavy kicks, while "We Are Puppets" strays from the formula to drop a faster, more techno-minded rhythm for the peak time, and "Mapuche" slides its liquid-like drums along a cavernous string of voices and phased-out sonics. Effective.

Review: We're not quite sure who is behind the mew Party Nails alias, though this surprisingly good debut suggests they know their way around a studio and are tuned into the needs of modern dancefloors. First up you'll find the surging Detroit style minimal funk (think Robert Hood) of "Fest Freddie" - a cut packed with energy that creates great excitement out of a relatively small number of musical elements - before "I Could Get Down" sees the anonymous crew turn their hand to tech-tinged broken beat/soul fusion with notably heavy results. Over on side B, "BJ Tool" combines the drums from an old Michael Jackson classic with surging, funk-fuelled synth bass and rumbling sub pulses, before "O'Gordon" brilliantly joins the dots between early bleep and bass and pitched-up UK garage.

Review: Newcastle duo Moonlit Vision are back with a right killer on new German imprint Phorus, who presented a great inaugural release by Niko Maxen a little while back. The Stood Beneath The Sun EP features the deep down and dirty groove of "Intuition" (which would go down a treat at the afterhours), while the bass driven and percussive energy of "Soul Love" is more suited to the beach party - later that afternoon. It receives a ripper of a rework by London stalwart Rich NxT, which is quite fitting as the duo appeared on his What NxT imprint earlier this year. A must have for fans of funked up and tripped-out tech house in the vein of Djebali, Archie Hamilton or Jack Wickham. Tip!

Review: Ray Mono first made his mark on the scene back in Leeds, where he promoted the successful Mono_Cult parties, before stepping out of the shadows with his own productions on Downhill, Draft and Oscillate. He's recently debuted on vinyl, with a release for Berlin's Pleasure Zone and now follows that up with this great one for What You Want. The German label being home to great releases by heavy hitters such as Costin Rp, Cntrl and Silat Beksi recently. Mono serves up some loopy and funked-up tech house that rolls deep, in the vein of homeboy Jack Wickham as heard on hot jams like "It's Never Over or "Equanimity". Full Measure" on the flip was the one which really did it for us though - a cyclical, swing-fuelled, futurist groove that could rock dancefloors from London all the way to Bucharest.

Review: Hot Creations are back with veteran Italian producer Danny Minchella. The former Flashmob member now dons the Rogue D alias, which has thus fair served up two hot releases for Defected sublabel DFTD recently and "Chains" takes up from where those EPs have left off. A loose and funky affair with looped-up diva vocals in its original form, it's all about Newcastle hero Patrick Topping's deep down and dirty rendition on the flip - which goes for that second wave Chicago style of 'percolator jack' in the vein of legend Cajmere.

Review: Israeli synthpop hero Nadav Spiegel aka Autarkic makes a surprising appearance here for Italian dancefloor drama experts Life & Death. The Disco Halal stalwart nonetheless finds a fitting home here with DJ Tennis and Co. with his bold and distinct style displayed superbly on the Heavy Dreamer EP - which showcases the diversity in his sonic repertoire. Take "Some Things To Keep" for instance: bleepy, tunneling and brooding - it is perfect for when the smoke machine comes on. And just wait until those cowbells come in. His brilliantly po-faced vocal performance features throughout, best heard on the woozy punk-funk of "Realistic Guru" or the super stylish lo-slung armchair anthem "Powerhouse".

Review: Following up great releases by Thomas Stieler and Liou, London by way of Peru's Blind Vision present a collaboration between two of the scene's finest new talents. French-Singaporean duo Dixia Sirong have delivered a couple of great EP's on Chez Damier's Inner Strength Music and they team up here with rising Dutch DJ Le Louche - who delivered a terrific track "Crosswind" on Daydream 03. The Sunday Connection EP features the fittingly titled "Swung" which features some wonderfully skippy drums by Le Louche beneath Dixia Sirong's dubbed-out sound design. The bass-driven bounce of "Stellaris" is powered by moody and glacial aesthetics and "Leepstic" is a slinky and atmospheric tech house journey that's perfect mood lighting for the warm up.

Review: More evocative and thought provoking music for discerning dancefloors, courtesy of Japan's always reliable Mule Musiq. This time it's courtesy of German duo Daniel Stroeter and Martin Mueller aka youANDme. They are a surprising addition to the label, considering their recent appearances for labels as diverse as Poker Flat to Nervous and even Gruuv, but if the Belong 12" can prove anything - it's that the duo has a strong diversity within their sonic repertoire. From the soulful and slow burning title track which features Black Soda's sensual vocals above the duo's majestic arrangement, to "Unbound" which is a deep, dubbed-out and introspective cut for heads-down moments in the early hours.

Review: Spanish producer Pohl is up next on Frankfurt label Aerobic, following up a terrific inaugural release by Chris Geschwindner. Although he's from Madrid, Pohl's no doubt got that 'Mainhattan' sound - in the vein of the locals such as Traffic, Hardworksoftdrink and Pager. Bouncy minimal funk with early Detroit/Sheffield influences as heard on alien jams like "Aillen" and then "Inert" on the B side featuring some rich Dopplereffekt style synths. Finally, he steps over to the darkside on the brooding bleep fest that is "Transit".

Review: With this three-tracker, former Mobilee and Connected regular David Mayer makes his first appearance on Acid Pauli and Nico Stojan's reliably off-kilter imprint, Ouie. The central attraction is undoubtedly title track "The Call", a percussively dense but rhythmically loose workout rich in wonky chants, indigenous instrumentation and bubbly electronics. There is, of course, plenty to cheer elsewhere on the EP. Check first the bouncy Afro-house drums and tropical electronics of Sooma collaboration "Sooner", before getting your ears around the moody and percussive "Black Queen", which benefits greatly from some Innervisions style tech-house electronics.

Review: Fun Records main man Alexis Cabrera follows up releases on top labels like Raum Musik, Salty Nuts and Little Helpers with an inaugural release for new label Studio 76. The Berlin based producer presents a great release here, from the minimal-retro influenced bounce of "Told You" or "So" which take their cues from the new sounds of Frankfurt as popularised by labels like Traffic, Hardworksoftdrink or Pager. On the flip, Croatia's Mariano Mateljan turns "So" into trippy and reductionist tackle, that's perfect for getting weird at the afterhours.

Review: Cadenza head honcho Luciano has arranged a special series of EPs to coincide with the 15 year anniversary of his revered imprint, launching the first one here to begin the festivities. This chapter is dedicated to the summer season and contains five enchanting tracks with exquisite sounds. There are moments of lush and hypnotic freefall like on "The Amazing Lilou" and equally impressive when he dives deep into the exotic like on "Hiding Hearts" or "La Tirana Del Oriente" - the latter featuring wonderfully employed classical instrumentation. Elsewhere, lose yourself in the sonic sorcery of "Magik Mechanics" and its superb melodic minimalism - classic Luciano. Each episode of the series will be released every season.