CD Album Recommendations May 2014

Review: Brothers Simon and Robin Lee have long excelled at the album format, delivering occasional sets that ripple with impressive musicality, sinewy strings, cozy downtempo moods and upbeat dancefloor moments. Body of One, their fourth full length (their first dropped on Nuphonic back in 1997), continues this trend, offering a compelling trip through the pair's myriad influences. After opening with a sweaty post-punk thumper ("Prisoner of Your Love"), we're variously treated to Italo-influenced vintage house ("Magic Touch"), rubbery disco-funk ("Freak For Your Love"), Arthur Russell-influenced tropical downtempo pop ("Caruso's Monkey House"), dreamy Balearica ("Floating World") and string-laden gorgeousness. As for the title track, it sounds like So-era Peter Gabriel.

Review: He's taken his time, but finally Norwegian nu-disco legend Todd Terje has delivered a debut album befitting his immense talents. While there are plenty of examples of his vibrant, synth-heavy dancefloor style on It's Album Time - see "Delorean Dynamite", "Inspector Norse", "Strandbar" and the Lindstrom-ish grandiosity of "Oh Joy" - what really makes it such an essential set are the curious turns and oddball moments. Samba, jazz and easy listening get the Terje treatment on "Alfonso Muskedunder", "Leisure Suit Proben" and "Svensk Sas", while there's a welcome dose of wide-eyed Balearica on the tweaked "Swing Star" (one of a string of previously released cuts on the album). Most interesting of all, though, is "John & Mary", a woozy, Roxy Music style cover of a Robert Palmer classic featuring the effervescent Bryan Ferry.

Review: Given his status as one of drum and bass's true heavyweights; you'd expect this eighth Calibre full-length to be one of the most hotly anticipated jungle sets of the year. Certainly, it's a fine effort, packed with emotion-rich atmospherics, fizzing rhythms and intricate, occasional beautiful, musical touches. He seems to be at his best when concentrating on musicality, as the delightful "Close To Me', soulful "Wilderness" and summery "Do Not Turn On" prove. There are, of course, rawer moments (see the tech-tinged "Simple Things" and dubstep flex of "Start Again"), but these don't hit nearly as hard as his effortlessly soulful compositions.

Review: Big Strick's latest full-length offering on his own 7 Days Entertainment label is a family affair, mixing tracks from the veteran Detroit producer with similarly deep and woozy jams from his 16 year-old son Tre Strickland, AKA Generation Next. The father-and-son team's approach to house - wringing atmospheric soul from bubbling rhythms, warm chords and blazed melodies - is surprisingly similar, as shown by the two deep, jazz-flecked collaborations showcased here. Elsewhere, both impress with their individual contributions, with Strickland Junior's slap bass-infused deep head-nodder "Flynn's" and sweet, winding "Mo Money" standing out.

Review: Carlos "S.P.Y" Lima made his name by putting a decidedly positive spin on drum & bass, filling his 2012 debut album What The Future Holds with string-laden, post-liquid tracks that fused floor-filling rhythms with a breezy, carnival-friendly musicality. On this belated follow-up, the Brazilian producer flips the script, delivering a murkier - if no less beautifully produced - set filled with darker, moodier moments. Given his way with mood and rhythm, it's unsurprising to find that Back To Basics Volume 1 hits home hard. Whether laying down and tech-tinged late night roller ("Brooklyn (Dub)", "Jelly Belly"), a discordant freak-out ("Riding The Void") or an "Inner City Life" style vocal groover ("Dusty Fingers", featuring Diane Charlemagne), Lima is at the top of his game.

Review: Danny Wolfers' restless productivity knows no bounds. Not content with dropping stone cold 12" singles at a furious rate, he's delivered yet another Legowelt album to Creme Organization. Pleasingly, Crystal Cult 2080 (so called because he used a homemade crystal compressor and dusty second hand Roland JV2080- synthesizer throughout the recording process) is up to his usual high standards. There are few surprises - we should all know what we're getting by now - but plenty of reasons to be cheerful, from the fuzzy new age electronica of "The Future of Myself" and muddy Detroit futurism of "Fundamental Superstition", to the tropical pagan mysticism of "Ancient Rites Demoni Mundi" and warped acid of the feverish title track.

Review: San Francisco trio 40 Thieves has never been particularly productive, dropping a handful of impressive releases over the course of the last decade. It's something of a pleasant surprise, then, to discover that this long-awaited debut album encompasses an impressive 20 tracks over two discs (or, if you prefer wax, four slabs of vinyl). It's exciting to report, too, that The Sky Is Yours is also rather good. Sitting somewhere between low-slung punk-funk, misty-eyed Balearica, slacker dub-rock, stargazing disco, wonky jazz, stripped Italo and bubbly nu-disco, the 20 tracks bristle with sassy alternative attitude and intoxicating underground flavour. It takes a little time to soak it all in, but it's worth the effort; The Sky Is Yours is full of weird and wonderful highlights.

Review: Prins Thomas seems to have got this album making malarkey down to a fine art. Having taken what seems like an eternity to put together his 2010 debut album, Prins Thomas, he's now up to volume three in his self-titled solo series. Whereas previous albums had a crustier krautrock feel amongst the cosmic synths, Prins Thomas III is largely downtempo, delivering a range of atmospheric Scandolearic moments that recall his two full-lengths alongside pal Hans-Peter Lindstrom. As usual, there's much to enjoy, from the drifting downtempo fluidity of "Trans" and wonky leftfield disco of "Labyrinth" to the sparse off-kilter Italo of "Apne Slusa" and intoxicating Middle Eastern chug of "Arabisk Natt (Dub)". In many ways it's a muted set - by his standards, at least - but that only adds to its' lazy, hazy charm.

Review: Over the last decade, In Flagranti have built up quite a collection of "rejected" remixes - those which were commissioned and completed but, for one reason or other, never saw the light of day. In typical DIY fashion, they've decided to release them anyway, putting out this wholeheartedly entertaining collection of previously unheard dancefloor gems. As you might expect, there's a strong disco vibe - check the rubbery slap bass of "In The Middle of It" - and tracks that touch on vibrant, synth-heavy electrofunk, but also a range of tracks which gleefully fuse styles, from skanking nu-disco reggae, wonky disco-acid and low-slung disco-punk (a curious version of M's "Pop Music"), to sweaty, percussive drum workouts ("Play My Game") and fearsome electronic oddness ("The Tube").

Review: As much love has already been given to Larry Heard's late '80s and early '90s work, it's nice to see some of the Chicagoan's slightly later work getting a deserved reissue. Alien first surfaced on Black Market International back in 1996, and finds Heard exploring his sci-fi influences in a range of deep and emotive styles. So, there are forays into blunted hip-hop ("The Beauty of Celeste"), twinkling, starburst ambience ("Faint Object Detection", "The Dance of Planet X") and Detroit techno-influenced melodic downtempo beats ("DNA-RNA"), as well as occasional moments of typically immersive deep house warmth (the wonderful "Flight of the Comet"). In other words, it's a trip into space in the company of one of electronic music's finest exponents of melodic richness.

Review: Congratulations to Hypercolour, a label more renowned for its deep and bass-heavy house output, for coaxing a new album out of eccentric veteran Luke Vibert. Happily, Ridmik - the Cornish producer's sixth solo album under his given name, and first since 2009 - is rather good. Sitting somewhere between the deep, Metro Area-inspired synth disco of Vibert's Kerrier District project and his rougher, acid-tinged work, Ridmik ebbs and flows with attractive looseness. At times woozy and melodic (see the starburst melodies and lazy rhythms of "Six Eight" and smooth title track), at others ragged and twisted (the alien 303 funk of Proper Gander), Ridmik is an impressive set of analogue workouts dripping with synthesized soul. Recommended.

Review: Three years on from his debut album Stone Breaker, Mark E returns with a second long player for Ghostly offshoot Spectral Sound that finds the house producer look to his homeland for inspiration. Product Of Industry takes it's name from Evetts upbringing in the UK industrial heartland of the West Midlands, and how the current global financial situation led to him losing his job, an occurrence which resulted in Mark E the producer "Here I am, a product of industry, both currently and historically" as the producer himself has stated. Musically, the nine tracks offer a considered development from Evetts debut album, and suggest he's eminently comfortable working within the confines of the all analogue hardware used to create Product Of Industry.

Review: Jon Tye and Pete Fowler's work together under the Seahawks banner is characterised by a few key elements; firstly they've been hugely prolific since first collaborating as Seahawks with no less than eight previous albums to their name. In addition, there's always a richness in texture and attention to detail which is unsurprising given Tye's work at the head of Lo Recordings and Fowler's respected career as an illustrator. With their cosmic brand of space rock and Balearica now down to a fine art, the latest Seahawks long player Paradise Freaks sees Tye and Fowler at their most ambitious with a high profile cast of supporting musicians that includes Maria Minerva, Tim Burgess, Indra Dunis of Peaking Lights and Hot Chip's Al Doyle and Grovesnor crooner Rob Smoughton. The resultant eight track set is as dreamy as you can hope for from the good ship Seahawks.

Review: As head of Fachwerk along with Roman Lindau and Sascha Rydell, Mike Dehnert has cultivated a weighty brand of techno that still contains a noticeable element of funk. He's also the most prolific of the three, with countless digital albums produced over the years in addition to pair of long players issued on Delsin and Fachwerk and his occasional dalliances with other labels like Echocord and the Clone Basement Series. Outside of Fachwerk, Marsel van der Wielen's Delsin is perhaps the one other label you'd closely associate with Dehnert and it's little surprise to see the Dutch imprint collar him for the 12-track Lichtbedingt. Described by the label as "yet another subtle evolution away from the chord driven, functional sound" Dehnert was initially known for, the album incorporates moments of beatless electronic experimentalism, broken bass, and swinging house, with the results still resolutely Dehnert!

Review: The Getup have built up something of a reputation as one of Britain's most dynamic and entertaining heavy funk combos over the last few years. Following a quartet of must-have 7" singles - including a riotous hard funk cover of Daft Punk's ubiquitous "Get Lucky" - they're ready to drop their debut full length, Straight From The Hob. Blessed with punchy horns, sweaty drums, infectious Hammond licks and in-your-face vocals from singer Sabina Challenger, the album offers a whirlwind trip through dancefloor-friendly funk pastures. DJs will be impressed by the sheer number of usable drum breaks on display, while there's not a duff track in sight. As funk debuts go, it's pretty darn hot.

Review: After impressing with 12" excursions on IBR and Beats In Space, Matt Karmil transfers to the long-playing format for the first time. The Colonge producer's distinctive take on deep house - loose but hypnotic, featuring enveloping chords, scratchy found sounds and wonky, off-kilter rhythms - certainly suits the album format, making this debut something of a surprise winner. Karmil is at his best when lacing simple, hypnotic melodies over ultra-deep grooves, as on the enticing "Live The Dream" and "Frankrike (Float)". Yet it's arguably the album's more intriguing moments - the cut-up deep techno pulse of "Holding" and dub techno-influenced "A Lot To Share" - that catch the ear the most. Either way, it's a pretty strong debut.

Review: Ninos Du Brazil is an enticing prospect. Formed by Italian experimentalists Nicolo Fortuni and Nico Vascellari, the duo fuses live Brazilian percussion with the low-slung pulse of New York post-punk rock and the droning electronics that Hospital Productions is most famous for. The result is a humid, feverish set that gleefully moves between murky intensity ("Sombra Da Lua"), tropical minimalism (the rain forest hypnotism of "Legios Du Cupins"), full-throttle percussive wigouts ("Sepultura") and loose carnival freakery ("Miragem"). For the most part, the electronic elements are subtle, with densely layered percussion and occasional chants taking centre stage. It's a mixture that makes for riveting listening.

Review: Christian Loffler's 2012 debut album, A Forest, was something of a gem; a yearning collection of shuffling, melodic, occasionally introspective compositions that offered a headphone-friendly take on deep house and hypnotic Germanic techno. This follow-up, said by Loffler to have been recorded while on tour and "semi-autobiographical" in nature, delivers more of the same. Given that Loffler's enveloping, immersive production style is particularly attractive, this is undoubtedly good news. Highlights are plentiful, from the woozy, scratchy, building tech-house bliss of "Mt Grace", and twinkling pianos of "Alpine Sketch", to the heart aching melancholy of the sublime "Notes".

Review: Since the tragic death of founder member Sean Stewart in 2010, HTRK has been exploring a much more haunting, downbeat sound. The intense, krautrock-influenced experimental rock and new wave of old has been replaced by a dreamy, dubby and decidedly sparse sound, heavy on woozy electronics and delay-laden rhythms. Add in the fragile, emotional vocals of Jonnine Standish, and you have an appealing and melancholic sound rich on atmosphere. In truth, it makes Psychic 9-5 Club, their first full-length since 2011, a much more enticing proposition for casual listeners. Otherworldly, heartaching and defiantly poignant, this is outsider pop at its weary best.