“Black Shark” starts off in a fairly melodic manner, albeit a melody, which, in combination with the clockwork drum sequence, creates a real sense of creeping dread; it eventually breaks into full on terror with some distorted drones and metallic strings. It’s a particularly heavy moment that belies the track’s slow 100bpm pace. It ends with a particularly funereal bell tolling somewhere in the background, gloomy, but nothing compared to the second track. “KM-50 (Spectral Assault Mix)” completely does away with melody; it has a skeletal composition at the beginning comprised only of drones which sound like a swarm of insects together with a metronomic drumbeat. A single bass drone is the cue for the track to take you further into the depths, before the track finally explodes. Trevor Jackson has called it “the heaviest thing I’ve heard for eons”, and I find it hard to disagree; the only thing I could say is comparable is the recent Black Meteoric Star material.

The Chateau Flight remix of previous single “Innerfearance” is a completely different animal to the other two tracks. It keeps the 100bpm pace of the other two tracks, but trades the fear for something altogether more cosmic. It starts off with the kind of atmospheric bleeps and rough synth effects of the original, but the big moment comes when it drops some big balearic chords and a meandering cosmic melody. Given Spectral Empire’s bleakness, it’s completely unexpected, but works incredibly well, offering a bit of release from the crazed laughter and sinister vocals which echo from within, and makes the eventual drop back into the doom which follows that bit more terrifying. It’s an awesome track, and one of my favourite remixes this year.

Black Shark is out now on Thisisnotanexit

Listen:> Spectral Empire – KM-50 (Spectral Assault Mix)
Download audio file (Spectral Empire – KM-50 (Spectral Assault Mix).mp3)

Like last year’s Quiet Village album, and Woolfy’s If You Know What’s Good for Ya!!, Night Plane occupies a space somewhere between contemporary balearic disco and classic AOR; Fleetwood Mac is an obvious reference point, but it equally has shades of the eerie electronic side of The Alan Parsons Project (the EP’s second track “Wave Haze” begins with a chiming guitar lick that is reminiscent of the same Alan Parsons Project track “What Goes Up…” that Quiet Village’s “Pillow Talk” sampled).

In each of these tracks there is palpable tension, built up, broken, built up again; “Chinese Shadows” opens with a gorgeous Rhodes melody, while a slowly modulating bassline adds a hint of disquiet, which gives way to delicate pad sounds which intensify slowly before dissipating into a haze. The drums are often slow to build up their rhythms; “Chinese Shadows” for instance adds a clap to the kickdrum, before taking it away after two bars, then repeating the procedure. It’s a trick repeated to greater effect in “Walls of Stone”, where the drum pattern is built upon gradually until the song’s climax when rushes of claps and hi-hats are added to the regular beat. As a result the beats have a nicely sluggish quality, contributing to the “opiate disco” feel of Night Plane’s style, and makes these tracks simultaneously druggy yet danceable.

One thing that has to be given special mention is the piano in each of these tracks. Rauscher’s training in jazz piano is obvious; the melodies go beyond simplistic repetition and into a more progressive realm, often with a real sense of improvisation. The piano in “Walls Of Stone” breaks the spectral unease with some well placed notes of blue, before ending with some melancholic chords. The only complaint that can be made is that the track seems to end when it could easily have continued for another five minutes. Thankfully, “Wave Haze” is much more fleshed out; layer upon layer of melody slowly build up on top of each other before dropping into some heartbreaking piano. But it’s Rauscher’s vocals that really hold the whole thing together; his gruff, self-assured singing is a nice counterpoint to the dreamy instrumentation, his voice is buried just deep enough in the production and soaked in enough reverb to make it sound like another instrument in itself, it’s occasional howls and whispers adding as much nuance as anything else in Night Plane’s rich arsenal of sounds.

Chinese Shadows is out on 17th August on Thisisnotanexit

Listen:> Night Plane – Wave Haze

Download audio file (Night Plane – Wave Haze.mp3)

As a bonus here is a link to a special Night Plane TINAE Mix, featuring an unreleased Night Plane edit of Detachments’ upcoming “Circles”:

Night Plane – TINAE Promo Mix

Fleetwood Mac – World Turning (Night Plane Edit)
Marianne Faithfull – Broken English (Baron Von Luxxury Slow Touch Remix)
Jackpost – Ragazza
Chicken Lips – Feast of Freeks (Steve Kotey Tape Edit)
Holger Hiller – Das Feuer (Pilooski Edit)
Detachments – Circles (Night Plane Remix)
Voyage – Point Zero
African Suite – In The Pocket
Supermax – African Blood
Edwin Birdsong – Lollipop (Kai Alce Edit)
Azymuth – May I Have This Dance
Cosmo Vitelli – Frydman
Moolah – Crystal Waters

Joakim’s Tigersushi label has a history for releasing music of a challenging nature, but DyE’s Imperator EP occupies a whole other realm. It’s a strange record; it’s short running time (about 15 minutes over five tracks) leaves you expecting more, but the myriad of nuances and ever shifting moods create a listening experience which is much fuller than the EP’s length belies.

The opening track, “Imperator” begins with the kind of trademark Gallic analog synths which often characterise much of Tigersushi’s roster, but after only a few seconds it launches into a full drum machine assault, dropping heavily compressed beats which combine to create the sound of Principles Of Geometry jamming with Mr Oizo. It’s syncopated rhythm sounds something like dubstep, but with a singularly bleak atmosphere; it has almost no melodic element apart from a solitary synth which never resolves itself, hanging in space. “Star Vac” which follows it is soothing by comparison, starting with a cleansing analog wash and a much simpler 4/4 beat. It may start out sedate, but its narcotic nature is doubled half way through when the tempo slows, and the whole thing takes on the form of a twisted sci-fi instrumental lullaby.

“Neige 606″ is the only track on the record which you could say is straight up dance music; it’s a simple acid house affair, but its flanged rhythms give it a futuristic sheen which compliment the other tracks perfectly. After the short interlude “Dark White”, the EP closes with “Hye This Is Michael Jackson”, a track that probably would have been considered bad taste had it been released after his death, primarily because it doesn’t eulogise him. Rather, the odd nature of the music and speech together reflect what a strange character he had become. Mainly though, the inclusion of his voice on this EP only serves to highlight (despite the relatively concise nature of the tracks on offer), how far removed from pop music any of this completely alien record is, almost as if DyE is intentionally positioning himself against it, which in his case, proves to be no bad thing.

Download audio file (DyE – Star Vac.mp3)

The A-side, “What Is This?” is about as brash as house music comes. It’s bassline is big and unashamedly dumb; it serves as the primary melodic element of the track, holding together several discordant sound effects. But it’s about half way through that the track really takes off; the slightly downbeat yet funky mood changes to one of abject despair, as the abstract synth phrases which come from the white noise breakdown begin to sound like tortured human voices; when the bassline drops back, its slightly brainless nature is transplanted for an aggressive quality which perfectly counters its total sonic absurdity. It’s undeniably macho, almost painfully so, but there’s always the feeling that Douglas and Van Der Volgen are completely self-aware of it at the same time.

“I Don’t Know” on the flip-side functions as a kind of response to the rhetorical title of the A-side. It follows the same formula as before, with a deep, chugging bassline, but chooses to build its intensity with a rush of noisy snares and some live trumpet coupled with a completely OTT organ jam and acid squiggles. What could be a failed case of throwing everything together to see how much of it sticks doesn’t just hold together exceptionally well, it actually sounds like it was put together live. This is perhaps not surprising considering Van Der Volgen’s live experience with !!! and Out Hud, but so rarely does something which seems so improvised have such tight house production values.

Supposedly, Douglas and Van Der Volgen got together, tired of the same old music, and set out to create “a brand new sound, a sound defiant of any genre or basic musical understanding”. It’s something that many producers may set out to do, but seldom do they ever succeed quite like this.

Listen:> TBD – What Is This?

Download audio file (TBD – What Is This.mp3)

What Is This? is out now on TBD Sounds

Buy the 12″ from Phonica

Thankfully this EP is nothing short of superb, containing three concise and well crafted pieces of disco-rock. Quite often “uplifting” is a dirty word in relation to music, but I would have no hesitation to use it here; this EP is filled with choral vocals, smooth licks and infectious rhythms, which give it a dense instrumentation bringing to mind the new wave sound of Talking Heads rather than the classic disco sounds of the 70s and 80s, which is often the reference point for much of Tirk’s output.

“Life Under Bridges” is a space-disco dub jam, packed with synth sweeps jostling alongside bristling arpeggios, and, dare I say it, really uplifting vocals. The production is always packed with different elements, but it sounds so dry that it never seems crowded; each part literally pops out at you.

“No Retribution” takes a similar path to the first track, but is more vocal driven, and adds some truly irresistible saxophone and a driving cowbell to the mix. But it’s the piano which gives the whole composition a dissonance which really brings everything together, adding the perfect musical compliment to the lack of resolution put across in the main vocal hook: “Can’t seem to let go/Can’t seem to find/No retribution/No piece of mind”. The final track, “El Malo” leaves the vocals out entirely, and sandwiches a section of delayed piano chords and thick bass between two percussive bookends in which copious flanger effects lift the rhythms into the stratospheres, after which you can’t wait to come back down and enjoy the whole thing again.

Listen:> Son of Sound – No Retribution

Download audio file (Son of Sound – No Retribution.mp3)

No Retribution is out now on Tirk Recordings

Buy it digitally from Boomkat

A-side “Asa Nisi Masa” is the more obvious track of the two for anyone familiar with his work; it combines a deep arpeggiated bassline with a quite cheesy melody that is completely at odds with the driving tension of the bassline, cutting through the mood in quite a jarring manner. For me the track is kind of spoiled by the melodic elements and as a result is only so-so in my opinion, but the B-side is a completely different beast, and is in fact one of my favourite tracks of the moment. The one thing that always seems to unify Full Pupp’s releases is their textural richness, and “Cearadactylus” has it in droves. Clattering percussion is laid over the top of an undulating, squelching bass; the odd name makes sense when what sounds like a dinosaur’s growl is heard. It feels a lot more earthy than most of diskJokke’s previous material; the only concession is made two-thirds of the way through something altogether more cosmic threatens to break through the chaos – it doesn’t quite manage, but thankfully returns to the prehistoric stomp with even more fury than before.

Although this has just been released, both tracks were actually featured on last year’s Full Pupp compilation, but we’ve had to wait until now to get them individually. Evidently diskJokke has a new album on its way sometime this year through Smalltown Supersound, so until that arrives, this will have to tide you over.

Listen:> diskJokke – Cearadactylus

Download audio file (diskJokke – Cearadactylus.mp3)

Detachments

As well as Jackson, Detachments have the DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy and Andrew Weatherall to produce other tracks on their forthcoming album. As you can guess, expectations are high.

In a masterstroke, Thisisnotanexit have commissioned Canadian duo Parallels (a band who I am currently very excited about) to remix the track. Both bands have a real 80’s sensibility to their sound, and the bright synths of Parallels in combination with the angular post-punk riffs give it a neon sheen which makes it sound all the more vintage than it already does, whilst added backing vocals by Holly Dodson add a breathy feminine touch.

I’ve been given permission to post it by TINAE so download it below. I’m told this remix may receive a limited white label run, so if you want to get your hands a vinyl copy of this then I suggest you keep on eye on the TINAE blog for details of a possible release.

Download:> Detachments – The Flowers That Fell (Parallels Mix)

Download audio file (Detachments – The Flowers That Fell (Parallels Mix).mp3)

“The Flowers That Fell” is out on 27th April on Thisisnotanexit Records

Buy it from Record Store

“Release The Beast” is the same kind of ludicrous vocal disco that made “Night Shift” so enjoyable, a song which is, ostensibly about doing your hair and going out, before you “release the beast” on the dancefloor. It’s a song which has no pretensions to be anything other than it is, and as such is ridiculously enjoyable, especially with its squelchy melody and it’s chorus of oohs and ahhs which make it sound like the beginning an 80s sports movie montage sequence. The other tracks are a little more serious in tone; “Metamorphosis” is a cosmic steam train of a number complete with vocoder, whilst the final track, “Looking For Love” has a much more melancholic vibe, but is no less furious for it. It comes across as slightly more New Wave than Italo, and proves that they can do dreamy disco pop just as well as fast paced seedy grooves. Release The Beast is the second release from Optimo’s fledgling Optimo Music imprint, a label which is already very exciting indeed.

Listen:> Den Haan – Release The Beast

Download audio file (Den Haan – Release The Beast.mp3)

Release The Beast is out now on Optimo Music

Buy MP3s from Juno

Soft Rocks

If you’re familiar with Soft Rocks, the opener, “Light Bulb” will probably come as a massive shock, primarily because it wastes no time in hitting you with an acid bassline which is driven along by motorik drum machine beats. It’s a far cry from the balearic groove which they have been traditionally characterised by, but given their reputation as crate diggers and editors, it makes sense that acid house would probably be an influence of some kind. It’s a smart and successful move which will probably gain them listeners which may otherwise have overlooked them as just nu-disco producers.

“Essra” is more what I would have expected from Soft Rocks. Its jazzy drums and balearic piano are a stark counterpoint to the A-side, but it matches the acid intensity of that by slowly but surely building up to a multi-layered guitar climax. It’s good, but it’s probably the final track, “Dlalulac”, which is most interesting. I’ve read things saying that it sounds like Jean-Luc Ponty, and after listening, it’s easy to see why. After beginning with some deep house synths and tribal rhythms, the track brings in some sublime violins that give the whole thing a peculiar gypsy-folk feel, something which feels refreshingly different in the current sea of disco edits. Endless Flight released one of my top singles of last year, as well as the Betty Botox edit compilation, and this is another great release from a great label.

Listen:> Soft Rocks – Dlalulac

Download audio file (Soft Rocks – Dlalulac.mp3)

Essra is out now on Endless Flight

Buy the 12″ from Juno

Buy MP3s from Juno Download

New York based label Whatever We Want divide opinion pretty sharply between those who think they are one of the best labels in the world, and those who think their output is little more than beard-stroking Dad-rock. Despite this, their reputation is such that they can sell out entire runs in days and see those releases fetch huge sums on the second-hand market. But House Of House, comprised of Still Going’s Liv Spencer and vocalist Saheer Umar, have just released a single on WWW which should silence anyone who has reason to doubt the label, as it is nothing less than solid musical gold.

A-side “Rushing To Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)” is the kind of tune that creeps up on you. It immerses you in a wash of hiss and deep bass, offset by the tinkling of improvisational piano, until the five minute mark when something truly incredible happens. A piano refrain emerges from the chaos, and just as the kick drum drops back in, just when you think it’s reached its peak, it gets taken away from you. After a brief moment of calm, the vocals fade in from nowhere, instantly bringing the whole thing to a glorious peak, a peak that comes as if from nowhere. What makes it so incredible is that it feels like a truly organic piece of music; it just seems to grow into this epic form, a form which you never suspect has been created out of a load of loops on a sequencer, giving it a soul which is sorely lacking from a lot of music which is created for the dance floor.

The first reaction when you listen to the B-side “The Rough Half (Don’t Stop)” is probably going to be to feel an inevitable amount of disappointment, but only because “Rushing To Paradise” is just so good. But when you give it a second listen, it is easily as essential as the A-side. It begins with a chunky piano riff, but the tempo is slower, and more emphasis given to the vocals. It’s the really 80s synths that make it though, which, added to the unashamedly bombastic guitar solo make this as sublime a piece of 80s rock as the A-side is a house track. It’s only February, but it’s hard to see how anything else released this year will top this single.

Listen:> House Of House – Rushing To Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)

Download audio file (House Of House – Rushing To Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets).mp3)

Rushing To Paradise is out now on Whatever We Want

Buy the 12″ from Phonica (While you still can!)