Friday, July 28, 2006

Guest TAPErs Mix: Nightmoves

I know... I know... About half of you lovely readers are DJs yourselves and you're longing for some full tracks to leech, but that'll have to wait for the moment. I promise I'm readying a post, honest guv! In the meantime we've got a very special guest TAPEr's mix for you all from your new favourite electro-house upstarts, Nightmoves.
1) Siriusmo - Mein Neues Fahrrad // Grand Petrol Recordings
2) Cassius - Toop Toop (Mr Oizo Mix) // Virgin France
3) Kerrier District - Disco Nasty // Rephlex
4) Cosmo Vitelli - Delayer // I'm A Cliche
5) Vitalic - You Are My Sun // PIAS
6) Andy Caldwell - Warrior (Claude Von Stroke Sharp Toof Mix) // Om
7) Green Velvet - Shake and Pop // Relief Records
8) Johannes Heil - All For One // Klang Elektronik
9) Wolfmother - Woman (JD Twitch's Optimo Edit) // Modular
10) Para One - Sages Femmes // Institubes
11) Daft Punk - Steam Machine // Virgin France
12) Lutzenkirchen - Daily Disco (Boys Noize Remix) // Great Stuff Recordings
13) The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Trentemoller Remix) // Rabid
14) Freeform Five - No More Conversations (Nightmoves Remix) // CDR
15) Etienne De Crecy - Bit Torrent // PIAS
16) Induceve - Warehouse Shit // Dubsided
17) Booka Shade - In White Rooms // Get Physical
18) Fields - Song For The Fields (Ewan Pearson Kosmiche Dub) // CDR

Download:
Nightmoves - Guest TAPErs Mix

Excellent stuff as usual from Matt and Pete. We'll be back soon with Soft's Sonar roundup, Puffin's dubstep mix, and a few random bits and bobs that I've been enjoying since the last mega chart that I posted. In the meantime, get over to
Occam's Razor to pick up the Wizards Sleeve edit of Peter, Bjorn & John that Matt from Nightmoves finished his fantastic set with at our last Mutant Pop party, and The Ill-ec-tro-nic to check how the ladies do their techno. I've actually really been enjoying Cio D'or's solo material (although it fails to reach the heady heights of her Gabriel Ananda collaboration), and Anja Schneider impresses as usual with her latest effort, 'Lily Of The Valley'. Anyhow, take care and have a good weekend!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Mix: Mutant Disco

To make up for Mr Soft's current laziness, here's a new disco mix for you all. I don't believe he hasn't even got round to writing about Sonar yet, and just how long was that ago? Unbelievable. Anyway, this is something to while your Sundays away while you sit there with your tea in one hand, spliff in the other. Enjoy!

Richard Carnage - Mutant Disco

1) Quiet Village - Too High To Move // Whatever We Want
2) Bang Bang - Bye Bye Blues // Yellow Productions
3) Odyssey - Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love // Mowest
4) Arpadys - Funky Bass // Sirocco
5) Hot R.S. - Slow Blow // Disques Vogue
6) The Jimmy Castor Bunch - It's Just Begun // RCA Victor
7) Gaz Nevada - Special Agent Man (Female Version) // Italian
8) Raw Dmx - Do It To The Funk (Greg Wilson Edit) // Tirk
9) Candido - Jingo (Shep Pettibone 12" Remix) // Salsoul
10) BT Express - Peace Pipe // Unidisc
11) Munich Machine - Get On The Funk Train (The Flying Squad Edit) // RVNG
12) T-Connection - At Midnight // T.K. Disco
13) Richie Havens - Going Back To My Roots (Betty Botox Edit) // Botox
14) Liquid Liquid - Bellhead (Harvey's Liquid Head Re-Edit) // White
15) Change - Angel In My Pocket // Warner Bros.
16) D-Train - Keep On (Vocal) // Prelude

Download:
Richard Carnage - 'Mutant Disco' Mix

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Mutant Dog

First of all, much thanks go out to Matt Waites of Nightmoves for coming down to play at last Friday's Mutant Pop. After initial reservations concerning the turnout (as always), things really filled up after 11 (bloody pub closing times!) and I have to say that it was one of the best nights that we've had so far. Tuneage aside, one of my personal highlights of the night was discovering that we'd had our first ever canine raver through the doors! Such was the quality of Mr Waites' set, I was blissfully unaware of the little pooch's presence throughout the entirety of the evening until I saw the little lad being whisked out of the door by his loving carers. Bless! Anyhow, Matthew destroyed a packed upstairs with a melange of electro-house treats, including this little jerky electro-pop gem that I hadn't listened to for about a year or so now. Needless to say, this had me a whooping ecstatically and dancing round like a right fool.

Download:
Supersystem - Miracle (The Rapture Remix) // Touch & Go

Their debut album, 'Always Never Again' was released last year on Touch & Go and possessed moments of brilliance, but on the whole was slightly patchy. Such are my high standards, eh? Their stop-start, synth-led, punk-funk sound never really took off here in the UK and they slipped under the radar following the album's release, which was a bit of a shame. Maybe they just needed Epworth's golden touch/hype, right, Shychild? Here's the lead off single (and album highlight) that first brought them to my attention.

Download:
Supersystem - Born Into The World // Touch & Go

Anyway, less about them, and more about young Matthew's set. Everything was going swimmingly after the first half hour, having already dropped the distorted bosh fest that is the Nightmoves mix of Freeform Five's 'No More Conversations' (and yes, all you pedants - it is a remix of Mylo's mix), but what really got the crowd going was this classic by Tom Tom Club that was more recently covered by Chicks On Speed. Yes, it's cheesy as hell, but how can you not dance to this if you hear it in a club?

Download:
Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood // Island

The floor was filled, and the stage was set for what was probably the most well recieved set that we've had at Mutant Pop so far. Yet again, my patchy memory fails me, but I seem to remember the DFA mix of Captain's 'Frontline' being dropped (what a bassline!), and the pace being slowed a tad by the airing of Ratatat's Knife remix before serious dancefloor damage was caused when Induceve's 'Warehouse Shit' hit the proverbial Mutant Pop fan. I get the feeling that this is going to become a Mutant Pop anthem... Hell, it already is!

Download:
Induceve - Warehouse Shit // Dubsided

Muchos dancing later, things were rounded off beautifully with the Wizards Sleeve edit of Bjorn & John and even more beautifully by bumping into our canine friend as we packed up. If you can manage to bring an animal even more impressive to the next one, then the drinks are on me! As Friday obviously put me in such a good mood, I think I'll share a few more of the tracks that I was harping on about last week in my monolithic chart. First off here's one of the many highlights of the 'Sarcastic Disco' double 12" from Logic System. The balearic italo strut of 'Clash' has been one of my Sunday anthems for the last couple of weeks (that beatless breakdown... just gorgeous), and deserves to be yours as well. If you need something a bit more rousing, then Shannon's 'Let The Music Play' will be the answer to all your prayers. Vintage electro-disco of the highest order.

Download:
Logic System - Clash (Chinjyu Of Sun) // Toshiba EMI

Download:
Shannon - Let The Music Play // Emergency

Coming up on the blog we've got Mr Soft's long overdue Sonar roundup, Puffin Jack's dubstep mix (which he promises me he'll get done this week), and a little disco mix from yours truly. Keep checking back, and we hope to see you at the next Mutant Pop on the 11th of August!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Guest TAPEr's Chart: MOCK (Mock & Toof / Tiny Sticks)


We've been having technical difficulties over here at the Soft wing of TAPE Towers, so here's a reload on the chart kindly worked up for us by Mock (pictured above), boss of Tiny Sticks and one half of Mock & Toof (can you guess which half?) [apologies for gag repetition n'all]. Tiny Sticks is, frankly, totally on it at the moment - most of you will have bounced and swooned to the Shit Robot mix of Dondolo, and the more techy heads out there will have no doubt delighted in the Style of Eye remix 12" which just dropped from 'Sticks HQ. You can pick up these tunes from Phonica and the usual outlets; look out for forthcoming nuggets on the label, some of which are introduced by Mock (pictured) below....And at the bottom of the post you'll find M&T's mix of Lo-Fi Fnk out soon on Moshi Moshi - if you like it, buy the fucker when it lands.


Mock's Current Top 10 (06/07)

1. LINDSTROM – CONTEMPORARY FIX // CDR Fantastic moog acid disco! Destined to be as big as ‘I Feel Space’ but maybe with slightly different DJs…

2. ALTZ – MAX MOTION (SPACE VOICE YOSHIMI) // LASTRUM Seriously left of centre disco madness from Japanese artist Altz. It’s been around for a while but is set for a re-release by DFA later this year and he’s currently hard at work doing a remix for Tiny Sticks.

3. DONDOLO – NOBODY MUSIC (HOT CHIP / MOCK & TOOF REMIXES) // TINY STICKS After success of the last 12” with Shit Robot & Brennan Green providing the remixes – the mighty Hot Chip & Mock & Toof step up. Due out in September.

4. ESCORT – STARLIGHT // ESCORT US New York boogie band deliver some proper business with Metro Area’s Darshan Jesrani providing a killer dub. Also remixing Turbo Crystal for Tiny Sticks.

5. THE EMPEROR MACHINE – LIFT UP CHONG AND SEE // DC RECORDINGS This guy is annoyingly talented & productive. Love this.

6. HUG – FACELESS IS MORE // K2 I think John Dahlback is well down that Zoo Brazil road where he’s just releasing too much material, some of which ain’t up to much. BUT ‘The Platform’ EP for K2 really shows how great he can be. ‘Faceless Is More’ is particularly good.

7. COBBLESTONE JAZZ – DUMP TRUCK EP // WAGON REPAIR Mathew Jonson rules! Period.

8. FUZZ AGAINST JUNK – BORN UNDER PUNCHES (HARVEY’S PUNCH DRUNK MIX) // NUPHONIC This is an oldie of course but I dug it out the other day and it instantly brought back good memories of working in Soho for Filter Records back in ’99 as a wee whipper snapper. Still totally relevant & absolutely smokin’ - you need this record.

9. MOCK & STUFF – SUCK // CDR This is a new joint – really simple weird leftfield 4/4 at a bpm crack addicts would appreciate.

10. HEADMAN – MOISTURE (MUSTAPHA 3000 REMIX) // GOMMA I think this is Alkan on the knobs – totally fresh!

Download:
Lo-Fi-Fnk - Change Channel (Mock & Toof Remix) // Moshi Moshi

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Mmm Pop

Hey ho, everyone! Softie still hasn't got round to regaling you all with his tales of Sonar gone by, so you've still got that to look forward to, but don't forget about our Mutant Pop night this weekend. Local entertainment rag Venue have chosen our night as the 'big night' of the week - here's the article in full:
---------------------------
Venue Magazine - 14-23 July
"The Big Night - Mutant Pop"

What do you get when you take two of Bristol's sadly departed dance nights and cram them into the sweaty confines of the Arc Bar? Mutant Pop - that's what.

Sounding rather like a night you'd expect to see Wolverine and co busting shapes at, this brainchild from the crews behind eclectic dance night Tape and techno outing Vagisness is something of a sprightly newcomer to Bristol scene with just four events under its belt so far, but already there's enough evidence to suggest that a bright future is on the cards. Tape's Chris Farrell tells us how it came about: "We met the Vagisness guys a couple of years ago and it seemed like we were the only people in Bristol that appreciated the whole Cologne/Berlin thing. At the start of the year, both our nights were homeless - they were without Level because it was closing and Tape had just left the Elbow Rooms - so it seemed like a good idea to pool our resources and do a collaborative night that took in a broader range of electronic music than just one of our nights could achieve."

With both crews bringing their own diverse tastes in house and techno to the table, what exactly can us punters expect music-wise from a typical Mutant Pop affair? "We're all big fans of electro-house and minimal techno, and as such they form the basis of our playlist." Chris goes on, "but with Mutant Pop we wanted to be free to play what we like, so we might spin some disco, old school acid house, electro-pop, broken beats and more abstract electronic sounds downstairs while the upstairs keeps it clubbier and more minimal."

While America's Butane and local boy October have graced the decks at previous events, this Friday sees a visit from Nottingham's Matt Waites - one half of the renowned Nightmoves production duo and a regular at the likes of Liars Club, Bugged Out, and Fabric. So what exactly will he be bringing to the party?

"Some people may remember Matt from a previous Tape night at the Elbow Rooms where he was absolutely phenomenal," Chris reckons. "He plays a heady mix of electro-house, rock'n'roll, punk-funk and tweakin' disco that never slips below maximum energy. If you enjoyed Erol Alkan's set at Robopop last month, then you'd best come and take note."

So there we have it, plenty of tasty four-to-the-floor action in store this coming Friday, and Chris is keen for you to head down and sample a piece of the action, whatever your social standing: "Expect a crowd that likes a bit of a boogie - whether they're gurners or geeks, beauties or freaks!"
----------------------------------

We've also been asked to support one of my favourite producers from the past few years, but I'll keep that info under my hat for a little while yet. Anyway, here's the info for Friday - hope to see you down there!


MUTANT POP
Friday 14th June
The Arc Bar, Broad St, Bristol


Upstairs:
MATT WAITES (Nightmoves / Kitsune / Liars Club)
+ PUFFIN JACK, RICHARD CARNAGE & MR SOFT (TAPE)

Downstairs:
MIKE BULL & GARETH WATKINS (Vayge)

9pm-late
Door tax: Free before 11, £3 after

Monday, July 10, 2006

Chart Attack

I've been long overdue in getting a chart on here, so I've decided to expand the usual ten out into twenty to mask my laziness. Also, don't forget that it's Mutant Pop this friday! All the info's here for anyone near Brizzle.

Richard Carnage's Current Top 20
1) DJ HARVEY - SARCASTIC MIX SAMPLER // BOOTLEG Dodgy double 12" bootleg featuring full tracks from DJ Harvey's now legendary 'Sarcastic Disco' mix, including brilliance from Severed Heads, Michael Shrieve, Claudja Barry, Amadeo, Double, Logic System.... Just buy it, basically!

2) JOHN TEJADA - THE END OF IT ALL // PALETTE Three words. Mutant Pop anthem. Check it out near the end of my new ‘Don’t Techno For An Answer’ mix (link on the sidebar). I’ve also got round to archiving all the previous mixes on there, so have a gander if you haven’t downloaded them before.

3 & 4) PINCH - QAWWALI / THE PUNISHER // PLANET MU
Both versions of Pinch’s Planet Mu debut are still getting rotation chez Carnage. The VIP mix will have you feeling like you’re in a little bubble of bass until the synths that Ivan Smagghe would kill for cut in, but you just can’t beat the grace and style of every element of the original mix. Pure dubstep bliss! There is no doubt in my mind that this will be one of my top 20 records of 2006. Basically, buy the 12”! ‘The Punisher’ is a totally different kettle of fish. Imagine if Pharrell saw fit to collaborate with Skream, they’d come out with something like that. Vicious dancefloor ready bass complimented by all the clicks and cuts that you’d expect to come from the Neptunes man. Dancefloor gem, but it’s just not on the same level as Qawwali. But then again, what is?

Download:
Pinch – Qawwali // Planet Mu

5) LINDSTROM - A BLAST OF LOSER (MUNGOLIAN JET SET 9406 REMIX) // FEEDELITY
Absolutely stonking 13 minute remix of epic proportions that features on the new Feedelity Remixed 12” along with a new Brennan Green mix. If Matt Edwards’ Rekid output is now considered smack-house, then this track’s taking us one step closer to ‘smack-neo-trance’. But seriously, your dancefloor needs this record. Another Lindstrom related record that’s worth your attention is the long awaited DJ Harvey remix of Music (In My Mind). Harvey gives the sultry cosmic vibe that extra 4/4 kick and the result is simply sublime italo disco.

6)
BETTY BOTOX - G4 FAGGOT LP // BOTOX Optimo's Twitch trannies it up with his Betty Botox pseudonym on this collection of 4/4'd edits featuring tracks from Lipps Inc, Sister Sledge, Don Armando, Can, Xymox, and Cabaret Voltaire. Top drawer edit action that'll find its way into many different styles of sets. If anyone could source me a vinyl copy of 2005's 'The World Of Betty Botox', or 2004's 'Kraut EP', then I'd be very appreciative!

7) LOCODICE - SEEING THROUGH SHADOWS // M_NUS
An superb exercise in the build and release of tension on the dancefloor to ensure optimum gurn factor, Locodice's latest has been on constant rotation over at Tape Towers ever since me and Soft witnessed Luciano decimate Shoreditch's T-Bar with it.

8) THE INFADELS - THE GIRL THAT SPEAKS NO WORDS (NIGHTMOVES REMIX) // WALL OF SOUND
Polishing a turd, anyone? Yes, following on from their Klaxons mix, Kitsune favourites Nightmoves are edging their way into favour with indie record labels across the land by showing what they can do when presented with a bag of shite like The Infadels. Electro-house meets dub disco on this mix that's less straightforward than their Klaxons mixes, but dancefloor dynamite all the same.

9) POPNONAME - ON THE RUN // ITALIC
Picked this up from Replay a few months back and it’s just quality Balearic techno with a tastefully trancey Superpitcher-esque element to it. An early morning anthem if I ever heard one.

Download:
Popnoname – On The Run // Italic

10) PATRICK COWLEY - DANCEFLOOR CLASSICS // BOOTLEG Come to think of it, I have been buying a lot of very dodgy records lately, haven’t I? However, when you’ve got all of Patrick’s classics there on two 12”s, there’s very little to complain about. You’ve got his ‘I Feel Love’ remix, the ultra-anthemic ‘Get A Little’, and probably his best work, ‘Sea Hunt’…. Pure disco magic! Just check the sound of that bass and synth combo about four and a half minutes in for an example of the little flourishes that made the man the legend that he was.

Download:
Patrick Cowley – Sea Hunt // Megatone

11 & 12) THE CHAMP'S BOYS ORCHESTRA - TUBULAR BELLS (COSMIC MIX) & ESCAPE FROM NY - FIRE IN MY HEART (INST. DUB VERSION) // SUPREME These two tracks both feature on the Disco Supreme compilation that was released recently on Todd Terje’s label. Yes, it’s a bit pricey for 5 tracks (and the vinyl’s mis-labelled), but these edits make it all worth the money. Having Tubular Bells reconstructed as an old school disco booty-shaker does seem like an AWFUL idea on paper, but it’s just pulled off so well that you can’t help but not get sucked into the bass, the brass, the strings… it’s all just perfect. Ever wondered what The Human League would’ve sounded like if they ‘went Balearic’? Fire In My Heart will answer all your questions, and as an added bonus you’ve got that killer boompty bassline. If you like your disco, then this is an essential purchase.

Download:
The Champ's Boys Orchestra - Tubular Bells (Cosmic Mix) // Supreme

13) VILLALOBOS - WHAT YOU SAY IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY (ISOLEE REMIXES) // SISTERPHUNK Originally appearing as an exclusive track on Playhouse's Famous When Dead III compilation, Isolee's mix of one of Ricardo's landmark tracks does the difficult job of bettering the fantastic original, toughening it up, turning it on it's head, and kicking it up its arse. Essential stuff, but you're probably better off buying the Playhouse triple LP for value for other great tracks from Losoul, Thomas Melchior and Roman Flugel.

Download:
Ricardo Villalobos - What You Say Is More Than I Can Say (Isolee Remix) // Sisterphunk

14) SHANNON - LET THE MUSIC PLAY // EMERGENCY Picked this up from Juno recently after seeing Greg Wilson use it to induce mass hysteria back in January at our sadly departed System night. I haven’t looked into it being a dodgy repress, but it certainly looks like it! It doesn’t really matter when you can just slip this on, get it at +3 and watch the proper electro-disco spread those good vibes.

15) MORGAN GEIST - MOST OF ALL (FT. JEREMY GREENSPAN) // ENVIRON Geisty's back with lusher orchestration than ever on this collaboration with Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan. His emotive crooning suits Geist's soulfully smooth disco really well, but you've got the instrumental and a top b-side on the flip if that sort of thing's not your bag.

16) DELIA GONZALES & GAVIN RUSSOM - RELEVEE (DFA REMIX) // DFA I feel that I’ve got to stick up for this mix a little, as it’s been unfairly overshadowed by the monstrous techno beast that is the fantastic Carl Craig mix. The DFA offer up a an absolute gem that they’ve obviously put a lot of time and effort into with the extra vocals and elaborate disco drums (with the anticipation and long wait for the release, is it that surprising?) that just takes you up to the next level when those pianos kick in. It’s the DFA at their dub disco best. But you’ve all already got this record, haven’t you? Also worth checking, but not necessarily playing out is their neon Tokyo synth odyssey reworking of Hot Chip’s ‘Colours’ which you can get from over at Headphone Sex.

17) AVIDA - IL GRILLO E LA FORMICA // CREME ORGANISATION You may have misplaced Maurizio Dami a.k.a. Alexander Robotnick (pictured right) into the po-faced producer box following the re-release of his smack-anthem 'Dark Side Of The Spoon' on Creme, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Here he returns with tracks from the year previous to 'Dark Side...', and with a title like this (Formica grills? What? - EDIT: I've actually just been notified that it actually means 'The Cricket And The Ant', which is slightly less nonsensical) you can guess that it's not going to be on the same epic emotional level, but everyone loves a bit of wonky cheap italo, don't they?

Download:
Avida - Vorrei Tanto // Creme Organisation

18) MONOLAKE - PLUMBICON (SLEEPARCHIVE INTERPRETATION) // MONOLAKE/IMBALANCE COMPUTER MUSIC I’m only really posting this because I want an excuse to mention that the next Underscore night will be hosting minimal masters Sleeparchive at The Tube in Bristol on September 23rd. You have to love them just due to the fact that they’re all about proper minimal techno focusing on a limited but clinical sound palette, and this remix of Monolake is a perfect example of that. I’ll post the date closer to the time, but if you’re going, I’ll definitely see you at the front!

Download:
Monolake – Plumbicon (Sleeparchive Interpretation) // Monolake/Imbalance Computer Music

19) HENRIK SCHWARZ - JIMIS 2006 (MIX 3) // DIAMONDS & PEARLS Ben posted this on Skull Juice about a week ago, and its menacing acid synth has been pleasing me very much since then. Deep as you like, but a lot more beefy than Schwarz’s usual jazzy stylings, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Apparently it's a reworking of a track that he did a whole ten years ago! Also worth checking is Osunlade’s wonky tribal techno mix of Henrik’s ‘Leave My Head Alone Brain’.

20) CHROMATICS - NITE/GLASS SLIPPER // TROUBLEMAN UNLIMITED After hearing some of the demo tracks that had been flying around on XXJFG and Daughters Of Invention, I have to say that I wasn’t that impressed by Chromatics’ material. Yes, the ideas were there (see the monged cosmic strut of ‘Physica’), but it just sounded so wrong! However, the properly recorded material has really been floating my boat over the past few months. Still, some of the tracks wonder into territory that’s a little bit unnecessarily lo-fi (see ‘The Guest’), but when they hit their stride on these two tracks they really do create their own special amalgamation of italo disco and electroclash. Any idea who’s doing the production for them, anyone?

Download:
Chromatics – Glass Slipper // Troubleman Unlimited

Guest TAPEr's Chart: Nightmoves

Nightmoves' Current Top 15

1) Freeform Five - No More Conversations (Nightmoves Remix)
Our simplest and most no-nonsense remix yet. Not even finished yet and Erol's already playing it!

2) Etienne Daho & Sweetlight - Le Grande Sommeil // Turbo
Big fans of Sweetlight's output, although this one is quite unusual. Melodic french sounding stuff over trancey arpeggios with french singing. Forthcoming on Turbo.

3) Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folk (Wizards Sleeve Extended Mix) // V2
Beyond the wizard's sleeve extend this fantastic summer anthem, adding atmospheric backwards guitars, sitars and other psychadelic nonsense. Thank god they kept the whistling.

4) Kerrier District - Disco Nasty // Rephlex
Genius modern disco, the production is incredible. How does Luke do it?

5) Para One - Dundun Dun (Boys Noize Remix) // Institubes
Absolutely ridiculous.

6) The Long Blondes - Fulwood Babylon // Rough Trade
Why wasnt this the a side? Another timeless summer anthem to be!

7) Mustapha 3000 - Kongo Thong // CD-R
Preferred the original Sisqo track of course, but this is alright.

8) The Knife - We Share Our Mothers Health (Trentemoller Remix) // Rabid
Absurd breakdown and pure dancefloor mayhem.

9) Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward // Rabid
Lovely.

10) Fling - Randoms & Wronguns EP // Silver Planet
Electro house bomb.

11) Lindstrom - Music (In My Mind) (Harvey Remix) // Wax
Two like-minded geniuses bring the disco.

12) The Streets - Weak Become Heroes (Royksopp Dub) // Locked On
An oldie but a goodie. Used to be a big staple in our sets, only just rediscovered it.

13) Kelis - Bossy (Alan Braxe Remix) // Jive
Sebastian remix is great, but this is so cheesy it makes us very happy indeed!

14) Aswefall - Youngeez (Naum Remix) // Killthedj
Really dark and really perfect. We like Johnny Wilkes.

15) Siriusmo - Minirock // Grand Petrol
Sounds like gay Mr. Oizo hip hop with big beats! Love the whole ep.


As you'll probably already know, Nightmoves' Matt Waites (pictured above left) will be joining us for our next Mutant Pop party this Friday at the Arc Bar in Bristol, so get your arse down there!

Friday, July 07, 2006

Nuggets

I thought it was about time i wrote some guff on here - it's been a while, hasn't it? Not much going on over here in Bristol, or at least not much i can afford!

Tonight sees the Bristol debut of Mr Oizo at the Blue Mountain Club, alongside SebastiAn, Si Begg and my ginger bredren 30Hz. I would love to go, but it's one of those "oh fuck i seem
to have spunked £60 on piss-flavoured lager and some pills with a mild MDMA flavouring" kind of nights. Oh well! I would have preferred to have seen the Frenchies down in London at that Our Disco night the other month, but so it goes...

On a cheaper tip, our friends the Under_Score boys (Bristol's tasteful minimal selectors) are hosting Steevio, tommorow night at Cosies Wine Bar (the best venue in Bristol, without a doubt). Door tax is minimal, in keeping with the night, (ha ha!) and things kick off from
about nine. Dunc, one of the promoters, was playing me some of his stuff the other night - sounds great. Really organic sounding minimal, made using analogue gear. Anyway, apparently this Steevio chap is a bit of a lovable old hippy. He has dreads down to his arse and can normally be found in Wales putting on minimal techno parties out in the countryside, under waterfalls or summat, which sounds like a much nicer proposition than the general (nasty) techno/ketamine/muddy vibe we get over here. Hmmm, maybe a road trip over the border is in order at some point?

I strongly advise anyone in Bristol to come down and have a spliff with Uncle Puffin.



Puffin's non-techno alignment chart


1. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country LP
Glasgow's 2nd best band (after the mighty Belle and Sebastian) return with another near-flawless long player of melodic retro-pop; this time with a decidely foot stomping soul feel and a 'big' production sound, courtesy of the bloke who did the Concretes. Oh, and some great lyrics. I would love to put some audio up for this but i don't have access to a computer at home, maybe if I twist Rich's arm he'll sort something out [EDIT from Softie: I've whacked a coupla up for ya - top notch album, s'right up my stasse...]...

Download:
Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken // Elefant

Camera Obscura - Tears for Affairs // Elefant



2. Various Artists North by Northwest
An amazing comp put together by probably the nicest pundit on the telly, and one of my personal heroes, Paul Morley. He really is one of those people I would love to have round for dinner/have a drink with. Him, Germaine Greer, Noel Gallagher and some others. Anyway, I digress, the comp traces the development of punk and post-punk in Liverpool and Manchester. It's literally rammed with good tunes, from popular favourites like 'Reward' and 'Rescue' through to more obscuro bits (at least to me) like Lori and the Chameleons and the Lotus Eaters, those being a particular faves.

3.Cut Chemist The Audience's Listening LP
Another great hip hop LP for 2006, well at least the 2nd of ther year after the awe inspiring Dillage. Put simply, this is great party music from a turntable superhero without too much deck wankery. The lead off single 'The Storm' is top notch, with a chugging almost electro-esque beat pushing the song forward. You will definitely hear this in my sets soon. (I wish the bloody vinyl would turn up!)

4. Various Artists Nuggets

Seminal psych/garage comp that has had me jumping round my gentleman's lounge like a right numpty.

5. Timeblind - Ghostification

Excellent 12" that turned up out of the blue from Cargo, this is some seriously heavy left-field dubstep/sublow. The first track on their, it's called 'Ontological' or something, has a super heavy bassline and some off-kilter disco break that keeps dropping in to create a rather unsettling soundscape. I recommend you hunt this 12" down, it's on the Soot label.


I would have charted some other dubstep bits but my TAPE brothers beat me to it! Listen to what Softie is saying: that Skream track on Tectonic is superb. Should have my dubstep mix ready by next week - it's been driving me mad! I've been trying to strike a balance between its many forms without it ever getting too lairy. Believe me bruv, it ain't easy!

'The kids said I should get on here....'

...so TAPE now has a Myspace. Not sure why or what for; but I guess that while there's nothing wrong with going slow, it wouldn't do for us to be left entirely behind, eh? (I assure you it has nothing to do with being unemployed)...

Visit us at:

http://www.myspace.com/allsexistape

- and, like, add us to your friends list? Is that how this works? I don't know. Anyway.....

***DON'T FORGET TO DOWNLOAD CARNAGE'S MIX, POSTED JUST BELOW***

Later today I'll be posting an exclusive top 10 from Mock, of Mock & Toof/Tiny Sticks/DFA fame and an mp3 or two, so check back....

'Don't Techno For An Answer' Mix

Here's my new mix that we'll be dishing out a few copies of at the Nightmoves Mutant Pop next Friday....enjoy. The mix sprawls through both organic and electronic minimal sounds, through to piano house, tech-house, dub disco, nu-italo house, etc, etc. A lot of different electronic styles, basically. More charts and audio coming soon!

1) Alexander Robotnick - Dark Side Of The Spoon (Richard Carnage Ambient Edit) // CD-R
2) Luciano & Thomas Melchior - Father // Cadenza
3) Loco Dice - Seeing Through Shadows // M_nus
4) Gui Boratto - Sozinho // K2
5) Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter // Out Of Orbit
6) Pier Bucci - Tita (Dandy Jack & The Latin Lava's Teeta Mix) // Crosstown Rebels
7) Gabriel Ananda & Cio D'or - Lauschgoldengel // Treibstoff
8) Westbam ft. Superpitcher - It's Not Easy // Low Spirit
9) Hug - Fluteorgie // K2
10) Metope - Second Skin (Tekel Remix) // Sender
11) Andy Caldwell - Warrior (Claude Von Stroke Sharp Toof Mix) // Om
12) The Infadels - The Girl That Speaks No Words (Nightmoves Vocal Remix) // Wall Of Sound
13) Gucci Soundsystem - aCarpenter // Bugged Out!
14) John Tejada - The End Of It All // Palette
15) Booka Shade vs. Annie - Mandarine Beat (Richard Carnage Edit) // CD-R

Download:
Richard Carnage - 'Don't Techno For An Answer' Mix

As always, any comments are appreciated greatly!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

I like to 'Moves it

As you may already be aware, our club night Mutant Pop, still in wonderfully erratic adolescence, plays host next Friday to Matt Waites of up-and-coming dancefloor blitzers Nightmoves (pictured above - Matt's on the left). We've been banging on about the 'Moves mix of 'Gravity's Rainbow' by The Klaxons for a good four months, and the simple reasons is this: it's right on the fucking money. That ballistic, cartoonish slab of goodness is now available for you, the great and the good, to buy, as together with versions from Van She and To My Boy it comprises the new Kitsune 12", which you can pick up pronto from here. Check their myspace over here to have a sniff of their other remixes to date - another one for the Klaxons ('Atlantis 2 Interzone'), one for Shitdisco and a blinding, dubbed-out disco job on the Infadels' forthcoming 'Girl Who Speaks No Words' (out soon on Wall Of Sound).

Anyway, Matt has spun for us before, twice at our original and sorely missed TAPE night way back in, well, last year. He's played all over the shop besides, is resident at Nottingham's Liars Club, and he is, quite simply, stonking on the decks - indeed, he prompted Puffin Jack, always admirably restrained in his praise, to admit that he had an 'I've found God' moment the first time he played for us (we were screwed to the nines on e and 'shrooms, so it's perhaps no surprise that Matt's mix of gnarly electro, fucked-up acid house, cheesy disco and re-edited psyche-rock had us near on our knees in worship. Actually, I think I may have been on my knees at one point). Anyway, the thing is, he's quality and if you live in Bristol or can make the trip you will not be disappointed.

Here's the interview I did with Nightmoves (aka Matt Waites and Pete Cage) for good ol'
FACT mag; excuse the lame line of questioning, you know these things are ruled by convention.....

Q: What’s on your stereo(s) at the moment?
A:
We just got the DFA remix of Colours by Hot Chip. It's really surprising as its so different to other DFA stuff but they always manage to improve on the original. Great sleeve too. The new Aswefall 12" is exciting us a bit, particularly the Naum remix. Anything on Ed Banger or by Boys Noize seems to keep us happy and the Alden Tyrell compilation on Clone is pretty special.

Q: Describe the Nightmoves style in a few words
A: We’re still establishing our sound, but we’re still young…Big sounds for the dancefloor is our current direction, but is always subject to change...Gatecrasher kids in indie kids’ clothing?!

Q: You’ve just done a monster remix of The Klaxons’ ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’, which is getting props all over the place. How did you hook up with the band?
A:
Simon from the band was a regular at Liars Club before he moved to London so we knew him anyway, then we just relied on Klaxons getting famous, which fortunately for us, they have!

Q: What’s the best thing about doing a remix?
A:
Cigarettes?

Q: Who would you love to remix/be remixed by?
A:
A moth/Freddy Krueger

Q: What’s the scene like in Nottingham?
A: Nottingham is quite close knit in terms of the people who organize the nights there. We have our lot who do Liars Club, maybe 10 people or so that make it happen each week. Unfortunately, Nottingham relies on students to make the nights, unlike London. Many nights have had to close their doors during student holiday time.

Q: What’s your most memorable gig/set so far?
A: A disco set we played at Fabric a couple of months back for a charity event was lots of fun. We played before Mr Trevor Jackson. Think we cleared the room nicely for him!

Q: What’s the strangest request you’ve had as DJs?
A: Matt was once forced to play a trance CD in Bristol at fist-point. The trouble really began when he frisbeed the CD across the room after playing it…

Q: What does the typical (or dream) Nightmoves rider consist of?
A: A bottle of whiskey makes us happy most of the time. That, and we’ll only share a dressing room with Roy Chubby Brown.

Q: I’m guessing you guys grew up dedicated indie kids. What do you think triggered your electro awakening?
A:
We're open to most styles of music and always have been, but we’re dance kids at heart. However, we’ll both admit to having owned a copy of the Menswear album in the mid-nineties!

Q: What was your first amazing clubbing experience?
A: The City Rockers ‘Bodyrockers’ nights in 2002 were amazing; seeing people like Erol Alkan & Damian Lazarus for the first time was a massive inspiration – that changed everything, really.

Q: Do you have any plans for your own productions in the pipeline?
A:
Yes indeed, they’re on the way!

Q: What piece of musical equipment could you simply not do without?
A: A shit load of cracked software... is that an instrument? Our new monitors too, the Klaxons remix was produced on one knackered old hifi speaker.

Q: What’s your favourite track/song(s) to finish a DJ set with?
A:
I think a joint favourite will always be ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac. Or, to be honest, any Fleetwood Mac song!

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
A:
On a yacht on the Mediterranean with Chantelle and Preston

Download:
The Infadels - Girl Who Speaks No Words (Nightmoves Remix) // Wall of Sound

MUTANT POP Friday 14th June
The Arc Bar, Broad St, Bristol

upstairs:
MATT WAITES (Nightmoves / Kitsune / Liars Club)
+ PUFFIN JACK, RICHARD CARNAGE & MR SOFT (TAPE)

downstairs:
MIKE BULL, GARETH WATKINS (Vayge) & SPECIAL GUEST

9pm-late
Door tax: Free before 11, £3 after

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Mix: Tape Me Out (Part 1)

Richard Carnage - Tape Me Out (Part 1)
Recorded in December 2005

1. Cass & Mangan - I Gotta Thang (Uh Huh) // Fine
2. Lex - Fourteen Days // Flip
3. Who Made Who - Hello, Empty Room // Gomma
4. Kelley Polar - Here In The Night // Environ
5. Todd Terje - Eurodans // Full Pupp
6. Hot Chip - Just Like We (Breakdown) (DFA Remix) // EMI
7. Francisco - Disco Way // Nature
8. Robert Babicz - Organic Boogie // Treibstoff
9. Elektrochemie - Big One // Get Physical
10. Royksopp - What Else Is There? (Trentemoller Remix) // Wall Of Sound
11. Fischerspooner - A Kick In The Teeth (Tiefschwarz Remix) // FS Studios
12. Brazilian Girls - Don't Stop (Riton Re-Rub) // Verve Forecast
13. Ame - Rej // Sonar Kollektiv
14. Carl Craig - Sandstorms // Planet E
15. Konrad Black - Medusa Smile (Don't Look Back) (Rockets Revamp) // Wagon Repair
16. Sono - A New Cage (Digitalism Remix) // PIAS Germany
17. Closer Musik - One Two Three No Gravity (Ewan Pearson Acid Remix) // Out Of The Loop


Download:
Richard Carnage - Tape Me Out (Part 1)

Mix: Tape Me Out (Part 2)

Richard Carnage - Tape Me Out (Part 2)
Recorded in September 2005

1. Chardronnet vs Afrilounge - Phonix // Poker Flat
2. Drama Society - Crying Hero // Fine
3. Trentemoller - Rykketid // Audiomatique
4. Riton vs Howdi - Closer // Get Physical
5. Justus Kohncke - Krieg // Kompakt
6. Instant Noodles - Electro Hip // Crack & Speed
7. DJ T - Funk On You // Get Physical
8. Serge Santiago - Adventures in Failure (Dub Version) // Arcobaleno
9. Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To (Erol Alkan's Glam Racket Remix) // Domino
10. Soulwax - Another Excuse (DFA Remix) // PIAS
11. Tomas Andersson - Washing Up (Tiga's Na Na Na Na Na Remix) // Bpitch Control
12. Egoexpress - Hot Wire My Heart // Ladomat 2000
13. Solid Groove - This is Sick // Front Room
14. Kraftwerk - It's More Fun to Compute // EMI
15. Run Jeremy - Windowlicker (X-Rated Lick) // White
16. Justice - Waters of Nazareth // Ed Banger
17. The MFA - The Difference it Makes (Superpitcher Remix) // Kompakt Pop
18. Radiohead - Everything in its Right Place (Unklesounds Edit) // White

Download:
Richard Carnage - Tape Me Out (Part 2)

Mix: This Is Mutant Pop

Richard Carnage - This Is Mutant Pop
Recorded in March 2006

1) Art Of Tones - Lions Gate // 20:20 Vision
2) Syclops - The Fly // Tirk
3) Lindstrom - Another Station (Todd Terje Remix) // Feedelity
4) Booka Shade - In White Rooms // Get Physical
5) Kerrier District - Let's Dance & Freak // Rephlex
6) Roy Ayers - Tarzan (Ame Remix) // Rapster
7) Wighnomy Brothers - Wombat // Kompakt Extra
8) Bodzin & Huntemann - Black Ice // International Deejay Gigolos
9) Buckley - Block Party // Made To Play
10) Kerri Chandler - Bar A Thym // Nite Grooves
11) Patrice Baumel - Mutant Pop // Trapez
12) Westbam & Nena - Oldschool, Baby (Piano Mix) // Low Spirit
13) Isolee - My Hi-Matic // Playhouse
14) The Knife - Silent Shout // V2
15) Ellen Allien & Apparat - Turbo Dreams (Pier Bucci Remix) // Bpitch Control
16) DK7 - Where's The Fun (Sten Remix) // Output

Download:
Richard Carnage - This Is Mutant Pop

Mix: Don't Techno For An Answer

Richard Carnage - Don't Techno For An Answer
Recorded in June 2006

1) Alexander Robotnick - Dark Side Of The Spoon (Richard Carnage Ambient Edit) // CD-R
2) Luciano & Thomas Melchior - Father // Cadenza
3) Loco Dice - Seeing Through Shadows // M_nus
4) Gui Boratto - Sozinho // K2
5) Robert Babicz - The Cloudpainter // Out Of Orbit
6) Pier Bucci - Tita (Dandy Jack & The Latin Lava's Teeta Mix) // Crosstown Rebels
7) Gabriel Ananda & Cio D'or - Lauschgoldengel // Treibstoff
8) Westbam ft. Superpitcher - It's Not Easy // Low Spirit
9) Hug - Fluteorgie // K2
10) Metope - Second Skin (Tekel Remix) // Sender
11) Andy Caldwell - Warrior (Claude Von Stroke Sharp Toof Mix) // Om
12) The Infadels - The Girl That Speaks No Words (Nightmoves Vocal Remix) // Wall Of Sound
13) Gucci Soundsystem - aCarpenter // Bugged Out!
14) John Tejada - The End Of It All // Palette
15) Booka Shade vs. Annie - Mandarine Beat (Richard Carnage Edit) // CD-R

Download:
Richard Carnage - Don't Techno For An Answer

Mix: Puffin Jack - May '06

Puffin Jack - May '06 Mix

1) Greg Wilson - Hardcore Boogie // White
2) Marcos Valee - Besteiras Do Amour (Jazzanova Remix) // Far Out
3) Hot Chip - Boy From School (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework) // EMI
4) Cosmic Sandwich - Cosmic Sandwich (Cosmic Sandwich Remix) // MBF
5) Alexander Robotnick - Dance Boy Dance // Art Of Disco
6) Jesse Rose & Rob Mello - Do Ya Wanna // Front Room
7) Alex Under - C1 (from 'Multiplicationes 2') // Apnea
8) Claude Von Stroke - The Whistler // Dirty Bird
9) Dark Mountain Group - Lose Control // Buzzin Fly
10) Hug - Birds // K2
11) Phonique - 99 & A Half (I:Cube Remix) // GU Music
12) Sly Mongoose - Snakes And Ladder (Rub'n'Tug Remix) // Mule Musiq
13) Booka Shade - Night Falls // Get Physical
14) Rhythm & Sound - Free For All (Soundstream Remix) // Burial Mix
15) Hot Chip - (Just Like We) Breakdown (DFA Remix) // EMI
16) Andy Stott - Come Together // Modern Love
17) International Pony - Our House (Ada Remix) // Columbia

Download:

Puffin Jack - May '06 Mix

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Bandwagon Repair


Sorry I've been quiet, been immersed in, and seriously wounded by, the World Cup, whilst seeing off people as term ends and I enter into the wide and unwelcoming wilderness of (un)employment. Still, I have a few dead weeks to kill while I pursue proper work, so I say (not without reservation) that posts here should become healthier, larger and, above all, more frequent. I still haven't done my Sonar diary yet, which is pretty ridiculous, but I just haven't had the energy and I'm sure its anecdotal impact won't be lessened too much by the passage of time. I hope. Ever since I got back from Barcelona with, like, one endorfin to my name, I've felt no compulsion at all to listen to anything but the most reflective and emotive of indie and electronica, so it's only in the last few days that I've got back on the wagon and realized there are tons of good records coming out at the moment. Here, then, is my current top 10....


Softie's Current Top 10 (02/07/06)


1. LB DIVISION – RHYTHM DIVISION / HOW YOU PLAY IT // MOTE EVOLVER Now this is what I’m talking about. What a release. The A-side is low-slung techno, stripped down but somehow fat-as-you-like and peppered with little percussive and melodic flourishes which refuse to let you get go ‘Zzz’. The B-side is a slightly more rolling, fluffy and finessed affair, making me think of the mighty Alex Under’s Apnea releases. But I’ll say it again – the A-side, ‘Rhythm Division’ is total killer, it will lock you into its groove and you all want a copy right now yes you do. Wow. .


2. TOBY TOBIAS - A CLOSE SHAVE (PRINS THOMAS DISCO-TEK MIKS) // REKIDS
I’ve got an obscene amount of love for Prins Thomas (pictured above) at the moment. Hell, I may even go the whole hog and get a tattoo of his face on my chest and mail my pubes to him in the near future. Alas, I haven’t got time to do the whole psychotic stalker thing properly as right now I’m too busy lapping up this gnarly version which, as its title contends, truly puts the ‘tech’ back in ‘discotheque’ (even though yes, spelling enthusiasts, it strictly speaking was never there). Another cosmic corker, but tough as nails, and while the fine original makes more, if not better, use of the fat analogue riff I’m with Prins all the way on this one. I think Rekids is on the rise.

3. TRES DEMENTED - SHEZ SATAN // PLANET E COMMUNICATIONS Everyone’s all like ‘It’s really cool, but I can’t stand the vocal’ and, I’ll admit, first time I heard it I was in stern agreement. Even now, depending on the scenario, I’d probably play out the instrumental over the voxed version, but come on: how can you not fall for (or should that be up?) the big C2 talking woman-hating nonsense like a cracked-up Green Velvet in a Darth Vader mask? I mean, what’s not to like about that? Well, whatever you think about that I think we’re all agreed that the music itself – pure grotty, electronic stomp – is unassailable and essential. For what I fear won’t be the last time this, like, month, Mr Craig: we salute you.

4. MOXIE - TRANSFIGURED & TORMENTED // MOXIE There’s so many disco edit 12”s being released these days that I can scarcely be arsed to listen to any of ‘em. A welcome return, then, for Moxie - who serve up two sides of disco hotwiring which you know’ll be good before you even drop the needle. ‘Transfigured and Tormented’ is proper cosmic tackle, calling to mind Terje’s mix of ‘Another Station’ but a wee bit rawer. On the flip, ‘Baby Cage’ heads down a more abstract, dub-infused route and believe me it’s just the shit all we heads cream our ash-stained jeans over. Buy it.

5. MARTIN LANDSKY - 1000 MILES (ORIGINAL & LOCO DICE REMIX) // POKER FLAT I must say, I'd started to worry a wee bit about Poker Flat - after last year's epics 'Sei', 'Polar Shift' and 'Love Dose', my expectations were perhaps unreasonably high. Still, I should've known that I could rely on one of my favourite producers, Martin Landsky, to turn the tide and come out with a moody, hooky tech-house cut that'll turn the Fabric dancefloor to liquid and bears not just a passing resemblance to 'I Feel Space'. Loco Dice does as Loco Dice does, draining off some of the fat and installing his own idea of minimalist drama to produce a track that alone would make the 12" worth buying. Both sides work, but the beefier original's what gets me going.

Download:
Martin Landsky - 1000 Miles // Poker Flat


6. SKREAM/DISTANCE – TECTONIC PLATE 1
It’s not just random that Skream (pictured above), however modestly, is the one dubstep artist to have crossed over (though the ‘Mystikz release on Soul Jazz perhaps suggests there’s a convoy a-comin’) – it’s because he’s a proper good, and extremely distinctive, producer. Where recent bits I’ve liked from Pinch, Shackleton, Burial et al have been notable for their tension and claustrophobia, Skream is all about cleanliness and space, and giving the percussion parts room not just to breathe, but to bellow. He also loves a good garagey/ravey hook, and ‘Bahl Fwd’ is no exception – an instantly memorable, faintly Eastern melody riding the best tabla line I’ve heard this side of Bombay. Fuck me, the boy has talent. On the flip, Distance goes for a more off-step rhythm, with moody synth-strings and a plaintive, ever-so-slightly menacing sitar drifting through the fug. Buy this fucker, seriously.

7. ETIENNE DE CRECY – COMMERCIAL EP1 // PIAS Nothing too clever (alas) from the Super Discount fella, just beefy discofied electro-house with that brassiness and plasticity that only the French do right. Home-listening will make you feel like a moron who should be into Shostakovich instead, but hearing it out on the pingers will have you licking the ceiling. Which, to some extent, is no bad thing.

Download:
Etienne De Crecy - Suck // PIAS


8. RYAN CROSSON – GOTHAM ROAD // TRAPEZ LIMITED
Love this: fabulous and slightly tedious (in the right way), everything you could want from a minimal record. Quirky effects, plenty of bounce and unusually padded percussion seal what was already a pretty much done deal.

9. COBBLESTONE JAZZ - DUMP TRUCK EP / THE MOLE – IN MY SONG // WAGON REPAIR
Make no mistake, Wagon Repair is one of the sickest labels around today, and though the A-side on the Mole's release is good only in that standard Wagon Repair ‘It’s really weird and I really like it but I wouldn’t play it out unless I was a LOADS better DJ’ kind of way, the B-side is an unexpected and rather welcome foray into mid-paced trippy disco. Albeit in that standard Wagon Repair ‘It’s really weird etc…’ kind of way. Worth your pennies, though, for sure. Mathew Jonson's electronic jazz collective make pleasant noises on the Dump Truck EP, noodlesome keys given purpose by heavy live drums processed to perfection and hefty synth stabs. Really nice, actually.

10. ALEX SMOKE – SNIDER // SOMA
I can’t believe I’ve ever had doubts about Alex Smoke. Casting my ear back over his now fairly extensive oeuvre, I’m inclined to think that he might well be my favourite producer out there. The depth and variety of his catalogue speaks for itself, going from twitchy dubscapes to tracky minimalism via neo-trance and cinematic tech-house. I need to get into his LPs, I think. For now, I’m well into the new Soma, which sees Smoke coaxing a warmth of sound out of his studio that I didn’t think possible. Seriously, as soon as you put this on, you’ll hear speakers sigh with quiet delight…

Download:
Alex Smoke - Snider // Soma
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