Interesting disco, house and post-jazz electronic funk amalgam in this Sublime album from Max Brennan. A bit far from the current disco revival, it's fast, weird, complicated and really well-programmed.
(So it must be IDM. Because it gives you something to think about while shaking booty...)
Difficult at first, yet surely recommended.
Max Brennan - 2000 We Are Part Of Us And So Are You
Info here.
We Are Part Of Us And So Are You
In Neutral
This might be the first one I heard been classified as 'tech house', as far as I remember. Out in Substance.
Spencer Kincey takes the deep Chicago house blueprint one minimalistic step further, yet keeping away from the Detroit style house experiments of the time, setting an example to be followed by many, soundwise - a cleaner, safer version of the Relief/Cajual sound. As the sticker on the cover asks: 'Is it House or is it Techno?' Like it matters, anyway.
Although a bit flat for my tastes, I liked his loopy drum machines + synths approach and played the 'Shadowland' track a bit back then. I decided to post this one when I realized that more or less nothing can be found around the net from him (as Gemini, at least).
Gemini - 1997 In Neutral
Info here.
P.S. For the time being, the 'In And Out Of Fog And Lights' LP in Peacefrog can be found in the comments.
Namaquadisco
Hawke is Gavin Hardkiss' (still active) project for funky, organic San Fransisco break-house. Blending latin percussions with deep, dubby elements, electro-acid references and loads of sampled material, he surely has style and tells a different tale, separating itself from the rest of the US house scene - Chicago-, NYC- or Detroit- influenced.
Originally out in Sunburn - this one is the Distance repress.
Hawke - 1998 Namaquadisco
Info here.
More on the West Coast scene here. The track 'I Have Her' is also found here.
P.S. While this one was uploading, I noticed that Moggieboy also posted today an early Hardkiss compilation here. Sooo weird....
Orange Peel
Spliff house full of disco samples and dubby effects by YMC, deep house duo that had a relative impact on the chill-house crowd with their later LP 'Essentials' in Yoshitoshi. This is their first album, out through Source (*), a hypno-house + downtempo favorite of mine I unearthed only recently and listen to again these days with great pleasure. I have no knowledge at all of their nationality or anything else for that matter, so all clues are welcome.
Strangely, the repetitive parts remind me the more recent Workshop and Mikrodisko releases (without the occasional rough edges though). Or maybe I'm too bombed...
YMC - 1998 Orange Peel
Info here.
Stormwatch
Great album by New York's finest Damon Wild (see Synewave) and Dennis Ferrer (see Ibadan) in their short-lived Morph combo, caught somewhere between New Electronica's synth heritage and banging acid techno NYC-style.
Could say it's US trance, if you want. I say it's good times.
Morph - 1994 Stormwatch
Info here.
If you liked this one, should probably check also this and that one.
Remix Tomorrow Goodbye
Some more clicking minimalism from Force Inc., a compilation of remixes of Auch's 'Tomorrow Goodbye' tracks. Contains a priceless Farben track, plus many others of the usual FIM suspects. And although I first encountered Villalobos from his '808 The Bassqueen' (*), his contribution here is rather outstanding (the ending is pure acid joy) and surely was the track that established his name in my mind.
Auch is Ekkehard Ehlers aka Betrieb, one of Autopoieses, etc, etc, etc.
Auch - 2001 Remix Tomorrow Goodbye
Info here.
Delay
Deep and dubby electronics with pop references (occasionally bordering on the mainstream lounge sound) from Anders Remmer, more famous from his later City Centre Offices releases. Out in danish Flex's FX sublabel, this is his last pre-CCO album.
Dub Tractor - 2000 Delay
Info here.
Sometimes it drives me crazy how expensive some records can be - records I consider to be OK to listen to, yet not crucial enough to be characterized as 'classic releases'. This is actually one of them. I never blame the artists, don't get me wrong - always blame the sellers.
Born Again
A 2CD compilation of Sutekh reworks and remixes. Experimental electronics and deep minimal techno a la Force Inc., with that extra San Francisco touch. Out through Leaf Records.
Sutekh - 2005 Born Again.
Collected Remixes 1999-2005
CD1 - CD2
Info here.
His recent EPs are truly exceptional (I'm talking about this and that one), track them down if you're in for weird and banging stuff.
Secondhand Sounds
Compilation of remixes by Herbert - a simple guide to some of his legendary experimentations in pop, swing, house, jazz and clicks 'n' cuts.
I cannot recommend it strong enough.
Herbert - 2002 Secondhand Sounds. The Remixes.
CD1 - CD2
Info here.
Another Peacefrog record, by the way.
P.S. New rip.
Anyway, you'll find all his albums as streams at his site...
Technomajikal
Dub's most revered crazy Lee Perry meets beat pioneers Yello on a proto-techno & reggae fusion (actually sounding like it was produced in 1992). Once more, out through ROIR records. Had it on mp3, still looked for it for a long long time. Just found it, so here...
Warning: NOT a dub techno affair.
Lee 'Scratch' Perry - 1997 Technomajikal
Info here.
Also see here.
Programmed
Some more of Carl Craig; this time his Innerzone Orchestra combo's album, giving us some live weird-funk jazzy electronic vibes to enjoy and think about. Also out in a 5x10" box, through soulful d'n'b infected legendary Talkin' Loud.
It prooved to be his greatest step at the time - he later revisited many times this post-jazz sound and weird dance tracks with live (and live-sounding) instrumentation eventually became his trademark. Contains retakes on earlier classics 'At Les' and 'Bug In The Bass Bin'.
Innerzone Orchestra - 1999 Programmed
Info here.
Music Is Okay
Koze's first compilation of collaborations, remixes, etc. If you liked his recent 'Reincarnations' in Get Physical (and who didn't...), definitely check this one - it might even be better than the new one.
Didn't even know it existed for a long time, then spent as much more trying to track it down. In mp3 form only, so far.
DJ Koze - 2000 Music Is Okay
Info here.
'Koze' means 'vomit', if I'm not mistaken. Reminds me of Hell (who apparently got his name out of a faded Shell t-shirt), or Highfish. I like this kind of ridiculous nicknames, they show that the persons involved retain their punk sense of adolescent humor. That they grew out of a certain scene where a lot of close friends were involved. And that they never went for the big money and fame in the first place, they would have picked much better sounding aliases - see either true or fake names or scientific terminology (Drexciya & Co. escaped that trap only through their humorous, at times satiric approach of their own material and concepts).
So, more Vomit music here and here.
Stealin' Music
Classy, forward-thinking techno and electronic dubby experiments from Cari Lekebusch.
Another Svek marvel.
Mr. James Barth - 1998 Stealin' Music
Info here.
(Not really much time to write, so I'll just up stuff here without much. For the time being.)
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