I'm going crazy again. I listen to a lot of things these days and I like some of them, just not enough to feel satisfied. My musical tastes start to shift again... You'll notice it from time to time that I don't post that many stuff. Mostly it's because I'm out of time, but the problem just mentioned also counts as a factor. At times like these I grab on to some artists that inspires me (even a little bit) and go back and listen some of their older stuff - then I check again the artists around them, just in case I missed something, hoping they will give me a new direction.
In this case it was Move D. My respect for the man goes back a long time (Source releases here) and I can safely say that his recent releases in Smallville with Bejamin Brunn are some of the best stuff around (especially #8), as long as you're into deep stuff. And I don't mean the echospace[detroit] kind of deep (which irritates me right now, sorry) but the DJ Sprinkles kind of deep - some more of the best stuff around. Anyway, the hallucinogenic elements and audio quality of their recent releases made me reach back for some compilation or other and I came upon this one.
To make a long story short, even though this one went out in Plug Research it sounds like a Source record made in the States would. I mean, it combines those colorful post-jazz ambient and subtle electronics with West Coast's love for DSP processing and post-rock, either in a contrast or in parallel. Nothing extreme or groundbreaking, mostly relaxed and downtempo, it's listening music at its best. And got me interested again for Russ Gabriel.
VA - 2001 Intermission
Info here.
Intermission
LemonOrange
Mostly a compilation of their previous EPs in F Comm, this album combines Detroit aesthetics with the roughness of the french electro techno scene of the early '00s and house feeling - plus good production.
Their maximalistic approach might sound dated to 'modern' ears; full of synths and fat drum sounds, for the old school it'll be just great. They drew my attention with their stronger attempts; 'Illogique' is a monster track and an old favorite with its sick vox and its drive, 'Spanish Harlem' borrows from the NYC techno blueprint and 'Abusive Melody' and 'Anxious Boy' might pass for fresh remixes of Detroit oldies. The rest of the album is also an adventurous journey, including a post-disco burner ('Slow'), electro, vocal house, even downtempo breaks. The inevitable house factor (it's F Comm after all) functions as the glue that holds the whole album together.
I haven't managed to check their recent releases in 20:20Vision yet. The Ovum one is more of a modern house record; secretly, I hope to see them again dare a bit more at the electro techno front again.
The Youngsters - 2001 LemonOrange
Info here.
P.S. 2010-01-11. Their 2nd album is here.
Dromed
And here's the first Drome album on Kiff SM. Not so experimental and weird as other Friedmann records, still they're interesting and classy as very few artists can be.
Drome - 1995 Dromed
Info here.
More on Drome here.
Clock Wise
Another sadly overlooked k2O album (*,*).
The debut of Dennis DeSantis (also a percussionist, now working for Ableton) at first sounds more influenced by UK techfunk than Detroit techno, despite him living in NYC at the time and releasing in one of Berlin's phattest and toughest labels (see Kanzleramt). Then the loopy progression of the tracks and the clear, software based production shifts the attention towards Berlin; specifically towards this (almost typical now) loopy, minimal, bright techhouse/ techno style eventually adopted by most americans and canadians living and working there.
DeSantis' approach is a bit different, in the sense that he's more synth-based than the average 'minimal' producer; lots of rich pads and sweet strings and melodies over steady beats, his music brings in mind early '90s ambient techno loops mixed through Live, raised on a higher energy level. Neither sleepy electronics nor techno for pills; he manages to balance the elements enough to provoke interest without wrecking our ears.
Seeing how well artists of M_nus and similar labels are doing with their recent releases, this should be a world-wide hit...
Dennis DeSantis - 2002 Clock Wise
Info here.
The Final Corporate Remix Of The Unconscious
This is the remix version of an album posted earlier here, all remixes by Drome themselves. Just got it so no opinion yet, the first tracks sound great though.
Drome - 1993 The Final Corporate Remix Of The Unconscious
Info here.
More of Burnt Friedmann here.
Safety in Details
Possibly the best white male voice around. Or I just like Brits more than I should.
Richard Davis is really called Paul Davis, at times he was Junkie Sartre. Member of various projects, namely the prolific Circulation (with Matt Jackson of Subtech) and with many remixes around, he seems to easily make collaborations and get mingled in varied stuff, yet always keeping a low profile and a very respectable attitude (at least media-wise, I don't personally know the guy).
Though he started from the UK house scene and did good (at least Circulation were big), he moved to Berlin and twisted his sound towards a more deep and minimal, more melancholic direction. Swayzak easily come to mind, so it's no surprise they also published his 'greatest hit' so far, the excellent 'Bring Me Closer' 12". Yet his sound is mostly defined by his voice; sentiments and love affairs and loneliness over minimalistic beats and moody pop loops, all in a smokey FX haze. Some call it vocal tech house, I call it modern pop.
'Safety' and one magnificent 12" went out through the now defunct Punkt Music. 'Details' is (very fittingly) from Kitty-Yo.
Now he's in the group Dominique of Dial Records.
Richard Davis - 2002 Safety
Info here.
Richard Davis - 2005 Details
Info here.
Designer Music v1
A collection of Carl Craig reconstructions. Designer Music is also his alias for a couple of 12"s, based mostly on other people's samples. Chilled breaks, latin-flavored deep beats, proto-disco, early house anthems, all get the special CC treatment - deep, long and weird as always. A lot of these were standards in his sets back then (I haven't been able to catch him for ages...).
Carl Craig - 2000 Designer Music v1
Info here.
