The Way Eye See

Late '90s techhouse, somewhere between Svek's minimalistic house excursions and the various US hybrids of house and techno, from Alexi Delano - who has of old built his reputation in creating soulful and deep tracks with dancefloor appeal and still releases quality stuff under various monikers, in collaborations and through various labels. This is an one-off project
through Germany's Plastic City, full of lush chords and groovy elements over tight and phat beats for house lovers with open ears.

A.D.N.Y. presents Leiva - 1999 The Way Eye See
Info here.

Ambient Ibiza

From Kenneth Bager's danish Flex, this is a compilation of downtempo tracks I'm posting mostly for the contributions by Lucky People Center (*), Dub Tractor (*) and the divine 'Journey' by The Gentle People (I think I have their debut somewhere...).

A couple of other known names in here as well, although many of the tracks barely escape mediocrity. And another unfortunate cover/title combination, by the way.

VA - 1996 Ambient Ibiza
Info here.

Welcome to Lucky People Center

I first watched the outstanding 'Lucky People Center International' film in a VHS copy, at about the same time I watched 'Modulations' (*) and 'Synthetic Pleasures'; at about 1999, I think.

I knew nothing of LPC, save that they were a Swedish collective. Took me 5 or 6 years to find out bits about them, and only thanks to sites like imdb, discogs, etc. The film was actually made by Erik Pauser and Johan Söderberg (definitely check his adorable site for more); some info here. Bringing in mind Coldcut's audio/video sampledelic cut-ups and musically focusing on fast acidic beats, the film is a trip around the globe, people-focused and compassionate. Using fast-paced editing followed by gentle breaks of stillness and heart-aching beauty, the film touches on trivia such as alternate states of consciousness, the importance of dancing and singing, the clash between free will and society's restrictions; and of course death. Human stuff, you know. I was actually planning on posting the film itself, when I found out that it's reprinted on DVD and it's available for sale through one of the the directors' shop. It's so good it'd be a shame of you to pass it by.

So, I choose to post their breaks influenced debut CD instead. But I still think that the 'just music' CD version lacks a bit when compared to the original video cut-ups; just check this one, then go to soderberg.tv, press 'Musicvideo', then 'LPC' and click on 'Rodney King' or 'Live In The World' and you'll know what I mean.

LPC - 1993 Welcome to Lucky People Center
Info here.

Everdom

Anders Ilar's debut on Shitkatapult, a deep masterpiece blending ethereal ambient atmos with contemporary electronics, rumbling bass and tons of effects.

Occasionally dark and introvert, this one is more appropriate for relaxing, thinking, mind traveling in general, than for dancing or coming down. And rather unlike his 12"s of the time (see that great Hydro EP); only 'Make Believe' follows the mini dub techno norm. It's a low profile work, but it grows on you; I liked the stylistic switch, gave it some extra attention and was rewarded accordingly. I'd say that in here are the roots of his later tech-IDM-ish excursions through Merck/Narita, Level, etc.

A free album and some mixes/podcasts here.

Anders Ilar - 2003 Everdom
Info here.

We Never Went To Koxut Island

More sweet electronics, this time from Boulderdash; I knew nothing on them except that I liked their cover, they were from Sweden and that they had released this one in Cologne's (unknown to me) Artelier Music, through its (equally unknown) Swedish sub Recordings Under Construction.

After a recent search, I found out they are Daniel Skaborn and Hans Möller, later of the Boy Robot project with M.Zorn and CCO's chief Thaddeus Herrmann. So, they seem to be related both to their local scene (see Unai-centered Audionaut(*)), as well as to Berlin's pop electronics usual suspect label cluster (Morr, CCO, etc.). And in this album, their sound stands somewhere in between; subtly building atmospheres and using mostly sweet breaks and moody melodies, they nevertheless pay serious attention in their sounds and programming, occasionally bringing a sense of d'n'b emergency through their complex rhythms and instrumentation. I would dare to describe its sound as a cross between Berlin's late '90s IDM and liquid funk.

An underrated record that probably got lost between name changes and failed labels. Try it.

Boulderdash - 2000 We Never Went To Koxut Island
Info here.

And where is this Koxut Island, after all?

Defender

Some more from Svek (*), a compilation by owner (I guess...) Stephan Grieder - see Air Frog, Birdy.

You should know what to expect by now; kicks in with breaks-based and deep tracks, later goes housey. Satisfaction guaranteed, and all that.

VA - 2002 Svek. Defender
Info here.

Galaxy

I know it's been a while since my last (real) post. Besides my problems with RS, I'm in a truly shitty situation at work, that hasn't really ended yet; if I disappear again for a week or so, don't be upset. So, grab a quick one.

This is a deep, occasionally energetic and definitely housey compilation by our beloved Svek (*); disco, funk and breaks filtered through their trademark nord-house sound. It's the unofficial number five in the Lords Of Svek series, which I planned to post in full anyway at some time (and probably will do soon). All the usual suspects (Lekebush, Dahlbaeck, etc) are here, so you should need no more recommendations.

VA - 1999 The Lords Of Svek. Galaxy
Info here.

Deeparture In Time

An early neo-Detroit classic, from swedish Aril Brikha in Transmat.

If by chance or accident you've missed 'Groove La Chord' so far, a) this is your chance, and b) you must be living in some parallel universe and read this through a hole in space/time, after all. The rest of the album is not so different, as all tracks are live takes and revolve around the same deep Detroit theme.

This is the second version of this CD; for some reason I don't know Transmat first released that one in 2000; a year later came this, with a different tracklist. As if only to confuse us, Transmat has also released an EP with the same name (with two out of the three tracks that aren't included here). Anyway, the track 'On And On' will be posted very soon (P.S. here).

Aril Brihka - 2001 Deeparture In Time
Info here.

Knockin' Boots

Cari Lekebusch and Alexi Delano teamed up to give us two 12''s through Svek (1,2), both of them together in the CD version here. Exquisite deep and funky house, techno infected and with a New York tint; top quality material, as should be expected after all.

More Svek records here and here.

Mr. James Barth & A.D. - 1998 Knockin' Boots Vol. 1 & 2
Info here.

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.

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.)

Stockholm

Jesper Dahlbäck's only album in his Svek nord-house disguise as The Persuader, a tribute to the city of Stockholm.

Must be beautiful, from what I hear.

The Persuader - 1999 Stockholm
Info here.

Observation #1: CD selling for 40 to 50 euros? WTF???
Observation #2: Clavia's NordLead definitely ruled the scene back then.

Rebel Swing

Erik Møller's first album under the Unai moniker, out through his own short-lived Nusond.

Though he became well known through his later ForceTracks/ DiscoInc. releases as well as his remixes, I believe this one has aged better than expected. It's rather easy to see his primary influences here (Berlin dubtech, electronics, disco, funk) and to hear his first attempts in combining them together to propose his sound - a sound that was to influence others towards a direction that only Luomo's debut had done before (*). Bridging nord electronics and the techhouse/ minimal/ dubtech/ tendencies of the time, he added an occasional (then missing) disco touch, while still shying away from his pop side (which he went to explored thoroughly after this one).

The real reason I prefer this record though is that even though he later undoubtedly bettered his production skills and reached higher levels in terms of song-writing, his sound became a bit homogenized. I mean, most of his remixes are similar to each other, he does similar tricks, etc. And even though I adore 'I Like Your Style', the vocals sound an awful lot like Phil Collins. Anyway, this one has all the advantages of a first album (variable material, desire for experimentation, enthusiasm), shooting at different directions at the same time and succeeding. Here you'll find dub techno epics, disco-influenced heavy house, even dubby 2-step beats, all in a nice tight package (a lot of NordLead sounds in there). Aimed for home listening and a smart dancefloor alike.

Unai - 2001 Rebel Swing
Info here.

Contains a slightly extended version of 'Brave Star' (*), a track I still play after all these years. The other Nusond vinyl I had encountered and passed it by - I remember it sounded 'too' vocal house to my ears back then. How I'd like to check that out again...

Waiting For Snow

Another album by Stockholm artist Peter Benisch (*,*). A Fax record from 1999, repressed through Ambient World in 2007 (that's the one I have).

More simplistic than 'Soundtrack Saga', it doesn't have the maturity of composition or the crispiness of production of the above mentioned epic; it's a darker affair, brooding on the edge of depression and claustrophobia. Its approach brings to mind other typical Fax concepts - all tracks feel like a part of a large session, analog lines morph around simple rhythmic elements. It also sounds a bit retro-primitive, I think it was intended to be this way though. But it's worth a try if you're into the Fax scene, certain tracks betray some quality elements to be further developed later on.


Peter Benisch - 1999 Waiting For Snow
Info here.

Btw, his first one seems impossible to find (and to buy...). If anyone has it, please let me know.

Broken Boys

So, these are the two EPs of Broken Boys.

Two brothers hailing from Sweden, Olof and Oskar, kindly shared them for us all and I suggest you give it a try because there's great potential here. Musically they lean mostly towards IDM, dub and sample-laden '80s heavy electronics (a la Sandoz), though many underground currents of the last decades can be detected at times (Detroit, indie pop, oldschool trip hop, acid house, etc), combined with DIY aesthetics which I really dig. I guess they could be easily swept upwards in the contemporary dubstep current, although their music is more introvert and personal. Despite a few occasional imbalances production-wise (or because of them) the outcome is solid and with personality, something really rare nowdays.


Broken Boys - 2007 selftiled EP
Here.


Broken Boys - 2008 The Kill-Off EP
Here.

Ena

Mikael Stravoestrand presents himself here as Vita, a name I learned from this Force Inc. release.
Though later he became famous by his own name for his ultra-thin and clicky experiments and lately for good but typical minimal techno, here his influences are obviously Germany's minimal classics of the '90s (BC, Studio 1, Mille Plateaux, etc.). Expressed through a rather clinical perspective, digitally distorted loops and scarce crispy drums combine to present an accurate glimpse of the future to come for electronic dance music. Even though to my ears it sounds a bit sterile, it has its moments. Mostly I upped it here as a postcard of the tendencies of the time (which have now become reality).
Currently, the Vita project is revived with female vox by Erika Alexandersson, who actually adds a lot to his music with her tender voice (check here), taking a deep house/ jazzy turn while retaining his minimalistic touch. They already did a release in Kindisch.

Vita - 2001 Ena
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Ignition Key

Epic/introvert, fierce/soulful, cold/tender, surprising/soothing, a masterpiece by Adam Beyer, the first release on his own Truesoul label. For me it may be the best european techno album of its time, Beyer took a turn here from the Drumcode blueprint, daring and establishing a distinctly new sound beyond clubland's needs. Comparable only to very strong releases coming from Detroit.

Also, Beyer is one of the best techno DJs I've ever heard.

Adam Beyer - 2002, Ignition Key
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Soundtrack Saga

Peter Benisch aka FPU of a previous post, released in Turbo this magnificent ambient album in 2001.

Actually, whatever I wrote on Traxxdata applies here as well, it's just the musical form that's different. Instead of electro techno pop, Pete Benisch chooses to mute almost all beats and focus on long pads, shimmering reverbs and simple yet beautiful melodies. His music still sounds melancholic, clear and you can almost hear the sound of snow falling outside his window as he composes these tracks. Nothing extremely new or cutting-edge here, for some it's just good chill-out music. For me it's an album that it's full and compact, with personal character and above all beauty. And it's a personal favourite. So here it is .

Peter Benisch - 2001, Soundtrack Saga
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Racer Car

I first heard this CD during my first trip to Germany, on my way back. In my mind it will be always connected with my short stay at the Frankfurt airport (as someone once said, airports are transient), with the runway passing by sideways and with the knot in my stomach from the rush of liftoff.

Most of you will remember FPU by the cover on 'Crockett's Theme' from the Miami Vice OST, which top-charted when remixed and vocalized by Tiga. Arguably one of the top moments of electro pop in this decade, the 'original' FPU version is included here. Released on Turbo, it contains all the power and sweetness and melancholy you would expect from a Swedish guy that makes music since the mid '90s, is a friend and collaborator of Adam Beyer and Jesper Dahlbaeck and releases under his own name incredibly beautiful ambient albums (promise for a later post). Putting aside the misleading introduction track, the electro pop feeling runs through the whole CD with arpeggios pulsing melodies and vocoder vocals, never becoming cheesy or anachronistic, most of the times driven by a fat nordic tech beat. 'Racer Car' and 'Waiting For Snow' stand out as powerful dance tracks, yet the album works also as a conceptual soundtrack theme of sonic and sentimental coherence.

Yes, this summer was awfully hot and too long. I hope it's over. I'm praying for Winter to come. Some snow, maybe.

FPU - 2003 Traxxdata
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.