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Name: Jakob Hauser Home Page: http://www.chordax.com Member Since: Apr 14, 2003 Rank: 3982 Average Vote Received: Correct (3.69, 13 votes) last 10 days: Correct (3.73, 11 votes) Rated 1782 releases, average: 4.36 Location: Vienna | EU Profile: 46, XY Alias: Feebles Mixes: Archive (Discogs) | Full list | |
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Laurent Garnier - The Man With The Red Face - 31-Jul-08 02:35 PM
Happy Birthday, Red Faced Man! This month it was exactly ten years ago that Laurent Garnier first played his eternal classic "The Man With The Red Face". If I understood him correctly the story behind this track is as follows: when Laurent was first booked for the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 9th 1998 he reckoned that since he was performing at a Jazz Festival he should play something jazzy and hence wrote a track for it - with Philippe Nadaud doing the live saxophone. As the two worked on it and eventually got to the saxophone solo part Laurent started teasing Philippe - "Weak! This is shit!!" - more and more to the point where the saxophonist got so worked up that his face turned all red from playing the sax so ecstatically. Apparently that is how this record got its name.
The track as such is clearly one of the biggest Dance classics out there - and that for a good reason. Not only does it combine elements of Jazz with such of Techno origin like no other, with its dynamics it also creates a very unique, emphatic atmosphere that could give almost any party that one special moment where everything just seems great. That bassline, those ride cymbals... simply wonderful. In fact I have seen "The Man With The Red Face" being performed live twice (both times at the Montreux Jazz Festival actually) and each time was a pretty memorable experience. Laurent (and the live musicians who usually accompany his live acts) likes to push the long build ups and endless breakdowns over countless minutes and to an extreme level that makes crowds go absolutely mental. I have never seen anything like it - and unfortunately Techno just doesn't do that anymore these days. What on earth happened in those ten years??
Visitor - Stop The Music - 29-Nov-07 04:38 PM
Just a sub-heavy bassline, crisp percussion and an efficiently simple synth loop. The classic Basic Channel styled dub-chords oscillating through the mist of the dancefloor, building something up... and then the kick drops. Only for a few bars, but enough to wake you up from your rapture. The beat kicks in again and takes you away. Yes, the title track on "Stop The Music" by the Visitor project definitely speaks the subversive language of rave.
Not exactly easy to come by these days, this well overlooked 12" by Mark Broom and Dave Hill contains some amazing music. While above mentioned track is finest Minimal Techno comparable to the works of Robert Hood, Convextion, Andy Stott or Pigon of Germany's Dial imprint, the Rue East remix of "Past Present And Future" is more percussive and faster. Think Claude Young, Jeff Mills or Ken Ishii in their best years, i. e. elaborate Techno with a distinct feeling to it. The kickless "Back In The Old" on the other hand is more a step towards Deep House. With its lush bassline and theme-like strings it tops off this excellent record.
Âme - 11-May-07 10:31 PM
Âme and the surrounding Sonar Kollektiv/Innercityvisions field undoubtedly triggered a true revolution in Deep House a couple of years ago, not only through their own productions but also thanks to the refreshing records they (and other people such as DJ Dixon) discovered and played. A very warm and melodic sound was brought to life, sometimes stripped down and dry, sometimes heavily orchestrated and emotive. Deep House, whose image had been somewhat suffering in Europe among younger people, suddenly changed from being reputedly boring "lounge" muzak that many people just smiled at - to utterly fresh and funky dance music, grown up and serious yet forward thinking and playful.
But not just that - looking at their playlists and compilations you will notice that also many an obscure Disco, Ambient, Modern Classical or Old School House track has experienced rejuvenation through these people and perfectly integrated into the current Deep House scenery. Everybody who's heard Kristian Beyer or Frank Wiedemann DJ will probably appreciate their sets' contemplative side where plays of Steve Reich compositions are nothing unusual.
Brief, these guys are icons. Yet I am slightly concerned about Âme's future: their sound is already perfect and maximally elaborated, all of their tunes are massively popular and more or less classics. What else is there to express in their current style? Well, in my opinion: nothing. Their last major studio release (which on a side note is already eight months old) was a simple and beautiful, slightly melancholic remix of Dennis Ferrer's and Jerome Sydenham's "Timbuktu" and would be the perfect final anthem for such a splendid musical chapter. Whatever it is Âme decide to do, I hope it does not involve settling down on their current success and sound, i.e. starting to produce formulaic material. That would be the easy way that many a talented artist has fallen for. Instead I hope they try and start something new. How about a more experimental Ambient album for example? Or, hell, why not give it a shot with a more mainstreamy project, maybe with a vocalist? Anyhow, those are only a couple of personal thoughts and I have no serious doubts that this fantastic project will live on and enrich us for many years to come. Big up!
Monolake - Linear Atomium Reminiscence - 11-May-07 05:04 PM
It's interesting that with this 2003 release, and the track "Linear" in particular, Monolake actually anticipated Dubstep as we know it today. Deconstructed sounds, beats fragmented to the borders of tangibility, an electric, almost unbearably tense ambiance... all this must sound rather like the latest release on Pitch Black or Planet Mu, but it's not. It's in fact four years old by now - and brilliant to that.
As if that was not proof enough of his genius Monolake here delivers two more fantastic tracks: "Atomium", which is typically creepy and industrial sounding, rather atmospheric Techno - and "Reminiscence", the latter being pretty much what it suggests, i.e. a tribute to the legendary M-series. With its subtle allusions to classics such as "Domina" or "M5" it could have just as well been a never released eighth part of the Basic Channel crew's Maurizio project without ever copying shamelessly or lacking of an individual touch.
Possibly Monolake's best 12" release so far.
Convextion - Miranda (Remixes) - 17-Mar-07 10:00 PM
Yet another Convextion record - yet another hype. How many months did they delay its release this time in order to gain attention? Four...? Yes, four months of unsupportable pre-release hyping and countless "OMG this has to be the best Techno record ever!" (p)reviews. Alleged limitation generated even more furor.
And now that it's out? Disappointment. As usual DeepChord try (and fail) to score with another poor attempt to sound like Rhythm & Sound. It's really not that hard to come up with something new and original, guys, so why not just give it a shot? Oh well, some will never learn it. But even Sean Deason turns the original into a boring standard track by relocating its emphasis towards a more prominent kickdrum on his "Psykofuk Remix" that lacks of any subtlety - and as if all this was not enough there's this dreadful Echospace version that completely takes the cake and embeds "Miranda" in a coffin made of meaningless post-minimal pseudo-Berghain sound. A mass product.
The one thing that saves Matrix Records from the ultimate disgrace is the original version of "Miranda", previously untitled and insanely rare in its original release. This, arguably best, track of Gerard Hanson's is predominantly characterised by a very alien sounding, reverberating chord that fades in and out over a hectic beat and generates a wonderfully sterile and alien, yet concurrently very touching mood. A true stunner, especially when experienced on a decent PA in its full gorgeousness.
Unfortunately that doesn't cover the fact that most of the music on this long anticipated release is dull and that Mr. Convextion seems to prefer collectability to quality on his recent releases. Poor overall record.
