New Release / Invasion Of The Mysteron Killer Sounds
August 4, 2011
I read the other day that Prince went into Sounds Of The Universe to buy a few DVD’s in his lunch break (true that) and there probably isn’t a better record store in London for him to visit. Nicole from the shop, who served him, said ‘I was a bit shocked. I thought he might be a lookalike and when he came towards me I saw it was Prince. He was very low key, just with another guy. He bought four DVDs, including The Gospel according to Al Green, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, and the night James Brown played Boston. They are quite hard to get in London. He didn’t really say much, he just wanted some concert CDs. He was just wearing black, very polite, looked nice, said please and thank you, I was just very pleased to see him.’
See, how sweet is that? Anyway, Soul Jazz, the label of the shop, have a new compilation out called ‘Invasion Of The Mysterons’ which is a collection of version excursions in a modern stylee accompanied by a comic by Paolo Parisi. Its compiled by Stuart from the label and The Bug – both people that know their onions – and you can see the track listing above. All we need now is that Heatwave back again.
Bit of an iFeel round up here. So out now (I think) is the second IFeel Studio 12. You know the coup on this one if you are reading this. Its lovely music from across the water. Apparently an album is in the pipeline so we look forward to hearing more on that front.
IFeel Studio / Watching Stars Over The Rubicon Beltway
/ Soundcloud
IFeel Studio / Morgengruss III / Soundcloud
Also in IFeel news, together with Gatto Fritto and his Fritto Morto label, they are working on a joint release and first up is Gonna with a track called ‘ACDise #2’. All four tracks are belters. The main track is a hypnotic one that builds and builds, then there is another version from Swedish techno crew Skudge, a remix from Gatto Fritto himself and finally a lovely ambient track ‘Turn to Light’. It’s out September the 12th.
Finally there is another one of their super limited runs going by the ace name of Adventure Party. It’s fun time on the dancefloor and we love it. Keep your eyes peeled as I think its going to come and go pretty quickly. It’s out on the 22 August – 120 Hand Stamped Whites and then 30 special White Vinyl with lazer etching through LN-CC.
Test Pressing information service over and out.
New Release / Nebraska / Displacement / Rush Hour Recordings
August 2, 2011
I worked for eight years at a house label and still have a lot of love for the genre which is why it is nice to write about two house records on the bounce. Rush Hour are another label after my own heart with their work with Virgo and lets be honest the Dutch got house in a way that not a lot of countries did. Their clubs were always fun to visit and from the late 80s onwards there always a lot of synergy between the Dutch and English scenes. Anyway, we digress. I think this release is a double pack but its basically top notch house with something for everyone. It fits perfectly with the Running Back release below. Again no soundclips am afraid but check it on Phonica or Picadilly. Nice sleeve too.
[Apiento]
New Release / Suzanne Kraft / Green Flash EP / Running Back
August 2, 2011
Just got the new Running Back in and though I haven’t got my logic up so can’t give you any clips I thought I’d just give a quick heads up anyway. First track comes across like Loose Ends doing a house track and the others also have that sheen of quality. Its, as ever with Running Back, across the board goodness with heart and comes recommended. Get them while you can.
[Apiento]
New Release / The Kramford Look / 1970
August 1, 2011
This one is worth checking. An album played live with no midi and no samples heavily influenced by 70s library music from a team that have previously worked with Money Mark and Shaun Lee amongst others. It’ll be available to buy from your local online store, physical shops and of course at wonderfulsound.com from the 29th of August. Right on.
New Release: Call Super / Staircase E.P
July 4, 2011
I like this one. Worth the entrance fee for the Wire mix of ‘Nosebleed’ alone which has an understated, almost new wave vocal (think perverted Michael Hutchence gone shoomy), alongside a rolling deep electronic disco track. Tidy.
Call Super: And It Was (Excerpt)
Call Super: Nosebleed (Wire Mix) (Excerpt)
The Call Super E.P will be with all good stockists on July the 18th.
[Apiento]
New Release(s): The World Unknown Label (Naum Gabo / Franz Underwear / Neville Watson / Apiento)
June 22, 2011
World Unknown is a night run by Andy Blake of Cave Paintings/Dissident and Joe Hart of Bodyhammer and Bloc. It is now also a record label coming your way soon and we are on the second release (our does do more than what you hear honest). They have a way with words so I am going to pass this over to them so you can read what it’s all about. For more information on the label click here.
::
World Unknown is a monthly underground party held in a railway arch in Brixton, South London.
It’s a post-industrial pleasure dome full of strange and often exotic music that pumps and throbs and shimmers and shakes. The 60s and 70s vintage projector-based lighting and roomful of disco-fog adds to the otherworldliness of the night which is totally unlike any other club in London, and quite possibly the world.
Noting a distinct shortage of contemporary record labels releasing the kind of music that they play at the parties, organisers and resident DJ’s Andy Blake (Cave Paintings, Dissident) and Joe Hart (Bodyhammer, Bloc) decided World Unknown should have it’s own 12” only label.
Each World Unknown release will be a split-artist 12” and there will be six coming out in the first year of it’s life. Here are details of the first two, due to hit the shops in the first week of July 2011.
WORLD UNKNOWN 1
Release date – early July 2011
Format – limited edition 12” only – no digital release
Side W: Naum Gabo – Whop! (Excerpt)
The first World Unknown 12” kicks off with a slamming piece of prototype house from Glasgow’s Naum Gabo aka Jonnie Wilkes from Optimo and his production partner James Savage. Showing that a relatively low pace doesn’t mean any drop in energy levels and dancefloor pump power, Whop! cracks along like something from an alternate reality version of 1980’s Chicago. It’s as easy to imagine it rocking the house at Medusa’s or the Box as it is to envision it in the present day soundtracking some kind of bizarro fetish party or a particularly intense session at Berghain’s Lab-oratory. This is jacking in the true sense of the word.
Side U: Franz Underwear – Grauzone (Excerpt)
On the flip side Italian born Berlin resident Franz Underwear ups the tempo with a stunning piece of slamming European musclebeat. Shades of Ibiza 88-89 pervade here; the kind of pumping, chunky synth action, Teutonic vocal exhortations and vaguely menacing but ultimately benign vibe that sent thousands of potty European kids totally round the bend and changed the world of dance music forever. Fuse together ideas of glamorous open air Mediterranean nightclubs full of sex-crazed hedonistic Eurotrash, sweaty, strobey, smoky South London acid-house basements with walls of bassbins at one end, and your first decent E – that one so strong and clean that your brain nearly popped out of your head and ended up on Mars, and you’re getting somewhere near what this record sounds like. Savage, joyous and teetering on the edge of sanity.
WORLD UNKNOWN 2
Release date – early july 2011
Format – limited edition 12” only – no digital release
Side W: Neville Watson – One Four Green (Excerpt)
If you were to cut Neville Watson he would bleed acid house, he’d also quite likely knock you flat on your arse for having the temerity to wave a knife at him, but that’s a whole other story. For his first WU contribution he ventures down the ethereal proto-house boulevard. Jacking 707 patterns, a bouncing Juno bassline and outer-space synth lines take you into the upper atmosphere for a glorious airborne joyride. As ever, Neville manages to evoke those 85-89 feelings without ever sounding merely retro or like some kind of pastiche, something that many attempt but very few manage to pull off.
Side U: Apiento – The Orange Place (Excerpt)
Over on side u Apiento, the force behind the magisterially brilliant Test Pressing website (paid him for that one – Ed), chips in with a heartfelt homage to the new beat sound. Another testimony to the fact that a lower tempo doesn’t have to mean diminished energy levels, The Orange Place simply oozes class from top to bottom. Like some lost Ancienne Belgique classic it pounds and pumps along, building up the tension all the while until the quasi- Eastern refrain lets loose half way thru and all of a sudden a mystic portal opens up in the space-time continuum that leads all the way to Southwark Street in late 87.
For label and other World Unknown info email Andy and Joe here and for distribution enquiries mail here.
World Unknown are also having a launch party in Brixton on Friday 8th July. It won’t be the usual record launch party though. Just the usual WU faces, two bags of records, a smoke-filled room and a big black wall of speakers pounding out the pressure. DJs on the night are Andy Blake and Joe Hart of World Unknown playing throbbing electronic music for dancing™ from 11pm -6am. Email the chaps here for £5 list all night (ltd to first 50).
Our regular Brixton Venue, a railway arch far far away from the tyranny. It’s easy to get to by tube (Brixton 10 mins walk), overground (Loughborough Junct 30 seconds) and bus. The 35/N35 stops right outside and runs all night and day. Address will be sent closer to the time.
[Apiento]
Here’s the second one from the Golf Channel package. This one I’ve been looking forward to since I heard it on Phil South’s mix from Electric Elephant as it has officially the most balearic record I have heard in a very long time held upon it. ‘Needs Ending’ is pretty simple and potentially from a really shit record but in this format it’s fucking brilliant. Looped and lopped endlessly with fx kicking in towards the end to round it off, its simple, has a great balearic synthy flute sound and ticks all the boxes for me. The A side has a banger on it to for all the party people. Its cheesy to say but B side wins again.
Try To Find Me Vol.3 / I’m Dancer (Excerpt)
Try To Find Me Vol.3 / Needs Ending (Excerpt)
Thanks Phil South for sending them over.
[Apiento]
Release: Juju & Jordash – Unleash The Golem Part 1 (Chelm Is Burning / Chelm Is Dubbing) (Golf Channel)
June 15, 2011
Always a good day when the postie turns up with two new Golf Channel releases. First up Juju & Jordash with ‘Unleash The Golem’ which is more specifically made up of ‘Chelm Is Burning’ and ‘Chelm Is Dubbing’. Giving you a minute excerpt of these doesn’t really do them justice but its safe to say they are more deep musical journeys for the head and feet with influences coming in from Sakamoto, Can, Mr Fingers, Thelonius Monk, Ornette Coleman and Cabaret Voltaire. They’ve got a website so if you want to know more about the chaps go here.
Juju & Jordash: Chelm Is Burning (Excerpt)
Juju & Jordash: Chelm Is Dubbing (Excerpt)
[Apiento]
I keep meaning to write about the RVNG Intl label purely because whenever I get a mailshot it looks super interesting and it’s also the type of label I’d like to run (I mean look at the press shot above), but time always disappears. Anyway, it’s Sunday and I have some time so I thought I’d give a heads up on their new release.
FRKWYS Vol. 6 is their new release and features four pieces composed and performed by artists Julianna Barwick and Ikue Mori as part of a month-long installation at White Columns gallery, New York, NY. Ikue Mori is a member of No Wave anti-stars DNA and pioneer of drum machine and software improvisation, and Julianna Barwick, an artist recognized for loop-based vocal compositions such as the 2009 Florine EP and 2011 The Magic Place LP.
We’ll have to take their word for it on this one as obviously being in NY we couldn’t pop by but for the installation a particle-board cubicle was constructed and placed at the center of the project space. The cubicle wall separated Julianna and Ikue to their respective seated work stations, while web cams captured the musicians at work and play and became interactive projections. Sounds like the sort of thing we could do with more of in London.
With the world of record labels becoming more and more about how creative you can be, each of the improvised performances were cut live to vinyl via portable lathe. Julianna and Ikue met a second time three weeks later at White Columns and the four pieces of FRKWYS Vol. 6 include two performances from the first collaboration and two performances from the latter.
The LP is available in limited edition, packaged in thick black jackets with a two-color adhesive wrap. 50 subscriber copies come in leatherette jackets. All LPs come with a 24-page black & white zine featuring photography by Mayer and Rogac.
For more information go to the labels website here. Physical release will be available June 14th, with digital following on the 20th.
[Apiento]
Review: DJ Harvey Presents Locussolus / Locussolus
May 18, 2011
I woke up far too early so I thought I’d try and get through this growing pile of releases that I promised to review. As I’ve said I’m not a journalist so I won’t try to be this Harvey album has had the whole – what is it called??? nu-disco? balearic? – let’s settle for disco at this hour… Anyway, it’s had the whole disco crew with money in hand. The 12’s released to date have been ‘Gunship’/’Little Boots’, ‘Tan Sedan’/’Throwdown’ and ‘I Want It’/’Next To You’.
The CD has the following tracklisting according to the press release:
1. Gunship
2. Little Boots
3. Gunship (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
4. I Want It
5. Throwdown
6. Bloodbath
7. Tan Sedan
8. Next To You
9. I Want It (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas Remix)
10. Throwdown (Harvey’s Dub)
11. Little Boots (An Emperor Machine Special Edit Version)
So in essence this is a collection of the 12’s with additional versions from the massively good Emperor Machine (their version of ‘Little Boots’ being the perfect track to go out on), Weatherall, Harvey himself, and a new track in the form of ‘Bloodbath’ which I don’t think has been out before. I have to hold my hands up here and say I might have that massively wrong as it’s early but I think I’m right. Anyway, ‘Bloodbath’ is good. It’s a slow burner with a dubbed out guitar riff and fat synths that rolls along. Think soundtrack to a good f&cked up psyche movie. One of my favourite versions on the album is Harvey’s own dub of ‘Throwdown’. He drops the vocal and twists it all up dubbing it out and playing with the drums. According to the press release there will also be a hand stamped, Harvey designed white label (how do you design a white label?) of the alternate vocal Weatherall Remix of ‘Thickums’ and ‘Bloodbath’.
What can I say, you all know what this is all about. He takes disco in its various forms, sends it sideways through the f&ck machine and brings it our the other side via an Echoplex. And it works. It’s a good album. And one I hope that will take this music as a sound out to a wider audience as it got legs. I could imagine it sitting happily on Ze if it was still going which is high praise.
DJ Harvey Presents Locussolus / Locussolus is released on 13th June on International Feel.
[Apiento]
Review: The Revenge / Reekin’ Structions
May 18, 2011
Quick review of the new Revenge record which I said I’d review weeks ago (sorry Melissa!). I like the Revenge, also known as Graeme Clark, as he takes it out there in a bit more of a ‘Greg Wilson music for the masses’ kind of way. You know… There is no snobbery – just take it to the dancefloor and lets have some fun.
This is released on Dave Lee’s Z Records, someone I also massively admire for his ability to take it to the masses when deep down you know he’d rather be sat at home playing super rare disco records with his mates making bad jokes. Anyway, here’s the tracklisting as my review below won’t help you much with that and if you want an album that everyone can have fun too then get this.
Mid-Air: Ease Out (Revenge Edit)
Johnny Adams: Feel The Beat (Revenge Edit)
Sargeant & Malone: Love Message (Revenge Edit)
Velvet Hammer: Party Down (Revenge Edit)
The Joneses: Summer Groove (Revenge Edit)
Chapter Three: Smurk Trek (Revenge Edit)
Electric Smoke: Freak It Out (Revenge Edit)
Letta Mbulu: Kilimajiro (Revenge Edit)
Vance & Suzanne: I Can’t Get Along Without You (Revenge Edit)
Nel Oliver: Dream On (Revenge Edit)
Reekin’ Structions is in the shops now (I think).
[Apiento]
This one is my favourite Claremont release for some time. I love Crosby Stills & Nash to pieces so the A side ticks the boxes for me with its hippy Laurel Canyon vibes. It’s a lovely song and total grower. With more like this we could have our own balearic Fleet Foxes. On the B side Tiago comes with a twisted fucked up ten minute version excursion taking in kraut and balearic vibes along the way but in a truly modern style. It’s a fine piece of work and I’d love to hear him produce the whole album bringing it in somewhere between his remix and the original. It’s amazing and Tiago if you read this do us a mix of stuff that influenced this as I’d like to hear it right now. It’s a fantastic release for Claremont and ones that show its not all about acoustic guitars in their part of London town. Fine work Mudd. Buy it.
Torn Sail / Birds (Excerpt)
Torn Sail / Birds (Tiago Remix) (Excerpt)
‘Birds’ is out May the 4th on Claremont 56.
[Apiento]
Adam Khan is one of our occasional writers and here he is, as the title says, with a review of the new King Creasote and John Hopkins album. He’s also made a Spotify playlist to go along with the mix so check that under the review while you can as it’s all change with Spotify soon (cutting half the music unless you are a subscriber etc…).
::
This is a great record to get lost in. It’s only just come out a few weeks ago but already I’m evangelical about it. If you love half of the stuff on Test Pressing and in particular those mixes or artists celebrated here that absorb you then this is a great record for you. Previously I’ve written about great albums from the past that I treasure and wish to share with anyone who seeks the same feeling from records that I do. But as you know there’s no time line to really astonishing records, they don’t go in and out of fashion, they exist of themselves.
So what does it sound like and why does it triumph over the other avalanches of releases? It starts with field recording of a Scottish Café and slowly a muted piano seeps in subtly transforming into a vibrating echoing hum (“First Watch”). Slowly emerging through these sounds (a gentle combination of found organic and electronic sounds) is the delicate voice and guitar of King Creosote (“John Taylor’s Month Away”). I knew of him vaguely but considered him previously as one of the legion of born again folkies clutching a copy of the Band’s Big Pink and scratching a ratty beard. Yes, this is in the tradition of other dark modern/vintage records (a bit like those faux weathered tables you can buy which someone has gone at with their sister’s knit comb) but the electronic washes of Jon Hopkins add an angelic choral atmosphere (“Running On Fumes”). I’ve recently been singing with a group of 30 people and that feeling of being lost in a beautiful noise that you are making is so striking, maybe I’m particularly alive to this. “ Bubble” and John Taylor’s Month Away remind me of the scene in “O Brother Where Art Thou?” where the characters stumble in the morning into a baptism by the river, where the white clad congregation pick their way through the woods slowly adding their voices to “Down to the River To Pray” which slowly builds.
I particularly like “Bats In The Attic” because of the female voice that joins the King which is just magical. I’ve listened to this record about 15 or so times and it just runs in and out of my consciousness. The best time to listen I’ve found is late night or early in the morning as I walk through the woods near my house especially on the recent bright light mornings. Others have compared this to Talk Talk’s “Spirit of Eden” which is not wrong but I’ve always felt there was a coldness at the heart of that record, in that every piano note seems to be have recorded separately and then placed down like a exhibit with white gloves. Great care but no emotional warm. This record has much more warmth and it ebbs and flows so naturally that I don’t know where it ends and where the background sounds of real life start. Honestly, I’ve had to take my headphones off at points to check whether sounds are creeping in from the day or from the record. That’s a beautiful form of disorientation and for that reason alone I recommend this record to you. This is a great record to get lost in. Let us know if you agree.
Here’s a playlist to go along with the mix.
[Adam K]
New Release: Coyote / Always E.P (Needwant)
April 16, 2011
Following their release on International Feel last summer Coyote come again with another E.P of hypnotic slow mo electronic business for the Needwant label. You probably know Coyote – they run the tidy Is It Balearic? label and go by the names of Tim and Ampo. Here they draught Neville Watson (a man who seems to like the raw sound of machines and a squelch) in to take remix duties. For us the winners are Watson’s Dub and the hidden gem ‘Corona’ on the B side. Here’s some clips…
Coyote / Always (Excerpt)
Coyote / Always (Neville Watson Remix) (Excerpt)
Coyote / Always (Neville Watson Dub) (Excerpt)
Coyote / Corona (Excerpt)
The Always E.P by Coyote is out April 25th on Needwant.
[Apiento]
New Release: Wild Rumpus / Cloudhopping (Bitches Brew)
April 16, 2011
Wild Rumpus is DJ Cosmo” Murphy and former Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas. Apparently the goal with Wild Rumpus is to bring together disparate sounds such as disco, rock, surf music, blues, dub and country. The original of this one clocks in at 12 minutes and comes with a remix courtesy of our mate Mudd who cleans it up and runs with the melody (top work!) as well as an instrumental of new track ‘Tikkety-Boo’. Nice to see someone bending the rules.
Wild Rumpus / Cloudhopping (Excerpt)
Wild Rumpus / Cloudhopping (Mudd Remix) (Excerpt)
Wild Rumpus / Tickety Boo (Excerpt)
‘Cloudhopping’ will be out in May on Bitches Brew on 180 gram vinyl.
[ApIento]
New Release: Almunia Album (Claremont 56)
April 11, 2011
Woke up early with the sun still out from the weekend and put on the new Alumnia album that Paul Mudd had sent over and I’m happy to say it’s a good one. Perfect for late moons and early mornings. For me the album really warms up in the second half as more vocals appear and the tracks almost take on a Durutti Column / Michael Head (Shack/The Strands) sort of atmosphere. I heard it totally different to the press release which only says good things about the album. It stands on its own feet, is full of melodies and I’d love to see them make a pop album next time with pure songs and melody as they’d pull it off easily. Great album.
Alumnia / Kissing Time (Excerpt)
Alumnia / Moving Up (Excerpt)
Alumnia / Travel (Excerpt)
Alumnia / Until She Comes (Excerpt)
The album is released on May 23 with a limited run of 300 gatefold vinyl copies.
[Apiento]
New Release: Reverso 68 / Well Heeled Volume One
April 5, 2011
Reverso 68 is the studio based project of Pete Herbert and Phil Mison. This album is a limited edition release of some of their favourite forgotten balearic and disco tracks, as well as a host of previously unreleased Reverso productions. Tracks have been re-tweaked and dubbed for the dancefloor and it’s probably the best tenner you’ll spend for some time on anything of a balearic nature.
Here’s a taster…
Reverso 68 / Pacific Break (Excerpt)
Reverso 68 / Well Heeled (Excerpt)
[Apiento]
As many of you know, Stockholm DJ Mark Seven’s mix “Salute 2 – Reach Out and Touch Your Dream” was released earlier this year in collaboration the LN-CC crew. Everyone loved it (disc three is flipping amazing) and Mark has agreed to make the mix publicly available via a free download, which can be obtained here. Get it. It’s got ‘Friends’ on it by Ami Stewart which is always good.
In other LN-CC news, the chaps have just received a batch of Japanese import mix CD’s from a selection of Tokyo’s finest underground labels. Titles include the Japan-only Prins Thomas mix CD “Cosmanova IV”, a selection of releases from Cos/mes’s mix CD Label Sound More (more from them on Test Pressing in future times) and four titles from Chee Shimizu’s “Bedroom Archives” imprint. Genre-wise the spread is wide – ranging from house, electro right through to spiritual jazz and acid folk (ggod genre). Click here for more information. You know it makes sense.
[Apiento]
New Release: Todd Terje – Ragysh
March 22, 2011
More new music for you. From bonkers drum tracks to full on syncopated disco and a lovely beatless version excursion this one has it all. If we had a value for money rating Terje would get a hearty 9/10. Running Back now have a tumblr by the way so take a look here if you haven’t seen it yet. Anyway, back to the tracks. I always like the way Gerd of Running Back describes his music so here we go…
“Touched by the hand of Todd…Drumroll, please…New 12-Inch with original productions since…Ragysh, Bonysh and Snooze 4 Love…First edition comes in super nice recycling sleeves, second edition in not so nice sleeves… Trans dance from the Norwegian Chief inspector that is Todd Terje…Greatysh hypnotism, properysh beats and a lovelysh Terjerine dream to round it all off…Vinyl contains some hidden tracks and extra elements… Cannot stop listening to it… …Touched by the hand of Todd…”
Todd Terje: Ragysh (Excerpt)
Todd Terje: Snooze 4 Love (Excerpt)
Todd Terje: Bonysh (Excerpt)
Todd Terje: Snooze 4 Love (Version) (Excerpt)
[Apiento]
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