Record reviews - July 2005

House of Black Dress I Wasn't Always this Way Gourmet (GOUR28) Taking no prisoners the 'Telectro' mix is first up. Through the use of a pneumatic drill it heads straight for the centre of your brain leaving nothing behind but rattling, rhythmic debris. Somehow the industrial noise comes together to form a captivatingly funked-up and robotic track. The 'Jak' mix is equally as strange and alluring. Imagine listening to syncopated techs inside a small nightclub where the walls are made of red jelly. Frequencies flounder and weave all over the place with no-where to go but straight back into your ears. It's a fine example of the current minimal sound which successfully encapsulates plenty of groove. There are many others attempting this sound but not achieving anything near this quality. 5/5 Tom Baker & Lawrence Mohammed La Diablada Wrong Recordings (WRONG015) TTR mag's other tech-house reviewer Tom Baker is back with his trusty partner for an even darker exploration than the last. Talk of 'dingy nightclubs' and 'crazy-assed music' are dexterously backed by wonky brain shaking bass. 'La Diablada' translates from Bolivian as 'dance with the devil' and from this it's apparent that Tom and Lawrence have delved so far into the dark side they may not come back. However there is hope! Paul Soul and Chris Smith come together as 'Soulsmith' creating a hip shaking rendition. Just the right side of darkness and with its chatty techno hats this mix will be favoured by pleasure seeking clubbers. 4/5 Robbie Hardkiss Get Up Hallucination Limited (HLT008) This tune is already massive in the clubs. Hardly surprising really as one third of the west coast Hardkiss outfit, Robbie has been on a roll for quite some time now. In 'Get Up' he delivers mighty fine summer-drenched rhythms. Described on the promo blurb as 'acid-funk' it's a unique tune yet it takes minimal effort to get into. Much like a comfortable pair of your favourite old sneakers. The other side a solo mix taken care of by Ken of East Coast Boogiemen. Bumpin and stripped back, he's made good use of Robbie's own vocal layering it over bobbing bass, jackin claps and crisp hats. Both tunes work superbly but in different ways making it an essential party tool for your record box. 5/5 Ilija Rudman Lies EP Red Music (RED004) 'Lies' is an electronic pop song with a housey edge lifting it above all the other mediocre so-called electro-house. In the original the vocal is sweet and seductive yet instructive making it more than adequate but I feel most will favour Edvard Kofner's mix. Perceptibly more solid with it's catchy groove and an abundance of assorted accents which sit well with the song. 3/5 DJ Junk Dr Mesh/The Phone is Dead Pancake (PANCAKE004) This relatively young label run by Grant Dell has released a roll of quality tunes. It is without doubt a tech house label but with so much funk and bump its theme is easily comparable to US labels Nightshift or Doubledown. Junk serves up some impressively ass-wiggling sounds in the shape of 'Dr Mesh' and appears to be hot on the heels of Brett Johnson but with his own individual stamp. 'The Phone is Dead' on the flip is packed full of percussion, a rumbling bass and Zree on telephonic vocals. A subtle acid line loiters loosely in the left speaker throughout leaving your brain hooked and gagging for more. 4/5 Thomas Blondet aka DJ Tom B Into Me featuring Apple Rochez Odds and Ends Music (OAE014) Hitting release number 14 is this well established Washington based label. 'Into Me' is a deep house delight made up of a phat synth bass hook and beautifully melancholic chords. It's either a late night player or a day time head bopper. Wherever it's played watch listeners as they become captivated by it's inescapable charm. Label boss Ken, of East Coast Boogiemen fame, steps into the frame in his 'I Got Deep Mix'. I get the feeling Ken doesn't want to spoil the theme as it's not too distant from the original, more like a subtle rearrangement than a remix. Although the percussion is different I can't help but think he could have done more with it. 4/5 Tom Gillieron & Asad Rizvi Quick, Call the King/Dual Reverberations Limited (REVLTD003) This twelve is a re-press of two sought after tunes. 'Quick, Call the King' from Asad and Tom Gillieron as 'Southern Comforters' came out back in 2001 so if you didn't pick it up then now's your chance! On hearing this epic it's interesting to note how the Reverberations sound has developed since it's early days. Several things have thankfully remained the same. The fundamentals of solid drum programming and tight arrangements has always been in place with nothing less than the the highest level of quality being produced. On the flip is a rare little gem. 'Dual', produced back in 1995 by Memory Tree, was remixed by Bushwacka! However this tune has never been released not unlike a vintage wine that has been kept to mature, until now that is. This tune sounds of its era but will drop well at a party at the right time and it's guaranteed to get the beard strokers curiously wandering over to find out more. 4/5 Adam B & Tom Golden Honey I've lost my Panties Southside Shuffle Another digital only label, Southside Shuffle is following the suit of many others making its music available only from the likes of Beatport.com and DJ Download.com etc. VR nights is a shuffling piece based on a latin beat. The sophisticated, jazzy organ chords and a sleepy electronic voice evoke images of a lively and exotic city scape. 'Firework' kicks off on a promising foot however it the bass needs a touch of boosting and there's an irritating peircing note which persists throughout. 'Light em Up' isn't anything too outstanding either. Lastly, label owner Pete Dafeet's dub take on 'VR Nights' is in stark contrast to the original. A heavy, big room bottom end has done more than lost its panties, it's thrown them away and is showing off how big and heavy it really is! A good release that is perhaps let down slightly by the middle two tracks however this crew is one to keep your eyes on. 3/5

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