Another bumper package of techno, house and electronic delights in our monthly music round-up for November 2020.
Krust – Anti Gravity (Masters at Work Remixes)
Krust’s ‘The Edge of Everything’ album was a triumphant return to form, ensuring him a place in many ‘Best Albums of the Year’ lists, as well as cementing his reputation as a drum & bass master craftsman. Continuing a working relationship that began in the late 90s, these MAW remixes are superb, harking back to their rolling deep house sound of the period, melding broken beat, deep house and cosmic jazz-funk to sublime effect across a vocal mix and a set of dubs and instrumentals.
Glenn Davis – Special – Ashley Beedle’s North Street West Remixes
The North Street crew turn in an absolute belter of a re-rub for Glenn Davis’ ‘Special’. A fabulously retro 90s rave bassline and vocal sample combo sit happily with a Detroit stab riff for maximum dance floor euphoria: bigtime new-school old-school vibes.
Malin Genie – KIAB
Excellent four tracker from Netherlands producer Malin Genie on his self-titled label. ‘Aventjin’ delivers pacey underground house, ‘Geast’ is a tasty slice of dub techno, ‘Amulius’ takes things a little darker while pick of the bunch ‘KIAB’ is a dreamy, gauzy deep house dream.
Mark Flash – ‘Hors D’oeuvres Vol. 1’
There are no aspirations to evoke dystopian futures here, no swirling abstract soundscapes, no found-sound or field recordings. Just three raw, pure techno tracks: deep, rolling machine funk.
Larionov & St. Theodore – ‘Thunderstrike EP’
Four tracks of quality underground techno and electro, featuring the grinding synth riff and 909s of ‘Destruction Wave’, the purist electro shimmer of ‘Never Forever’, an acid b-line matched with big bold synth chords for ‘Infinity Abyss’ and the broken-tech of St. Theodore’s ‘Cursed Dreams’.
Various Artists – ‘Rite of Initiation’
First outing from new Belgian label Forbidden Teachings featuring four separate artists NN, Mind I Matter, Antechamber and Nigh/T\mare, ranging from EMB-esque beats to dark ambient to raw dysptopian techno. On the strenght of this release, Forbidden Teachings may well be a label to watch out for.
Rebekah – ‘Last Summer’
Taken from the excellent ‘We Are Not Alone Pt. 2‘ compilation on Ellen Allien’s BPitch label, Rebekah turns in a slamming kick-driven rhythm haunted by an alien synth riff.
Bicep featuring Clara La San – ‘Saku’
A skippy, hollow-sounding future-garage beat, ethereal vocals and swathes of billowy warm pads – it can only be Bicep, back with another effortlessly classy joint.
Todh Teri – ‘Deep In India’ Vol. 8
Another EP of Indian cinematic re-edits from Mystery Man Todh Teri, with a little help on the remix front from Kone Kone and United Machines. Teri’s M.O. is to take old Indian Bollywood disco and cabaret tracks and reimagine them as contemporary dance tracks. ‘Sampadan 26’ brings a little acid flavour and sequenced synths to proceedings while Kone Kone’s ‘Sampadan 27’ is a party-friendly sample-fest matching a big horn riff with filmic orchestration. Teri’s ‘Sampadan 28′ and United Machines’ ‘Sampadan 29’ take things in a bit more of a disco-tech direction.
Albums
A Man Called Adam – Long Forgotten Oddities and Rarities Pt.1
A superb collection of rarities, re-edits and rediscoveries from one of UK dance music’s most enduring and creative duos, ‘Long Forgotten Oddities and Rarities Pt.1’delves deep into A Man Called Adam’s extensive thirty-year back catalogue, taking in downtempo gems and dancefloor monsters alike. Class, sophistication and experimentation have always defined AMCA and such is the case here.
Krust – The Edge of Everything
Bass techtonics, razor-edged breakbeat alchemy, deftly crafted abstract soundscapes and deep machine soul – ‘The Edge of Everything’ is a bold, confident musical statement.
Hot Since 82 – ‘Recovery’
Thirteen original productions make up ‘Recovery’, strictly 4/4, taking in a variety of moods and styles, characterised by high levels of musicality and an ultra-modern sheen. With appearances from Liz Cass, Temple, Miss Kitten and Rudimental as well as guest-spots from Boy George and Jamie Jones on ‘Body Control’, ‘Recovery’ is an impressve debut.