Various - 6th Element (The Missing Elements)

Altar Records: 2011

Okay, now you're just milking your concept, Altar Records. Even going for a fifth was dubious, but the nebulous idea of a classical element that consists of ether or souls or whatever ('love'? Arrgh!) has enough traction within pop culture to allow it. A sixth though? I seriously can't even. What's this supposed to represent, the substance within hyperspace? The singularity centre of a black hole? The whiskers that makes up Evil Spock's beard? The last digit of pi?

I jest of course. A year after Altar wrapped up their Elements series, they released this download-only bonus of unreleased material that didn't make the cut for various reasons, hence Missing Elements as a subtitle (and why it's getting reviewed with the 'M's – t’was sorted that way). Normally such releases don't interest me, but since it came included with the purchase of the Elements set, here’s my six pennies' worth of opinion on 6th Element.

First off, holy cow, but do these ever sound 'unreleased'. Okay, under-produced is a better term, but that's only in comparison to the strong mixdown Altar typically provides on all its material. These feel like a layer’s cut off, or even missing an ele- *slaps self*.

What I mean is, the production quality isn’t that far removed from the sort of tunes you’d find on small sub-labels of Israeli psy trance in the mid-‘00s. Come to think of it, DJ Zen started out on one such label, Sunline Records (Quebec based), which was an offshoot of Kagdila Records (California based). I can’t say I’ve heard of anything from either print, so I’ve no idea whether their mixdown standards were up to snuff with the Twisteds and Ultimaes of the time. What I can tell you is when Zen went proper independent with Altar, he must have gotten his hands on Aes Dana’s notebook of mixdown techniques. No sense on spending that extra studio time on ‘unreleased’ material though.

So the production isn’t as exquisite as the rest of the Elements series, but there’s still some cool stuff on here. Zen gives AstroPilot’s Inside The Harmony an eighteen minute ethno-ambient remix, which may sound daunting, but the original off the Solar Walk album’s even longer! At the other end of 6th Element is Asura with a track that sounds like Vangelis at his poppier moments, suitably titled, um, Vangelis. Everything in between runs the usual gamut of psy dub, chill, and prog, from regular contributors like Zymosis, Tentura, and Chronos, to first-time outside helpers like Elea, Suduaya, and Dreaming Cooper (Lord Discogs lists this as his only credit!). And man, are there ever some corkers in this collection, tracks building as some of the best prog-psy goes. The fact these remain strong pieces of music even without extra engineering polish goes to show Zen’s surrounded himself with some incredibly talented people.

That said, I wouldn’t bother with 6th Element unless you’re already keen to Altar Records output. More a pleasant bonus to their main series, this one.

Instra:mental - Resolution 653

Nonplus Records: 2011

As the '00s drew to a close, duo Alex Green and Damon Kirkham were gaining themselves a solid rep in the drum 'n' bass scene as Instra:mental. It certainly didn't hurt they found collaborative work with tech-step veterans like Jonny L and Source Direct, nor finding a home with trendy upstart labels like Nonplus Records. Then they found another future-looking kindred spirit in D-Bridge, set up their own Autonomic label, and pretty much created a whole new sub-genre within 'deebee's already convoluted mess of micro-genres. Despite being short lived cul-de-sac of a style, that's still a mighty impressive accomplishment in a scene filled with many one-off dead end attempts at new directions. Has there ever been an official name for the Autonomic sound? Eh, whatever, I'm still calling it microfunk because... reasons (hint: look in one of those Twitter links to the right).

With all that musical momentum behind them, a proper full-length album was inevitable from Instra:mental. What sort of music would they venture into? More of that tasty microfunk business as heard on their FabricLive 50 mix? A return to the jungle they built their early career on? Maybe some further venturing into post-dubstep’s experimental realm? Nah, none of that, guy. For their debut LP, Instra:mental set out to do nothing less than a pure Detroit techno homage, d’n’b fanbase be damned.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise, as their Nonplus singles skewed that way as it was (heck, the whole label does). Still, they kept one foot in the UK’s bass scene, familiar ground for those who’d wandered in from jungle’s realm. Resolution 653 has almost none of that, dragging the listener into 313’s domain of electro, techno, and its various permutations. That includes a little of that post-dubstep sound (Thomp, Rift Zone), which often took audio cues from Detroit’s lineage. Mostly though, we’re dealing with broken-beat futurism (Sun Rec, Arc, Love Arp), Hawtin-plonk minimalism (8, Talkin’ Mono), renegade warehouse techno (Aggro Acid, Delta Zone (Advance), Memory Implant), neo-Tokyo ambience (Waterfalls, Plok), and technobass (User). Holy shit, there’s actual old-school technobass on this album! Haha, Dynamix II represent! Yeah yeah, that genre was technically a Miami thing, but whatever – t’was southern bass heads doing Detroit, is all. And now London chaps too.

However, there’s a problem with Resolution 653. Well, two if you were expecting proper jungle t’ings from Instra:mental, but I sure didn’t. Hell, I wasn’t even aware of them when I first checked this out, only that they had this really neat looking cover art, and it was being billed as a collection of throwback electro. That said, folks well-versed in electro’s history likely won’t find much that’d have them abandoning their Anthony Rother records anytime soon. Instra:mental do the genre justice, and bring a couple tricks from their d’n’b pedigree, but for the most part they remain so fixated on Detroit’s heritage, it’s blinkered them from exploring any new avenues. And that’s disappointing for a duo that blazed their own paths leading up to Resolution 653.

Lars Leonhard - 1549

BineMusic: 2011

The title of Lars Leonhard's debut album comes from the flight number of a US Airways plane that was forced into an emergency landing in the Hudson River, on account of striking a flock of Canadian geese shortly after take-off (my nation’s second most annoying weapon!). What an odd thing to center an entire LP around. A track dedicated to the event, sure – French electro-pop chap College, for instance, has done the deed. Maybe even a lengthy composition in a prog-rocky fashion could have been attempted, but any more than that seems like excess. Odder still is there's very little on here that implicitly sounds like the incident is a source of inspiration. A couple tracks have Airline Announcement samples, and all the titles tell the story, though in such a vague manner, they wouldn't look out of place in different track lists either (eg. Altitude Error, Long Range Cruise).

Nay, 1549 comes across as a standard dub techno album with elements of downtempo glitch and upbeat psy chill. It's the sort of sound that's caught Ultimae's attention in recent years, which led to ol' Lars featuring on the label's compilations – and why I decided to check into his discography further, 'natch. Mr. Leonhard got his start on BineMusic though, a German label that's released sporadic ambient and experimental material over the last decade. Move D and Scanner are recognizable names I can drop that have found homes there, but I know little else about the label. And by me, I mean what Lord Discogs tells me.

Okay, enough back-history – how's 1549 itself? Yeah, it's a good album, with a strong narrative in spite of not actually exploring a supposed storyline much. That said, some tracks do sound like they were written as though intended for scores, especially so Fly By Wire, which builds with a cinematic flourish benefiting a Nolan flick. It does sell the notion Lars was inspired by a significant event, though the music could work as a score to any scenario where there's rising tension, climax, and all that good literary stuff.

Besides, these tracks work well as standalone pieces of music too. You have gray-screened ambient dub (Decision Height, Long Range Cruise), minimalist ambient-techno glitch (Clear Air Turbulence, Electromagnetic Pulse), groovy house vibes on the tech-dub tip (Altitude Error, Glideslope, Total Pressure), and psy-dub leaning cuts with a brisk pace (True Heading, 564 Miles Per Hour) – have I said ‘dub’ enough yet? It’s all classy, smartly produced, and earwormy enough that you look forward to another play-through, but don’t mind letting it linger for a few weeks either.

Yeah, that’s about my main quibble with 1549: its absolute perfunctory nature as a dub techno album. I wasn’t surprised by much, beyond discovering an intended narrative that didn’t quite translate into actual music; nor am I inclined to dig into Mr. Leonhard’s discography further anytime soon. Still, for a first LP, it’s about as solid an effort in this genre as you’re likely to find.

Aes Dana - Perimeters

Ultimae Records: 2011

Ultimae’s has four acts generally considered the label’s main roster: Aes Dana, Asura, Solar Fields, and Carbon Based Lifeforms (can Miktek be an honorary fifth now?). I’ve mentioned before that Mr. Villuis’ material doesn’t quite do it for me like the rest, but it took me a while to figure out why. His albums often lack big musical moments identifiable to his style, an element that can elevate an LP to George Takei levels of “Oh my…!” Asura will have a composition with stunning orchestral arrangements demanding of a major blockbuster, Solar Fields will have emotional high points that’ll melt your heart to mush, and CBL always find clever ways of making clinical ambient techno sound full and vibrant. Aes Dana though, I dunno. I struggle to recall any distinct pieces of music like I do MOS 6581, Sol or Halley’s Road.

For the longest time, I figured it was simply a case of Aes Dana lagging behind his compatriots in song craft ability. I mean, not everyone can be the best-of-the-best, and there's no shame in taking up the rear in a group of awesome talent – someone's gotta' play the part of Ringo, after all. Listening to Perimeters, however, I realized the reason for his lack of huge musical moments is entirely due to the style he cultivates. The dark, brooding synths, touches of gothic atmosphere, and rhythms owing some influence to trance's industrial roots - all great in creating a seductive mood maintained throughout the duration of an album's run-time. Shoehorning an epic climax or ear-wormy mega-hook would go against the Aes Dana stylee, and all the more power to Mr. Villuis for resisting the temptation to go outside that zone. It would only sound unnecessary and out of place.

*Phew*… it was a mouthful, but I had to get that nagging quandary solved. Hell, I still may come back to it with the next Aes Dana album I review, but I think I’ve finally got it covered why I do enjoy his music, yet always have difficulty recalling specifics. Okay, time to finally discuss Perimeters, then.

His fifth album, this one hints at a few new organic approaches to his style - opener Anthrazit has orchestral work, In Between features heavily treated pianos, and The Missing Worlds works a bit of acoustic guitar in. For the most part though, we’re dealing with an upbeat trance LP, tracks like Resin, In Between, Heaven Report, and the titular cut going at a brisk prog-psy pace. Most of the rhythms are rather clicky-minimalist too, though not to such a degree that it renders the music sterile – Aes Dana has more than enough evocative synths and pads at his disposal to ever let that happen. A few tracks start on the downtempo side before upping the BPMs, while others are content remaining in ambient drone’s territory. All said, a good album for those who like the dancier side of Ultimae. I know there’s a few of you out there.

Wyatt Keusch - Object-Relations

Force Intel: 2011

Poor ol’ Wyatt probably never had a chance. Getting a release on Force Intel (an IDM sub-label established during Mille Plateaux’s 2010 re-launch) would already make getting exposure difficult, but just take a gander at his album here - it looks like a Mille Plateaux release at Mille Plateaux’s Mille Plateauxiest. A title of Object-Relations suggests weird, abstract math-glitch, and having each track simply called Object doesn’t help either, to say nothing of the egg-headed cover art. It’s the sort of release where even latter-era Autechre would give a cautious glance over.

Of course, Wyatt Keusch’s debut LP is hardly anything as I’ve described above – well, mostly. Opener Object 01 is exactly as I described above, but it’s only two minutes long, so don’t let it dissuade you from checking Object-Relations further. Thing to keep in mind with Force Intel is they clearly had old-school IDM in mind, even if the artists assembled adapted many production advances into their sounds. That means, hey, ambient techno! Real, honest-to-God melodies; delicate, haunting beauty lurking within technology’s cacophonous assault. I’m overselling, aren’t I?

Can’t deny I’ve given Mr. Keusch’s work much regard, Object-Relations only receiving a play by random chance before now. I knew I kept it for some reason after receiving the promo, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember why, and as mentioned, the cover art wasn’t terribly inviting for a memory refresh. After hearing those nice ambient tones in Object 07, spritely bells in Object 08, and general bliss-out of Object 09, I’d say this album’s worth a listen if you can find it at all.

The rest? Yah, there’s a bunch of tracks prior to those three. Most of it is the sort of glitchy stuff you’re expecting, though not unbearable like some IDM goes. I honestly can’t tell if Keusch has sped his rhythms up to ridiculous levels, or micro edited them into infinitesimal pieces – neither would surprise me. Yet no matter how frenetic his beats get, there’s still songcraft going on with each piece/track/object, clear structure and progression in how things play out. Not my thing, but if you’re into the braindancier side of IDM, you may like Object 02-06.

Bonus tracks? Can a digital album really have bonus tracks? I’ll grant in the context of the album, Object 10 and Object 11 don’t really fit. The former’s got some weird trip-hop vibe going for it, while the latter seems like it should be on Lodsb’s album full of glitchy, orchestral breakcore. I sure like this mess more than most of the other tunes on here though.

Speaking of messes, I better get this review wrapped up. Object-Relations isn’t that challenging of an album to get into, but man did it sap my inspiration to write about. I feel like I’m trying to describe advanced calculus principles using music notation, and failing miserably in the process. Probably didn’t help I pretty much failed Calculus 2 as it is.

Various - Ambrosia: Selected By Fishimself

Ultimae Records: 2011

The possibility always existed it could happen, that Ultimae would somehow discover yet another A-Plus producer out there, or one of their regulars would find some untapped well of enthralling innovation. At this late stage though, having consumed about all there is in the label's back catalogue, I'd settled into the comfortable notion of Ultimae no longer stunning me with surprising excellence, remaining content with the continuous class they put out. Then along comes Ambrosia, and I'm floored yet again. How. Do. They. Do. It?

First things first: what exactly is Ambrosia, beyond the mythological reference? The year is 2011, and Ultimae had one of their biggest annuals ever: new albums from premier acts Aes Dana, Carbon Based Lifeforms (two, in fact!), and shortly Solar Fields, plus putting a proper capper on their long dormant Fahrenheit Project series. So the Ultimae faithful were more than sated by this point, and with Fahrenheit Project ending on a high, there wasn’t much need for a totally new compilation series, especially one featuring relative unknowns like One Arc Degree, Sygnals, Memphidos, Max Million and Miktek. And who even is this Fishimself anyway? Harris Papadimitriou, eh. Must be Greek. In fact, these other names sound Greek too. Wait a minute... Amborsia... ‘food of the Gods’. Oh, now I get it; this is a showcase of Greek producers with similar stylee to the Ultimae camp. *audience slow-claps Dumb-Ass Sykonee*

Only two of Ultimae’s regulars show up for Ambrosia. Aes Dana gives us another of his ‘industrial minimal trance’ tunes in Distant Industries, while Asura’s V.A.N.T.A. hints at what Enigma would have sounded like had Cretu started during the ambient-glitch era – and even that tune’s got something of a Grecian tone to it. Not sure if including Miktek as part of the ‘Ultimae regular’ banner is apt with this CD, since this was Mr. Aikaterinis’ debut on the label, though he definitely became a staple of their compilations ever after. He even gets two tracks on here, Light Trails and Ominous Ride, both in his now-familiar sombre style of spacious grey synth pads and soft downbeat rhythms. Guess Fishimself figured Miktek was due for breakout status among the chill-out promoters, if only given the chance.

None of this surprised me going into Ambrosia though, since I’m well familiar with these names already. Nay, what threw me for a loop were the other tracks, and how they helped add a fresh dynamic to the Ultimae soundscape. These are, without a doubt, some of the heaviest rhythms I’ve heard from this label. Opener Sub Strata from Max Million & Gusk alone has an omnipresent bassline grumbling throughout; meanwhile One Arc Degree’s Distant Industries almost dips into proper jungle territory by its end. The remainder tracks aren’t as rhythmically unique as those, but retain enough distinct grit between them they aren’t lost in the typical Ultimae soup.

Ambrosia’s a great little Greek producer showcase. Ultimae should do more compilations like this for other countries. How about Turkey?

Lodsb - lazer.eyes.love

Force Intel: 2011

When pioneering glitch 'n experimental label Mille Plateaux relaunched in the late '00s, it was swamped by several up-and-comers’ promos looking to join the roster. I mean, when you're new to that scene and hoping to gain prestige, what better way to do so than having a Mille catalogue number attached to your work? Turns out though, some of these promos sent in weren’t weird enough for ol’ Plateaux, but would serve as fine examples of ‘classic’ IDM (bleepy ambient techno, scattershot breaks, etc.). If only there was a label that promoted the stuff still. Since Warp went all shoegaze though, I guess a whole new label was required, hence Mille offshoot Force Intel coming into its brief existence.

So this Lodsb fella' got to release a debut album on the 'net label. The Lord That Knows All apparently knows very little about who's behind the moniker. There isn't even a name assigned to his Discogs page, despite two albums to his credit. Heck, the only reason I know Lodsb is of the male persuasion is because there's a picture of him on his Last.fm profile - still no name, though. Curse those IDM wonks making research difficult.

lazer.eyes.love primarily falls into the breakcore side of IDM, so if you’re a fan of Venetian Snares and the like, this is a good bet for you to download (it was only available as a digital album). The opener, Analogue Arcade, is rather mellow for this stuff, even settling on a pleasant house beat while glitchy harmonics weave in and out. Yeah, you aren’t getting much more of that beat on this release. Second cut Eve lets loose with the cacophonic rhythms, then things go down Squarepusher’s frenetic jazzy acid avenue for a few tracks after. In fact, the next number of tracks all kind of blend together, so short as they are and sharing similar aesthetics, if not actual musical content. It can get to be a bit much though, so thank God Lodsb cuts it back by track six (Bubblegum Hypothesis, if you’re wondering, but it’s not like IDM song titles are meant to make a lick of sense).

Apparently Lodsb has a background in orchestral music study too, which becomes apparent on tracks like Deer Ride, Juno, Rubiq, and Zebra, where arrangements are cut up to form whole new compositions. Heck, Deer Ride forgoes any spastic breaks altogether, and if there is any glitch trickery at play, it sure doesn’t make itself known, sounding as seamless as though Lodsb was conducting a one-hundred-twenty string section himself. Mind, it seems every IDM wonk has to show off his classical capabilities in such a manner, but it’s nice to have such music break up the breakcore on albums like this one.

Of course, music such as this remains incredibly niche, and if even the popular names in this scene hold little interest for you, I doubt lazer.eyes.love will sway your opinion on it. Cool as a curioso, but not much else.

Various - In Trance We Trust 018: Marc Simz

In Trance We Trust: 2011

I've gone on about how bad some of these In Trance We Trusts are, but they haven't been dreadful-bad or anything. Despite many stretches of misery, unoriginality, or boredom, I can at least get through them with some decent tunes along the way. This one though... Oh God, this one...

Not even ninety seconds in, and I’m hit with a full-stop breakdown. What the fuck was the point of those limp opening beats then? You didn’t mix from anything, Mr. Simz. Either start your set with proper rhythmic build to hook me in, or don’t bother at all – use an ‘ambient intro’ if you’re going this route. Fine, the main track is nice as an opener, but the next track after that has another full-stop breakdown. And the one after that. And after, and after, and practically through the whole bloody CD. So much for set flow. Here’s the start of a new tune, it stops, here’s your dithering breakdown and build, thump-thump, and moving on. And dear lord do these breakdowns ever go on. It’s like the worst of DJ Scot Project, but with plodding prog beats rather than pounding hard trance.

And I thought I’d heard some wretched ‘melodies’ in such breakdowns before. Saint X’ Gabriel has to rank up there with the most overblown Dutch synths victimizing my ears, made even more hilarious by the ‘minimal’ bloopiness that forms the rhythmic backbone. Give me the good ol’ days where Dutch anthems were just supersaw nonsense. Wow, how I miss those alre-

Ah, fack me, I didn’t mean for you to actually include those sort of tunes at the end, Marc! Virtual Vault’s really getting his System-F on with Freedom, Simz teams up with Geert Huinink for an orchestral breakdown-build that lasts nearly three fucking minutes, and Juventa’s As You Are is, well, about typical for the classic Anjunabeats sound. Guess it was alright for what it is, but not after such a pathetically structured set such as this one.

Man, even some of the tunes I kinda like have things working against them. Fefelove & Abramasi’s Try To Catch A Goldfish has strong, spacey trance elements in play, but are undone by a distorted low-end drowning everything out. Ruby & Tony’s Praya kinda tickles my ‘dumb-fun’ centres with its anthem and chopped up McProg vocals, but it don’t last long enough.

Ugh. In Trance We Trust 018 is a total turkey. I can’t imagine the series getting worse after this, but there is still one more to go. Courage, Sykonee...


Is this the worst CD of this reviewing project? Let’s ask the worst Street Fighter, Dan Hibiki, if it’s so.

Dan: “Hey now, don’t be like that. I’ve proven myself in the fighting arena, as I’m sure Marc Simz has proven himself in the DJ arena. In fact, I don’t even need to listen to this to know it’s the strongest CD of them all. Yahoo! Am I right, Jimmy?”

Blanka: “Aaroohoaahoo! (You go, Friend Dan!)”

Various - In Trance We Trust 017: Bobina

In Trance We Trust: 2011

Bobina is Dmitry Almazov, a very important person in the world of Russian trance. Wait, are there any others? I know plenty of Russians have made trance over the years, but beyond the occasional cross-over hit (hi, PPK!), none have made much of an impact on the scene at large. Not Bobina though. He got noticed by a few very important people in the trance scene of Western Europe, and gained enough of a following such that he’s consistently placed high in an online poll many folks used to take seriously. He must have blitzed his homeland for votes, and with no other heroes to support, trance fans of the Motherland dutifully came to his support, a Red Trance Army unlike any seen before. Sort of.

Anyhow, he got a record deal with the all-consuming Black Hole Recordings, and as such got a chance at In Trance We Trust. Unlike the recent string of jocks in this series, Bobina already had some experience in the mix CD realm, so we can expect something with a little more structure despite still being constrained by the same ‘play record label’s latest singles’ politics we always deal with In Trance We Trust now.

The first three tracks are vocal trance. Well f

The first track, Reverie by First State and ‘has some personality’ vocalist Sarah Howells, is kinda fun, only that it’s totally Real McCoy’s classic euro-dance tune Runaway. Whether intentional or not, I haven’t a clue, but you can’t hide that chorus from my expert euro-detection ability (the hook screams mid-‘90s too). The second track has a bored sounding Jan Johnston on it, probably because it was Cosmic Gate originally doing the production. The third track has Hayley Parsons on it, who’s done little singing of note so moving on.

Actually, we don’t get anymore vocals until Bobina’s own You Belong To Me some midway through, and hoo boy is this ever set-up to be the anthem of ITWT017. Most of the tunes before were on a proggy tip, some nice synths and atmosphere created but little in the way of rhythmic momentum. Bobina’s cut practically erupts from there with rolling basslines, ultra supersaw washes and such. Really, it’s copying the ‘big Tiësto vocal remix’ formula, which he does pull off, I must admit.

Some good epic trancers with lovely sounding synths follow (I’m warming up to that T.O.M. fella’), plus some utter wank ones too (oh hi, Carl B). As many of them have halting, overlong breakdowns though, it naturally ruins any musical momentum this set had going for it. *sigh* Nothing changes is this bloody scene, does it.


Bobina’s from Russia. Of course the ‘Red Cyclone’ of the former Soviet Union has something to say about it. What does that big piece of beef, Zangief, think of ITWT017?

Zangief: “Comrade Bobina does the glory of Mother Russia proud, making music for European masses. I prefer the classics, Balakirev and Mussorgsky. Night On Bald Mountain good for wrestling bears in Siberia.”

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Golden Era

The Council: 2011

Oh man, I'm dodging a bullet on this one. Golden Era is a three-disc album, but two of these CDs are previously released 'net-albums, including Funk Man, which I already covered. And really, the differences between Golden Era Prime and Automatik Statik are minimal, so I may as well treat these remaining two as one. Besides, who even knew Del had released another online album? Lord Discogs draws blank on it, and even RapReviews.com’s got nothing, so I suspect whether Automatik Statik even did get any kind of proper release beyond, say, Soundcloud or Hiero Imperium email. Someone was clued in, though, an enigmatic label called The Council, who not only finally gave Funk Man and Automatik Statik proper hard-copies, but yet another disc of fresh material, from which entails Golden Era Main.

This has been quite a run for Del, three albums' worth of material released in such a small frame of time. It's almost on par with his turn-of-the-century peak years in terms of productivity, but then he had a pile of different projects pushing him forward (solo, Hieroglyphics, Deltron... you know the drill). He doesn't have quite so much on the go now, but someone must have informed him the best way to stay creatively sharp is to keep producing, keep rapping, keep writing. And so he has.

While this does benefit Golden Era to some degree, it also comes with weaknesses. Lyrically, Del’s as sharp as ever, wordplay and stylistic enunciation on par with any prior work. Content wise, however, he isn’t saying much that we haven’t heard before. He’s the illest mofo in the rap game, check. He still cannot stand them wack MCs, damn skippy. He’s a funky homosapien, of course. Del’s lyricism’s always enjoyable, but more variety in theme is needed to elevate Golden Era beyond nodding “yeah, it’s dope” assessments. At least Funk Man had some minor running theme tying it all together, redundant though it eventually got. It almost seems blasphemous to think it, considering how much they often ruined many a hip-hop album, but maybe a few skits, interludes, or monologs would help break up the monotony of Del going on about his impeccable rapping skills track after track.

Meanwhile, on the production front, things have improved from Funk Man. Apparently Del’s still behind the boards on everything (there are no producer liner notes, even on the hard copies), and he comes up with plenty of memorable, funky loops (ooh, love that nod to classic Public Enemy on Raw!). Mostly though, the beats are there to serve his rapping, so don’t go expecting fancy flourishes beyond what he’s spittin’.

That about sums up Golden Era. It’s a showcase of Del doing what he does best, over the course of three CDs. You probably wouldn’t want to listen to the whole thing in one sitting, although they aren’t terribly long discs (Golden Era Alpha’s less than forty minutes long!), so you can breeze through ‘em on a nice summer day.

Various - Get Lost 4: Damian Lazarus

Crosstown Rebels: 2011

Alright, another confession. What's this one, number six or seven now? Ah, where's the point in having a blog if you can't unearth the shames of music-buying past. Not that I should be ashamed of this one, mind, it’s just when you cynically brandish a pitchfork against music review sites like Pitchfork and Resident Advisor, the last thing you’d want to be caught doing is actually paying attention to something they recommend. Yet in the year 2011, I was ridiculously out of the loop for new electronic music, almost all my efforts going into exploring the past. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to peruse some of the current material ol’ RA was talking about, take in a few samples of their ‘4/5 and higher’ offerings. Lo’ and behold, there even were a couple albums that sparked my interest enough to check further!

So obviously, this Get Lost 4 from Crosstown Rebels honcho Damian Lazarus was one of those releases. Yeah, I know, quite a surprise since I’ll rip into that whole deep k-house scene any chance I get, but this mix surprised me with strong flow and musical choices. The Get Lost series is Crosstown Rebels’ label showcase, though not a terribly prominent one. It’d suffered a four year absence before being resurrected by Lazarus himself for this instalment, yet as the label gained tons of positive press in 2011, it seemed appropriate to bring it back.

If you’re familiar with any of Jamie Jones’ or Seth Troxler’s output (and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t by this point), the familiar slow, bobbly bassline this brand of deep house likes is present, but used sparingly such that it doesn’t drag everything down. In fact, when it makes a return near the end with Art Department’s All Mine, it’s quite welcome, a sort of perfect capper to a dubbed-out little journey.

Uh oh... there’s that word almost exclusively used for prog mixes: ‘journey’. And yeah, Get Lost 4 does remind me of such a set, sort of a CD1 option if Deep Dish were still churning out Global Undergrouds. Dana Ruh’s Night Till Dawn has all the hallmarks of those early-‘00s ‘dark prog’ records, while Daphni’s Ye Ye works as a strong set climax (though clearly understated as the music in this mix tends to be). Maybe that’s why I liked this disc more than past experiences with this genre would dictate, holding a stronger sense of narrative that isn’t lost in druggy detours. Oh, they’re there – it’s Crosstown Rebels, they couldn’t escape their self-induced ketamine daze if they tried, especially following the success that was previous year’s Without You from Art Department – but it’s almost exclusively shunted to the bookends of this set.

There you have it, yet another shame of mine, yet I cannot claim starry-eyed youth for this one. Then again, it’s not like RA never hits the mark with good recommendations, but it’s still hard trusting a rag that changes tastes as trendily as that one does.

Various - Fabric 61: Visionquest

Fabric: 2011

*cover art brought to you Fabric’s “Bubbles! Fuckin’ Bubbles!” period*

And so we come to the end of the Fabric Project (on a budget). Perhaps I’ll do something like this again later down the road, as who knows what else may end up available for a pittance. Heck, I could probably find at least a dozen if I searched outside the Canadian Amazon sphere (at a glance, American Amazon has at least seven more under the fifty cent price!). However, I don’t want to get stuck reviewing Fabric mixes all the time. I’ve mentioned before they’re seldom all that interesting to write about anymore, and I’ve plenty other music I’m itching to get to.

So, who do we have to take us out? The American-based group Visionquest, a collection of four chaps that run the label of the same name. Most of their work entailed remixes, but as their output gained plenty of hype throughout the year 2011, it was only natural Fabric would come a knockin’.

And right they should, as Visionquest includes superstar DJ Seth “He So Crazy” Troxler! There’s also What’s-His-Face, Who’s-Its-Sack, and Lee. No, not Foss, some other Lee. Look, there’s a lot of Lees in underground house music these days, I can’t remember them all. Coincidentally, this is the second Fabric mix I’ve done that’s featured a DJ voted #1 at Resident Advisor. Does this mean I can eventually expect Jamie Jones’ Fabric contribution in the bargain bin too?

Anyhow, as Troxler’s a part of this mix, you can guess what kind of music you’re in for: lots of low, heady groove, occasional drug references, ‘come together’ soul proclamations, and oddball tangents to spice things up. The Visionquesters also provide ample examples of the music they enjoy promoting on their label: ‘underground pop’. Huh, to these ears, it sounds like dubby prog remixes of synth pop played at minus-ten, but that’s not such a bad combo.

Now for the problem with Fabric 61: too many jocks in the booth. Having an epic tag-team session sounds fun, and usually is when playing out live with a good four-to-six hour timeslot. For the concise mix-CD format though, you gotta get in with what you want, then quickly get out to let the next guy have his fun. Sure, there may be a few tracks when all four are operating on the same wavelength (like the stuff promoted by their label), but for the most part this mix doesn’t flow like that. Heck, it practically peaks with Cassius’ The Sound Of Violence, dropped not even a third deep into the mix. Some DJs would use such a moment to launch the set into a higher gear, but not Visionquest. Because they have a vision, taking you on a quest! Somewhere. I think. I dunno, the mix goes nowhere after that. Nice tunes though.

Was This Worth The Pennies Paid For It?
Probably. I didn’t hate anything, but the arrangement seldom makes this a thrilling listen either.

Various - FabricLive 60: Brodinski

Fabric: 2011

*cover art brought to you by FabricLive’s …“Seafood …On Face” period? What’s wrong with you!?*

So this throws the ‘FabricLive series features broken-beats’ theory out the window. True, there’d been a few others with an emphasis on house or techno before, but wouldn’t surprise me if the folks at Fabric figured they’d get a form-fitting set out of Brodinski, as his prior mixes often held ample amounts of electro and hip-hop. Nope, FabricLive 60 ain’t gettin’ that; just house, techno, acid, and …is that prog I hear?

I guess I should explain who this Brodinski chap is. Good question, as it forces me to look for an answer (yes, I was quite content to remain ignorant on this one). His profile at Lord Discogs claims he’s “the most exciting DJ and producer to explode onto the scene in recent years.” I think that was written sometime around 2008. Seeing how I hadn’t heard of Mr. Rogé until embarking on my Fabric Project (though I do remember that damned cover), it’s safe to assume that was a lot of bupkis. And even if I’ve just been ignorant of his success, it can’t be that much if his FabricLive entry - not even eighteen months old now - is practically begging to be taken off of someone else’s hands.

That said, if this CD’s anything to go by, I’ve missed out. Early in his career, Brodinski was getting named-dropped by the likes of Erol Alkan, Soulwax, and Tiga, and I can hear why, as his style suggests the same free-wheeling disregard for genre allegiance as they’ve often shown. However, unlike some of the sets those other style-benders have made, Brodinski exhibits a smoother flow between his jumps, almost to the point you’d swear we’re in the same musical territory from beginning to end despite the clear evidence to the contrary.

If anything, FabricLive 60 reminds me of, well, a live set, one played out at an ‘up for anything’ party. Want something bass heavy and groovin’? Brodinski’s got it. Want something fierce and jackin’? Brodinski’s got it. Want something quirky and goofy? Brodinski’s got it. Want something that’ll get your trainspotter’s g-spot all a-twitter? Yep, Brodinski’s got it (congrats if you recognize where the vocal in Riton’s Dark Place originates). Personally, I’ll take the acid cuts over anything else, but tribal murk care of The Soloist’s Samuel L. Session or shufflin’ Chicago house provided by T. William’s Hearbeat (UK funky? What kind of silly name is that?) may be your thing. Point is there’s variety on this mix, but it’s not varied for the sake of smashing a bunch of tunes into the set. Brodinski has structured his set with the proper ebbs and flows that makes DJ sets enjoyable.

Was This Worth The Pennies Paid For It?
Frankly, I was sold right at the beginning, with a brief, silly intro from Mr. Rogé that includes the phrase “let the beat control your body”. Yeah, I’m easily pleased that way.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part Seven

Ultimae Records: 2011

Who knows at this point whether Part 6 of Fahrenheit Project was intended to end the compilation series, or circumstances simply made it thus, but for whatever the reason it appeared that would be the final entry. Considering the highs it'd achieved, it also would have concluded on quite a limp note. No, better to do things proper-like and give the series a send-off it deserves. Well, one theory for Fahrenheit Project’s resurrection, after half a decade of sitting fallow.

First off, the cover art itself is something of a tribute to Ultimae of old. It retains the letter-box design (which’d been retired the same year), plus includes the circular graphic that graced many of the original covers before they were redone with new artwork (Part 3, which never received an update, also has it). And lo, Asura finally returns to the series. Oddly, most of the Ultimae regulars are absent: no Cell, no Carbon Based Lifeforms, and Aes Dana only provides his usual track arrangement. True, the latter two had albums forthcoming the same year, but it's a shame not to see them in any musical capacity.

That said, a few familiar names to the Ultimae legacy do crop up. The duo Circular had released their fourth album on the label, and Scann-Tec appeared on Part 6. Hol Baumann gets a credit as well, though it’s care of a remix on Final by a relatively unknown Max Million. A number of other established and fresh-faced acts round out the rest, including that AstroPilot dude again (I told you he was prolific!).

And the music? Chill, of course, though by this point Ultimae’s bread-and-butter was mellow prog psy and blissed ambient techno, and that’s the general vibe going on here. Heck, AstroPilot’s Memories Maze is incredibly brisk, almost breezing along at a proper trance pace. Meanwhile, Asura’s Millenium 3 does something I thought I’d never hear from this label: side-chaining. It’s not even subtle, that distinct pulsing-throb of pad work around the kicks front-and-center throughout the track. After hearing the technique abused by electro house producers and Markus Schulz disciples, I want to hate this track by default. As it plays through, however, I find myself enjoying it, sucked into Asura’s groovin’ little number. Of course, the reason for this is obvious: those other producers are shit, and Asura’s not.

All-in-all, Fahrenheit Project, Part 7 is a welcome addition to the series’ history. Though not quite reaching the highs of Parts 4 and 5, it easily stands on even ground with the early editions. If this does end up being the final entry, I can’t think of a better way of going out than with Solar Field’s OnFlow. It’s such an uplifting tune, forcing a silly grin upon your face as you reach over to the closest person to give them a big, sloppy hug; yet, a touch of melancholy permeates the mood as it fades out at the end. Sending Fahrenheit Project to the heavens, it seems.

Various - Absence Of Gravity

Sentimony Records: 2011

I bought the Fahrenheit Project collection back when it only included up to Part 6. Seems pointless, however, to do a retrospective of the series without also covering Part 7, so off to the Ultimae homepage I went to pick that up. Hopefully it would arrive in the mail on time to carry on here, and sure enough, it did. Wouldn’t you know it though, I went and gummed things up by buying more than just the one CD, forcing me to honor my alphabetical stipulation regarding new music. Don’t worry, folks, we’ll return to our regular Fahrenheits soon enough.

And what prompted me in picking up this curious little compilation called Absence Of Gravity? I’ve been jonesing for a follow-up to Tyler Smith’s Distant System album Spiral Empire for a while now, but unfortunately it appears the project’s been put on hold yet again. Thus, upon seeing a space psy-ambient collection among the third-party releases Ultimae distributes, I was an interstellar moth drawn to a spectral class O-Type star. Who cares if the cover looks a little corny, it’s just, um, going with a ‘90s retro vibe I bet. Yeah, that’s it! Send that CD on over, guys.

Absence Of Gravity has a tenuous theme going for it, something regarding the 50th anniversary of the first space walks. For the most part, it's stylistically similar to old Namlook records, so if you've felt the Braheny school of 'planetarium soundtracking' is too New Age for your taste, you'll be in fine hands here. There are a few psy dub trappings – how could there not be when acts like the prolific AstroPilot and dark psy chap Psyfactor crop up in the tracklist – but nothing that overwhelms the outwordly vibe going on. Instead, we get plenty of dark droning patches capturing the bleakness of deep space, swelling cosmic synths inspiring the grandeur of the cosmos, and the requisite samples of astro-radio chatter and scientific lectures or interviews.

Speaking of such, it's pretty cool hearing Russian cosmonauts on a few of these tracks. Mind, it'a not a huge surprise since this compilation comes care of the Ukraine-based Sentimony – no doubt many of these producers grew up following the Soviet's exploits into space. It’s refreshing to not run through the same ol' Apollo mission dialog nonetheless. And hey, Spectrum Vision brings us a tune titled Tunguska; funny stumbling across that so soon after Russia dealt with another meteor.

Somewhat surprisingly, Absence Of Gravity shows diversity even within its admittedly limited niche. I eat up space music like a black hole eats matter, but it’s a welcome contrast having a few Earth-bound moments like nature sounds in Reactive’s Free Search and ethnic chants in Chronos’ Endless Rotation (it is psy dub, after all). There’s pure ambient noodling early on the CD, brisk chill-out in the middle, and even spacey electro near the end. Overall, a solid collection of downtempo for those who agree space is the place.

Now, about that Distant System follow-up…

Various - DJ-Kicks: Scuba

Studio !K7: 2011

Okay, I'll admit it: I barely paid attention to current electronic artists throughout 2011. Sure, I kept an eye on musical trends and the like, but as for following recommendation lists of what I “should” be listening to, I couldn't be bothered. Having been burned once too often by another minimal-wank/k-hole-house/wayward-dubstep production on such lists, you can forgive me for being wary. This Scuba fella' though, there's been some uproar recently over his latest offerings, as they've started skewing towards the party vibes that made turn-of-the-century dance music so much fun. It's also delightfully pissed off his entire original “post-dubstep are serious musics” followers. On that basis, I think Mr. Rose deserves a look-see, starting with his DJ-Kicks offering.

Credit to Studio !K7 for their ability of hopping on bandwagons with class. The fusion of techno and dubstep gained quite a bit of traction after acts like 2472 opened the gate to that road (I called it 'atmospheric dubstep' at the time), and bringing in names like Kode9, Scuba, and Photek definitely helped give the sub-genre more exposure. Whether it'll be just another flirtation before going back to proper broken-beats again, I don't know, but we may as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Taking a look at the tracklist, we have... thirty-two!? Oh, it's one of those mixes, isn't it, with quick mixes, layering, edits, loops... *sigh*. It's fun when mash-up jocks like 2 Many DJs pull it off, but can get tediously dry and technical when techno chaps do this. What about the dubstep dorks, then?

Scoobs's gained prominence within dubstep's borders, but there's a decided lack of it on this mix. Plenty of broken beats, sure, but nothing that makes me think of UK urban music. I'm not talking about the Americanization of the genre either, unless you count the Detroit influences. This is techno, through-and-through, with skillful hops between steady fours and stuttered rhythms. You'd hear the likes of Carl Craig or Laurent Garnier dabbling in such beats, almost a jazz fusion approach, but without the wanky side of it.

Or maybe some of these tracks do, but we don't get to dwell on them long enough to find out. Since I never kept up with this style of music, I’m unfamiliar with most of these cuts, and am not sure how skillfully Scuba manipulates them to serve the mix. What I can tell you is it never falters, fresh sonic twists and rhythmic turns throughout making this an engaging listen, though one that doesn’t seem to have dancefloors in mind (yo, where the bass be at, mang?).

Scratch that, there was a “th’fuk?” moment, with Ludovic Vendi’s Mental Bright, one of those annoying effects-drenched techno cuts that, yeah, sounds cool but are total momentum killers every time. As a perfect counter-point, Scuba follows that up with his own Adrenaline, a glorious, unashamed anthem. Haha, flee, melody haters, flee! Thumbs up for that, Scuba, and the rest of this mix ain’t half-bad either.