Friday, May 11, 2018

Laurent Garnier - 30

F Communications: 1997

Though 30 is Laurent Garnier's second full-length album, I always think of it as his first. Or at least, the start of his musical kleptomania taking hold. His first album, Shot In The Dark, was a strict techno exercise, more a gathering of tunes rinsed out at his Wake Up club night. Upon entering his third decade of travelling around Sol, however, the famed Frenchman was itching to stretch his muse beyond dancefloor tools. A few smatterings of tracks across aliases nudged him into areas like house and trance, but there be broken-beats out there too, by g'ar.

You know you're in for a Serious Artistic Album when your opener is two minutes of minimalist, moody ambient. Deep Sea Diving certainly imparts a sense of dwelling among the Drexciyan fish-folk, though as it doesn't relate much to the rest of the album, comes off superfluous as an opener. Might have made for a decent mid-record intermission though.

From there, we get a few varieties of techno. Sweet Mellow D and Mid Summer Night get in on that freeform Detroit action, teasing out a steady rhythm for almost excruciating lengths, though when that kick hits, it doesn't stick for long. At the other end of the spectrum, we get Crispy Bacon and Flashback, straight-forward techno bangers, with the latter indulging a fair bit of acid too. Unsurprisingly, these were the main singles off 30, since this was the sound most folks familiar with Garnier would be after.

One track preceded those, an almost novelty limited edition records called The Hoe. It samples the line “She ain't nuthin' but a hoe”, looping and cutting it up into a ghetto techno cut that, save some simple strings in the back-half, sounds nothing like Laurent's typical output. Surely the Frenchman has more class than this in his music, though DJ Hell got enough of a kick out of it to provide a remix. And not just as a one-off, 'ghetto-tech' cuts also appearing in the form of electro in Kallit! and I Funk Up. Yep, ol' Laurent was getting himself in on that electro-revival just as it was set to blow up, though I doubt anyone noticed it here. Too enamoured by Crispy Bacon.

There's also a trip-hop outing in For Max, a little reggae techno-dub in Theme From Larry's Dub, a dash of deep house in Feel The Fire, an ethereal outro with chanting, drumming, and synths cribbed from Go To Sleep, plus assorted gimmick interludes, including what I assume is Laurent's child giggling in *?*.

As you can tell, 30 is an album that's all over the place, good tracks scattered among genre dalliances that have been done better elsewhere, including within Laurent's future discography. The tonal clash between some tunes is jarring, to say the least, and I'm not sure how The Hoe could have fit in with anything else here. Folks'll find 30 is best served as a bridge between two different eras of Garnier's production career.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Mist:i:cal - The Eleventh Hour (Original TC Review)

Soul:r: 2007

(2018 Update:
It's astonishing this remains the only album this group put out. They had nearly a decade to work on another, though with the passing of Marcus Intalex this past year, such a thing's a moot point now. Save a single digital EP in the year 2008, the project went quiet after the release of this album. Calibre carried on with his solo output, now a dozen albums strong, and Marcus put out a lone LP in 2011 called
21, but his passion remained with the DJ circuit, all the while maintaining his Soul:r print. Meanwhile, ST Files kept a steady stream of singles, but never quite hit the same heights of success as the other two players involved with Mist:i:cal.

Nothing else to add to this review. There's a little fudging of the genre demarcations - liquid funk was broad enough in those days that the flying high soul found here could fit the term - but
The Eleventh Hour remains a timeless outing of d'n'b for all you savvy heads out there.)

IN BRIEF: Doing it their own way.

On the opening title track of The Eleventh Hour, guest vocalist DRS is calling out all the corporate shenanigans of his scene. To the backing beats of what could be a long-lost Photek track, the MC seems a might bit peeved that drum’n’bass has lost its way, succumbing to the glitz and glamour of commercialization, sacrificing the heart and soul of the scene’s urban hipness of yore. Methinks he could be seeing the past with shades of a rosen-hue.

Yes, Pendulum turned the jungle scene on its head with one hell of a commercial breakthrough, but d’n’b had plenty of success well before then too. Goldie. Roni Size. EZ Rollers. Er... Kosheen. Hmm, apparently d’n’b’s credibility can ebb and flow with whichever name hits it big after all. However, I find it silly of DRS to be calling out currently successful acts of the dee’bee scene - if not specifically by name, then at least by association - when the very sound he’s spitting over was mainstream a decade ago. Then again, that material certainly was far more artistically credible than many current offerings from the majors these days.

And this is pretty much the sound you’ll come to hear on Mistical’s album. Comprised of Calibre, Markus Intalex, and ST. Files, the trio of producers have cooked up a collection of d’n’b cuts which mostly ignores current trends; there’s nary an ultra-aggro bassline heard, and style-biting from the Hospital Records crew is non-existent. Instead, they indulge in the styles which dragged the genre out of the underground during the mid-90s. This might have your Hooked On Nostalgia alarm beeping, but fear not, my friends, for Mistical aren’t rehashing the past, rather embracing what made those classic tunes work brilliantly when they were new.

So we have smooth dubby cuts like Mistical Soulution, City Life, and Amen Electric; atmospheric floaters like Time To Fly and Memory Jog; jazzstep offerings courtesy of Natasha; and urban stylings such as Stay Away and City Life (er, no points for predicting this reviewer's Ace Tracks, heh). Linking it all together is a warm gentle soulfulness that, frankly, tends to be lacking in much d’n’b these days. Yes, even the spirited liquid funk camps are guilty of this too, as they can get a bit caught up in bringing the bang to the party, lest they be left in the dust of their aggressive compatriots. Whether it’s Mistical’s aim to fill in this missing gap, or they merely prefer this sound over what’s hot and trendy, the trio definitely have managed to stand out from the pack because of their stylistic choice.

Further along The Eleventh Hour, we come across a track that may have all the junglists running for the hills ...or wondering if the right CD is still in their player. Dominick Martin (Calibre) has been known to dabble in other genres, but to have a purely dubbed-out house tune on a d’n’b album is a surprising and welcome idea. For a cut that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Swayzak DJ mix, Secret Love fits nicely in adding a bit of variety here.

Mistical continue their experiments for most of the final stanza. Add Break is an effects interlude; Eject finds the duo trying their hand at some neurofunk (and succeeding!); and the aforementioned Memory Jog will undoubtedly tickle at the old school dee’bee head in us all (and possibly fans of The Orb too). It’s quite an eclectic collection of sounds to close the album off, sounding very little like what came before.

Looking to close out The Eleventh Hour with that extra touch of class, Mistical bring in house legend Robert Owens to lend his vocal talents on Believe. The trio provide a sparse d’n’b cut to back the liquid funk favorite up, as Owens can easily carry the track on his own. And while he doesn’t sing about much we haven’t heard from him before (keep you chin up; don’t lose sight of your dreams, etc.), he does so in as fine a form as ever.

All in all, friends, we have a good little album here. Considering how dissimilar it is to much of what passes for cutting edge jungle, Mistical should definitely find themselves in a comfortable niche. A bigger question, though, is whether they have the chops to really stand out from the crowd, and perhaps even shake the dee’bee scene up a bit. Had you asked me that back in February when The Eleventh Hour was released, I’d probably have said “not much”. However, something recently occurred that has forced me to reconsider.

Marcus Intalex was tapped for Fabric’s thirty-fifth edition of their Live series. In the process, he came up with a drum’n’bass DJ mix that is currently being hailed as one of the best the genre has seen in years. Drawing upon many of the sounds Mistical utilize, it turned many heads around who’d grown jaded with their scene, claiming the sound is like a breath of fresh air in a stagnating atmosphere.

As I am not as immersed in the dee’bee scene to know if this is truly the case or not, I can still see the writing on the wall of what such claims foretell. Gaining exposure on a Fabric mix is big enough, but to have many bestowing high praise upon it in the process can only bring good things for the prospects of Mistical. Fortunately for them, they have an album in the bank that can back up any hype that comes with such exposure.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2009. © All rights reserved.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Banco de Gaia - 10 Years (Remixed) (Original TC Review)

Disco Gecko: 2003

(2018 Update:
No, I don't have the actual
10 Years compilation from Mr. Marks. I did, at first. I mean, all those classic Banco tunes, plus assorted rarities like the Jack Dangers rub of How Much Reality Can You Take and the Insect Intelligence version of Amber, gathered onto two discs and all. Of course I got myself that! Then I loaned it out to a friend. Never got it back, though to be fair, I didn't push him to return it either. It's not like it was difficult to 'get' the rare offerings again anyway (most of these can be found on the Rewritten Histories collections now), so I was fine letting 10 Years slide from my coffers. I may be a major Banco fan, but I'm not a completist ...he says while reposting a review for a 'completist only' compilation.

This review is pretty rambly for one of my latter-years TC efforts, probably 33% longer than it needs to be. It's like, whenever I got the chance to talk up Banco at TranceCritic, I didn't hold back one iota. The other reviews I wrote for the website -
Maya and Farewell Ferengistan - were absolute behemoths in word count. Thank God for self-imposed word count, though I'm oh-so tempted to break that rule whenever I get around to Big Men Cry.)

IN BRIEF: Ten years of tour mates.

For good and ill, the remix album has become an undeniable part of dance music’s legacy. It’s reached a point where they are not only expected, but even counted upon in some circles. I’ve seen several bemoan a lacklustre album-proper only to follow such sentiments thinking “hopefully the remixes will make this better.” Trance alone has several albums packaged with an additional remix disc, not to mention the endless follow-up remix discs for the bigger releases. Despite some of the positives that come with the endeavor - the odd time a remix actually does an original better, or rounding up rare and obscure remixes into a single package - far too often these CDs are cynical, quick money-grabs, milking an artist’s music for every potential penny. Ultimately though, remix albums for electronic music share the same status live albums from rock bands do: potentially interesting, sometimes brilliant, but usually skippable.

This is what makes a remix CD for Banco de Gaia even more peculiar. Toby Marks has consistently shied away from cheap commercial gains, so you really can’t take 10 Years: Remixed as such. On the other hand, it’s not like there's been a plethora of remixes of Banco tunes over the years, most of which are done by Marks himself. Despite some notable names being given the re-rub task (Oliver Lieb, Speedy J, Jack Dangers), the trend has been Banco de Gaia does the best remixes of Banco de Gaia. However, those were already included on the 10 Years proper album.

Which brings us back to 10 Years: Remixed - specifically, what exactly is this release all about? I suppose doing a remix album is justifiable when it’s in conjunction with a retrospective album, but Marks knew full well there weren’t enough in his back catalog for a proper CD. If such is the case, then how about brand new remixes of a bunch of classic Banco tunes? Sounds good to me, only there’s a catch: instead of hiring out big names or scene mainstays, Marks got in touch with a bunch of his musical associates from over the years and gave them carte blanche to go wild. And if you’ve followed his musical career, you’d know the man from the World Bank has had some wildly eclectic associates, though with more of a leaning towards the global-fusion dance beat (obviously).

I guess what I’m trying to say here is only hard-line fans of Banco de Gaia are going to get much out of this release ; par for the course when it comes to remix albums anyway. If you’ve read this far, then you’re obviously a fan (or incredibly curious), so let me tell you what to expect from 10 Years: Remixed.

First, the familiar. Even here at TC, names such as Eat Static, Loop Guru, and HIA (The Higher Intelligence Agency) have crossed paths (er, mainly because of a certain reviewer’s affinity for a certain producer who’s been tied to them), and as such the groups bring their trademark sounds to the tracks they got to remix. HIA turns the obscure proto psy-dub gem Soufie into a clicky ambient-techno piece, Loop Guru ramp up the ethno-dub styling of Sakarya, and Eat Static gives Lai Lah the psy-trance business, but also throws in a bunch of other samples Marks has used in other tracks (I Love Baby Cheesy, Kuos, etc.).

Meanwhile, other psychedelic and dancehall dub mainstays like Temple Of Sound, Zion Train, Dreadzone, Asian Dub Foundation, Future Loop Foundation, and Transglobal Underground lend their hand, with various results. Some are quite the reworkings, such as Temple Of Sound turning Drunk As A Monk from a kind of prog-rock stomp into a brisk neurofunk excursion; or Dreadzone giving the incredibly somber vocal version of Glove Puppet some rhythmic spring (Jennifer Folker still sounds gloriously tragic though). On the other hand, not much is gained or lost in Future Loop Foundation adding dreamy Balearic tones to Celestine, while Zion Train seems at a loss as to what to do with Shanti, providing a brief and rather generic techno -dub tune in the process (honestly, though, would anyone be able to top Marks’ brilliant Black Mountain Mix?); and what exactly is going on in Obsidian? Transglobal Underground’s stomp-dub go at Amber is ace though.

Now, the obscure and unknowns. Well, 100th Monkey isn’t exactly obscure - it's long-time Banco collaborator Andy Guthrie - but certainly not a name you’ll immediately connect with. Since he’s been familiar with Marks’ work over the years, it’s unsurprising he gives Sunspot a great remix - and it’s also a mash-up with Qurna! Elsewhere on the CD, old school industrial group Perfume Tree - here known as Veloce - does a respectable deep-trance rub of Heliopolis, which rates around the Shanti remix in terms of usefulness. It’s the hopelessly obscure Carbomb that brings us the most ‘leftfield’ cut, turning Drippy into a kind of thrash-metal thing - has to be heard to be believed, even more so that it actually works!

*whew* That’s quite the eye-full for the hardcore Banco fan, I must admit, but given the eclecticism and seemingly random order of all these remixes, it could not be glossed over. Well, it could, but that’s not what we here at TC are about. Where am I going with this? Oh, right… 10 Years: Remixed. There’s a few quality remixes here - see below for which - but this CD’s mostly a ‘completists only’ deal. Although it’s interesting to hear different versions, it’s primarily going to be Banco fans that will appreciate them.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2009. © All rights reserved.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Various - 10 Years Of Drum&BassArena: Mixed By Andy C & Grooverider (Original TC Review)

Resist Music: 2007

(2018 Update:
Called it! Okay, predicting the D'n'B Arena would still be kicking around for another decade wasn't hard. In fact, they've just recently released a
twentieth anniversary 3CD extravaganza! Well, 'extravaganza' if you spring for the limited edition collector's roll-out, including t-shirt, stickers, vinyl accessories, all available on their Bandcamp. What, I ain't no shill. Might be worth scoping out that 20th roll-out though.

A couple things are glaringly absent in this review. One, no Pendulum namedrop. Yeah, Andy C only used one track of theirs in the
Upfront Mix, but their influence is heard throughout his set. It's also interesting hearing early breakouts from Sub Focus, Chase & Status, Noisa, and T.C., who'd all go on to be huge stars in the d'n'b scene along with Pendulum. Andy C knew what was what back then. Back to the errors though, I failed to mention how much tech-step is thrown down in Grooverider's set. For the layman, the differences between darkcore, tech-step, and darkstep are negligible, but these are Very Important demarcations within the jungle scene, believe you me.)

IN BRIEF: Here’s to another ten.

A simple website dedicated to providing scene information and live sets of jungle DJs. That’s all it started out as. These days, the internet is flooded with such places, but in 1997 it was a rare commodity. Audio files were usually just too crap to be bothered with such features - the MP3 revolution was still a couple years away, after all.

Somehow, Drum & Bass Arena survived those uncertain early years, and is now celebrating its tenth anniversary. Chalk it up to the loyalty of the junglist massive (a slick design by the always reliable Designer’s Republic didn’t hurt either). The devotion to their scene is rivaled by few, and when they put their faith in something, they stick with it through thick and thin. Fortunately, the Arena has rewarded their loyalty over the years by keeping to its strengths and always providing fresh material for the online junglists to gorge on. The website may not be a major player in the wider world web, but it’s firmly carved out its niche and will undoubtedly be here another decade later.

So what better way to celebrate your resilience than to have a couple of the ‘deebee’ scene’s elder statesmen come in and make a DJ mix for you? Well, perhaps allowing someone from the new school to represent the ‘current’ set is one possibility, but that’s just a niggling observation. Andy C has proven quite capable of hanging with the young cats.

Anyhow, Andy gets to do the ‘Upfront’ disc, and upfront it is indeed. Right up front in your mutha-fuckin’ face! With that danj’a danj’a bass! Er... sorry about that. Listening to this gets me super-hyped, that’s all. The energy in Andy’s set is fast, furious, intense, manic, insane, and plenty more adjectives describing wicked crazy nuts.

Put in more stoic terms, disc one is simply fun jungle to have on. Although there is plenty feasting for the ears should you so desire, it kind of defeats the purpose of a set like this to only treat it that way; lounging in a sofa with headphones doesn’t do this set justice. Catchy vocal samples, frenetic beats, aggressive basslines, pleasing hooks: all winning ingredients for madcap parties. And unlike many jungle sets which tend to get samey-sounding due to unwavering rhythms, Andy keeps this one fresh with plenty of unique percussion arrangements, even at times throwing different time signatures into the works. I pity the house-head who attempts to dance to this.

Okay, so this is by no means a great jungle set. It does at times teeter off the rails with different styles of drum ‘n’ bass crashing into one another. Some of Andy’s DJ tricks don’t quite mesh. For a set claiming to be ‘upfront’, some songs are rather old. And similarly, I’m sure trainspotting junglists will bemoan about played out tracks (do trainspotters ever talk about anything else though?). These are all points one should take into consideration but if such factors don’t bother you, this is a solid set and should satisfy the dedicated and casual alike.

Of course, what point is there in looking back in the past with an anniversary release unless you also include a good ol’ ‘Classics’ set too? Well, perhaps the fact another classic d’n’b set is redundant in this industry, but that’s just a niggling observation. Grooverider has proven quite capable of giving the goldie oldies a proper rinsing on many occasions.

Anyone with a passing familiarity with jungle will recognize tons of tracks here. Valley Of Shadows, Champion Sound, Cutslo, Threshold, Alien Girl (also heard in a mash-up on the first disc, no less), The Lighter, The Warning: if you’re a junglist but don’t know these, then you fail, poseur. Heh, I kid, of course. I’ve yet to meet a junglist who doesn’t have a firm grasp on his scene’s history. Other EDM scenes could stand to learn from that.

For the most part, the ‘Rider sticks to that ominous, methodical form of jungle known as darkcore/step which was very popular with the less-mainstream crowds in the mid-90s. While far less frenetic than the stuff Andy C provided on his disc, it’s nonetheless great to listen to and chugs along at a good pace. He also throws in some older cuts when the genre was still in its hardcore roots, plus a token nod to the always manic ragga style at the end. All in all, it’s a well-crafted set but will probably be best enjoyed if you don’t have many of these tracks already floating around in your collection.

I suppose you’ve noticed this review doesn’t have a terribly serious tone to it. That’s because 10 Years isn’t a release that needs a thought-out analysis. It is, if anything, a self-congratulatory pat on the back by the Arena, and if you wish to join in the festivities, you’re more than welcome to. There’s not much new to find here but if you could use a couple more DJ mixes of old and new jungle, Andy’s and ‘Rider’s sets won’t disappoint.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2007. © All rights reserved

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams

Universal Motown: 2007

RZA was scoring movies. GZA was rapping about cars. Method Man was more interested in acting. Raekwon was holding out on the album everyone wanted from him. Masta Killa had a surprisingly solid debut though, and Ghostface was flying high, but overall, things weren't looking so hot for the Wu-Tang Clan. Then ODB died, and folks wondered if that would be the final wound that would end the hip-hop juggernaut. Fools. This, above all else, was the rallying cry to bring the Clan back together, in honour of their fallen brother. Proving all their doubters wrong that their time had passed probably wasn't a bad motivator either.

They had to find themselves in a bit of a pickle though. Hip-hop was a far different beast in the year 2007 compared to their '90s heyday. Crunk was now the hottest shit on the market. Meanwhile, Kanye West had almost single-handily put gangsta' rap to rest after beating 50 Cent in their duel of market supremacy (the infamous Graduation - Curtis showdown). Did the Wu have anything fresh on offer in this new world?

The RZA certainly did, in that he'd amassed an arsenal of instruments, offering more creative freedom than he'd ever had before. There's still funk and soul samples throughout 8 Diagrams, but unlike days of old where they'd be looped over a twitchy beat, there's more freeform funk going on here as instruments strut their stuff. It was a significant step forward in RZA's songcraft, though not everyone was entirely on board with it, Ghostface and Raekwon especially vocal about their concern over this change of musical direction for the Clan.

I can understand why. Musically, 8 Diagrams is a creative album, with plenty of strange, warped twists and turns of funk and soul coming at you. Unfortunately, it kinda' overshadows what the actual MCs of Wu-Tang bring to the table. Everyone sounds fine and all, some members more fired than their solo stuff (Method Man, Deck), though lacking much evolution in their usual topics of street tales, battle-raps, and livin' large. Plus, the bangers on this album don't go as hard as some of their classic material, tracks like Rushing Elephants and Wolves oddly muted for the energy they're trying to generate. The only time things get proper-Wu hard is Stick Me For My Riches, where Mathematics brings southern bounce to the party. Also, with so much musical exploration on RZA's part, the album doesn't really coalesce into anything more than an assemblage of tracks for their own sake. Aside from proving they were still kicking it, there's no real 'statement' being made about hip-hop at large by the Wu-Tang Clan here, as so many had expected

Ultimately though, 8 Diagrams is worth having just for the final track, Life Changes. Here, the Wu offer their final farewell to the deceased Russel Jones, one of the most heartbreaking pieces of hip-hop I've ever heard. You just ain't human if you don't feel something welling up from this song.

Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep

Gee Street: 1994/1997

It was the late '90s that I got into hip-hop proper-like, Wu-Tang Clan leading the way. Little did I realize that a seed had been planted for that interest a few years prior, with the Gravediggaz debut, the second rap album I ever bought. I wasn't after anything deep or conscious, y'see, but all the crazy, humorous, horror lyricism and super-funky beats of 1-800-Suicide and Defective Trip caught my ear like little other hip-hop music at the time. That's probably how most 'non rap-fans' buy their first rapping records, something that's more a novelty than anything reflective of the culture. Like Beastie Boys doing the cock-rock fusion thing, or blatant smut-rap like 2 Live Crew, or a 'nerdcore' outing from MC Frontalot, or a comedy offering from Lonely Island. Some may dig deeper from those entry points, but for most such 'themed rap' allows folks to dig on hip-hop without getting caught up in the scene's broader topics.

That's all I really cared about going into Gravediggaz. I had no clue that the group contained two of the biggest producers residing on the Eastcoast at the height of their creative powers: Prince Paul and The RZA. Hell, I didn't even know who these guys were when I bought 6 Feet Deep, much less the legacy they'd created in but a few short years. I only clued in to the Wu-Tang connection after listening through The RZA Hits, and realized “Oh! The RZArector. I thought he sounded familiar.” Also, how was Diary Of Madman not on The RZA Hits? Yeah, that compilation was mostly about Wu-Tang highlights, but damn if that single doesn't deserve being considered in conversation of all-time classic, creepy RZA productions.

To this day, it boggles my mind that Paul and RZA not only teamed up so early in their careers, added another pair of relatively unknown MCs in Poetic (The Grym Reaper) and Arnold Hamilton (The Gatekeeper) to the project, but that they'd indulge in the ultra-niche 'horrorcore' genre in doing so. Aside from Bushwick Bill's 'Chuckwick' alias, no one was doing this kind of stuff. RZA's movie influences though, they must have extended beyond old-timey chop-socky kung-fu flicks. Maybe a little Tales From The Crypt comics on the side.

And if the topics of bad ghetto trips, ultra-violent demonic possessions, hanging tabernacles from testicles, and suggesting various methods of suicide are just a tad too out there for your sensibilities, you cannot deny the music on hand is top-grade shit. Prince Paul handles most of the beats in 6 Feet Deep, running through sample-heavy funk, off-kilter soul, and headbangin' boom-bap (Bang Your Head, appropriately enough). Meanwhile, RZA's shouty maniacal rapping, Grym's smooth flow, and Gatekeeper's gruff voice all play wonderfully off each other (Paul mostly sticks to the producer's roll). This album is equal parts grim-dark and hilarious as fuck, without ever falling into parody like so much 'horrorcore' often does. Only a right prude couldn't get into this album on some level.

Friday, May 4, 2018

Hieroglyphics - 3rd Eye Vision

Hiero Imperium: 1998

Basically mandatory listening for anyone who figures themselves a 'true hip-hop head', though I wonder just how much weight such a proclamation carries in this day and age. Back in the '90s, the Hieroglyphics crew were one of the most respected underground collectives you could find. They were rappers who flirted with major labels, even found some minor success with them, but never compromised their integrity for that easy crossover money. They were thus dropped and forced them to go proper independent before they could release an actual debut with everyone involved.

3rd Eye Vision wasn't just the culmination of the years of hard work put in by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Souls Of Mischief, Domino, and Pep Love, but a mission statement that underground hip-hop could succeed on its own terms, supported by hardcore fans, with no major label backing sullying your vision. You had to work to find this music, and would be rewarded with hip-hop of greater class than what was polluting the charts. Heck, I only came upon this as a special request order in the music shop I worked for in the Canadian hinterlands, though the dude who wanted it couldn't pay the $30 for it. Me though, I had no problem snagging that CD for myself, after which the guy was quite sore about, but yo', I gave him a month to come through. Shit's too dope to just sit on our shelves unloved.

Of course, finding such music is now easy-peasy, so claiming righteous 'backpacker' cred in owning 3rd Eye Vision's a moot point. And as hip-hop has morphed and changed in the two decades since this dropped, does there remain much interest and necessity for an underground classic sporting some of the best MCs out of Oakland riding mint beats and jazz-funk samples while taking to task a culture long since removed from dated gangsta' tropes? Oh, you know that answer is a 'yes'!

The posse anthems - You Never Knew, The Who, Off The Record - are as earwormy as anything you might have heard from other rap collectives, each Hiero member proving just how part and parcel they are to the whole. Not that each MC doesn't get their own chance to shine solo though, each member given an eponymous short tracks to spit some bars scattered throughout the album. Hell, Del kinda' gets two such tracks, At The Helm a classic Funkee Homosapien sounding-off cut that ranks up with any of his best work.

While the album does run a tad long at twenty-one tracks, you feel it's warranted with so many skilled lyricists on hand. Heck, they probably could have done the double-LP deed, but considering every hip-hop artist was bloating the scene with such efforts, keeping things at a tight, sharp regular LP length was best. Get in, prove your point, get out, and reap the rewards as the hip-hop community celebrates your triumphant statement that underground rap could flourish in the new millennium. At least until crunk ruined everything.

Corderoy & U4IC DJ's - 3 Spirit (Original TC Review)

SPX Digital: 2009

(2018 Update:
Did I rush this one out back in the day? My saved file doesn't have an
IN BRIEF, nor the usual copywrite tag assigned to all TranceCritic reviews. I suppose I could use the WayBackMachine to find out, but eh, who really cares at this point what my Brief Byline was. Probably something generic, like so much trance was that year. Not this tune though, it stood out enough for me to scope a few more singles from SPX Digital after. Didn't hurt they were sending them to me as free promos either.

As producers, Dan Apps and Phil Collins (no, not that one) pretty much fall from the face of Lord Discog's records after this, but Corderoy's kept himself busy. He launched his own label called CDRY, has collaborated with a couple prominent names in this scene (Mike Koglin, Judge Jules), and released a steady clip of singles on various, respected prints like High Contrast, Enhanced, Perfecto... wait, didn't I just say he has his own label? Come to think of it, there's no mention of it in Discogs either, beyond his bio blurb. Guess it didn't turn out.)



Corderoy then. Ever heard of him? Probably so, (and it was Corduroy that J’ had previously covered, in case you’re wondering) as the brothers had a minor hit way back in 2003 with their single Sweetest Dreams. Like so many producers that breakout with a hit, however, they never managed to repeat that success, releasing singles in the time being without much fanfare. Along the way, the brother named Dale crossed paths with a duo by the name U4IC DJs. Comprised of Dan Apps and Phil Collins (to my knowledge, no relation to Phil Collins), the new-formed trio have decided now is a great time to start up a net label called SPX Digital. Which brings us to their second digital single titled 3 Spirit. Goodness, but is this ever a dry intro.

That’s kind of the problem here, though. The very names ‘Corderoy’ and ‘U4IC DJs’ come across as rather dry; they certainly aren’t names that leap out at you when on a tracklist. Heck, we even had a recent Corderoy tune cross TranceCritic’s path a year and a half ago, and I’m sure no one noticed it (J’ certainly didn’t, at least not enough to single it out). And to be honest, this trio’s brand of trance isn’t exactly the kind to grab your attention either, as it’s so easily lost in the glut of yearly releases. If you’re familiar with the energetic brand of uplifting trance that tends to bubble just under the surface of the playlists of your typical Tiestin van Schulzenyonds, then you’ll be familiar with 3 Spirit’s tone.

Fortunately, this track does have a few things working in its favor, such that it just might make more of an impact should it be placed in a trance set properly (re: not mashed in with a string of similarly-structured tunes). The beats are suitably driving; the lead hook is a subtle bleepy thing with just enough off-beat quirk to lodge in your head; the uplifting strings that keep reaching for the lasers at the climax are just classy enough to not have your eyes roll into your head; and, most important, the breakdown is kept rather short, with an actual beat used in the following build so you’re not left standing around waiting for the action to return for long. About the only proper complaint to be had with 3 Spirit is how over-produced the climax sounds, with unnecessary side-chaining gumming things up; it isn’t to the cartoonish extremes Carl B’s been known to go, mind, but is there nonetheless.

The remixes are a well-rounded bunch, with their own series of plusses and minuses. Friend of U4IC and long-time associate of John Flemming, Steve Birch cranks the energy of 3 Spirit up a notch, letting the bleepy hook rather than the uplifting strings dictate the direction of his remix; there’s even less time for breakdowns here, which is good, but Birch really abuses the attack and delay washes, drowning much of the track in gratuitous effects. Ben Gold, meanwhile, cuts out the crap with his ’Raw’ remix, offering a banger of a tech-track; featuring a killer lead synth that simply kicks you in the kunt and the bleepy lead in support, there’s actually nothing wrong with this remix. Finally, Beta Blokka opts for a housier route, establishing a blissy atmospheric mood with subtle pads. This was actually looking to be my favorite remix out of the bunch, but is sadly undone by their choice of bassline, a kind of silly, muted, speed-garage farty thing that clashes horribly with the benign nature of the pads. I can dig on the attempt to give the track some ‘deep bass’ menace, but not when it uses corny out-of-sync ‘wobbles’.

Overall, this is a decent trance single. While I can’t see it getting Corderoy to be remembered for more than a breakout single, much less lighting the scene on fire, competent DJs of the genre should get some worthy mileage out of 3 Spirit.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic, 2009. © All rights reserved.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Euphoria - 2 Days Away

Bipolar Music: 1994

Sticking with the ultra-obscure material, we are. Not as obscure as a 'proper' attempt at a DJ mix CD from yours truly, but I'm apparently the only dude on Discogs who has a copy. Except for 'tripleaardvark', who uploaded the album to the Lord's archives, and is looking to offload it for forty bones. That's thirty-one Liberty Dollars, or twenty-two pounds of Sterling – a surprising amount of money, is what I'm saying, for something I'm sure almost no one outside the Vancouver district has heard of. Hell, I only got it as part of another person's CD collection, and when you agree to take one CD of theirs, you agree to take them all. That is the Rule, right?

I'm not sure how this person ended up with such an album to begin with – friend of a friend of a family member, perhaps? Euphoria (the thirty-eighth iteration of the handle according to Lord Discogs) is comprised of Andrew Duncan and Greg Kisser. Mr. Kisser has gone on to be a CBC TV director, while on the side playing out classic bar rock in the band Curds & Whey. Couldn't find much regarding Mr. Duncan though, Google revealing a few Vancouverites with such a name, a couple with obituaries.

Whatever the case, this 2 Days Away album doesn't seem to have much to do with where these musicians ended up, save the same level of instrument skill they brought to whatever project they've done (I'm assuming it's more than this). Despite Mr. Kisser's current rock contributions, this is absolutely not a rock album. If the cover art had you thinking New Age, you're on the right path, though it's not quite in that scene either. Aside from a few songs, most of these tracks have that late-'80s to early-'90s soft jazz, muzak sheen to it. The hall-effect drum kits, the ultra-crisp piano and guitar tones, the flat production that has you feeling like you're listening to jingles while being put on hold from overseas call centres. Certainly this isn't the fault of Misters Kisser and Duncan, as the studio they made this album in - Dynamic Sound Production, according to the liner notes – apparently specialized in exactly that!

Aside from vaporwave sorts looking for more sounds to plunder, I can't see many folks getting down to Euphoria's 2 Days Away. Still, there are a couple notable tunes on here in how they at least attempt something more than soft jangle muzak. The titular cut is comparatively ambitious with chill Balearic vibes, ethnic chants, and samples of folks anticipating events two days away (new job, retirement, DISNEYLAND!). Memories is a pleasant enough piece of piano ambient with subtle pads, rainfall, and sounds of someone struggling at the writer's desk. Boardwalk is just sounds of folks playing a board game, while Chance And Thyme gets funky with its beatcraft. Well, about as funky as you'd expect from two Vancouver guys making muzak destined for late-late night weather reports.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Various - (~)

(~): 2000

TRACK LIST:
1. Delerium - Heaven's Earth
2. S.E.T.I. - Mare Crisium
3. One Dove - Transient Truth
4. Bindu - Light At Heart
5. Deep Forest - Twosome
6. Influx - Dreamscape
7. Lore Carson & Graeme Revell - Fall In The Light
8. Banco de Gaia - Touching The Void
9. Banco de Gaia - 144K?
10. Rhythm Method - Goa: Season Of The Monsoon
11. Young American Primitive - Expanding
12. Pentatonik - Movements: Part 2

This was my first attempt at an actual DJ mix CD, and boy howdy did I ever go gonzo with its presentation. Fancy fonts, super-slick paper, pretentious liner notes, plus multiple copies to hand out to friends and family. For I had a tool in my (roommate's) possession that would allow me to craft a collection of music on par with the Northern Exposures and Global Undergrounds of the world: a cracked copy of ProTools! Of course, I didn't know much about the software to do a whole heck of a lot with it, but it was enough to make long, lengthy mixes such as I'd never been capable of in my way early efforts with live CD mixing (before turntable mimicking jog wheels were much of a thing).

As I've not become some expert, famed creator of globally recognized mix CDs, this obviously didn't turn out as I'd envisioned. A glance at the track list is a good indication why. The idea was to tell a story, with each track a distinct chapter, alternating between uplifting and melancholic moods. In trying to appeal to two audiences (friends and family), however, I left both confused and uninterested with my effort.

The obscure, underground ambient techno sounds from S.E.T.I., One Dove, Influx, and Young American Primitive was too unfamiliar for the family folk, while my peers were disappointed by the inclusion of so many 'poppy' offerings from Delerium, Deep Forest, Lore Carson, and Bindu. Maybe it wasn't such a hot idea to sequence them in an “up-down-up-down” fashion. Maybe it would have worked if I'd had a larger library of music at my disposal. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

So while some choices are naff (really, Year 2000 Sykonee, two songs in a row from The Magical Sounds Of Banco de Gaia?), there are a couple clever moments too. I'll defend the mix between Twosome and Dreamscape to the day I die, plus that hard cut from Goa: Season Of The Monsoon into Expanding works great after teasing the YAP cut throughout Rhythm Method's build. And since my copy of the Strange Days soundtrack was lost in the Great Pawning Of 2002, this remains my only outlet in hearing that lovely tune Fall In The Light that closed the movie out. Holy cow, was that ever a great soundtrack. I should buy it again. Can't be more than a couple dimes on the used market these days.

Things I've Talked About

...txt 10 Records 16 Bit Lolita's 1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2 Play Records 2 Unlimited 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 20xx Update 2562 3 Loop Music 302 Acid 36 3FORCE 3six Recordings 4AD 6 x 6 Records 75 Ark 7L & Esoteric 808 State A Perfect Circle A Positive Life A-Wave a.r.t.less A&M Records A&R Records Abandoned Communities Abasi Above and Beyond abstract Abstrakce Records AC/DC Ace Trace Ace Tracks Playlists Ace Ventura acid acid house acid jazz acid techno acid trance acoustic Acroplane Recordings Adam Beyer Adam Ellis Adam Freeland Adham Shaikh ADNY Adrian Younge adult contemporary Advanced UFO Phantom Aegri Somnia AEI Music Aes Dana Aesthetical Afgin Afrika Bambaataa Afro-house Afterhours Agoria Aidan Casserly Aira Mitsuki Airwaves Ajana Records Ajna AK1200 Akshan album Aldrin Alex Smoke Alex Theory Alice In Chains Alien Community Alien Project Alio Die All Saints Alpha Wave Movement Alphabet Zoo Alphaxone Altar Records Alter Ego alternative rock Alucidnation Ambelion Ambidextrous ambient ambient dub ambient techno Ambient World Ambientium Ametsub Amon Amarth Amon Tobin Amplexus Anabolic Frolic Anatolya Andrea Parker Andrew Heath Androcell Anduin Andy C anecdotes Aniplex Anjunabeats Annibale Records Anodize Another Fine Day Antares Antendex anthem house Anthony Paul Kerby Anthony Rother Anti-Social Network Anzio Green Aoide Aphasia Records Aphex Twin Apócrýphos Apollo Apollo 440 Apple Records April Records Aqua Aquarellist Aquascape Aquasky Aquila Arcade Architects Of Existence Archives Arctic Hospital Arcturus arena rock Arista Armada Armin van Buuren Arpatle Artifact303 Arts & Crafts As If ASC Ashtech Asia Asian Dub Foundation Astral Engineering Astral Projection Astral Waves Astralwerks AstroPilot AstroPilot Music Asura Asylum Records ATB ATCO Records Atlantic Atlantis atmospheric jungle Atom Heart Atomic Hooligan Atomine Elektrine Atrium Carceri Attic Attoya Audiobulb Records Audion AuroraX Autechre Autistici Autumn Of Communion Auxilary Auxiliary Avantgarde Avatar Records Aveparthe Avicii Axiom Axs Axtone Records Aythar B.G. The Prince Of Rap B°TONG B12 Babygrande Balance Balanced Records Balearic ballad Bålsam Banco de Gaia Bandulu Barker & Baumecker Battle Axe Records battle-rap Bauri Beastie Boys Beat Buzz Records Beat Pharmacy Beatbox Machinery Beats & Pieces bebop Beck Bedouin Soundclash Bedrock Records Beechwood Music Ben Sims Benny Benassi Bent Benz Street US Berlin-School Beto Narme Beyond bhangra Bicep big beat Big Boi Big Dada Recordings Big L Big Life Bill Hamel Bill Laswell Bill Leeb BIlly Idol BineMusic BioMetal Biophon Records Biosphere Bipolar Music BKS Black Hole Recordings black metal black rebel motorcycle club Black Swan Sounds Blanco Y Negro Blasterjaxx Bleep Blend Blood Music Blow Up Blue Amazon Blue Hour Blue Öyster Cult blues blues rock Bluescreen Bluetech BMG Boards Of Canada Bob Dylan Bob Marley Bobina Bogdan Raczynzki Bombay Records Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Boney M Bong Load Records Bonobo Bonzai Boogie Down Productions Booka Shade Boom Boom Satellites Botchit & Scarper Bows Boxed Boys Noize Boysnoize Records BPitch Control braindance Brandt Brauer Frick Brasil & The Gallowbrothers Band breakbeats breakcore breaks Brian Eno Brian Wilson Brick Records Britpop Brodinski broken beat Brooklyn Music Ltd brostep Bryan Adams BT Bubble Buffalo Springfield Bulk Recordings Burial Burned CDs Bursak Records Bush Busta Rhymes Buttertones bvdub C.I.A. Calibre calypso Canibus Canned Resistor Canopy Of Stars Capitol Records Capsula Captain Hollywood Project Captured Digital Carbon Based Lifeforms Caribou Carl B Carl Craig Carlos Ferreira Carol C Caroline Records Carpe Sonum Novum Carpe Sonum Records Castroe Casual Cat Sun CD-Maximum Ceephax Acid Crew Celestial Dragon Records Cell Celtic Centaspike Cevin Fisher Cheb i Sabbah Cheeky Records chemical breaks Chihei Hatakeyama Children Of The Bong chill out chill-out chiptune Chris Duckenfield Chris Fortier Chris Korda Chris Liebing Chris Sheppard Chris Witoski Christmas Christopher Lawrence Chromeo Chronos Chrysalis Ciaran Byrne cinematic soundscapes Circle of Pines Circular Ciro Berenguer Cirrus Cities Last Broadcast City Of Angels CJ Stone Claptone classic house classic rock classical Claude VonStroke Claude Young Clear Label Records Clementz Cleopatra Cloud 9 Club Culture Club Cutz Club Tools Cocoon Recordings Cold Spring Coldcut Coldplay coldwave Colette collagist Columbia Com.Pact Records Coma Eye comedy Compilation Comrie Smith Congo Natty Conjure One Connect.Ohm conscious Control Music Convextion Cooking Vinyl Cor Fijneman Corderoy Cosmic Gate Cosmic Replicant Cosmo Cocktail Cosmos Studios Cottonbelly Council Estate Electronics Council Of Nine Counter Records country country rock Covert Operations Recordings Craig Padilla Craig Richards Crazy Horse Cream Creamfields Creedence Clearwater Revival Crockett's Theme Crosby Stills And Nash Crossing Mind Crosstown Rebels crunk Cryo Chamber Cryobiosis Cryogenic Weekend Cryostasis Crystal Moon Cube Guys Culture Beat Curb Records Current Curve cut'n'paste CYAN Cyan Music Cyber Productions CyberOctave Cyclic Law Cygna Cymphonica Cypher 7 Cypress Hill Cyril Secq Czarface D York D-Bridge D-Fuse D-Topia Entertainment Daar Dacru Records Daddy G Daft Punk Dag Rosenqvist Damian Lazarus Damon Albarn Damon Wild Dan Terminus Dan The Automator Dance 2 Trance Dance Pool Dance With The Dead dancehall Daniel Heatcliff Daniel Lentz Daniel Pemberton Daniel Wanrooy Danny Howells Danny Tenaglia Dao Da Noize Daphni dark ambient dark disco dark psy darkcore darkside darkstep darksynth darkwave Darla Records Darren Emerson Darren McClure Darren Nye DAT Records Databloem dataObscura David Alvarado David Bickley David Bridie David Cordero David Guetta David Morley DDR De-tuned Dead Coast Dead Melodies Deadmau5 Death Grips death metal Death Row Records Decimal Deconstruction Dedicated Deejay Goldfinger Deep Dish Deep Forest deep house deep tech Deeply Rooted House Deepwater Black Deetron Def Jam Recordings Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Delerium Delsin Deltron 3030 Denshi Danshi Depeche Mode Der Dritte Raum Derek Carr Detroit Deviant Records Devin Underwood Devroka Deysn Masiello DFA DGC diametric. Dido Dieselboy Different DigiCube Dillinja Dirk Serries dirty house Dirty South Dirty Vegas Dis Fig disco Disco Gecko disco house Disco Pinata Records disco punk Discover (label) Disky Disques Dreyfus Distant System Distinct'ive Breaks Disturbance Divination DJ 3000 DJ Brian DJ Craze DJ Dag DJ Dan DJ Dean DJ Gonzalo DJ Heather DJ John Kelley DJ John Storm DJ Merlin DJ Mix DJ Moe Sticky DJ Observer DJ Premier DJ Q-Bert DJ Shadow DJ Soul Slinger DJ-Kicks Djen Ajakan Shean DJMag DMC DMC Records Doc Scott Dogon Dogwhistle Dooflex Doom Poets Dopplereffekt Dossier Dousk downtempo dowtempo Dr. Alban Dr. Atmo Dr. Dre Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show Dr. Octagon Dragon Quest dream house dream pop Dreamworks DreamWorks Records Drexciya drill 'n' bass Dronarivm drone Dronny Darko drum 'n' bass DrumNBassArena drumstep drunken review dub Dub Pistols dub techno Dub Trees Dubfire dubstep Dubtribe Sound System DuMonde Dune Dusted Dyadik Dynatron E-Mantra E-Z Rollers Eardream Music Earth Earth Nation Earthling Eastcoast Eastcost Eastern Dub Tactik EastWest Eastworld Eat Static EBM Echodub Ed Rush & Optical Editions EG EDM World Weekly News Ektoplazm Electric Universe electro Electro House Electro Sun electro-funk electro-pop electroclash Electronic Dance Essentials Electronic Music Guide Electrovoya Elektra Elektrolux Ellen Allien em:t EMC update EMI Emiliana Torrini Eminem Emmerichk Emperor Norton Empire enCAPSULAte Encym Engine Recordings Enigma Enmarta Ensiferum Enya EP Epic epic trance EQ Recordings Equal Stones Erased Tapes Records Eric Borgo Erik Vee Erol Alkan Erot Escape Esko Barba Esoteric Reactive Espacio Cielo ethereal Etic Etnica Etnoscope Euphoria euro dance eurodance eurotrance Eurythmics Eve Records Everlast Ewan Pearson Exitab experimental Eye Q Records Ezdanitoff F Communications Fabric Facture Fade Records Faex Optim Faint Faithless Falcon Reekon Fallen False Mirror fanfic Fantastisizer Fantasy Enhancing faru Fatboy Slim Fax +49-69/450464 Fear Factory Fedde Le Grand Fehrplay Feist Fektive Records Felix da Housecat Fennesz Ferry Corsten FFRR Fictivision field recordings Filter Filteria filters Final Fantasy Firescope Five AM Fjäder Flashover Recordings Floating Points Flowers For Bodysnatchers Flowjob Fluke Fluxion Flying Lotus folk Fontana footwork Force Intel Fountain Music Four Tet FPU Frame Frame Of Mind Francis M Gri Franck Vigroux Frank Bretschneider Frankie Bones Frankie Knuckles Frans de Waard Fred Everything freestyle French house Front Line Assembly Frou Frou fsoldigital.com Fugees full-on Fun Factory Function funk future garage Future Sound Of London Futuregrapher futurepop g-funk G-Prod gabber Gabriel Le Mar Gaither Music Group Galaktlan Galati Gang Starr gangsta garage Gareth Davis Gary Martin Gas Gasoline Alley Records Gee Street Geffen Records Gel-Sol Genesis Geometry Combat George Issakidis Gerald Donald Gerd Get Physical Music GGGG ghetto Ghostface Killah Ghostly International Glacial Movements Records glam Gliese 581C glitch Glitch Hop Global Communication Global Underground Globular goa trance Goasia God Body Disconnect God's Groove Gorillaz gospel Gost goth Grammy Awards Gravediggaz Green Bay Wax Green Day Grey Area Greytone Gridlock grime Groove Armada Groove Corporation Grooverider grunge Guru Gustaf Hidlebrand Gusto Records GZA H:U:M H2O Records Haddaway Halgrath happy hardcore hard house hard rock hard techno hard trance hardcore Hardfloor Hardly Art hardstyle Harlequins Enigma Harmless Harmonic 33 Harmonic Resonance Recordings Harold Budd Harthouse Harthouse Mannheim Havoc Hawtin Headphone Hearts Of Space Hed Kandi Hefty Records Helen Marnie Hell Hercules And Love Affair Hernán Cattáneo Herne Hexstatic Hi-Bias Records Hic Sunt Leones Hide And Sequence Hiero Emperium Hieroglyphics High Contrast High Note Records Higher Ground Higher Intelligence Agency Hilyard hip-hop hip-house hipno Hollywood Burns Home Normal Honest Jon's Records Hooj Choons Hope Records horrorcore Hospital Records Hot Chip Hotflush Recordings house Howie B Huey Lewis & The News Human Blue Humanoid Hybrid Hybrid Leisureland Hymen Records Hyperdub Hypertrophy Hypnotic Hypnoxock I Awake I-Cube i! Records I.F. I.F.O.R. I.R.S. Records Iboga Records Icarus Music Ice Cube Ice H2o Records ICE MC IDM Iempamo Ignis Fatum Igorrr Ikjoyce illbient ILUITEQ Imba Imogen Heap Imperial Dancefloor Imploded View In Charge In The Face Of In Trance We Trust Incoming Incubus Indica Records indie rock Indisc Industrial Infastructure New York Infected Mushroom Infinite Guitar influence records Infonet Inhmost Ink Midget Inner Ocean Records Innovative Leisure Records Insane Clown Posse Inspectah Deck Instinct Ambient Instra-Mental Intellitronic Bubble Inter-Modo Interchill Records Internal International Deejays Gigolo Interscope Records Intimate Productions Intuition Recordings ISBA Music Entertainment Ishkur Ishq Island Def Jam Music Group Island Records Islands Of Light Italians Do It Better italo disco italo house Item Caligo J-pop Jack Moss Jackpot Jacob Newman Jafu Jake Stephenson Jam and Spoon Jam El Mar James Blake James Holden James Horner James Lavelle James Murray James Zabiela Jamie Jones Jamie Myerson Jamie Principle Jamiroquai Javelin Ltd. Jay Haze Jay Tripwire Jaydee jazz jazz dance jazzdance jazzstep Jean-Michel Jarre Jeannine Sculz Jefferson Airplane Jerry Goldsmith Jesper Dahlbäck Jesse Rose Jessy Lanza Jimmy Van M Jiri.Ceiver Jive Jive Electro Jliat Jlin JMJ Joel Mull Joey Beltram John '00' Fleming John Acquaviva John Beltran John Digweed John Graham John Kelly John O'Callaghan John Oswald John Shima John Tejada Johnny Cash Johnny Jewel Jon Hester Jonny L Jori Hulkkonen Joris Voorn Jørn Stenzel Josh Christie Josh Wink Journeys By DJ™ LLC Joyful Noise Recordings Juan Atkins juke Jump Cut jump up Jumpin' & Pumpin' jungle Junior Boy's Own Junkie XL Juno Reactor Jupiter 8000 Jurassic 5 Justin Timberlake Ka-Sol Kaico Kay Wilder KDJ Keith Farrugia Ken Ishii Kenji Kawai Kenny Glasgow Keoki Keosz Kerri Chandler Kevin Braheny Kevin Yost Kevorkian Records Khetzal Khooman Khruangbin Ki/oon Kid Koala Kiko Killing Joke Kinder Atom Kinetic Records King Cannibal King Midas Sound King Tubby Kiphi Kitaro Klang Elektronik Klaus Schulze Klik Records KMFDM Koch Records Koichi Sugiyama Kolhoosi 13 Komakino Kompakt Kon Kan Kontor Records Kool Keith Kozo Kraftwelt Kraftwerk Krafty Kuts Kranky krautrock Kriistal Ann Krill.Minima Kris O'Neil Kriztal KRS-One Kruder and Dorfmeister Krusseldorf Krystian Shek Kubinski KuckKuck Kulor Kurupt Kwook L.B. Dub Corp L.S.G. L'usine La Luz Lab 4 Ladytron LaFace Records Lafleche Lamb Lange Lantern Large Records Lars Leonhard Laserlight Digital LateNightTales Latin Laurent Garnier Layer 3 LCD Soundsystem Le Moors Leaf Leama and Moor Lee 'Scratch' Perry Lee Burridge Lee Norris Leftfield Leftfield Records Legacy Legiac Legowelt Lemony Records Leon Bolier Les Disques Du Crépuscule LFO Life Enhancing Audio Linear Labs Lingua Lustra Lionel Weets Liquid Frog Records liquid funk Liquid Sound Design Liquid Stranger Liquid Zen Literon Live live album LL Cool J lo fi Loco Dice Lodsb LoFi Logan Sama Logic Records London acid crew London Classics London Elektricity London Records 90 Ltd London-Sire Records LongWalkShortDock Loop Guru Loreena McKennitt Lorenzo Masotto Lorenzo Montanà loscil Lost Language Lotek Records Loud Records Louderbach Loverboy Lowfish Luaka Bop Lucette Bourdin Luciano Luke Slater Lunarian Records Lustmord M_nus M.A.N.D.Y. M.I.K.E. Mack 10 Madonna Magda Magicwire Magik Muzik Mahiane Mali Malignant Records Mammoth Records Mantacoup Marc Simz Marcel Dettmann Marcel Fengler Marco Carola Marco V Marcus Intalex Mark Farina Mark Norman Mark Pritchard Markus Schulz Marshmello Martin Allin Martin Cooper Martin Nonstatic Märtini Brös Martyn Marvin Gaye Maschine Massimo Vivona Massive Attack Masta Killa Master Margherita Masterboy Matthew Dear Max Graham maximal Maxx MCA MCA Records McProg Meanwhile Meat Loaf Median Project Medicine Label Meditronica Melusine Records Memex Menno de Jong Mercury Merr0w Mesmobeat metal Metal Blade Records Metamatics Method Man Metro Area Metroplex Metropolis MF Doom Miami Bass Miami Beach Force Miami Dub Machine Michael Brook Michael Jackson Michael Mantra Michael Mayer Michael Stearns Mick Chillage micro-house microfunk Microscopics MIG Miguel Migs Mike Saint-Jules Mike Shiver Miktek Mille Plateaux Millennium Records Mind Distortion System Mind Over MIDI mini-CDs minimal minimal tech-house minimalism Ministry Of Sound miscellaneous Misja Helsloot Miss Kittin Miss Moneypenny's Mistical Mixmag Mixmaster Morris Mo Wax Mo-Do MO-DU Moby Model 500 modern classical Modeselektor Mohlao Moist Music Moljebka Pvulse Moodymann Moonshine Morgan Morphic Resonance Morphology Moss Covered Technology Moss Garden Motech Motionfield Motorbass Mount Shrine Move D Moving Shadow Mr. Scruff Mujaji Murk Murmur Mushy Records Music link Music Man Records musique concrete Mutant Sound System Mute MUX Muzik Magazine My Best Friend Mystery Tape Laboratory Mystica Tribe Mystified N-Trance Nacht Plank Nadia Ali Nano Records Napalm Records Nas Nashville Natural Life Essence Natural Midi Nature Sounds Naughty By Nature Nav Bhinder Nebula Nebula Meltdown Nebulae Records Neil Young Nelly Furtado Neo Ouija Neo-Adventures Neogoa Neon Droid Neotantra Neotropic nerdcore Nervous Records Nettwerk Neurobiotic Records neurofunk Neuropa Records New Age New Beat New Jack Swing New Order new wave Nic Fanciulli Nick Höppner Night Hex Night Time Stories Nightmares On Wax Nightwind Records Nimanty Nine Inch Nails Ninja Tune Nirvana nizmusic No Mask Effect Nobuo Uematsu noise Noise Factory Records Nomad Nonesuch Nonplus Records Nookie Nordic Trax Norken Norman Cook Norman Feller North South Northumbria Not Now Music Nothing Records Nova NovaMute NRG Ntone nu-italo nu-jazz nu-metal nu-skool Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Entertainment Nulll Nunc Stans Nurse With Wound NXP Nyquist Oasis Ocelot Octagen Offshoot Offshoot Records Ol' Dirty Bastard Olan Mill Old Europa Cafe old school rave Ole Højer Hansen Olga Musik Olien Oliver Lieb Olivier Orand Olsen OM Records Omni Music Omni Trio Omnimotion Omnisonus On Delancey Street One Little Indian Onyx Oophoi Oosh Open Open Canvas Opium Opus III orchestral Original TranceCritic review Origo Sound Orkidea Orla Wren Ornament Ostgut Ton Ott Ottsonic Music Ouragan Out Of The Box OutKast Outmosphere Records Outpost Records Overdream Owl P-Ben Pale Glow Paleowolf Pan Sonic Pantera Pantha Du Prince Paolo Mojo Parental Advisory Parlaphone Part-Sub-Merged Pascal F.E.O.S. 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