That might be the easiest way to describe LSS‘ new EP, Hydrospatial. The duo of Edward Richards and JXTPS lay down hard-driving techno beats with touches of punk and garage rock here and there, resulting in a quintet of tracks that would easily glide into any DJ’s set and will find a permanent home on your new workout playlist.
“TNK” is straight from a rave aboard Deep Space 9’s holodeck rave with its futuristic, pulsing synths. “Fractual” pans and hums like a swarm of bees drifting above a party at a beachfront, but with more moonlight than sunlight. “Axion” has definite krautrock influences with its repetitive, almost hypnotizing beats.
The high-hat on “Factory” reminds you of a hissing steam engine (and there are steam-like synth hisses throughout it), while the bass is so bottom heavy it feels like it could break through your floor. The title track hums, bumps, throbs, and gristles in all the right spots, causing visions of floating in space, dancing with a bunch of fun, sweaty people in a small club, and running from monsters all at the same time.
Chock-full of floor-filling beats and sexy grooves, Movement Remixesis a collection of eight tracks by Gimenö done by DJ and producer pals of his. It’s difficult to choose a favorite because they’re all good.
Vøsne‘s dub remix of “@cid” builds like the effects of something you took earlier but aren’t sure if it’s working. It is. It builds into a thumping, bumping, humping dance track. Vøsne also has a “regular” remix of the same track later on the EP that’s sexy and menacing at the same time. Reeko remixes “It’s my break” into something you’ll want to crank during your lunch break in the storeroom so you can drown out those Black Friday customers and your boss’ ridiculous demands…and then play the song for your boss so he / she / they can forget their stress for a little while.
The Hd Substance remix of “DT001” percolates for a bit to let you know you’re about to receive a hot, energizing brew. Avox25‘s remix of “Old Trib” buzzes and crackles with industrial touches and racing heartbeat rhythms. Jorge Ciccioli turns “Movement” into something you might hear at a haunted attraction next year. Klint‘s remix of “Day One” is something you might hear at an underground club that features both dancing and bare-knuckle boxing.
Edgar De Ramon piles on the electro-cymbals and hi-hats on his remix of “Ports.” The last cut is, appropriately, RE-ST‘s remix of “Finale.” It doesn’t send you out on a mellow note, however. It keeps you dancing, reminding you of the energy this record’s given you, and tempting you to just play the thing on a loop for an hour or more.
There isn’t a bad mix on here. Don’t miss it.
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From early residencies at weekly student nights in Glasgow to playing a pivotal role behind the scenes at La Cheetah Club, Big Miz has been immersed within the city’s walls since he was a teenager. Weekends spent crafting his sound behind the booth and creating lifelong friendships at the city’s famous after-hours scene have helped create an ecosystem for success. In Glasgow, even larger labels are always keen to support local talent and during one of his frequent visits to Rub A Dub Records, Big Miz was introduced to Dixon Avenue Basement Jams which eventually led to the release of his first EP.
Miz has carried this Glasgow courtesy throughout his whole career, which eventually led to connecting with HOMAGE label head Ryan Clover where they exchanged feedback and spins before locking down a release on the label’s heavy schedule. The New York based label’s ethos shares parallels to Glasgow’s – collaborative, fluid, and always ready to party.
Title track ‘Where I Belong‘ wastes no time on introductions, combining a range of hardware and software into a kaleidoscopic recording created for peak time. ‘Everything’s Fine’ demonstrates Miz’s knack for groove and melody, where classic acid sounds meet demanding stabs and an irresistible groove. Inspired by early house records, ‘The Feeling’ makes its presence felt with chunky kickdrums and uplifting vocal samples; Big Miz’s attention to detail and years of dancefloor education shines through, first establishing a hypnotic introduction and powerful transitions that have us hooked from the first bar.
The EP is beautifully rounded off by LUXE’s remix of the title track ‘Where I Belong’, following on from her standout EP on the beloved label Planet Euphorique. LUXE swaps rolling kick drums in favor of breakbeats and an ethereal backdrop. The space between musical elements is key, allowing us to breathe as our perspective shifts high above the city’s clouds.
Keep your mind open.
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Alternative-electronic artist Slighter presents his new album‘This Futile Engine’, released via Brutal Resonance Records and Confusion Inc. This 13-track record features collaborations with Steven Seibold (Hate Dept) and Craig Joseph Huxtable (Ohm, Landscape Body Machine, Front Line Assembly, Noise Unit), as well as Yvette Winkler (Vaselyne), Morgue VVitch and Deep Dark Water.
Slighter is the solo moniker of Colin C., who has been fine-tuning the future of electronic music since kickstarting his music in Mid City Los Angeles in the early 2000s. Creating from a unique vantage point, he was involved in collaborations for various Metropolis Records releases and Cleopatra Records compilations, in addition to Slighter releases via his own Confusion Inc. imprint.
Mixed and mastered atThe Cell Studio, through the sonic experimentation and innovation entailed in recording this album, Slighter continues to provide new fuel for the counterculture..
“This record was a lot of fun to make with my friends. I’m always enjoying collaborating on Slighter albums and, this time, it felt best to leave the majority of the vocal work to some great voices from Craig to Steven and Tara, Yvette, and Anastasia. It has been an experimental but cohesive experience, the classic cinematic vibes I’m known for hitting with faster Techno and killer bass lines across a 10 track narrative,” says Colin C.
“I think I have a pretty unique way of working outside of genres, but my work still gives off this sort of expansive cinematic vibe, which also retaining a darker mood that gets me associated with various dark sub-culture genres. The themes I often explore has me adopting an ‘Electronic Death Music’ umbrella for the music I make – a play on words, with the music I make being the antithesis of popular EDM”.
While very much an independent artist who largely files under the musical radar, Slighter’s music has also found its way on to mainstream shows over the years, with songs and remixes featured on such television shows as Showtime’s ‘House Of Lies’, ‘Elementary’(CBS), ‘Bones’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’ (FOX), ‘Defiance’ and ‘Covert Affairs’ (NBC-Universal).
As of July 21, ‘This Futile Engine’ will be released across fine digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Available as a Deluxe Edition limited edition CD and as a digital download, this album includes three exclusive bonus remixes of ‘Cold Black Waters (feat. Morgue VVitch)’, ‘Pulling Me Under’ and ‘Have No Fear’.
Apparently, German DJ / producer Noëtik has a busy schedule, because he doesn’t waste a damn second on his Parhelion EP.
I mean, he claims to have “Bad Intentions” on the opening track, but the intentions are to get you to dance and move wherever you are and with whatever you’re doing. Maybe his bad intention is mischievous glee in knowing that you’re going to be bopping around your kitchen, racing through the grocery store, or getting through your spinning workout in half the normal time. The bubbling bass and slight dub effects, along with the relentless beats, might cause a rave to break out at any second.
The bass on “Sparsity” is slightly subdued, with a bit of a fuzzy edge, but it is no less addictive. Beats seem to reverse back on each other and return like a boomerang whacking you upside the head. The industrial touches (metallic percussion) on “Ariko” are outstanding. It wanders into dark house territory and walks around the monster mash rave like it owns the place.
“Trivium” pumps the brakes on the tempo and turns that monster rave into a vampire after-party. The track drifts in and out of shadowy places and has a sexy danger to it. The EP ends with a remix of “Bad Intentions” by Modēm that is somehow faster than the original.
In short, this is one of the best EDM records I’ve heard so far this year. Any DJ could just play this whole thing and use the time to hydrate and eat a protein bar during a set.
Described as “four club-ready anthems” by his label, DJ Dextro‘s new EP, Spectrum Protocol, is pretty much that.
“Valquirius” wastes no time in dropping fast beats and heart-racing bass thumps. The title track starts off with repetitive electro beats and, for a moment, you think, “Is this going anywhere?” It definitely is. More beats start to pile atop the others and then looping synths jump on the heap and the mass grows and grows like some kind of undulating jellyfish that gets bigger as it gets closer to you. Then it becomes some kind of techno-industrial hybrid that pretty much sets off strobe lights in your brain.
“Inercia” is the sound of a robot having a panic attack at a disco. “Lenga Lenga” gets you pumped up to dance, run, fight, or finally clean out that overflowing closet you’ve been meaning to tackle for months. It’s easily the brightest of the four tracks and ends the EP with an uplifting feel, as if you’re rising to the surface of the ocean on a sunny day in Ibiza.
It’s short, but it packs a lot of beats into just four tracks. You’ll want this on your workout playlist.
