TURNTABLE LAB

DJ Mehdi
I Am Somebody (Chromeo, Kenny Dope Remix) 12"

This one is for everyone who's been in line at a club or a party and had some dude push past them like "Yo I'm on the list - yeah, I know the DJ"Montreal's Chromeo hooks up with Parisian phenom DJ Mehdi on the Ed Banger label for this track about trying to get on the other side of that velvet rope. In keeping with the theme of the record, I gotta say that we've been bumping this shit in the office for months, ever since Ed Banger sent us the advance copy. Mehdi lays down a sick (and I mean SICK!) electro groove and Dave from Chromeo gives an outstanding account of a night of weary club-hopping with uber-cool vocals on the Paris version(1). The Montreal version(2) surpasses it, though, with a simple and effective use of vocoder in key spots. Kenny Dope's remix(3) takes it from the club to the loft with a slightly tamer version for more low-key affairs. Also includes dub version of the Kenny Dope mix.
reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red

file under:
masters at work / ed banger + institubes + related

go to detail page | close window

DSL
Invaders (Busy P Remix) 12"

The newest Ed Banger signing (not to be confused with downtempo producer DJ DSL), at first listen, sounds like a French (or more French version) of Chromeo. "Invaders(1)" immediately separates itself from past Ed Banger releases with French raps and singing and that Chromeo electro-pop sound (all the way down to the vocoder action). For those who can't handle the foreign tongue, there's also a mostly instrumental TV track version. And you know these Ed Banger dudes fight like prep school kids (in big packs, never one on one), so here come the remixes. Busy P's version(2) sounds like a Missile Command arcade machine gone Short Circuit. I'm digging the lowered bpms. Djedjotronic, who might be the next big French producer, delivers two(3,4) skillful chop jobs. If you like the DJ Mehdi stuff rather than the bleeding eardrum stuff, this Ed Banger might be for you.
reviewed by the mgmnt

file under:
ed banger + institubes + related

go to detail page | close window

Feadz
Happy Meal EP

Don't be fooled by So-Me's Pen & Pixel / McD's inspired cartoon thug styles on the cover (nice details tho) - despite an almost 5 year wait between solo EPs, this is the same ol Feadz, effortlessly churning out more Ed Bangers in between touring, remixing and making tracks for his girl Uffie. Fans of the classics will wanna head straight to the B-side's "Numanoid(1)," Feadz' deeper, rougher new mix (or cover, more accurately) of the Westside acid joint "Stakker Humanoid." Keep it playing for the joyous 8-bit juke of "Hawaian Smut(2)" (which Snack says reminds him of playing Sonic The Hedgehog on Genesis) and a sick little locked inner groove. A-side features a creepy intro, the gun toting "Suck It(3)" and "Edwrecker 2.0(4)," a new version of his track from the Ed Rec 2 comp. Plays at 45. Recommended.
reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red

file under:
ed banger + institubes + related

go to detail page | close window

Krazy Baldhead
Sweet Night Pic Disc (with FREE MP3 Download) 12"

electro-soul + rap, electronica

These Ed Banger pic discs are sick. As for the music, Krazy Baldhead is as unpredictable as they come. "Sweet Night(1)" featuring the Outlines (of "Just A Lil' Lovin" fame) is a electro-soul vocal track that you wouldn't expect on EB, but it works. "Katana Powa(2)" is an electro-rap featuring Japanese emcees. I could never really get into asian rap, except for that track by De La. My pick of the set opens up the b-side. "Saturnication(3)" is an uptempo electronica instrumental with the creeper effect; sounds the melodic tracks of Juan Maclean. "Choppin(4)" is in the same vein but a bit more aggressive.
reviewed by the mgmnt

file under:
ed banger + institubes + related / vinyl with free mp3

go to detail page | close window

Mr. Oizo
Positif (Mr. Flash & LFO Remixes) 12"

There's nothing flashy or over the top about "Positif(1)," the first single off Oizo's new Ed Banger full-length. It's just a trebly workhorse of a track that builds and squiggles its way along, occasionally breaking for some of that French cut-up style, but always sounding so nice in a mix. Labelmate Mr. Flash turns in a stuttering half-speed remix entitled "Negatif(2)" which really lets loose with the synth manipulation, while LFO(3) freak the fuck out of the track with chopping and distortion, building up to a big room breakdown that never comes. Artwork by So-Me.
reviewed by Van Hammersly

file under:
ed banger + institubes + related

go to detail page | close window

V/A
Ed Rec, Vol.3 6LP+CD Box Set

Limited edition box set version of Ed Rec III! This super deluxe import edition features the entire album on 6 separate 12"s (one track per side for maximum bang) and the full length CD version all in a heavyweight box with artwork by So-Me.

The long awaited Ed Rec III comp is here, in all its French touch glory. You know the deal - fresh So-Me art on the outside and a whole mess of new and unreleased tracks from the Ed Banger fam on the inside. Mr. Flash's "Over the Top(1)" mixes anthemic rock with a solid four on the floor, laced with lavish synths and even a solo! SebastiAn follows suit with "Dog(2)" but bests Flash's hardness with an all out barrage of metal/hardcore sound in his own signature chopped style. (This is what I imagine would be playing during a bad trip.) Don't get me wrong - I'm quite a fan of hardcore music, but this one could turn the breakdance circle into a mosh pit. Feadz's production for Uffie on "Robot Oeuf" is cool, but his real killer is "Back It Up(3)" with Spank Rock. Justice's live performance of "Stress (4)" rounds out disc one with its orchestro/electro blasts, full of all the lasers, pizzicato strings and timpani rolls you like and then some. Disc two is kicked off with one my personal favorites of the comp, Mr. Oizo's "Minuteman's Pulse(5)," and it is signature Oizo sound. A mesh of left field in the intro, but it comes together with a saxophone ditty, more lasers and strings. Second fav of this comp is Medhi's track "Pocket Piano(6)" - it's got a classic disco feel to it with rhythmic piano and congo patterns giving it life. Ed Banger art maestro So-Me rounds out the comp with with "Decalcomania(7)," a reflection of what his graphic work would be if it played sound - a solid, driving banger. 12 tracks total.
reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red

file under:
ed banger + institubes + related

go to detail page | close window