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Dumb Dan is quickly making a name for himself in the bootleg remix game. Coming off the popular Justice vs. New Order mash, he comes with a more cerebral rework of Aphex Twin's "Analogue Bubblebath." I've always thought that the song was...
expand review a drum layer away from becoming an effective club track, and Dan answers the call with this respectful bump up job. With its warm tones and ethereal vibe, this could be a late summer anthem if it gets around fast enough. One sided, clear vinyl pressing. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Ayres proves once again that he like make dance of all kind with this diverse EP of dance / house remixes and edits. The A-side keeps it more current with Kid Sister's "Pro Nails" vs. Surkin's "Radio Fireworks(1)," Masters At Work's "Work"...
expand review vs. South Rakkas' Chinkuzi riddim(2) and a drumline remix of Pharrell & Twista's "Give It Up(3)" (a team-up with Canada's Smalltown DJs). The B-side is focused on house classics, including Bmore edits of Lidell Townsell's "Nu Nu(4)" and 4Hero's "Mr. Kirk's Nightmare(5)," and a seriously beautiful club version of Black Box's "Everybody Everybody(6)." Are those sleestaks on the center label? More ammo for your crate from Ayres. Recommended. -Larri Byrd
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Woooooowww. Here's something you don't hear everyday. I'll be straight with you, Beta Evers is fuckin' weird man, but i guess that's their appeal. Check their Myspace. It's seriously on some futuristic less is more shit and doesn't say a thing about...
expand review them. Just the tracks featured here. The Transient EP is the first album we've carried by them and it's three tracks of dark, gothy, horror-tinged, electro tracks with a smoky voiced ghostly vocalist. "Prisoner Of Mind(1)," starts with a sci-fi horror synth line with a droning bassline and some seriously dark lyrics faintly singing Prisoner of the Mind. Perfect for when you feel like being left alone. "Paralyze(1)" is probably my favorite track on here, 'cause it's like Goth Acid man! Crazy synth lines and dark percussion driving you to the breaking point. Makes me wanna put on dark eye liner and shoulder shake with the devil's bride! "Foreign Control(3)" continues the mayhem, with more dark wave sounds. If it had a more abrasive percussion, it could be the comeback of industrial(which will be the new thing after this nu-rave thing dies). If you're brave enough to go against the grain, I'd have to say - it's recommended! -C'mish
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The Bladerunners are one of the best things going right now. Their edits are made with working DJs in mind and they're totally effective. Side A features dance edits and starts with Stardust's "Music Sounds Better With You" aka one the greatest...
expand review dance songs ever made. The Bladerunners do an admirable chop job(1) here, freaking out the original sounds. Showing some deep-ass music nerdery, they've resurrected P.I.L.'s "This Is Not A Love Song" as a Daft Punk-style dance track. The flip features hip-hop remixes of "Move Bitch(3), Throw Some D's(4)," and "Money In The Bank(5)." 7 tracks total. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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This just in! Booka Shade's vinyl release of their new album. If you heard the CD, you've already got a taste of the minimal, tech-house and modern dance flavors that define Booka Shade. The whole album is an artful electronic journey through...
expand review sound giving you heightened moments of ecstasy (like their single "Charlotte") as well as aerobic cool down soundtracks. It's pretty much made for listening and soaking in. And if you have Serato kickin, you probably don' t think the vinyl is necessary, right? Hell nah, bizznatch. These are all the dance mixes they made especially for the DJ's who get live. As far as I know, these mixes aren't available on digital format, making them pretty rare compared to the accessibility of mp3's nowadays. Here's some prime examples of what you're missing: the pumped up "Charlotte - Extended Mix(1)," the dance mix of "Sweet Lies - Spotlight(2)," the hype version of "Dusty Boots(3)," and the dancefloor heaters "Redemption - Factory Mix(4)" & "Monkey On My Deck(5)" which aren't even on the CD version! If you want a listening experience, the CD is perfect. If you wanna pump up your next set, the vinyl is all you. Also, I know there's some of y'all that think that the main picks are the end all of dope tracks on an album. Not true, the whole thing is pretty damn good. Recommended. -C'mish
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Recorded live in Paris in September of 2006, Carl Craig brought his rare leftfield jazz sounds to the stage with the help from popular Om Records saxophonist Wendell Harrison, and keys provided by Kelvin Sholar (old friend of C2's) and "Mad" Mike...
expand review Banks of Underground Resistance fame. Without even listening, you can put together all this information and pretty much formulate the same answer I'm about to give you - this record is amazing, and it really makes me wish I could travel more. Ignore the fact that Carl looks bored as fuck on the cover art sitting at the table - this record spanks! A-side warmup "Twilight(1)" sets the general mood - swirling atmospherics, wicked solos, and that always noticeable attention to detail C2 brings to all his production. But where the real action is is the B-side's "At Les(2)". Wooooah daddy! Now THAT is some serious Detroit heat! I can't even imagine how bonkers the crowd was going during this - what a damn treat those Parisians got! Bastards! Really wish I had a recording of the whole live set... maybe Carl has a trick up his sleeve for a future Planet-E CD release? One can only hope... but for now, I'm going to eat my freedom fries and enjoy this fine piece of musical bliss. Easy recommendation on this one. -minimal man
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One of the most in-demand re-edits around, Carl Craig splices up the Talking Head's "Once In A Lifetime" exposing it as the spacey loop affair it actually is (while adding no new elements or effects). That song has got some mystical powers....
expand review I was always amazed when Spinna would drop this track in the middle of a hip-hop set (circa late nineties). The crowd would be like "wha," but he always knew it was dope. Flip features a re-edit of the intense electro cut "There's A Woman" by Gino Soccio. -the mgmnt
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Herve is back in his Count disguise, dropping the highly awaited "Dibby DJ(1)." This bastard ragga-dance track annihilates Cutty Ranks' "The Stopper," and is destined to be one of the biggest tracks of the year. Traveling along in similar Pentz paths, Herve...
expand review bmores (yes, I just used it as a verb) Hollertronix-fave "Bad Man Forward" with equally effective results. "My Condition(3)" might get overlooked with those 2 no-brainers on here, but don't overlook this evolved, next movement fidget track. Also includes "Bounce That Ass(4)" which would have been an A1 track on any other record. Top level creativity and energy, highly recommended. -the mgmnt
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Electro 101 right here, kids. This record, "Al-Naafayish," and a coal mining helmet with a strobe light on top and you're legitimate techno wizard boy #747. If I was a 50-something recovering hippie-cum-preraver or this was a Pitchfork review (same difference), I...
expand review would probably call this "a slice of electro-fried protoplasmic funk" or some stupid shit. As it is, all I'm gonna say is you need to buy this and turn your stereo up as loud as it goes and put your ear up to the speaker until you get sound induced apoplexy. Probably right around the time that wet, dirty gravel someone had the nerve to call a fucking bassline begins its 3rd crawl around your scalp. Once the first layer of your eardrums has been cut into angel hair flesh sheets and the drum track has morphed into a frozen squalid toothbrush foam brain barrier, it might be time to utilize that medic alert keychain Auntie Zelda let you borrow for the weekend. Completely ridiculous that this is getting burn just now as a Missy sample. Shit has been a fucking staple for 20 years, and best believe that it's going to sound as mind numbing in 200 years. When "Lose Control" is just that track that sampled "Clear(1)" in the dancyclopedia fagtanica, new generations of kids will still be getting turned on to Cybotron. Completely indispensable record. -Bob Bannister
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I must admit... when I saw that we got another Deadset album, I rolled my eyes to myself and was like "whoopy" in my internal monologue. But, being the trooper I am, I put it on, and immediately retracted my previous statements....
expand review The UK duo of Deadset sure rocked a spot with this one. I'm all about funky synth lines, and you're going to be pretty hard pressed to find something this ass-shakingly good as in "Buzzer Says Werner(1)." I could do without the damn police siren, but whatever... nothing's perfect, right? My good friend and resident NYC party rocker Derek Plaslaiko hit me with this a few times last week, and I was definitely pleased to know that we now carry it. I, personally, am a little more partial to the flip however. "Cardinal Rules(2)" has that slumped and shuffled minimal style that seems to be blowing up all over the place lately. It just jerks along, and you really can't help but to get a little swerve going when you hear those warped chords coming in. Two bumpy, fun and fantastically well produced tracks here. Recommended. -minimal man
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Five club friendly ghettotech bombs from one half of the Non-Stop DJs. Four of these were previously only available in digital form, but with bass like this you're gonna want it on wax. A-side has rap remix styles on the all-new "Bucked...
expand review Up(1)" and "Who Wanna(2)," plus the post-nasal drippiness of "The Raw(3)." Flip it over for the dirt "Big Pussy(4)" and "The Runner(5)," which was first heard as part of Goon & Koyote's killer Diamond Grills CD. Varied styles, super mixable intros and outros and BPM info included right on the center label - this should be a nice addition to anyone's next booty set. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Duke Dumont, who previously remixed Debbie Deb on Turbo Recordings, gives the super-popular fidget imprint Dubsided a new angle to chew on. Dumont starts it off with "Prelude(1)" a direct page from Kanye's book with pitched up soul sample and boom bap...
expand review beats floated underneath. A bite, yes, but quite interesting in context. "Hoy(2)" sounds like Diplo track, crafting exotic samples into a future-now dance track. Cool as phuc if you ask me. B-side starts with more soul sample madness (Eddie Kendricks this time) on "Interlude(3)," then finally gets into the fidget with "Feltham(4)." The EP ends with "Postlude" a backwards version of "Interlude." Quite forward thinking and thematic for a white label style release. Highly recommended. -the mgmnt
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I have always hated those dance floor yahoos who come out with fucking whistles around their necks, ruining a perfectly good musical vibe. Who do they think they are... the club lifeguard or a goddamn party traffic director? They need to be...
expand review slapped... and hard. But I digress. That rant was really just to segue into a tribute to the greatness of Frankie Knuckles. This jovial cat made good with the whistling concept when he created the most pleasing piece of elevator music known to man- the gentle shimmery "Whistle Song(1)." I cringe even typing the words "classic" or "anthem" anymore, but this is just house music perfection, give it up. Shit, if I had a kid I would play this gorgeous song for them every day just to get them acclimated to the beats of life. This simple, ridiculously catchy and totally clever tune stands as a reminder to you people not to sleep on the Knuckles legend (did I just use THAT tired word??). This lovely sunrise/morning song makes me want to be kind to everyone- even the idiots taking up my personal space on the floor with their annoying musical accessories. They are people too, I guess. The flip side of this features a new edit of Lil Louis' silky smooth r&b house number "Do U Luv Me(2)," featuring the vocals of Joi Cardwell from the Epic Records project "Journey With the Lonely," an out-of-print album from 1992(!) full of keepers like this one. -Odyssey Jones
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You lucky mofos. Never thought we'd see this again. New 10" pressing (identical to the original) of this French gem from 2003. Producer I:Cube drops the grimy electro beat on "Can You Deal With That(1)" and Wu-Tang's RZA polishes it with some...
expand review of his sharpest verses. Seriously, I've never heard RZA sound so focused AND relaxed at the same time. This track never fails to bring the house down, a true modern classic in my book. Flip features a more spacey remix(2) by Cris Prolific, plus 2 instrumental versions. -the mgmnt
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