Test

Back on Trax

Pardon the terrible pun, but following last week's gloomy atmosphere due to the news about Cortex, a batch of new music has arrived to lift the spirits. First up is Rob Hood's excellent new 'Superman'/'Range' release. The Detroit producer's previous record sounded like he was going through the motions, but this is a serious return to form, with pitched up percussion, bristling hi hats and on 'Range' an eerie organ riff to rival Mills's 'Solid Sleep'. Marcel Dettmann impresses too on 'MDR6'; while two of the track are based on Detroit-inspired metallic rhythms, the killer tracks are the disorted industrial bass workouts, with Dettmann audibly pushing all of the levels to red in the studio and leaving them there for the duration. If you're looking for something less abrasive, then Hakim Murphy's 'Black Robots Having Sex' on Dan Curtin's Metamoprhic is well worth hunting down. Based on the kind of raw shuffling drums, analogue percussion and bleepy melody lines that the label owner's own productions used to hinge on, the only weak spot on this EP is, surprisingly, Morgan Geist's remix. Speaking of remixers, the underrated Matt O'Brien has done a version of new artist Roberto Bosco's 'Log In Exact' on Mowar. In its original format, 'Log In' is one of the better examples of modern deep house,  right down to the moody vocal snippet in the breakdown, but O'Brien rips it up and starts again. Upping the tempo, deploying a creepy synth riff and introducing a wall of chiming bells, this is a highly distinctive remix - hopefully it gets the recognition it deserves. MLZ is another artist who should really have a far higher profile; his Demdike Stare and Pendle Coven LPs this year were excellent - and varied -  and 'One Cycle' sees him delve again into spaced out textures, this time anchored to an effective clipped metallic rhythm. Miles also does a really good tracky take on DJ Ghosthunter's 'Experiment 3' on the flip. Finally, watch out for 'Fait Accompli' by new Irish artist Frenchie, a gloriously subtle take on deep Detroit techno/house -  more news and views on new releases next week.

Alex Cortex: Not So Slight Return

The following statement is Alex Cortex's reply to some of the more negative posts made here and elsewhere about his retirement from techno. The reply is unedited (there may be some grammatical / syntax errors, etc), but this is the way he wanted it to be posted. I'd just like to add that these comments were made as part of private conversations we had together. Anyway, this seems to better encapsulate the frustrations and unhappiness he feels about electronic music in 2009:

"Someone forwarded me the Test Industries thread with quotes from my email today. Always nice to get some positive feedback, that's for sure. I usually embrace constructive criticism, too, but some opinions there have been just very negative. That reflects pretty much how I feel about this scene: lots of negativity. At least one comment gets it right - it's just a bit of news. I never pretended to be the best at anything or to have invented anything, never created a buzz around me, just have been doing my thing and that for quite a while now. some opinions clearly show that many people don't have a clue how hard it is to survive in the music business, or they speak from some very comfortable position.

"I couldn't care less for the individuals voicing their opinion there, but as they represent something I met quite often, here's what I think about that: It is hard to survive in this business if you don't live in a techno hotspot but are all on your own; if you don't work at a club, label, distributor, record-store, booking agency, or else affiliated business; if you don't snore coke or share hookers with 'important' people at afterhours; if you don't conform to producing what i call "the sound of the season"; if you don't answer 'yes' to everything; if you don't sell yourself cheaply and in return have to justify yourself for not entering the fee dumping contest so many artists blindly accept; if you don't care more about your haircut or choice of t-shirt than about your music and sound; if you don't get obsessed with squeezing out any penny of this business but rather try to provide other music lovers with a timeless product; if you don't get obsessed with your (imagined) importance, but forget about these vanities and concentrate on the actual work in the studio. artistically (and largely on a personal level too) this scene has been creeping up its own arse.

"What's that about only having one photo of myself, if techno once prospered as a faceless music? What's that about speaking up is nothing but wailing, being lame and desperate? It's rather the other way round, that almost nobody dares to speak up in public out of fear to lose something, whatever that could be, although in fact everybody is complaining in private that everything is stagnating and getting worse by the day. That an artists has to retire from making music because he can't make a living out of it is partly also the consequence of a scene forgetting to respect its artists. Buying their music, booking them for gigs, that's the direct way how to maintain that an artist can keep working in what he's doing best, especially if he does that to have people partake in it in the first place. Maybe my biggest 'fault': I never produced tracks that needed immediate release because otherwise they would sound dated. My stuff usually sits quite a while, any time between one and ten years has been the case so far, until it finds a place somewhere. This way of working means that to buy equipment and to make music is a constant investment of money and time without knowing if you will ever see a cent for what you have been doing. add a string of cancelled gigs and releases and here we are.

"My temporary retirement btw is not something which came up just now. I haven't been producing any new solo tracks for at least half a year, maybe longer. And I still have enough finished material in order to have releases for at least a year, rather longer. If i get gig, remix, or production offers with a fee attached I feel I deserve I will still take that on. but making music just to be in that scene? In THAT scene? If it wasn't suffering from a rocknroll complex and was artistically more challenging - then maybe."

Sights & Sounds

Documentaries following about individuals seem to be all the rage this year, but is there any good overall documentary/film about techno in general? I saw and thoroughly enjoyed the one about the Hague scene (forgot the name) from a  few years back, but are there any others I'm missing out on (apart from 'Speaking in Code' - when is it due to hit the screens?) While I'm on the topic, are there any good new books about techno, basically something weighty and authoritative, but more contemporary than 'Techno Rebels' and Simon Reynolds's tomes? As much as I enjoy reading interviews, reviews, features and more general pieces online, I'd love to get my hands on something I can relax on my sofa with. Please send me some suggestions....

Some Sad News

I don't like being the bearer of bad or sad news, but was disappointed to hear that the highly talented German producer Alex Cortex is taking an indefinite break from making techno. This has come about, Alex says, due to a lack of gig and general dissatisfaction about where the scene is heading to. Although there have been a number of Cortex releases lately with some more to come, this is because he is licensing off his remaining archive of productions. He says that it is unlikely that he would be able to release his third artist album himself, given the current "market situation", but that "there seems to be a new label project exclusively for vinyl in the pipeline, by a friend, a well-known label head, producer and DJ I have been working with, directed to those listeners who do care to what I and similar folks are doing". Although Alex says that he can't say much more about this new venture at this point as it hasn't been 100% confirmed. In the meantime, Alex says: "I'll strum my guitar and bass and record with one of my several secret indie/metal/punk/folk/psychedelic/whatever projects - as they are not meant for any market, it's kind of therapeutic, just playing, no restrictions." No matter what he does next, I'd like to wish him all the best. Alex Cortex will be sorely missed.

More Great Music

It's been a crazy busy week in work, but that hasn't stopped me from checking out loads of great music in my free time. Some of the release that have rocked my world and blown my tiny brain over the past week or so have included: 'Fait Accompli',  an EP by a new producer, Frenchie, a fine purveyor of deep house and techno, if this release, on a new label Antiqua, is anything to go on. One of the best labels of recent years, Modern Love, returns with two strong EPs from Claro Intelecto and MLZ, while Dan Curtin's Metamorphic label does the kind of quirky bleepy analogue techy house its well known for with Hakim Murphy's 'Black Robots Having Sex'. Speaking of stripped back understatement, this is largely the route that Mike Dehnert chooses on his latest release, 'Lautschrift', on Clone's Bassment offshoot, with the billowing chords kept to a minimum. On a deeper tip, there's Optic Nerve's 'Reassimilation' on Arne Weinberg's 1-Diametric, which effortlessly inhabits that space between out there electro and techno abstractions, while Roberto Bosco's 'LogIn Exact' on Mowar opts for an atmospheric house approach. I'd never heard of him and I was impressed. XDB has shone with releases on Metrolux and Sistrum and here he is back on his own label with the more tribal 'Cagomi'. 2009 has been good for Luke Slater and his remix for Blueprint 27 is a stormer, a dense swathe of hard-edged techno. Samuli Kemppi is another producer who is on the cusp of breaking through and has two excellent EPs for Prologue and Komisch out now or soon to be released respectively. Watch out for Mike Dehnert's  housey remix on the latter EP. I've also got a load of articles coming up over the next few weeks to, and will post the links when they appear to interview with Redshape, Cio D'or, Luke Slater and a contentious one about plagiarism....

Moving On...

So you can probably guess by the headline that there are some changes in the air -  and you're right. Friday September 25th marked the last night for Test at the Underground. The club has hosted some amazing artists at the venue over the past 18 months, but it was just not working out at the Underground. The staff were all great to work with, as were all the guests who came from near and far. Later this month  - Friday October 30th, to be precise - Test starts up at its new home in the mezz section of the Twisted Pepper, with a residents' line up. The space is a good bit smaller than the Underground, but has all the right requirements -  a small blacked out room with a monster sound system and a DJ booth right at eye level -  to suit Test's purposes. Anyway, thanks again to all the staff, guests and, most importantly, punters who came down to the club -  hopefully see you at the new home. Hopefully I'll be able to post mine and Donnacha's sets from the last night (if Donnacha allows it of course), later this week...

Jack Attack

Just in case anyone is interested, here's the latest chart from Numbers resident Jackmaster. Apart from running the Glasgow club, Jack (which is his real first name by the way - not sure about the Mr Master part!) is one of the founders of the Wireblock label and also runs the soon to be wound up Dress 2 Sweat label. By day, Jack is also involved in the record business, working for Scottish shop and distributor Rubadub.

Moderat - Seamonkey - Untold Remix (BPitch Control)
Untold is making some BIG moves right now and this is his best production yet in my opinion.
 
Bubbz - Citizens Of the City - Bok Bok Dub (Blunted Robots)
Absolutely insane and typically unclassifiable remix from my main man Bok Bok.
 
Ghosts On Tape - Predator Mode (Wireblock)
The highly anticipated debut from San Francisco’s Ghosts On Tape. Features the wonderful Roska remix.
 
Aardvarck - Bloom Dubs 03 (Bloom Dubs)
Heaviest Dubstep tune from The Pig. Really feeling his direction at the moment.
 
Darkstar - Aidy's Girl Is A Computer (Hyperdub)
Hyperdub blurring the line and pushing the boundaries AGAIN.
 
Joy Orbison - J. Doe (Doldrums)
Premier release on Joy’s own label. Amazing as per. Joy is running things at the mo.
 
Bok Bok & L-vis 1990 - Night Slugs EP (Dress 2 Sweat)
The last ever Dress 2 Sweat release, and a fitting way to end the series. Comes with a free “best of” CD mixed by yours truly.
 
Simian Mobile Disco feat. Beth Ditto - Cruel Intentions - Joker Remix (Wichita?)
Joker turns two wrongs into a right on this one.
 
Karizma - Drumz Nightmare (R2)
Karizma at his best here. Summertime house music with mandolins sh*t.
 
TRG - Tribal Flex (Tempa)
TRG does house. Reminds me of some old rave stuff. Wicked.

Darling Buds

Quick bit of self-promotion; just in case you hadn't tired of reading my ramblings on RA, in DJMag and here, I am now also reviewing for the excellent Little White Earbuds, run by Steve Mitzek. There's an appraisal of Steve Bicknell's evergreen 'Why? & For Whom?' on Lost as well as new releases by Aroy Dee and Delta Funktionen, with loads more to follow. Thanks to Steve for letting me be part of what is fast becoming one of the best online resources for electronic music; hopefully my contributions don't provoke the same kind of ire as they have elsewhere recently...

Bewitched

I have lived with Demdike Stare's 'Symbiosis' for the past two months and it's proving to be a real grower. I seem to have much more time these days to listen to music that I'm actually interested in as opposed to the stuff I get sent -  probably because I'm getting less and less tolerant of the glut of mnml and electro house that ends up in my PO box and inbox. Anyway, 'Symbiosis' is one of my favourite albums of recent months. I love the eeriness, the haunting textures that Miles Whittaker (aka MLZ and one half of Pendle Coven) and co-producer Sean Vinylment (assuming this isn't his real second name) have brought to the project, and as for those Hitchcock-esque strings on track 5 (sorry, name eludes me) -  they, brrr, bring a real chilling feeling to the release. Like Pendle Coven, Demdike Stare plays on MLZ's love of varied sample sources, with dub, TG-style industrial, dead paced drums and eerie film soundtracks the inspiration for the brooding collection. It also furthers Whittaker's interest in the occult; apparently, Demdike Stare is a reference to some occultish carry on in his neck of the woods (Manchester) and the cover art, with masks, gloves and loads of symbols could be a sacrificial preparation kit. For the time being, I'm happy enough just to be bewitched by the music inside.

Big Days Remembered

Last night I stayed up late getting records together for my support slot at the Donnacha Costello gig. As I searched for some laid back music to put on as the club opens, I found Ian O'Brien's 'Gigantic Days' among the Carl Craig and Aphex Twin albums. O'Brien, a UK producer, had originally gained attention with the wonderously complex rhythms and Detroit-inspired melodic flourishes of 'Mad Mike Disease' (no clues for guessing who inspired that) and with the follow up album, 1996's 'Desert Scores'. O'Brien's vision - a term I would use sparingly for techno producers but one that he undoubtedly deserves -  was always more freeform and less inhibited by the confines of a straight, dancefloor-based structure. While 'Scores' saw O'Brien make nods to other forms of music, most notably funk and jazz, his second album, 1999's 'Gigantic Days', saw him go out on a limb, eschewing the 4/4 paradigm in favour of an unpredictable set of double-bass rhythms, gloriously atmospheric textures and that intangibly melancholic sensibility that is so pervasive on the benchmark 'Kind of Blue'. While it would be erroneous to posit that 'Days' was some kind of attempt to take up Davis' baton or even to suggest that the UK producer had created a new form or music, the evidence remains that his second album still sounds as gloriously spaced out (yet much more robust than the vast majority of 'home listening' album) a good decade after its release. Sadly, O'Brien has not released much since then, and his absence is sorely missed. In the meantime, if you haven't heard it, now is the time to change that situation.