Today may be Monday, but that doesn't mean it has to suck. The weekend came and went, but it also left us with some absolute gems! I was going to do another EHTC post... but I have some things that I want to share that aren't house and techno. I have kind of abandoned some of the other genres that I love, so I will post some serious variety today!!!
First things first, Distal recently announced that he will release his debut album on Tectonic this spring. If you find yourself saying "Really, Tectonic? Out of all the labels that he has releases on, why Tectonic?", then perhaps you could play six degrees of separation and notice that Pinch opened/ closed his striking FabricLive. 61 with an exclusive Distal track. I suppose that doesn't really answer the question "why", but it does serve to further mark Pinch's diversification as not only a DJ, but also as label boss. This track won't actually appear on the album, which will be titled "Civilization", but it likely serves as a sign post to the sound of the album.
Distal - Amphibian (Tectonic)
Next up is Girl Unit. By the end of 2010 Girl Unit was probably the biggest name in dance music as he absolutely oozed internet praise from every blog orifice and professional music publication in existence. "Wut" went down as a defining moment of the year, and helped to really push the "maximalism" movement into the public eye. 2011, however, was a different story. With only two commercially available remixes and a soundcloud that hasn't seen an update in over a year, Girl Unit left a lot of fans worried that he would be an ephemeral one-hit-wonder. Fortunately he has returned with a pretty solid remix for the UK imprint Numbers. While this certainly isn't his best work, and it is only a remix, it leaves us with a taste of what the young producer is capable of.
Also included is a remix from Actress, who I have to say I have never been a huge fan of. This remix, however, demonstrates an interesting paradox that you don't often see with artists: maturing through loosening and lightening up. He had already proven that he was patient/ wise beyond his years with his first couple LPs and various singles. Despite the "artsy minimal" approach that he took into the studio... his tracks just felt void of any humanity or relatability. This remix sounds like he may have finally given in and produced something groovable. Unfortunately there are three tracks in this soundcloud waveform, and they aren't very well separated. The original is first, then is Actress' remix, then Girl Unit's is last.
Kodiak - Spreo Superbus (Original/ Actress/ Girl Unit Remix) (Numbers)
Next up is a remix from Jack Dixon, who you may know through his collaborations with George Fitzgerald. This is a perfectly produced bass/ house fusion that sits right in the sweet spot of 120 bpm. It takes a rather frantic original from Mau'lin and turns it on it's head, keeping all intensity and dark, brooding vibes while adding an up front and infectious groove. This one is certainly not to be missed!
Mau'lin - Function Open (Jack Dixon Remix) (Disktopia)
I don't know if you guys know who Miki the Cat is. Two years ago and I would have said that you weren't missing anything by not knowing who he is. He got his start in 2008/ 2009 when new producers had to make fidgit house to make a living, but something about his productions even back then seemed to hint at greater ambitions. He always had an underlying theme of techno to his beats... In the past year he has put out four extremely solid EPs. Three of them as Mikix, and one under a guise that you may recognize from my Top 100 tracks list last year as Mamma's Boy. All four EPs contained four tracks, and I have to say that they are all extremely well produced and serve as absolute dance floor destroyers. They are exactly my kind of music: slow, lot's of bass, and often contain understated R n B vocals. I don't go on about this guy too much... but I should. Let's just say that if I DJed, I would be playing at least two or three of his tracks RELIGIOUSLY. Here is a sample of his latest EP.
MikiX The Cat - Who You Are (ADD Cat)
Next up is a delicious little number from Culprit Records. You don't need me to tell you that Konrad Black remixing Subb-an is most likely a recipe for success, but I will tell you anyway. This track has a lot to love, a groove that elicits just as much slinking as it does dancing, an incredibly catchy synth line, and just enough chunk to set it up as a precursor track to peak hours.
Subb-An - What I Do (Konrad Black Remix) (Culprit)
Rolling right along, did I mention that I love bass? I mean REAL bass. Anything that is bass-heavy will mostly be welcomed on this blog. What may surprise some people, is that my bass craving usually gets satisfied by house, more so than proper "bass music". Pelican Fly, however, is PROPER bass music. Label-boss Mister Tweeks has released his second lengthy EP for the label, and it bangs hard. It spans 8 tracks (4 originals, 4 remixes) and keeps things nasty. Here is the title cut.
Mister Tweeks - Neva Change (Pelican Fly)
Sometimes you just have to say fuck it and go with some nasty, sleazy funk. This one just got released from a small but awesome label called Slime. It's a remix by a couple of up-and-coming Polish producers who seem to really be rounding into form. Viadrina, as they are called, have put out tracks on Discobelle, Top Billin', Klasse and Pets. This remix of "The Truth" by Jus' Bros might just be their best work to date. Perhaps the Catz n Dogz, Polish duo influence is creeping in?
Jus' Bros - The Truth (Viadrina Remix) (Slime)
I haven't posted about Ardalan in any detail yet. This remix he did for wicked house label Gruuv is just what he needed. This remix of "Friends Forever" by Pavel Petrov sees the British producer embrace a faster, more upbeat sound that is usually coaxed out of him by his collaborations with Justin Martin. Take a listen.
Pavel Petrov - Friends Forever (Ardalan Remix) (Gruuv)
Next is a track from Tiga's Turbo imprint. It comes from producer Clouds, who is largely unknown despite some serious bangers that have come from his hands. His new EP, "Optic" is no exception. This is probably some guilty pleasure stuff, especially the last track, the title track however, should not be missed.
Clouds - Optic EP (Turbo)
I was going to post a few more, but I think that nine is enough for now. I will save some for later, since the rest of this week can't possibly keep this pace up. Anyway, I hope I shared some good stuff with you guys, and sorry for the randomness.
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