Little White Earbuds October Charts

01. Pigon, “Promises” [Dial] (buy)
More lush, deep material from Phillip Sollmann, this time sharing the credits with Rndm (aka Oliver Kargl). Rendered from a series of lengthy improvisations, the title track’s winding progression is a modernistic echo of Manuel Göttsching’s seminal E2-E4. An EP like “Promises” gets my hopes up dangerously high.

02. Len Faki, “My Black Sheep” (Radio Slave remix) [Len Series] (buy)
Leave it to Radio Slave to rescue a semi-obscure LF track and transform it into a world-consuming colossus. Its bass tone starts nearly translucent (because it’s all around you) and grows soot black and toothsome — an army of brass players firing a forceful chromatic scale down a bottomless pit at volumes you feel in your chest. If I don’t hear this over a huge PA soon I might need to hijack the nearest DJ booth.

03. Gaiser, “Withdrawal” [M_nus] (buy)
Have another look.

04. Ndru, “Vivisection” [unreleased]
Ndru’s latest and still yet unreleased track, “Vivisection” is like a window into an operation room that you can’t bring yourself to move from. As stinging vibrations and twitching atonal arrangements buzz at your ears the fleshy beat squishes sadistically to itself. Keep your eyes on young Ndru; methinks the best is yet to come. Download while you can!

05. Yellow Sox, “Zig Zag” (Roland Appel remix) [Freerange Records] (buy)
If I didn’t know better I would say this was made by one of the Innervisions crew: everything from its commanding presence to the thoroughbred construction and the characteristic wooshes between phrases screams Dixon & Co. Voom:Voom member and rising star in his own right, Roland Appel capitalizes on the tune’s inherent strengths (arresting string arrangements) and pushes it to the next level. Still plenty of time for this to have a significant impact in the clubs.

06. Kiki & Sasse, “Grand Cru” [Moodmusic] (buy)
Always nice to hear new music from Sasse and “Grand Cru” is especially kind on the ears. Its jacking, Chicago house-style beat (made from synthetic strings?) is well complimented by pock mark percussion and lip-puckering melodic tweaks. Serve to a luke warm dance floor and watch things bubble over.

07. dOP, “Allo Boom Boom” [Circus Company] (buy) (buy)
The dOP trio first caught my ear on Nôze remixes but now sound just as intriguing on their own. The hide and seek structure of “Allo Boom Boom” is refreshing, as you never quite know if you’re getting another loop or a frenetic keyboard/sax vamp or nothing at all. Deep house as made by those who never knew what deep house was supposed to sound like in the first place.

08. Nick Sole, “World Dubbing EP” [Mojuba] (buy) (buy)
Have another look.

09. Radio Slave, “No Sleep (Part 3) – Dedication” [REKIDS] (buy)
Second appearance for Mr. Edwards in this month’s charts and both of them include horns. Coincidence? Most certainly; although this time around, we get to hear the unpredictable sounds of Radio Slave going deep. Well worth the wait to get cranking, “Dedication” makes great use of a gnarled, brassy loop — a sourness to be countered by the sweet Rhodes noodles.

10. LCD Soundsystem, “Sound of Silver” (C2 Remix Rev. 3) [DFA/EMI] (buy)
Have another look.

Little White Earbuds September Charts

I, for one, will redouble my efforts.

01. Stimming, “Funkworm” [Diynamic Music] (buy)
Have another look.
02. Len Faki, “Odyssee I” [Podium] (buy)
An offshoot of Faki’s own Len Series label, the fourth Podium continues to deliver absolute quality in the form of “Odyssee I.” Swimming in an analog sci-fi flavor, the tune’s warm launch is propelled by Detroitish arpeggios and a downright pretty motif at its core. Intense without being overblown, this track is for the cusp of peaktime, when you want to make sure all are aboard.
03. Lucy, “Glass Computer” [Perspectiv] (buy)
I love it when a song inspires visualizations which match the sound and the title; “Glass Computer” is no exception. Its tuneful beeps light up the circuitry inside the reverberating atmosphere, shooting sparks in the final minute or so. Backed with two impressive remixes from Mark August and Masaya, Lucy’s debut is nothing short of impressive. Another fine signing from Perspectiv. (Runner up for this spot was another Perspectiv: Ripperton’s delicate remix of Laurine Frost’s “Papillion.”)
04. Al Usher, “Here Today” [Misericord] (buy)
Like his Partial Arts partner, Al Usher is known largely for his remix work. But on his solo debut, “Here Today” shows he’s no slouch in originating tunes. The tune morphs several times in its length and sounds as organic as it does brilliant. The pitter-patter strings and ringing percussion boil over as a gigantic bass line throws the whole thing into a new swaying rhythm. The other tunes on the release (the one and only Misericord) aren’t quite as stunning, but “Here Today” alone makes it worth picking up.
05. Arto Mwambe, “Mudhutma!” [Brontosaurus] (buy) (buy) (buy)
Have another look.
06. Kevin Saunderson, “Till We Meet Again” (Carl Craig remix) [Planet E] (buy)
Have another look.
07. DJ Gregory, “Elle” (Âme Piano Mix) [Defected] (buy) (buy)
I must profess ignorance of the original “Elle,” but I know Âme’s revision is a large departure from the classic tune (thanks to the magic of online shops’ samples). Very much in the vein of their rated “Baladine” single, their mix is superbly constructed and loaded with sound. Rendered tense with persistent scratching, tingly guitar(?) touches and gaseous tones, the tune really hits its stride at the introduction of a vaguely arabesque synth motif which wriggles like a snake possessed. Leave it to the Âme boys to take on a classic and come away with the superior take.
08. Manuel Tur & Dplay, “Black Label #23″ [Compost Records] (buy)
Compost Records has long been one of my favorite labels, and its Black Label series efficiently highlights otherwise passed over or rising artists. This is Manuel Tur & Dplay’s first effort together (though two more have soon followed it) and it’s a fine study in contemporary deep house. Sounding a bit like a stripped back Âme, Tur & Dplay grab for simplistic chord stabs and a light string haze on “Move” and just let them roll. “Clock Work” is a bit more refined by still Âme-esque, concocted with a bobbing chord pattern flecked with claves, and is kept moving by synth builds and plucked string releases.
09. Tadeo, “Fractal” [Cray1 LabWorks] (buy) (buy)
This quick-paced track is delightfully percussive and emotive at once, its plumes of string-led anxiety suppressed only by even more restless percussion. I credit “Fractal” with spurring my greater interest in Tadeo; no mean feat with all the great releases vying for listeners’ attention this month.
10. Jamie Lloyd, “What We Have” (Is A Zwicker remix) [Future Classic] (buy)
On first listen it’s a bit indie rock in tone for most dance floors, but additional spins unwind the merits of Jamie Lloyd’s smoothed over vocal swells and Zwicker’s deep housed additional production. A nod in Phil Sherburne’s direction for turning me (and hopefully many others) on to this tune.

We report, you decide

My review of Henrik Schwarz’s fantastic new(ish) single, “Walk Music,” is now up on RA. Oh, so is my interview with The Field done at the Pitchfork Festival. Kind of forgot to post about that.

Len Faki, “The B-East Roller” (Joris Voorn remix) [Len Series] (buy)

The Shock, “Manhattan” (Einmusik remix) [Boxer Recordings] (buy)

Bills, bills, bills

Len Faki, “Rainbow Delta” (Jerome Sydenham remix) [Ostgut Tonträger]
Sydenham’s remix for half Len Faki’s reigning single energizes the pleasantly undulating original while retaining its understated passion for off-beat rhythms. For a song called “Rainbow Delta” Faki didn’t indulge in too much melodic color, favoring a coursing, almost motorik repetition of its motif, spruced up with sighing swells. Sydenham wrings the rainbow for more varied tones and pushes them upfront to bubble and bounce, though the Manuel Göttsching-praising rhythms are left in tact. “Rainbow Delta” was definitely ear-catching, but Sydenham’s remix is dazzling in a way which makes you wish space travel was well within our reach. Highly recommended.

Jori Hulkkonen, “Science” (Aril Brikha remix) [F Communications, PIAS]

Spirit Catcher, “Harmonize” (12″ version) [20:20 Vision]

Clove nemesis

Lots of talk about “Feuervogel,” the new hit track from Solomun & Stimming on Diynamic Music. The whole single is rather stunning, in a carefully considered and ornate manner which has really given anthems their crowns over the last year or so (see: “Mouth to Mouth,” “Rej,” etc). Perhaps more than the single itself I’m amazed how quickly the dance blog scene picked up on this track and universally stamped it approved (or at least within the blogs I’ve seen discussing it). Are we all on the same wave length or is this song just waiting for this critical embrace? In this case, I’d wager it’s a bit of columns A and B.

The Viewers, “Blank Images” (Lazy Fat People remix) [Audiomatique Recordings]

Andomat3000 & Jan, “L Delay” [Cadenza]

Len Faki, “Die Rumpelkammer” [Podium]

Patrick Pulsinger, “Try to Do!” [Compost Records]

All the ambitious steam I had built up in anticipation of putting fingers on keys and clicking out a review was dissipated by a meal that turned my stomach. At least I enjoyed the meal; hard to beat pizza and New Castle on a budget, 30 minutes and zero desire to cook. Why do today what can be done tomorrow? Because I wanted it done tonight!