1. 2d
2. Demo Drums Ripping
3. ThalassocalyceThe ever-reliable Kassem Mosse impresses with three tracks for Italy's Kinda Soul Recordings - home to releases from Jus-Ed, Scott Ferguson and Rick Wade. It's hard to pick a highlight from these sublime efforts. A-side '2D' would be the obvious choice with its plaintively captivating lead synth and engrossing arrangements imbued with the same addictive qualities as his Workshop 08 12" or 'Aqueous Haze' 12", but then you encounter the snapping Deep House/Electro groove of 'Thalassocalyce' embroidered with the most gorgeous Detroit motifs, and the killer slo-mo echoic throb of 'Demo Drums Ripping Demos'. Fuck it. They're all killer and worth the immediate attention of any self-respecting techno fiend...www.boomkat.com
1. I’m New Here
2. Home
3. I’ve Been Me (Interlude)
4. Running
5. My Cloud
6. Certain Things (Interlude)
7. The Crutch
8. Ur Soul and Mine
9. Parents (Interlude)
10. Piano Player
11. NY Is Killing Me
12. Jazz (Interlude)
13. I’ll Take Care Of UThe album is titled We’re New Here, and finds Smith remixing thirteen tracks from the original sessions for Scott-Heron’s most recent album, I’m New Here, originally produced by XL Recordings head Richard Russell. There’s a CD edition, and a vinyl box set edition, which features the album on pink heavyweight vinyl, a green instrumental version on green heavyweight vinyl, CDs of both, and limited edition prints...www.factmag.com
A
BStrictly Limited edition, screen-printed sleeve - amazing new debut on Deep Medi** Dreader-than-dread dubstep abstractions from the much murmured-about Old Apparatus. Deep Medi have seriously opened the field with this 12", exploring a darkside realm of post-dubstep noise-sculpting/sound design posited somewhere in the midst of Chasing Voices, Burial and old-style Vex'd. Nobody bar the label knows who's behind it, but that only amplifies its enigmatic aura. The A-side builds from a squall of distortion into cataclysmic bassline worship sounding like Stephen O'Malley jamming with Mala while insectoid percussion etches skeletal surface patterns and the rhythm unfolds like something from the Anstam archives. The B-side is weirder still, a multi-sided geometric construction unstably morphing from ecstatic dubstep noise to Raime-like halfstep industrial dystopia, with an added welt of blackened distortion. This is f**king brilliant. Highly recommended!...www.boomkat.com
A Back In The Game
B Pull UpBack in the Game is a collaboration between two of the labels leading lights Foamo and Randomer. Both proven masters of bass manipulation, the promise of the two working together on a single had us cranking the volume in expectation.
Having progressed from the distinctive fidget sound that saw him leap onto the scene a few years ago, Foamo’s productions have become bouncey percussion and bass affairs with a carnival atmosphere. Here we find an obvious crossover with Randomer, whose ever-varying releases have recently included the summer vibes of Alize and the low-end funk of Zabu.
As you might expect from the pair, both Back In The Game and B-side Pull Up are aimed squarely at the dance floor. Starting with a melody played out on wooden keys, the title track layers in a clapping rhythm under sharp synth bursts, before the reverberating bass drops and sets the whole thing off. Vocal shouts of ‘Back again’ join the clapping rhythm to ensure the party vibe, while the undulating bass rumbles through your body and keeps
your feet on the move.
Pull Up dismantles Back In The Game and reassembles it with a darker twist. Long, dramatic synths and a simple thudding beat create an ominous air, added to by snatching vocals and unsettling percussion. This time round the synth bursts distort and fade into each other, allowing the subtle introduction of some low end enhancement. The bass and dramatic pads combine in a deep, sinister bed that’s punctuated by clicks, claps and a deliciously warped horn. Driven by a propulsive beat and atmospheric from start to finish, Pull Up is sure to be smashing up clubs over the coming months.
With the amount of innovation currently streaming through UK bass music it would be easy to get left behind, Foamo & Randomer however have managed to knock up a fresh sounding record that retains their signature qualities. Although we’re not sure they ever left, Back In The Game has once again shown the duo’s talents for destroying a dance floor and confirmed they’ll continue to be names to watch in 2011...www.hyponik.com
