Friday, July 3, 2009

july charts

ok, been meaning to do this for a while, here some of my favourite recent and upcoming releases. i've been listening to a lot more albums than i usually do, which is reflected in my choices:

oni ayhun - OAR003 [oni ayhun records]: you may have seen me twitter about this. probably my favourite ep of 2009. who is oni ayhun? i don't know exactly. but what i do know is that he/she/they are completely awesome. i don't have a record player right now, but i still immediately bought it for my friend so i could listen to it on their turntable. both sides are completely awesome. you can listen to samples at oni's page here. currently in the process of getting oni on board for a ssg mx, lets hope it happens because this person (people?) are doing something very different. and totally amazing.

humate - 'love stimulation' (radio slave remixes) [flying circus]: to be honest, i don't actually know how good these tracks are. i have a feeling i like the concept of them more than anything else: radio slave remixing humate? it somehow seems to make sense. the 'vox' remix is the one i like. while it has the standard radio slave sound - which is growing very tired - he is working with strong enough source material to make it work.

silent servant - 'negative fascinations' [sandwell district]: recent ssg mixer delivers what could perhaps be my favourite out and out techno release of 2009. violent, powerful, so much pressure and dynamism. 'discipline' is an absolute killer.

traversable wormhole - 'volume 1' & 'volume 2' [traversable wormhole]: another new label sticking with the hard wax style - printed labels, no info etc. - that works fine for me, but i am curious who is behind these sounds. both eps are very good, cut from a similar cloth to the ostgut sound, but not quite so 'clean'. worth checking.

giorgio gigli - 'observation document' [prologue music]: this is the next ep from giorgio, who put together a great ssg mx for us this week. definitely in the italian deep tripping techno style, but at the same time, he clearly has his own take. deep, subtle sounds. recommended.

dozzy & nuel - 'aquaplano 1111' [aquaplano]: staying in italy... this is also one of my favourite releases of 2009. not much to say really. wow. find a copy before they disappear. definitely a label to follow very, very closely.

donato dozzy - 'rudeboy' [unreleased]: ok, last italian one, i promise! expect the unexpected... donato told me about this in london then played it to me, and all i'll say is that i think this is going to be a big, big track. love it.

cv313 - 'live' [echospace]: this is a japan only release so far, but hopefully the rest of the world will see it. cv313 recorded live at smart bar, chicago, plus a bonus cd with a recording from the DEMF 2008 after-party. no surprises here, spatial dubby techno done extremely well. dub techno really has reached saturation point - there is so much junk out there right now - and even the people who do it the best (like these guys) are only just managing to still pull it off. this is a nice release, though. kind of like comfort food. soothing sounds well suited for a sore or tired head. but dub techno better start reinventing itself soon.

brock van wey - white clouds go on and on [echospace]: this eagerly awaited album is as good as you'd expect. unsurprisingly the bvdub cd is intense, emotional music. my only complaint is that it is perhaps too much so (but you can say this about most of brock's music). sometimes i just can't listen to it. too much! but this is more a reflection of its quality, that it can have such a strong impact. the intrusion reshapes are also really nice, and he mostly manages to escape the trap he sometimes he falls into of sounding very 'samey'.

moritz von oswald trio - 'vertical ascent' [honest jons]: i don't think this album was ever going to be shit, but even if it was i think i still would say it is awesome because of my love for these guys. if moritz and sasu recorded farts and put it through a vocoder i'd probably call it release of the year. it does, however, happen to be an excellent album. very dense and complex. there is a huge amount going on in each track (not surprising given the talent of the 3 contributors).

lawrence english - a colour for autumn [12k]: been listening to a lot of more ambient stuff recently, and this is probably the best of the bunch. i discovered english quite late - only last year with his 'kiri no oto', but i prefer this album. very delicate, beautiful sounds. definitely worth checking.

ok, that's a pretty decent summary of my favourites of late. please feel free to leave charts, listening suggestions etc. in the comments.

have a good weekend. off to see tobias. tonight!

21 comments:

  1. Re: Silent Servant
    Nothing beats Violencia for me. I LOVE that release!!!

    And re: Traversable Wormhole
    I think these sound a lot more evil than Ostgut!! The second one. Fucking. ROCKS.

    Also re: Brock van Wey
    Initially I thought I liked the Intrusion reshapes better but after listening to the first disc a few times I’m starting to change my mind. I guess it’s easy to be quickly pleased by more familiar sounds.

    Finally

    > if moritz and sasu recorded farts and put it through a vocoder i'd probably call it release of the year.


    HA HA. YOU FUNNY.

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  2. Although I don't doubt your judgement, it's hard to rate the chart without samples! But from the few that I found samples on, I like the Traversable Wormhole releases best.

    I would add:
    Peter Van Hoesen - Faces of Smoke / Continued Care

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  3. @ danny: fully agreed on PvH. didn't list it here because it was on my last charts. sorry about the lack of samples, i just didn't have time. most should be on hardwax, except for the unreleased ones. check prologue's myspace for the gigli.

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  4. great taste chris!
    i just reviewed the giorgio gigli, brock van wey and moritz von oswald trio for our nightcode magasine :-)

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  5. probably you've already checked the Donau Festival web page where you can find 1-2 pictures of the mysterious performer(s). B-side is great on that EP!

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  6. The A side on oni ayhun's OAR001 sounds amazing. Ive listened to the 5 min sample about 20 times over the past couple of days. It's a shame that tracks that you love don't get digital releases for us non-dj's who just love techno.

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  7. @ luke: yep, totally feel your pain!

    @ zee: ah, i had checked the site a while ago, but forgot to look for pictures. he is so cool!

    http://www.donaufestival.at/content-1/festival/gallery/30-04/lec-oni-ayhun

    http://www.donaufestival.at/content-1/festival/gallery/30-04/lec-oni-ayhun-1

    http://www.donaufestival.at/content-1/festival/gallery/30-04/lec-oni-ayhun-2

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  8. I almost feel a sense a loss at the preponderance of dub techno, I used to play all these rarely heard maurizio, deepchord and salo tunes. It felt underground. I am a sucker for that. Self styled boundary rider. As sad as I felt seeing the apparent sadness in Moritz von Oswald's face on the cover of Wire magazine. But I found the interview uplifting, and he seems to like all the dub techno imitators, and the trio's album is right where it's at. Oswald and Loderbauer are on the money... as are some dubstep producers. You need to go there.

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  9. I was also eagerly awaiting the Van Wey album. I'm interested in reading what more reviewers would have to say.

    I love the album, but also feel it gets to be almost overwhelming at times. Although it's lengthy and calm for the most part, the (melo)dramatic parts would have benefited from more restraint. His stuff can sometimes sound like the soundtrack for a big epic tragic movie and nearly becomes cheesy.

    There's one grating 5-minute section that really tests me, in the second track, with those loud children singing flat, nearly shouting their song plaintively. I can't help wondering what he hears in that vocal to justify its length and loudness in the mix.

    For me, this album is so very close to being a classic.

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  10. How bout Do Not Resist The Beat! 03??? I think it's a he'll of a lot more awesome than the first two!

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  11. @Luke (and Chris, of course ;-))
    U don't need to be a DJ to enjoy vinyl!!

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  12. On my record searches, I recently came across the oni ayhun release. I initially dismissed it, massive synths often scare me. For some reason I went back, and was blown away. Real emotional depth, the synths were just heavy and full. Some unpredictable shifts and changes.

    I played it to a few people around me, the way they retracted their heads in confusion was a good sign (I live in the U-bend of a toilet).

    Very much looking forward to hearing more from the producer.

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  13. @theyurinator

    I know but my shoebox sized room in london barely has room for anything let alone a record player!

    I'm tempted to buy it though and put it away until I do finally have space to buy those decks I've thought about!

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  14. Oni, Oni, Oni! Omigosh Chris, thank you SO MUCH for introducing me to some of the most unique sounds I have heard in quite some time.

    REALLY looking forward to hearing more!

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  15. Don't really get what's so fantabulous about the Oni Ayhun 12"... at least the first side sounds like a simple arpeggio, over a 4/4 beat and some strings. It's "nice" but nothing amazing, though the second side is better.

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  16. Been trying to find Dozzy & Nuel - 'aquaplano 1111' & yeah - vinyl only release. If you have a turntable, I can't speak highly enough ofXitel's INport. Quality all the way and somehow also seems to record that vinyl warmth.

    Back on aquaplano 1111 - I've commented on this before but Bleep 43 have a great Dozzy podcast that has this amazing track on it. That's where I first discovered it.

    I don't know who rocks my world more at mo' - Dozzy, Gigli or Nuel. All thanks to mnml ssgs for introducing them to me and no doubt a host of others.

    http://www.bleep43.com/podcast/2009/4/29/podcast-134-donato-dozzy.html

    http://www.xitel.com/USA/prod_inportdl.htm

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  17. I like the 1st aquaplano release better. 1111 just doesn't seem to ever get where it seems to want to go. Tinman's new one "cool wave" has been on repeated listening for me lately thanks to that Wasteland mix posted last week...somehow I'd completely missed the Wasteland ep last year. I'll be sure to check out the other releases mentioned here. Thanks for sharing.

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  18. that oni ayhun record sure is unique sounding!

    the other 2 releases on by them/him/her/it also have a very individual flavour

    i like.

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  19. great taste Chris... I also a big fan of this f.... traversable wormhole relases.. Furthermore they got from me the first price for "Cool label names"

    regarding Giorgios observation part 1 will be available end of this month... as 12"

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  20. CHART - July:

    Ribn (aka Manual Tur, Langenberg) - Mined [Millions of Moments]
    Story - Deepcut59 [Story]
    Legowelt - Deerdrive JX10 [M>O>S]
    Levon Vincent - Games Dub [Underground Quality]
    Oliver Deutschmann - Chiado [Vidab]
    Discodeine - Joystick (Tomboy Remix) [Dirty]
    Unknown - A1 [Seldom Felt 5]
    Louis Guilliaume - For Ever [SD Records]
    Milton Bradley - Don't Phonk [Do Not Resist The Beat]
    Bruce Ivery - Rush [Stilove4music]

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  21. Wow, very impressed by Oni Ayhun. Not so much OAR003 for me but 001 & 002 are great. Thanks!

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