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01: T. Raumschmiere - So Leis Wie Noch Nie
02: Mike Dunn - Face the Nation
03: Roxy Music - The Thrill of It All (M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade Re-Work)
04: Antena - Camino Del Sol (Joakim Remix)
05: Rex the Dog - Maximize
06: Simian Mobile Disco - Tits & Acid
07: James Figurine - Eleven Numbers (Superpitcher and Thomas RMX)
08: Ozgur Can - On a Whiter Day
09: Claude VonStroke - Beware of the Bird

A release scooping up most, but not all, of the Italo group Tantra’s output, The Double LP revolves around two side-length epics—the A-side “Hills of Katmandu,” and the D-side “Wishbone.” I first heard the former (in truncated form) on the Idjut Boys classic Saturday Night Live, Vol. 2 mix, and if it blew me away then, it’s even more potent in its full 16-minute-plus glory. Exotica and “orientalist” touches were always a feature of Italo, and “Hills of Katmandu” deftly weaves such fare into a monster of rumbling percussion, weaving analogs, and swaying female vocals. The sweet little nugget of disco fantasia that interrupts at the 6:30 mark is both unexpected and cheesily delightful. “Wishbone,” on the other hand, is funkier and more mesmerizing—the odd female vocals are paired with echoed tribal percussion to a mystical and almost eerie effect, with a sitar-like lead making the odd appearance. It’s the mirror of “Katmandu,” but an unsettlingly purist one—making absolutely no concessions towards any but the most tripped-out of dancefloors. If I could find the crowd that would happily vibe along with me to all of its 15 glorious minutes I would never bloody leave.

Normally this would constitute a full and rewarding album, but in between these two leviathans is sandwiched another two full sides of goodness that interweaves primal and futurist elements. The B-side unveils two strong Eurodisco stompers: “Get Ready to Go,” which could’ve soundtracked any number of early 80’s prime-time buddy-cop TV shows, and “Top Shot,” a track that pushes all the gay disco buttons it can find and then digs around for some more. The C-side, on the other hand, starts with “Su-ku-leu,” a traditional African-flavored number that still kicks out on its disco heels, combining the chants and ethnic percussives with synth pops and sweeps, which blends right into “Mother Africa,” a T-Connection-esque stomper with a delicious percussion break that sets the stage for the most stereotypically “disco” of their tracks, “Hallelujah.” Side closer “Get Happy” points an arrow towards boogie, and could be a Chic b-side, with its warm syn-strings and chimes. It’s the very spirit of disco’s unabashed joyfulness, and a fine place to rest.

The Double LP is that great disco rarity—not just a classic album, but a classic double, and as such it demands a proper remix and CD release. Until then… keep those needles fresh!

Importe/12 / MP-310
[Mallory O’Donnell]

Originally released in 1998 (and with a Nelson Machado mix not included on this reissue), “Heike” finds our man from Chile in transition mode from his earlier dancefloor-minded tunes to his latter-day expansive and experimental leanings—in fact, this one piece of vinyl may be the best example of that stylistic shift. The original mix on the A-side is perfectly serviceable, above-average banging techno, given to a chugging beat, hands-in-the-air type riffs, and a relentless construction that shows little of the sublime detours that have become his signature of late. On the flip, however, Villalobos provides a peek at what was to come. Far more sparse, mellow, and downright groovy, the “Mood Mix” gets dense and clattering at some points, nearly beatless at others, and leaves that intangible space between the noises that makes Villalobos’ more recent works such an adventure. Far from being simply a cash-in reissue of a hot artist, “Heike” serves as a significant signpost in the history of minimal that still sounds great eight years after initial release.

Lo-Fi Stereo / LO-FI 038
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[Todd Hutlock]

After the decidedly un-Brinkmann-like Lucky Hands LP in 2005, electronic pioneer Thomas Brinkmann has been a bit quiet, and from the sounds of his track on this split EP with Spaniard Alex Under, he’s spent that time honing his old sound rather than moving further away from it. Brinkmann’s “128 Rua Villalobos” sounds like it could have been lifted directly from one of his singles circa 2000, an up-tempo, Basic Channel-style dub workout that doesn’t do much but sounds oh so good doing it. Buoyed by that familiar looping, loping style, Brinkmann’s side slips on like an old comfortable shoe, pulsing along with that familiar rhythmic invention and phasing technique that made that style so irresistible in the first place. CMYK boss Alex Under, for his part, heads in the opposite direction, with the jumping “Naran Jamón, jejeje,” following in the funky footsteps of his EPs on Plus 8, Apnea, and Trapez from earlier this year—rollicking, bumpy, and full of shifting layers of clicky percussion that keeps the action moving along with regularity, with a really nice breakdown series in the middle to top it off.

CMYK Musik / CMYK009
[Listen]
[Todd Hutlock]

For someone whose nickname during his Underground Resistance years was “Noise,” Robert Hood sure has been quiet of late. It’s especially odd considering that the aggressive, stripped-down sound he helped pioneer has been so in vogue of late. His only release in 2005 was Hoodmusic 1, and its taken him a year to follow it up with this three-tracker (one of which is a remix by latter-day UR commandos Los Hermanos). Luckily, these two new tracks are crackling returns to form: the tough, menacing “Still Hear” (a message-sending pun of a title) sends shivers with its stormtrooper jack-beats and short, tight loops of cosmic fury, while “School” is a bit funkier and spacious but constructed on the same familiar building blocks. The Los Hermanos remix of “Still Hear” (by Gerald Mitchell this time out) puts some layers of their trademarked Latin percussion in it, and the melding of conga and sci-fi proves to be most effective. Here’s hoping we hear some more Noise in 2007.

Music Man / MM 127
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[Todd Hutlock]

A white-label affair on a much more aggro tip than 2005’s “The Count,” this two-track release preserves the SMD’s propensity for high-energy jack tracks that rip new fissures in the earth with the electricity of their expansive movements. “Tits & Acid” could be used to hammer out rivets for avant-garde factory designs, or it could soundtrack your next basement face-melter. You decide. “Animal House” sounds almost sedate in comparison, but keeps the shuffling beat moving in their favor—now proceeding at a tempo that allows for some texture to be explored, rather than merely rifled-through. Play this one loud.

White Label
[Listen]
[Mallory O’Donnell]

Imagine my excitement when I first heard about my beloved Roxy Music being
remixed by the likes of Tiefschwarz, Lindstrom/Prins Thomas, the DFA, Kaos, and The Glimmers! Now imagine I’m listening to not one, but two takes on the insipid “Angel Eyes.” What, couldn’t get their hot little hands on any of Ferry’s Dylan covers? Of course, this is only the first round, but if their best foot is being put forward first, expect the whole project to end ass-up in the gutter. The re-edit is fine from a technical standpoint, but the source material is… still “Angel Eyes.” Kaos does his best to push the song towards the disco floor, highlighting the diva vocals over Ferry’s, but it’s in the name of a lost cause. Far superior is the second 12″, which takes in Tiefschwarz burying “Rain Rain Rain” in their backyard and then unearthing it covered in rust and old bits of tinsel. Far more minimal and elegant than most of their recent outings, it bodes better for the future of Tiefschwarz’ catalog than the past of Roxy’s. Last and best is M.A.N.D.Y. and Booka Shade’s team tackle of “The Thrill of It All,” which sounds rather like one of their tracks with bits of the original filtered in the background. An inauspicious start. More details on the Roxy Remix project can be found here.

Virgin / UK VJSTDJ 1919
[Listen]
[Mallory O’Donnell]

Wow, this is terrible. I know my standards for electroclash and rock remixes and all the Franco-filter-metal perversions of late are a tad too high, but this may be the most vapid of the bunch yet: needly guitars but not a hook, some rock drum flavor but nothing close to a driving beat, Minimal Compact’s Samy Birnbach saying “give us
something” but obviously unwilling to return the favor. But hey, the synths are analog! Come on now. New York’s Rub ‘n’ Tug do better on the b-side, a remix of MC’s “Nil Nil.” I never heard the original, but this one sounds like a lost Siouxsie extended mix; not quite as dark, but with creepier vox, really deep drums, and percussive bass sounds as per usual for R-n-T remixes. The guitar stabs are so frail they’ll make you cry, and here, it’s a good thing.

Tigersushi / TSR 018
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[Nick Sylvester]

Fuck me, for some reason I thought this was a Holger Czukay record. Instead it’s this Swedish guy practicing with his sweet new computer but on my time, shitting out three minimal trance cuts (i.e. short on ideas, zero build) of the same flimsy loops: a quote spooky whatever “bells in the water” riff, a faceless kick, and some stuttering percussion. A1 (”Whitest”) to A2 (”Whiter”) to B1 (”White”), Can changes up sub-genre dressing but keeps that ass bell loop, all to increasingly bad effect. The electro-housed A1 gets by because it sounds like a Bpitch demo, but A2 couldn’t even cut it on a Spectral comp, and B1 desperately wants to be acid-house but forgets the mindmelting squelch. Buy this record only if you have a comically large coffee mug and happen to need a coaster.

Precinct / PREC 014
[Listen]
[Nick Sylvester]

Tadd Mullinix has revealed himself to be one of the most remarkable and idiosyncratic producers this side of Ann Arbor, effortlessly alternating between dense, smoky hip-hop grounded beatz under his Dabrye alias and acidic jack tracks, either cleaner (as James T. Cotton) or filthier than an aging rock-star’s hard drive (as TNT, with Osborne, or here, as JTC). This is some of the most seriously monged, script-flipping munt music out there folks. Watch your pets run yelping from the room as you put it on. Hell, play it at a party and watch everyone except the dude on mushrooms completely lose their shiznit. To me, “The Sound of Winedrinking” is more like the sound of a dreaming drum machine with all the freakquencies of its unconscious thoughts streaming freely across its dozy circuits. “Psychedelic Mindtrip”? Well, mind the title, then dig right in. This side gradually piles on the hits and effects until the whole swirling mélange finally goes off like a howl from a bent head. Freaky stuff, indeed.

Crème Organization / Crème 12-29
[Listen]
[Peter Chambers]