Audio Love 2014 #10

Music

Woi Oi! It's Audio Love!

Rondenion – 2-5-1 EP (Roundabout Sounds)

Rondenion is only a name thats come onto my radar relatively recently if Im honest but the man behind the alias, Goto Hirofumi, has actually had a long and illustrious production career which shows what I know! This latest EP on heavyweight Californian label Roundabout Sounds is an absolute killer.

The EP opens with the brooding chords of Strange Love. Moody and intense with a loopy, acidic bass line. Next up is Thats Right which is a low slung, slightly chaotic affair with a more soulful but still intense feel. Then we have Deep Step which is a more upbeat feeling track, dancefloor friendly but still wonderfully idiosyncratic. The quality of Rondenions production on all three of these is second to none.

To be perfectly honest the three originals would make up a stupidly strong release on their own and most labels would try to eek things out by putting all the remixes out on a follow up release. But hats off to Roundabout Sounds on this front and including them all together in one package. The artists drafted in for their interpretations are D Wynn, Mike Grant and label boss Joe Babylon (my Mesopotamian cousin). All are quality new slants on the originals and well worth it in their own right. No token remixes here. This is one of the strongest EPs Ive heard so far this year.

Out 25th March on wax

Andy Ash Connection EP (Fullbarr)

Fullbarr is a great label. Based in Sheffield, the boss Arthur Barr has been plugging away for a few years now focusing on seeking out the finest underground house and techno music and bringing it to the public. When it comes to quality theyre about as reliable as it comes. This latest release from Liverpudlian Andy Ash fits right into the Fullbarr mold. Its understated, deep, light in places, banging in places, and generally pretty damned good.

We kick off with Motz which is an optimistic, 707 based house number. A lovely, square wave bassline does the business with a few funky synth licks here and there. Second on the A side is Strong Connection which is a bit more of a straight up, heads down, affair. On the B side weve got Shackle which is a deep, stripped back work out. Finally, bringing things to a close is the pick of the bunch for me with the Achterbahn DAmour remix of Shackle. Achterbahn DAmour is the collaboration between Iron Curtis and Edit Piafra and this is a lesson in deep but pumping acid.

Coming soon on wax and digi

Himan and Temma Teje Cumberl & Spaceman EP (Release Sustain)

This split EP from Release Sustain arrived in my inbox a few weeks ago now and its just been growing and growing on me. Temma Teje and Himans originals (Spaceman and Cumberl respectively) are both fine examples of deep, warm and interesting house music and they compliment each other very well. The two remixes however, are out of this world. Tevo picks up Temmas Spaceman and makes it into something really beautiful. Theres this rasping, chugging, phasing synth that plugs away for the whole track that just wiggles its way into your brain. That makes it sound abrasive though which it isnt. The track is warm, hypnotic, friendly, soothing. In contrast, the Basic Soul Unit mix of In Your Mind is sparse, aggressive and fucking exquisite!

Wax is out now digi to follow on 18th April

J oe Europe

Rennie Foster – Childish Things

There comes a time when you are wading through so much new, non-descript, electronic music that it's reduced to sounding little more than that cliched way people who don't like electronic music describe it: unn chik unn chikk (wailing diva) unn chik, etc etc.

Step Forward Candian electronic producer Rennie Foster who's latest EP, 'Childish Things' bears no regard for such things as genre ghettoisation, this EP shows he has a couple of killer twists on techno up his sleeve. The lead track, a dreamy mid paced tech house track is taken to a totally other level with the introduction of a gorgeous main riff played on the trumpet by Canadian trumpet player Alfons Fear. He also appears in a more aggressive guise on the Miles Davis meets Boys Noize roughneck acid of 'Traders', both tracks are utterly essential. This is REAL acid jazz.