Right so eeeh…
Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time for the release roundup for December 2024.
Boo-Urns Of The Month
Maceo Plex joins prestigious names like the Chemical Brothers and DJ Shadow by becoming my boo-urns of the month.
Recently I’ve been going flat out to commemorate all the classic hiphop albums that dropped in 1993, it certainly kept me busy.
Plex’s new album ,’93, was similarly intended as a celebration of his 30 years of DJing, which could have been an interesting concept given the rich musical heritage these past three decades have afforded us.
But instead, he serves up a cynical slice of pandering paint-by-numbers business techno and TikTok kiddy pop designed to give your eardrums diabetes.
The final insult comes in the form of a “tribute” to Orbital that butchers Belfast, as if it didn’t have enough troubles in ’93.
It’s a shame because I’ve always rated him as a DJ and he’s given us plenty of classic tracks over the years. On paper, an Orbital remix by the man who brought us Solitary Daze ought to have been majestic. Not regurgitate candy floss.
A massive, massive disappointment.
Album Of The Month
So let’s talk about the good stuff, my album of the month for December 2023 is Diverse Pathways from ReKaB.
I’ll always jump on any new ReKaB release the instant I hear about because I know it’s going to be quality.
In this case it was the 23-track digital release I opted for, which includes 12 new tracks plus an additional 11 remixes from various artists.
ReKaB is an alias of English producer James Baker who cites Detroit techno, early Warp and R&S material, alongside artists like Kirk Degiorgio and B12 among his influences.
You can certainly hear all those influences here, especially B12, I feel. There’s places in this album that give me serious Time Tourist vibes. Which is a good thing.
Looking at the news and the world in general I’ll forgive you if you’re not feeling overly optimistic about the year ahead. But perhaps all you need is some of that cosy and reassuring old skool techno futurism to remind you how our shared tomorrow can still be a sleek and shiny world of infinite possibilities.
Downtempo Releases December 2023
December 1st saw the release of Not Sirius, the third album from Children Of The Bong. This follows on from their previous release, Sonic Ambulance, which they released back in October,
Both albums consist of unreleased material, however Not Sirius consists specifically of session outtakes from their very first album, 1995’s Sirius Sounds.
As a huge fan of their first album this was, therefore, an essential purchase. It makes for a perfect companion piece, full of lengthy dub excursions and glorious 90s-style, acid-tweaking, big beat psychedelia.
One of the biggest surprises for me this month was the new release from our very own Kerrie.
Released on her new(ish) Dark Machine Funk label, I’ll admit I was expecting more dark and gritty electro or banging modular mayhem as we’ve gotten previously.
Right To Freedom, however, is something altogether different and was released with a specific message and purpose.
The EP consists of three beatless compositions; Freedom, Right, Equality and Empowerment.
The aim is to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza with all proceeds from the release go directly to Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
Good music supporting a good cause – maith thú Kerrie.
Techno – December 2023
My techno release for December 2023 is the Paradox EP from Midirama.
Midirama is a Czech DJ, producer and sorcerer supreme from the esoteric realms of Oktatrackonia who’s recorded on labels like Apex and Resilient Recordings
If you like pure techno that’s true to its roots, then look no further. I’m particularly fond of the bouncy, minimal funk of track two, Void In Factory.
Ok so this one literally just came in the proverbial door as I was writing and I need to include it here.
It’s a rambunctious 303 and 909 workout from Posthuman called Mosquito and it does invoke the feeling of having one of the little bastards buzzing by your eardrums at 3:03 am, but in a good way.
Best of all it’s currently free to download, just the thing to get you buzzing before New Years Eve.
Electro December 2023
So, onto some electro and this month I’m picking the four-track Such Is Life EP from Roaming Data on New York’s Homage label. Specifically I’m picking it for this track here, Modulate, a delicious slice of uplifting melodic acid electro which I can’t help playing over and over.
Breaks / Old Skool / Rave – December 2023
And I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also feature the six-track E-Vapor 8 (Remixes) EP from Altern 8
The five remixes come in various forms, from groovy house to ruff drum n bass, plus we get the original in all its Vicks-sniffing Strings of Life-sampling glory.
It should be mentioned that Altern 8 were my heroes growing up and Full On Mask Hysteria was the one album which, more than all others, sparked my lifelong love of techno and electronic music.
So naturally I’m going to judge any attempts at remixing tunes from it more harshly than normal.
Sure I’ll fool myself into thinking otherwise, telling myself that I’m keeping an open mind before invariably saying none can match the original. Cuz of course I will.
That said I am especially partial to the K-Klass remix.