Been another hectic month with lots of interesting releases, news of more exiting releases on the way, not to mention lots of 30th anniversaries I really wanted to make sure are covered here. But anyways, at the risk of sounding unpopular (perish the thought) let’s get this out of the way:
So now that I’ve just slaughtered a sacred cow before the second paragraph let me get something else off my chest…
In fact, Charlotte De Witt, can you just stop remixing old skool classics full stop? Like your previous butchering of The First Rebirth, some classics are just better left alone.
Anyways, on to more interesting news. The godfather of techno is back as Juan Atkins dusts off his Cybotron moniker with a new release coming out on Tresor.
The first track, Maintain, has a distinctly clear Cybotron feel and an uplifting message, “humanity, we will maintain”. So we just have to maintain our patience until October 13th for the full EP to drop.
Album Of Month – September 2023
Usually I run screaming from genres like “deep house” or “melodic techno” and yet there’s something about this producer I really enjoy.
And while it’s the last thing I’d want to listen to on a night out – I generally can’t get moving to anything under 130 bpm – when I’m at home, Vince Watson’s chilled melodic stylings are perfect listening for me.
Top EPs – September 2023
If that Vince Watson album’s a bit too fluffy wuffy and you’re after some proper techno with nare a hint of melody to be found then Mark Broom’s Tribe Vibes EP will sort you out.
These percussion-centric tracks certainly deliver on the premise, pure tribal vibes for sweaty, uncompromising dancefloors.
Keeping those tribal vibes alive, the Primal EP from Isaiah Firebrace, released on Suara, is also worth checking out if, like me, you’re a fan of proper high octane percussive techno bangers.
French producer Loloman’s Origin EP is another one I want to mention here. The title track is a somewhat Oniris-esque melodic house track. There’s also a more electro style remix from Jules Welles while the third and fourth tracks are more dub technoish with a sizable chunk of Inner City thrown in for good measure – all in all quite a varied EP.
Another release I really enjoyed this month was the Common Centre EP from Umek’s electro alter ego, Zeta Reticula. As anyone who reads this blog will know I’m a sucker for some acid electro and breaks so this is an obvious choice for me really.
Veering off into more drum n bass territory, the two track Volt EP from Seba & Paradox on Ilian Tape is dark and atmospheric but with just that right amount of old skool jungalism to ensure it grabbed my attention.
Mix Of The Month – September 2023
Ok so I actually have two mixes of the month this month, plus one more because I didn’t post one last month. What can I say? I’m a busy guy.
As you may already know (and if not I’ll take every opportunity to remind you) I’m a huge fan of Altern 8, so for my September mix of the month I’m going with the man like Mark Archer who delivered two top ones this month, starting off with a retrospective of classic Belgian “warehouse techno” recorded for Rinse FM.
Let’s consider that the appetizer before the main event, as it were.
Now Mark Archer’s original Boiler Room set is already the stuff of legend. But for his latest outing there he definitely takes the boiler room concept to a whole new level by going full-on Uncle Bens in a boiler suit while the audience wave their fans to cool him down.
But you can always trust this man to bring the heat 🔥 An absolute masterclass that proves, if ever there was any doubt, that there’s no skool like the old skool (and he’s the fucking ‘edmaster!)
Keeping it on the old skool tip and since I didn’t have a mix of the month for August might as well include it here. Nashville producer Amerigo Gazaway released a Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Mixtape which I neglected to mention previously but really enjoyed at the time so here it is now for your listening pleasure.
Honourable Mentions – September 2023
The first honourable mention goes to Bloom, the new album from French producer Fasme. It comes out on Madrid’s Analogical Force, a label which has also previously brought us releases from Mike Paradinas and James Shinra.
If you dig those spacy acidic electro vibes like I do, you’ll enjoy this one.
And speaking of French producers, Laurent Garnier ’33 T.E.P.S.V. Remixes’ album is finally out.
As you know I was a massive fan of Garnier’s 33 Tours et Puis Sen Vont album, which was released earlier this year, so was equally excited by this one. The remixes were released on Laurent Garnier’s COD3 QR label on September 29th and feature six tracks in total, my favourite being this one:
Another remix album (it must be remix album season) released September 29th is Blackbird Returns from Fat Freddy’s Drop. The original Blackbird album was released ten years ago. Though I’ve been a fan of the group myself since around 2005, I only got the chance to finally see them live this year and enjoyed it immensely.
If you get a chance to do so, go see them live too, you won’t be disappointed. Anyways, the remix album itself is quite diverse featuring remixes from Nightmares on Wax, Dub Pistols and Jazzanova.
And finally, another big release this month, with lots more remixes and also on September 29th for some reason, is the deluxe edition of Orbital’s Optical Delusion.
Which is basically the same album that I reviewed earlier in the year, with a second helping of remixes of varying levels of quality. (Actually, some of these tracks were included on the bonus CD which came with some of the initial album releases.)
I’d say pick and mix your favs digitally, whereas the die-hard Orbital completionists are better off holding off to see if they do another release with the whole shebang on vinyl finally.
More announcements of albums I’m looking forward to reviewing in the coming weeks include yet another remix album, the Orb and David Gilmour’s Metallic Spheres In Colour, plus the first new release from Children of the Bong since 1995’s Sirius Sounds. Exciting times.