New Music Reviewssssssssss

'Warp 2010", Warp Records. This is a new release from hyperdub [is that a word?] and experimental breakbeat electronica label Warp Records, and is basically a nice showcase of some recent Warp stuff that is unreleased elsewhere.... highlights include "Quakes" by Flying Lotus, featuring his stuttering vintage nintendo-esque beats over a superb production. A newcomer to watch is Glasgow producer Rustie, who takes the prize for best song title I have heard in a long time with his track "Inside Pikachu's Cunt". This song warbles and bumps along on a rollercoaster of silly and absurd electronic sounds and bleeps, and, well, is what I might expect it to sound like in there///haha. Probably the highlight of this album is fellow Glasgowian Hudson Mohawke's "Fuse", one of his best efforts to date and quite danceable for this eclectic genre of electronic music. Overall, I'd give this album a solid 7/10 and reccomend it as both an excellent introduction to Warp's unique style and a sneak of things to come from some of their talented artists.

Another great, more retro release to check out is the new compliation by French collective 'Valerie and Friends", which is one of the best albums of 80's new wave influenced modern dance music I have listened to. Featuring artists like College, Valerie, Anoraak, Electric Youth, Futurecop! and more. I'm going to steal part of this review from my friends over at discoworkout.com because I liked it so much:

"Valerie is like the your slightly older cousin from France who you visit when you are thirteen and she is fifteen or sixteen, and you go to the beach together, and, this being France, she is topless, which is no big deal there, (but for you! it’s a VERY big deal!); and she sort of baby sits for you and takes you to get those combination beer and lemonade beverages which European teenagers drink, and which for you is terribly exciting, transgressive, and rebellious in a safe, sexy way; and then she seduces you with a flirtatious smile but nothing more, but you are smitten and confused (she’s your COUSIN!), and then at the end of the summer you return home and pine for her for the rest of your life and change your name to Humbert."

Precisely! I think sometimes people take dance music too seriously; like "oh, it has to have complexity and meaning beyond just wanting to make you dance." NO! That is exactly the point. If this album doesn't want to make you dance, something's wrong with you. I'll tell you what, not only does it want to make me dance, but it makes me want to kick Benni Benassi, David Guetta, and Tiesto in the face for the trash they put out that gets promoted as the best new "dance music". Think outside the box people!!

Ok, this is not exactly new, but I think often this album is slept on more than it should, and thus, in my effort to probably making it MORE obscure, I'm going to give it a few a few minutes. I'm talking about long time French house DJ's Phillipe Zdar and Boom Bass and their group Cassius, whose album "1999", released is the same year, is a superb effort at highly danceable tech-house, with great production/mastering under Zdar's tutelage. The single on this album, a remix of "Cassius 1999", went top 40 on the UK dance charts for quite some time, but never really got much play over on this side of the pond. Other standouts include "Feeling for you", "Crazy Legs", and "Hey Baby", with great vintage samples woven over tight minimalist beats and well-placed synths. Almost on par with their more recent album, "15 Again", this is a great introduction to the European tech-house scene. 8/10.

On a similar note, fellow Frenchman Strip Steve released a new EP recently, "Delta Disco", on Boys Noize Records, which I would LOVE to to get on wax, sadly probably a limited pressing with few copies available in the U.S. His production is KILLER on these tracks, with the kind of breakbeat sample-powered beats seen in other leading French house DJ's such as Surkin and Para One. All the tracks are good, but "Breakin", "AM/FM", and "Point Break" are all guaranteed party starters, with so much punch packed into 16 bars I would really have trouble mixing these efficiently into a live set. His earlier released, another EP, is also highly recommended. Good job signing this guy Boys Noize.

Another DJ with the Midas Touch to production and remixing is Perth, Australia's Shazam, a 17 year old wonder whose new EP, "Pool Party 2008/2009" has caused a quite a stir in the indie electronica blogosphere recently, and justifiable so. While pitchfork and HRO and busy praying at the feet of AnCo and Grizzly Bear, this is what's happening in the real world people! Can't wit to spin one of his remixes at a party and see what happens. Some of his highlights include a remix of Munk's "Down in L.A" [10/10], Toecutter's "Best Party Ever", and of course his better-known mix of Empires of the Sun's "We are the people." Also check his myspace for some great unreleased gems.

Also of note in the new new wave movement are Moscow, Russia's "Tesla Boy", whose new self-titled EP will magically transport you to what underground dance party's in Berlin wall-era Germany must have been like in the 80's. Tracks like "Spirit of the Night" and "Runaway Man" pack a lot of disco punch into 3 or 4 minutes. Saw a vid of these guys playing live and it looked like so much fun. Who said Russia doesn't know how to throw a good dance party!? 7.5/10.

Ok, so this is a little past the hype stage, but I guess for once I was slow to jump on the bandwagon on this one! M83's "Couleurs" EP [ok,. really just one epic 9 minute song and a mediocre remix by some Norwegian kid ] might just be the best electronic track of the year. I could listen to it for days. No really, I think I could. Anthony Gonzales's musical genius shines brightly on this madly energetic dreamscape of sweeping synth progressions, well-placed bass [a rarity in many M83 songs!] and just the right percussion for an ethereal journey into the human mind. This song combines so many elements that I like about modern electronica, vintage synth sounds, modern production tools, liberally used percussion and bass elements, and a lack of the cheesy over-produced strobing beats seen in many mainstream house and tech DJ's these days. 9.5/10.