Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Cyclic Defrost Magazine

Cyclic Defrost Magazine
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10:32 - Vanitas EP (Ghostly International)

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 05:04 AM PDT

There’s undoubtedly much trepidation in a name change, and for Adelaide-based producer Tim Koch, the recording moniker now comes under the guise of a numerical set rather than his given names. Self-analysis exists elsewhere about the meaning of these numbers: in the context of Vanitas, though, it feels as if these two have been pushed together on the basis of their beauty. Both rounded numbers, they come to represent the feel of this mini-album at just five tracks - always subtle, but not quiet enough to warrant being left behind, earning rather than asking for their right to be replayed.

It’s a marked evolution for Koch - Faena being the previous long player - with a much more, dare it be said, accessible use of form and song structure. The move to Ghostly may also signal this shift in direction too. “Blue Little” picks up (roughly) from where “Blue and Grey” left off from the 2006 album, though a little harsher and more compact. As to what is heard, there’s as much acoustic instrumentation as actual synthetic production at play. There is less space to what Koch is doing, at least on the opening song, with each idea being pushed up to the periphery, from the relentless beat to the sweet-ish melody that gets left by the wayside at times.

Yet it’s the sweetness that permeates the rest of Vanitas, with a subtlety that often makes it easy to let the sounds slip away from the foreground. “Jitter Heart” plays out as would be expected given its title - the same whimsical treble as heard earlier on, weaving its way forward and upward amidst a slightly scattered beat. The other songs are a little more curious, as it’s difficult to ascertain exactly where they begin to seem like second nature to the listener. Needless to say it’s a wholly pleasant journey from start to finish that whets the appetite for a full length release. A delicate work is this thing called Vanitas, as it tiptoes around the periphery being as interesting for your mind to decipher as it is for your ears to interpret.

Nite Club – My Tronic (Tape Theory)

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 04:59 PM PDT

Nite Club

New York-based electronic producer / songwriter Richard Spitzer has been involved in playing music since his early teens in various prog-rock and punk bands, before going on to immerse himself in live drum and bass and raves. Spitzer debuted his electro / synth-pop-fixated Nite Club alter-ego in 2007 with his first album ‘Nu Nite’ for Japanese label Black Budget, and now two years on, this follow-up for Tape Theory ‘My Tronic’ sees him reprising the same hiphop/electro-based partycentric antics. It’s no surprise to discover that Spitzer’s previously opened for the likes of Jamie Lidell, The Rapture and Kool Keith, such is the breadth of territory covered here – indeed, you get the feeling that all three headlining bands’ demographics would be entertained by the sixteen tracks here. Throughout upbeat tracks such as ‘Left Right’ and ‘Time Fighter’ there’s a predominant focus on sturdy breakbeats, retro analogue electro synths and drum machines, as well as sheeny rnb-flavoured keyboards and vocoders – indeed, it’s no real surprise to see a fairly reverential cover of Kanye West’s ‘Good Life’ make an appearance here. The influence of the sheeny nu-soul / hiphop likes of Kanye et al is also clearly present amongst the creamy synths, phased back-up harmonies and slow beat programming of ‘License Control’, but it’s the energetic breakbeats of ‘Collection Agency (Reebok Pump Mix)’ that really hint at Spitzer’s junglist roots as his smooth pop vocals collide with day-glo analogue synths and liquid cymbals. If you’re a fan of the likes of Datarock and My Robot Friend’s similarly eighties-obsessed party electro stylings, ‘My Tronic’ is well worth investigation.

Remute - Grand Glam (Remute)

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 07:02 PM PDT

Remute (Denis Karimani) has always delivered tough techno, but ‘Grand Glam’, his second LP and first for his own Remute label, is more concerned than ever with dance music’s more seductive hedonism. At a time when subtlety still dominates, in either clickity minimal or forlorn deep house, ‘Grand Glam’, as the title suggests, is all exageration and glitter. It’s hard to imagine a techno album released this year that’s so enjoyably functional.

Unlike the similarly hefty Berghain crowd, Remute is not afraid to smile (or is it a gurn?), and there’s none of their at times irritating dourness. Both the title track and ‘Mass Hypnosis’ look to prime French house for inspiration, while ‘Tefko’ takes on the thrilling pseudo-trance of Eulberg and Ananda. The wordy titled opener is stripped back and functional, like earlier singles for Areal and Trapez, and ‘Sling It’ and ‘Oahahaha’ evoke the luminous house of Kompakt at their disco-tinged best. There’s barely room for breath, but ‘Grand Glam’s enthralling maximalism makes a convincing case for more-is-more on the dancefloor.

Joshua Meggitt

at 5:10 PM