29 November 2012
25 November 2012
24 November 2012
23 November 2012
19 November 2012
Fritz Kalkbrenner | King in Exile
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Growing up in the shadow of real socialist prefab buildings in the Lichtenberg district of Berlin, Fritz Kalkbrenner was a couple of years shy of being able to participate directly in the anarchic techno mayhem that followed right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when new possibilities and freedoms opened up in East Berlin within a short period of time.
At the beginning of the 1990s his older brother Paul and his best friend Sascha Funke went crazy for techno beats, while hip hop artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, KRS One and Wu-Tang Clan were Fritz’s heroes who could do no wrong. He studied their flow, memorised hundreds of lyrics and learned how to tell stories – all basic research that would later benefit him.
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17 November 2012
16 November 2012
26 October 2012
24 October 2012
Do It Yourself- DOUSK
Dousk is Greek producer Yiannis Douskos, who has released well-received EPs for Bedrock and Vapour – good references indeed, but even those don’t prepare you for the sheer quality of this album.
D.I.Y. is a treat, from its origami packaging to the obvious care and attention given to the music. The fourteen tracks are segued together in a loose sense, not like a DJ set but like a continuous work in progress. The whole effect is like an hour long head massage, as synthesized sounds drift in and out of focus, and subtle riffs rise from the depths.
The music ranges from easy going downtempo, as in the very opening, to solid, deep house. This is where Dousk really excels, with all the breakdowns placed perfectly and some real power in the chord progressions, particularly the anthemic ‘Espero Sun’, just about the pick of the album and a potential Balearic smash if ever there was one. The brooding ‘Chrysalis’ is already well known in the clubs and features a strong bass line, while ‘Sidewalk Lovin’’ is a strangely touching track with reminders of Jam & Spoon in the Japanese vocal.
While the uptempo tracks tend to fare better the balance is just right, the mood set for
nocturnal, widescreen listening. The plush sound effects may sound quite early 90s, but they are so incredibly well produced it’s impossible not to warm to them.
An ambitious debut album, then, at well over an hour, but this is clearly a man who’s learnt well from ‘ambient’ acts such as the Orb, as well as more uptempo material such as early Paul Van Dyk. As a smoky chillout album, D.I.Y. is well nigh perfect. (RA)
22 October 2012
Severed Heads - Dead eyes opened
Severed Heads were one of the pioneering acts on Australia's alternative music scene, a group whose work embraced elements of industrial, synth pop, electronic, and experimental music, with tape loops, samples, and full-on noise playing as large a role in their music as any conventional instruments. Eclectic and stubbornly refusing to confine themselves to any single genre, Severed Heads evolved constantly from their debut in 1979 to their final retirement in 2008
13 October 2012
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