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Versatile - VER 058

So, mr Ligny, we meet again!

Fabrice Lig is the first and most probably the last artist I’ve ever sent fanmail to. His debut LP called “Walking On a Little Cloud” (under Soul Designer alias, 2002) was, and still is, very much my taste in deep techno - mostly dreamy, Detroit-influenced beautiful soundscapes, with nicely programmed techy and very distinctive beats. So after listening to the album for the first time, I just felt the sudden urge to express my exaltation to him and give some casual respect. And he replied shortly - thanked me for my letter and, if I remember correctly, said some nice things he had heard about the Estonian underground community. Naturally, I was all excited about this kind of personal contact and was sure that it was a beginning of close relationship, musically.

In some point, we ‘grew apart’, musically. The next albums, “Roots of the Future” and “My 4 Stars”, did not make me feel like sending fanmail, it started to sound a bit.. eeeh… worn out to me, to be honest. And from there it got more and more… eeeh… cheesy. Although he maintained the characteristic and recognizable sound, the basslines got naive and a bit irritating. Of course we still ’shared’ some bright moments - like the “On Stage EP” he made with Jean Vanesse (the South Union project), that was catchy and sharp as ever. Nevertheless, as the time came by, I felt like seeing other people, musically.

But I hadn’t heard the last of mr Lig, it appears. Every single day, when I browse my RSS feed for new releases, I dream to come across such sick tunes as “The Track”. It starts with hypnotic carlcraigish stomping and hits the climax with huuuuge epic breakdown, growing and growing and growing, climbing up the octave with crazy synth stabs. If I know anything about the people going to the parties where we play, they will be knocked out by it. There are quite ecstatic comments on it on WAS already, by the most prominent DJs and producers. That one really heats up our relationship again, musically, and I feel like sending fanmail again. Definitely books a high place in my personal 2008 chart.

The below is a snip from the superb Offtrack radio show, so don’t be scared if you occasionally hear the soothing voice of Dirk Rumpff.

A: The Track
B1: Bump Bump
B2: The Riff Pourpre

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Planet E - PE 65296

It must be pretty easy for a well-known producer to get some publicity for his new tracks. Then again the downside is the lack of forgiveness shown when the production doesn’t deliver as expected. He gets labeled as being old or selling out or doing it for the money. So whenever I see a new release from a producer of Martin Buttrich’s statue, I tend to get a bit nervous. What if this is the downfall? What if it’s got Capitol A on the lyrics? I think I tend to bring myself in a pessimistic state like that just to increase the chances of a positive surprise.

I’m relieved to say that “Stoned Autopilot” is indeed a positive surprise. I don’t care much for the flipside – “Cruise Control” – although it will probably get played by many DJs. The necessary tension is missing, and that’s luckily there on “Stoned Autopilot”. Starting with a punctuated single note bass line, it evolves to a harmony that reminds me to a more techno-ish Henrik Schwarz. And then there’s the breakdown. All in all, it’s not an obvious sort of a hit, but I feel it can do massive damage to the dance floor if played at the right moment.

A: Stoned Autopilot
B: Cruise Control

Listen at Juno
Buy at Juno

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I’ll be snowboarding in Livigno, Italy the whole next week, so probably no reviews to come till I’m back.

I’ll leave you with a nice Dixon interview from his visit to Australia in In The Mix.

I haven’t heard any good new DJs in the last few years. How come, though? Where do they learn to play these days? They have no chance to play clubs for longer than just the warm up. How can they learn how to guide a crowd through a night? There’s nearly no clubs left where the residents play all night long. I think that is the basis of a good DJ.

Also check out his Innercity 2005-2008 mixtape at OFFtrack.org.

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I stumbled upon an Efdemin interview in Resident Advisor (published in summer 2007). His productions had managed to escape me for quite a while, however once they finally kicked in, it was for good. And it’s funny how his music kind of clicked with everything that I read in this interview. Here are just a couple of my favorite quotes:

I didn’t decide before that I wanted to do a minimal album or I wanted to do a house thing. It just flows through me and comes out.

I think house was labeled badly, like handbag house and things like that. And bad people were listening to house. House was like porn music. But now it has come back. It’s very good what Dixon does. Some people in Berlin and other places have really kept at it. I mean Dixon has been playing this kind of music for fifteen years and now people are like, ‘”Ah, he’s a new DJ. He’s so great.”

It’s a bit like if you have a really good Luciano set - he is my favorite DJ I think, sometimes - then you have four hours of nothing happening. It’s like a long line, which is the best thing that can happen. I always try to play like that. I can’t really because he’s so amazing, but that is the best thing. It’s like the old way of playing. There’s nothing really spectacular happening. It’s about feeling like “Okay. We are here. There is no time and I’m just dancing.”

Efdemin - Le Ratafia

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Deeply Rooted House - DRH 016

So here it is – Kerri Chandler’s coming-out as a computer nerd. I think it should encourage nerds disguised as DJs and producers all over the world to step out and say: „Yes! So what if I sometimes like to throw on my Inner City CD and do some Fortran programming!“ Kerri’s revelation surely explains his relatively fast adoption of laptop-DJing (heavily frowned upon by purists at the time as I recall) and the giga-nerd laser live at Southport.

But if you are easily intimidated by music producers confessing to have been into “modding game machines”, I can safely say - you need not fear. And those of you who are expecting Kerri’s trademark bottom-heavy bass drums and 808 claps, this EP doesn’t fail to deliver. “Kong” is very much an old school house track, with some acidish snare/clap/cymbal action and a bouncy bass line. You know, sometimes you just like toast, without any butter or jam or anything. “Pong” is a more elaborate tune, relying on percussion, arpeggiated synthesizers and finally a string section to contrast the tech. It travels a bit to the Ibadan and “Sandcastles” territory and ends up with maybe just a little too much cheese for my taste.

The pick? Just toast for me, please. Thank you!

A: Kong
B: Pong

Listen at Juno
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