This is an overview of the music that the 909 crew are feeling this month. Not focused on new releases, it serves as an insight to our musical journeys and the discoveries we make on the way.
Leonardo Martelli – 03 23 (Notte)
It seems like Antinote can’t help themselves from continuously releasing killer music. Label head Zaltan evidently has the Midas touch because I love everything they put out, especially stuff from the warlock that is man like Leonardo Martelli. An unreleased track I heard of his on Orpheu the Wizard’s Red Light Radio show had me foaming at the mouth in anticipation recently, but seeing as it’s untraceable until its release I thought I would include his most recent output here. The drums are hard. REALLY hard. It’s not often that the brutality of the percussion is that noticeable but it instantly hits you in this, and it’s very clear that this has been designed for maximum dancefloor effectiveness. What is more, the melodic chords on this are excellent. Everyone knows that I’m a sucker for melodic electro, but this is definitely one of the superior songs of that genre that I’m aware of. The chords are uniquely melancholic, and they are vastly intelligent and intriguingly mysterious. They are seemingly quite restrained, yet at the same time are brimming with hyperbolic emotion. The rap-style hook line is also pretty cool, as it adds a little ghettotech flavour to the song, something that you don’t really get with the more euphoric/melodic style electro. I actually think it’s a nice addition to the song and somehow works quite well. All in all, a crazy-good electro tune and a quality 5am curveball to keep the punters marching.
Le Car – Erase That Thought
I was up in Edinburgh last week for a few days, and in an attempt to avoid the so very bleak midwinter up there, I took refuge in Underground Solu’shn for a couple hours. As it is widely known as Edinburgh’s premier record shop, it thankfully did not disappoint. It’s so refreshing to have people working at a record shop who are actually passionate about what they do and don’t see customers as a dramatic inconvenience to their day *cough* Phonica *cough*. I happily chatted to them for ages about a Unit Moebus release I’d found in their bins and joined in their quest to see if the one I’d picked up was the elusive Bunker 001, a Rotterdam classic with the seminal 17 minute Panta Rhei on it. Unfortunately it wasn’t this release, but it was cool to actually engage with the staff in a shop for once. I didn’t buy the Unit Moebus release, but did stumble across the Le Car compilation recently re-released by Clone. This was an instant buy, but I was most surprised about a secret lil 7” that was included in the package, which had the lead track of one of their 1998 EPs on it. Erase That Thought is an extremely raw, 90s-esque electro cut. It’s very fast and it has that satisfyingly analogue feel to it, so you can really tell it’s been made by machines, not computers. The deep, dark synths that layer on top are also sick. There’s nothing about them that are re-inventing the wheel, and in synth terms they’re very simple compared to what someone like AFX can do. But I love their dubby, slow-burn sound and the sluggish progression through their four chords is great. Late 90’s electro is getting loads of attention at the moment, with the repress of the Scopex backcatalogue serving as the pinnacle of this hype, and it seems that this period really was a golden age for electro. This release can be firmly placed as one of the better songs of this era.
AFX – PWSteal.Ldpinch.D
I finally got round to listening through the Analord releases the other week. This was a long time coming, as AFX is well-known for producing the best of pretty much every electronic music genre there is. He can arguably make the best melodic electro out there, and he is uncontested on his pedestal atop the realm of IDM. I absolutely loved all of the Analord series, with Analord 04, 06 and 08 being my favourites. This song was the only 4×4 tune he made as AFX, and is an absolute dancefloor destroyer. The melody is dramatic and immediately attention grabbing, and reigns in your intrigue through its subtly dark undertones. It would perfectly complement a dark dancefloor and it has that epic feel in its drops to cause suitable pandemonium. I like how the melody mutates and goes up an octave between the drops, and it gives the impression that the chords are really trying to tell a story. Even in what seems like a simple house track, the complexity of emotion infused here shows the true mastery of Aphex Twin. I really don’t think that there’s anything else out there that sounds like this. Some have categorised it as 90’s house but I strongly disagree. This is an enigma in house music, with AFX showing that with every genre he goes near he makes something indescribable, inimitable and untouchable.
Plant43 – Cirriform Surface
Shock of the week, I’ve included some more melodic electro. Plant43 is actually a pretty recent discovery for me, but by the sounds of what I’ve heard so far, it’s like I’ve been waiting all my life to find him. The consistency in each release is impressive, and he continues to pioneer a sound that can seem quite congested at the moment. The synths he uses are quite trancey and he doesn’t use basic soppy melodies to create his emotion, instead finding it deep in the groove of his tracks where the synth work is atmospheric and busy, and the beat is steadfast and powerful. This is proper heads down gear, which if you heard in a club would really take you on a journey far-far away. I played a Plant43 song in the most recent 909 podcast, a song which was released in 2013. The difference between that song and this one is 4 years. Maintaining consistency like that for four years is a testament to Plant43’s producing skills; and he’s thrived at focusing on a specific style of music that I find exciting and relatively unchartered. Big tip on this one.
Journeyman – 3001 (Edit)
Dekmantel have spoiled us as of late, by releasing 27 sets from Dekmantel Selectors Festival 2017. Even better is the fact that almost all of the best sets I heard from the weekend were there: David Vunk, Interstellar Funk, Objekt, Intergalactic Gary etc. etc. etc. Apart from Joy Orbison x Solar, there was nothing major that they missed out on. Listening through Gaz’s set was particularly inspirational. He is my favourite DJ in the world at the moment because he just plays such emotionally indulgent music in a tough, highly mechanic context. He just has that most righteous stuff man. This song is an example of the powerful, deep, evocative, beautiful and spacey music that he often plays. The vibe he embodies is destined to play closing sets because it combines heavy, dancefloor-orientated peak time music with the ethereal, emotional music that befits the end of a night. This song was one of the last songs he played, and it is absolutely mesmerising. The beat is throbbing and very deep, enticing the listener to get lost in its rhythm. After a while, the strings creep their way in and start to build their way to a euphoric crescendo. Then, the wobbly, spacey and distorted synths start to appear, daggering their way through the air and piercing the twilight with their mystery and suspense. All the while, the deep beat carries on underneath, getting lost within the music but carrying the song all the while. This is a truly unbelievable song. It has a similar feel to The Other People Place’s Moonlight Rendezvous, but it might just be better. This might be heresy, but I think this song really is that good. Unfortunately, the full song isn’t on Youtube, so to listen to it you need to go to about 1:12:00 on the link above. Trust me though, it’s worth it. Click that link, and prepare to be transported to another galaxy. A song truly worthy of and emblematic of Intergalactic Gary. All hail.