Hello! Welcome to the second installment of my Summer 2022 recap. Check out Part 1 here.
Dawn Razor – Scary Movies [Of Paradise]
Techno / UK Bass
You pretty much know that you’re in for when the record has a wolf’s gaping maw for the label art. This one meets all of the accompanying aesthetic expectations and introduces plenty of the unexpected.
‘Scary Movies’ is a boomy, broken kick, big-room banger that proceeds as they usually do until beautiful synth atmospherics and a finely tuned doppler sequence build a massive wall of ethereal melodics. A momenter of the highest order, this one is for the wee hours on a floor enchanted by whatever witchcraft has already been brewed.
‘Getting’ keeps up the rhythmic pummeling but with an additional layer of complexity in arrangement. It comes on full-bore with massive bass growls ripping through a mix populated with ragga vox samples, short bursts of fx’d breakbeats and what sounds like vocal chops from the Ghost in the Shell theme. Maximal in the perfect way – physically, mentally, emotionally – I can’t remember any capital-t Techno track that has grabbed me so viscerally in recent memory. Future legend.
‘Esvedra’ keeps the maximalist approach rolling, combining the pretty synth melodies of ‘Scary Movies’ with insane crash and ride cymbal breaks to punctuate an otherwise straight-forward 4x4 beater.
B2 has Yushh remixing ‘Getting’ into a dystopian 160/80 bpm hear-as-you-will monster that I prefer at halftime tempo. Jocks like Objekt and CCL come to mind. When I emailed CCL to share, they replied “ahhh yes have been playing this one [double drool emoji]”. Ope!
Dawn Razor has been at it a while with several releases (which I have yet to dig into) but this record, particularly the A-side, perfectly evokes what, to me, a Dawn Razor would do. These tunes scream out of speakers and slice through the rest of the night’s tracks, making them stand-alone audio monoliths, ushering in the dawn and whatever other madness will soundtrack the liminal zone where darkness and light meet.
Young Adults - Anxiety Bar EP [Seven Hills]
Machine Funk
This one comes courtesy of the excellent Seven Hills crew responsible for a streak of essential retrospective compilations over the past few years. Their Nation of Noise 2x12” is one of the most crucial and best presented reissues to land on my shelves (check out the original label art reproduced for these. Reissue labels take note!). Alongside other killer vault comps from Rockers Hi-Fi and Makers of Movement, Seven Hills has been quietly presenting new material from younger producers. The first of these to land on my radar, Anxiety Bar, is a versatile plate of beefy machine-funk cuts with a sprinkle of prog for the retrophile clique but with enough muscle to fit in a freewheeling techno set – the quintessential Evan Baggs steez.
The A-side houses a fun party roller (‘Threat Level Midnight’) and a moody mood-setter (‘Anxiety Bar’) – not hits, but the type of tracks essential to fill the gaps between peaky moments. ‘Integrated Lizard People’ stands out for its synth’d-up electro/techno hybridity. A growling bassline anchors the track while synths sweep in like caustic wind storms on an uninhabitable planet. Reminds me of my beloved E-State and Electrolux records by Froyd.
‘Fermented Feelings’ hits right for me too with its serious, meditative harmonic elements taming a beater kick drum. Great for late in an opening set or deeper early-morning moments.
Anxiety Bar EP is a great utility disk with enough quality and variation to keep one drawing for it again and again throughout the night. A very high quality first outing, I look forward to hearing what else is in store from YA.
Kozmik Funk – Numbers/Computer World [NYC Records]
Electro / 80’s
NYC Records is one of those labels that’s a total joy to stumble upon. After nabbing the Numbers/Computer World 12” I was quickly sucked down the rabbit-hole of James Reeno’s musical universe. James has been quietly releasing limited runs of synthy, machine-driven Chicago house, 80’s electro, funk, disco, Italo and boogie 12”s since 2003 under several aliases across three of his own labels. It’s a timely and welcomed reminder that the DIY approach is still viable and that there’s always more to discover no matter how deep you’ve already dug.
‘Numbers/Computer World’ has James covering both Kraftwerk cuts, melding them into a single retro-electro synth voyage. No surprises here (except maybe the piano solo) – its a friendly, familiar dancefloor warmer. The 12” is presented in true 80’s fashion: cut at 45 rpm (shoutout Dietrich Schoenemann), featuring only original, dub and bonus beats versions. Take it or leave it. Stamped with a great vamp on classic New York freestyle / proto-house label art, this one nails that era’s vibe without any of the false steps that so often accompany attempts to replicate genres past.
If you want to explore more of James’ music check out his Bandcamp (103 digitally available releases!) and YouTube channel.
x(eptional vs. Morphid – Dark Desert EP [Lucid Recordings]
Techno / Breakbeat
Lucid Recordings is a Dutch label formed around the Lucid Interval night at Mazzo in mid-90’s Amsterdam. Unlike so many of its contemporaries, Lucid was truly progressive – experimental, innovative, epiphanic to both listener and dancer – as opposed to Progressive’s E’d-up, corny tropes. Lucid kept it real for its 3-year duration, putting out cutting-edge 12”s that have become quite sought-after. Most records I’ve heard have aged excellently. Vita Men’s ‘Spirit (The Methylated Mix)’ remains an all-time utopian breakbeat jam and the ‘Collected’ CD is a fantastic compilation of the label’s greatest hits, encompassing stark, moody electro, techno experimentalism, DnB, downtempo and progressive bombs. A 2020 follow up, ‘Re-Collected’, is available from the label’s Bandcamp and features previously vinyl-only tunes from the Lucid heyday. All highly recc’d listening.
Lucid must have caught wind of the renewed interest as the label relaunched in 2020 with physical and digital releases from the its core artists. Dark Desert EP is the latest of the new batch and features vault material from two OG Lucid acts. Each present an original track on the A-side and remix each others’ on the B.
A1 is x(eptional’s hypnotic, progressive journey ‘Dark Waves’, previously released on the 'Collected’ 12” (but not the CD). A simple, moody groove builds across almost the entire A-side until it peaks with skittery hats and jak’n breakbeat snares. A xylo-esque synth sequence lends some levity, keeping the whole epic from being overly serious. Peaky in a no-gimmicks, heads-down, pummeling way, I’d love to hear this bring a deep, meditative set to its logical crescendo. ‘Gezouten Desert’, from Morphid’s ‘First Visit’ 12”, is a three minute sketch of slick rhythm, ethereal electro. Nice – if a bit short.
The remixes on the flip are remarkable not only for their quality but also in how little they resemble the original tunes in tempo, genre or general vibe. First released on x(eptional’s ‘Wheel EP’, Morphid’s flip of ‘Dark Waves’ is a lovely 114 bpm affair with crunchy, chopped hip-hop breaks and wonky vox snips.
x(eptional’s remix of ‘Gezouten Desert’ is the only previously unreleased tune here. On it the duo grips the Hyphy Knob and gives it a liberal clockwise turn. The original synth pads stay, layered with more of x’s own. A big, expertly reconfigured breakbeat and frenetic bassline sit under building synths and an emergent acid line to make for a tasteful progressive roller in peak Lucid mode. Cue halcyon synth pads to bring the track to an energetic pinnacle, elevating it to peaky-bomb or go-out-with-bang closing-tune territories.
Its great to see Lucid take the reins of its back catalog and re-present its music on its own terms while still satisfying thirsty grippers who missed these gems the first time around. Be quick though, it appears the new wave of Lucid releases comes in runs of only 200.