Monday, July 28, 2008
Fabric Competition - Tickets for Saturday
It's competition time again folks and we've got another pair of tickets to give away for this Saturday at Fabric.Highlights for this week include, Jay Haze and DJ T plus some Detroit house in room 3 from Rick Wade and Mike Huckaby. You can check out the full lineup here.
To be in with a chance to win, mail us at illectronic.blog(AT)gmail.com with your answer to the following question:
Q) Which one of his labels did Jay Haze release his 'Love & Beyond' album on earlier this year?
The winner will picked at random and notified on Friday.
Labels: DJ T, Fabric, Jay Haze, Mike Huckaby, Rick Wade
Friday, July 25, 2008
Cornish Pride
There can't be that many people in dance music with a back catalogue as extensive as Luke Vibert's what with the mountain of releases and remixes he's put out over the years under his plethora of different pseudonyms.A bit like his work in general, I found the Rodulate LP to be a bit of a mixed bag but Vibert's ability to produce disjointed electronica and experimental hip hop alongside disco, acid house and electro is exactly what makes him such a good producer and why he has an army of fans.
The tracks on Rodulate were co-written with Jeremy Simmonds and the LP is a (somewhat belated) follow up to their 1993 album 'Weirs'. The latest album consists of previously unreleased material from the Rephlex vaults and in amongst the bleeps, amen breaks and general wonkiness there lies two absolute killer electro cuts in the form of Fishing Ray and the title track itself.
Vibert / Simmonds - Rodulate // Rephlex
Rodulate is in all the usual stores and Vibert's extensive catalogue can be waded through over at Bleep.
Labels: Jeremy Simmonds, Luke Vibert, Rephlex
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Luciano Lovin'
The New Fabric 41 mix CD mixed by Luciano is upon us and I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy which has been on heavy rotation on my stereo for a couple of weeks now. It's an interesting mix of shuffling House beats mixed with melodic Techno rhythms. I always associated Luciano with minimal Techno like his fellow countryman Ricardo Villalobos. His own productions on his label Cadenza and collaborations with Pier Bucci and Quenum have reinforced this reputation. However this mix is much more melodic in style with deep grooves running throughout.Highlights include a great breakdown into the beatless 'In Church' by M83 before throwing up remixes of classic artists Inner City, Phuture and the brand new Planet E release from Kenny Larkin. This is all topped off by the hugely uplifting end track 'Arabesque' by Chymera with it's lush soaring synths and playful melody. Highly recommended.
I can't include any of the mix in this post so I thought I'd treat you to a couple of tracks from Luciano's back catalogue. Here's a minimal classic and his cheeky remix of 'Amelie'
Luciano & Quenum - Orange Mistake // Cadenza 2003
Luciano - Amelie on Ice (Remix 2) // Mental Groove Records 2002
Buy Fabric 41 at Phonica and the usual outlets.
Labels: Cadenza, Fabric, Luciano, Mix
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sound of Silence
It has been some 10 years since the duo Michael Golding & Steve Rutter otherwise know as B12 have broken the silence since their last recorded output. The 3 EP in 1998 was their last release following on from their 'Time Tourist' LP and their classic 'Electro-Soma' which was a highlight of Warp records seminal 'Artificial Intelligence' series.Last Days of Silence is a new release of unheard material, tracks only ever heard live plus music only available on limited edition vinyl. The continuity however is difficult to miss. This album follows on superbly from where their previous outings left off, fusing their unmistakable Detroit influences with the sounds of early nineties Warp electronica.
Listening to this release brings back great memories of my formative years spent listening to Black Dog, Aphex Twin and the classic sound of Detroit with all it's soul and warmth. There's none of yer soulless minimal here.
B12 - 32 Lineup // B12 Records
B12 - More Than One // B12 Records
Last Days of Silence is available as an 18 Track double CD with the second disc, a set of unreleased live recordings. It is also available in a signed limited edition metal box, available here.
You can get your hands on all their back catalogue through Bleep
Labels: B12, Electronica, Warp
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Splash the Cash
Following on from my previous post about vinyl enthusiasts, I can only assume that this is exactly who Cocoon target their annual 'Compilation x' boxsets at (either that or the rich or slightly mad) as paying fifty quid for half a dozen 12"s in a box is a bit beyond my comprehension really. Cocoon's 2008 offering, Compilation H has recently been released and while I have no major gripe with the music on offer and 6 (import) 12"s would cost somewhere in this region, I can't imagine that many people making that much use of all 12 sides. Thankfully, the compilation is also available as a (regular price) CD and in this form it's a worthy purchase for anyone wanting to increase their collection of dancefloor friendly house and techno. The artist selection reads a bit like of who's who of contemporary techno with input from the likes of Raudive, Mark August, Efdemin etc. Most of the cuts are solid but for me it's Simon's Baker's 'U' that really owns it with a trademark builder that unleashes a wonky synth from it's echo chamber confines - nice!Simon Baker - U
Most of you will no doubt know Baker from his gargantuan 'Plastik' that came out last year and for those of you that haven't heard this it's definitely one to seek out. It's just been remixed by Todd Terje and rather than trying to turn it into an even bigger speaker shaker he's decided to take it in a totally new direction by giving it a laid back disco feel. I haven't heard the new version in full yet but you can check out a sample and pick up a copy at Phonica.
Pick up a copy of Compilation H on CD at Play or if your piggy bank is about to burst then you can get a vinyl copy at Juno.
Labels: Cocoon Recordings, Efdemin, Mark August, Raudive, Simon Baker, Todd Terje
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Collectable Cool
As most vinyl enthusiasts will tell you, there's something strangely appealing about those shiny slabs of wax that amounts to more than just the fine sounds contained within their grooves. For this reason, limited edition releases always hold that extra special interest and as subscribers to Ai Records' mailing list will know (as they get first bite of their limited run pie) this is something that this label excels at. Ai's latest vinyl offering is a clear disc with dots embedded within it and is one of the most unique examples of such artistry I've seen.The packaging of the release is of course secondary to the quality of the music and this is what really makes Ai a label to keep your eyes on. Right from their very beginning, Ai has specialised in releasing music from new talents and the series of 'dotted' releases brought to a close with this latest offering has delivered music of the highest order from Plant 43, Najem Sworb and The Third Man (not to forget the superb Datassette LP that dropped earlier this year, albeit not as part of the same series).
A listen through Ai's back catalogue unearths all manner of delights ranging from ambient armchair affairs through to full on dancefloor destroyers and keeping variety within their releases is something that they maintain to this day. The label's latest CD has also just come out and is an 11 track (mid-price) sampler with a summery feel that nicely portrays the breadth of their roster.
Several of the tracks from the dot series are contained within the (exclusive) label mix below and the Plant 43 live set showcases his fine brand of emotive electro.
Najem Sworb - Ai Artist Mix
Plant 43 - Live at Bleep to the Bone NYE 06/07
You can buy Ai releases direct from the label's shop.
