Selections 002
The second chapter of selections tells a story that links the contemporary scene with what was happening on the dancefloors of Detroit, London and Amsterdam in the mid 90s. The story begins about 10 years ago, when tastes in London and Berlin began to turn away from minimal house and UKG towards the rich seams of techno and electro released by emblematic labels of the 90s.
Today, an older generation of producers has been rejuvenated by rediscovery and reissues, in some cases finding a new lease of life under new aliases. Meanwhile, a new generation finds fresh and exciting ways of merging those classic influences with what’s happening on the dancefloors (of today).
62nd Cell - Tread Softly [YozMaz]
The first selection is by 62nd Cell, the drum and bass alias of Dave Campbell, one of the early 90s originators of UK rave/techno/bleep, and who we featured in an interview and podcast last summer. His first album, The Wood For The Trees, came out on his and partner Marie-Claire’s label YozMaz around the same time as our interview. His second full-length, Tread Softly, was recorded between 2000 and 2015 yet fits well with the downtempo mood of this past year, flitting easily between dub, breakbeat and more abstract works at slower speeds. ‘First Contact’ is a wonderfully twisted yet mesmerising half-time drum and bass track. It’s intelligent dance music that’s not for the faint of heart. 'First Contact' reminds us of his previous 62nd Cell track ‘Bluestuff’ on Keep Expanding (Sleepers Rec).
Detroit In Effect - A Detroit Story (Maaco Dub) [M.A.P. Records]
Electro was definitely one of the genres that was big in the early days of our scene, and its appeal endures to this day. We can’t help but remember fondly the moment when Onur Özer closed an Undersound party at The Pickle Factory in London in 2016 with D.I.E.’s “No Hope (Crisis Mix)”. Detroit is where it all began though, and Detroit In Effect aka D.I.E. has been putting out records since the mid 90s. A duo working through the M.A.P. label, the project is the work of Tameko J. Williams aka D.j. Maaco and partner O. Perry aka P-Dog, and they've recently shared some new material on their Bandcamp. ‘A Detroit Story’ captures all the swagger and space-age funk you’d expect.
Andy Luff & Herra - 808 State [Picnic Records]
Amsterdam-based Andy Luff & Herra, residents at Picnic Records, very much wear their influences on their sleeves. Naming a track after a techno group this iconic might seem like a risky move, but the duo pull it off on their latest EP for the label. ‘State 808’ takes the whole B side of the vinyl, allowing its loping bassline and arpeggiated synths to stretch their limbs to their full extent. London-based Picnic has grown into a big outfit that continues to provide essential impetus to a scene finding its feet again.
Orlando Voorn - Coalition [Partout]
Dutch techno veteran Orlando Voorn is next up on the prolific label Partout, which has already provided a contemporary home to other veteran producers like Dave Campbell (as Hi Ryze), Juan Atkins, Archetype and Sideral. If you caught DJ Masda at Hoppetosse in the last couple of years you might have heard the A-Side of Voorn’s Nighttrippin EP already: ‘Coalition’ is a moody and thick-set housey dancefloor track with sci-fi twists. We also like the melodic ‘Longcut’ on the B2, which is a very welcome extended edit of Voorn’s 2003 track ‘Shortcut 2’, originally released under his Basic Bastard alias.
Paolo Macri - Progressivo 4AM [LMML]
We first got in contact with Lowmoneymusiclove aka LMML when DJ duo Avos aka Roderick and Tjeerd came to play in London around 6 years ago, bringing with them the gems they’ve become known for. It’s great to see the label going from strength to strength, taking its place at the forefront of our scene with a loyal following and lots of love! The latest LMML release comes courtesy of Italian producer Paolo Macri from Outcast Torino. We like the aptly named ‘Progressivo 4AM’, a lively, starry-eyed deep house groover whose bumping bassline and unfussy style will keep the dancefloor going exactly when it needs it. A modern take on the 90s, it strikes the right balance between pumping and uplifting, with minimal distraction. In one word: stylish.
Syzygy - Little Pieces Of Love [Kalahari Oyster Cult]
Syzygy – the rare moment when three or more celestial bodies line up – was the duo of Dominic Glynn and Justin Mackay, who released a string of respected 12s and an album on classic early-mid 90s UK techno labels Infonet and Rising High. Glynn would also release solo tracks under the aliases Fluid and Luke Warmwater through his own label No Bones. Rey Colino's Kalahari Oyster Cult has now done the world a service by pairing two unreleased Syzygy tracks with two reissued Glynn solo tracks on the Tri-Phase EP, a package completed by in-depth liner notes from Jane Fitz.All four tracks are redolent of the heavily Detroit-influenced UK sound of the early-mid 90s. ‘And It’s Wonderful’ is the obvious party hit, but it’s the unreleased ‘Little Pieces Of Love’ that today strikes a massive chord, from its opening credo (“If we want each other, there’s nothing that can stop us, that’s what the world is all about, little pieces of love”) to the heartstring-pulling harmonies and buoyant bassline that turn that message into dancefloor bliss.
Article Credits:
Design Nicolas Falvo Studio