20.10.2006 von mk.

Watch TV is back with a band! After several albums and a spell in the studio banging out remixes and production work for the likes of Casbah 73, Quantic, Mojo Project and Dublex Inc, the time has come for Watch TV & The Primetimes. The first release under this moniker is called “Discolexia,” a title that Mr Watch chose as a result of his penchant for confusing different musical styles in his music; Dislexia=Discolexia! (”Disco” means “record” in Spanish)…
The man from Madrid known to friends and family as Ruben García makes a clean cut here from his previous album “The After School Special 2″ (which headed in a jazzier direction).”Discolexia” heads straight for the easygoing listener looking for a good time and who is not overly concerned with one particular musical style or trend.
The opening track “Want It Your Way” (featuring Spanish sensation Gecko Turner on vocals) sets the scene for this album in a rubadub style. “Death Sells” gets your head nodding with some tongue-in-cheek funk and wild organs. The title track “Discolexia” has some sweaty discosoul that will burn a hole in your butt! More breaky treats get served up with “Blue Groove” and “Extra,” and even some electroafrobeat goes into “Wagadooga Shake.” Be sure to check downbeat delicacies like “Voodoo Royale,” “Maybe” featuring the heavenly Agustina Covian, “Witchcraft” and “The Manual” featuring L.A.´s Eddie Lovana. There is also a cover version of “El Hombre y La Tierra” - the soundtrack from a famous 1970´s Spanish TV program. In total you get 12 brand new tracks of crackling beats that will leave you asking for more.

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20.10.2006 von mk.

The greatest dance music producers are influenced by the rhythms of many cultures. Frequent Flyer focuses on those locales around the world that have had a profound influence on dance music.
Frequent Flyer: Ipanema is the latest CD in the collection and the first of four new “Destinations”. For this destination, we take off with the scorching hot sounds of Brazil and Ipanema (the beach next to Rio De Janeiro). Home of the Bossa Nova, the Samba and of course, Carnival - the rhythms that have grown up around Ipanema have influenced dance music producers the world over. With a mixture of both classic and new tracks, Frequent Flyer captures the essence of Brazil to deliver a delicious blend of sexy beats and relaxed grooves.
Featuring tracks & mixes by Bebel Gilberto, Thievery Corporation, Masters At Work, Incognito, McCoy Tyner, Shawn Lee, Seu Jorge and Nicola Conte.
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18.10.2006 von mk.

Coldcut have always been fascinated with the fusion of sound and vision and so the idea of them curating a DVD version of Sound Mirrors (their stunning and critically acclaimed album) is a fitting one. In collaboration with freelance music video commissioner Vez they set about taking the medium of the music video out of the realm of MTV and the cheesy promo, instead making the work a purely artistic expression of the music.
In a move that takes the director out of the realm of painter for hire and giving them the creative recognition they so hugely deserve not only in the creative brief but in how they are presented on the DVD and that their fee is an advance against royalties for their work - the same as if they were a guest musician - an exciting and bold move.
Individual video directors were specifically invited to add their creativity to a song, visually interpreting the chosen track in their own unique way. There was no brief except that if possible Coldcut were not to feature in the work and there was no pitching against other directors.
The outcome is a stunningly diverse collection of highly creative music videos directed by a range of different directors from the famous to the unknown.
From Clay Lispky’s high-tech live action/animation techniques, the Fuzzy Felt pyrotechnic’s of Woof Wan-Bau, Joel Trussell’s Phileas Fogg-flavoured cartooning, Up The Resolution’s jellyfish porn and Andreas Riser’s seventies-patina’d tale of office despair the differences of approach and techniques are dazzling, dizzying, hilarious and moving. Smuggling Peanuts’ Gilliamesque animation, Ne-O’s salaryman rap, the vastly different approaches to computer animation employed by Oceanmonsters and Dianne Harris and Oscar Wright’s surveillance camera epic complete a fantastic package, where you may have favourites but all are artistically valid.
The flipside of this release is an audio CD collection of remixes of the singles taken from Sound Mirrors. Running from superb re-rubs from labelmates Spank Rock, Qemists, Kentaro and Daedelus, plus big names like Lemon Jelly and Tiga, plus the happeningest Switch/Solid Groove and Sway, this is a brilliant collection of music and also includes remixes of bonus track “The State We’re In” and the Coldcut classic, “People Hold On”.

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11.10.2006 von mk.

Back in 2000, when Aim’s debut Cold Water Music dropped from the belly of the Grand Central mothership to rapturous arms and ears alike, few could have expected the Aim phenomenon to have been such an unstoppable force. Fast forward six years and Andy ‘Aim’ Turner is a man with his fingers tickling every conceivable switch. His second record, Hinterland, achieved the kind of critical mass cult following that most seldom manage to attain, straddling the impossible void between creative independence and inescapability. To say that Aim has become ubiquitous in any self-respecting record collection would only be looking at the truth from one particular angle.
The darling of his fledgling ATIC label, Niko, takes centre stage on Flight 602, the microphone dipped in her caramel vocals on jazz kickback Puget Sound, the eerily dramatic Aberdeen (’Niko can find melodies I’d never dream of. In certain sections of this track I tried to get her sounding really distant, like in The Blair Witch Project’) and recent single Northwest. There’s so much to choose from here too: from the hectic, urban sprawl of Birchwood to closer It’s Later Than You Think and its elements of folk and psyche perfectly in motion. To think that track came about ‘one afternoon in about an hour, with two friends, an acoustic guitar and a bit of paper’ is quite staggering.

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11.10.2006 von mk.

Let’s just pause for one second; now, think about all that music that has so enriched your life down the years. All of it, without fault, and regardless of any strict genre definitions, is soul music.
If it flicks a switch deep inside you, speaks to you, comforts you and makes you feel good about yourself, then that, my friend, is soul music. German DJ and producer Henrik Schwarz understands this musical truth more than most.
A long-time aficionado of those musical forms that are commonly rooted in some appreciation of this sonic legacy - funk, house, disco, jazz, techno, and yes, the dictionary definition of soul (James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Motown etc, etc) - his adventures into hi-fi are testament to such a fact.
And nowhere is this more readily apparent than on Schwarz’s latest venture: a much-deserved foray into that Holy Grail of DJ mix albums, !K7’s acclaimed DJ Kicks series.
Across 23 tracks, Schwarz enthusiastically takes us on a musical journey that without wanting to get too chin-strokery about it, manages to entertain, enthral and educate all at once. And that he achieves this without losing sight of the style and sophistication that are the hallmarks of his unique DJ sets and his much praised productions and remixes is only added grist to his musical mill.
Schwarz’s background is jazz: free-flowing, improvisational and inspirational jazz, the likes of which set the pre-rock’n'roll years alight. And it’s this mindset that initially informs his well-chosen mix.
Rather than go for the latest bunch of tunes that are burning a hole on dancefloors across the globe, Henrik has paid homage to the music that he has loved down the years. Consequently, Moondog’s jazz classic ‘Bird’s Lament’ sets the scene for the journey we are about to undertake.
When this segues into Double’s blissful slice of Balearica, ‘Woman Of The World’, it’s clear that we are in the hands of a rare talent. For Henrik Schwarz is a DJ who utilises all the tools of the modern sound sculptor - his usual sets are comprised of him jamming live via his trusty laptop - with a reverence for what has gone before. It’s no wonder that Gilles Peterson is such a fan of his productions ‘Supravision’, ‘Chicago’, ‘Jon’ (which is featured here) and ‘Leave My Head Alone Brain’, nor that his music is lapped up by Manchester’s hugely influential Electric Chair coterie.
Henrik himself admits that he didn’t want to think too much about his mix, rather he let the music dictate what direction he went in.
“I just selected the tracks and then played them,” he admits. “It was more about the feeling of the mix, creating those emotions and combining extremes.”
Such a case comes when he mixes the minimal techno of Robert Hood’s ‘The Core’ with an African field recording. It’s about creating layers and textures and in doing so it gives his mix a depth that is truly awe-inspiring.
But this isn’t all about intellectual grandstanding. Good times are audible at every turn: James Brown encourages us to get on the good foot with his dancefloor shimmy, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, and the psychedelic free jazz of Schwarz’s own ‘Jon’ is both vibrant and hypnotic.
Elsewhere, the stirring strut of Jae Mason’s ‘Let It Out’ and the irresistible Afro-beat of Cymande’s ‘Anthracite’ both compel you to fish out those dancing trousers.
Undoubtedly though, the blue touchpaper is well and truly lit by Schwarz’s ‘Imagination Limitation’, a track written especially for this mix. Placed next to Detroit legends Drexciya’s ‘Black Sea’ - all crisp and muscular Motor City futurism - it ticks Schwarz’s techno fetish with aplomb. Other dancefloor delights come courtesy of avant-garde nut job Arthur Russell’s trippy cosmic disco ‘Get Around To It’.
Being a mix of untold seams, the funk flavours at the business end speak of Schwarz’s cerebral qualities. Womack & Womack’s ‘Conscious Of My Conscience’, Rhythm & Sound and Sugar Minott’s ‘Let Jah Love Come’, Doug Hammond’s ‘Wake Up Brothers’ and the incomparable Marvin Gaye’s ‘You’re The Man’ are all moving and literate pleas for a better world.
And that in a nutshell is the mix you presently have in your hand. It’s a CD that tells a story. It contains tracks that ooze class, that reek of history, that are imbued with style. It is a mix that speaks of life’s rich tapestry. In short, Henrik Schwarz has delivered a mix with something for your mind, your body, and, most importantly, your soul.
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9.10.2006 von mk.

GO!! – The second GOGO Music label compilation – selected and mixed by Ralf GUM

Since 5 years on the search for the perfect song - Ralf GUM is indefatigable on his way to discover music with real soul and make it available for the world. It’s about a musical soul, which is manifested in thrilling melodies and far-reaching lyrics. Wrapped in a timeless robe of house-beats with influences from Funk, Soul, Afro-Latin and Jazz GOGO Music got renown for its unique releases.

Ralf GUM, founder and driving force of GOGO Music, is well known as Producer and upfront tastemaker DJ in Germany’s House-scene and one of the few who also enjoys international popularity in this genre as well. Quickly after the foundation in 2001 the label developed to sure source for quality music. The international scene responded with vast feedback on each release. Superstars like Roger Sanchez or brands like Hed Kandi grab with pleasure the tracks for their own compilations. When the first GOGO Music label-compilation “GO!”, including the highlights of the first 3 years label-work was released in April 2005 UK’s TTR Magazine said it’s “the best compilation of the year”. Late 2005 GOGO Music was called “one of the hottest imprints around” by the leading magazine Blues & Soul and in Germany’s Subculture you could read that “GOGO Music is one of the prime German house labels”. The foundations of the label is the deep/strong passion of each musician for inspiring music, which takes every listener in it’s ban and does not release him anymore.

The now available second label compilation „GO!!“ combines tracks from RAW ARTISTIC SOUL, SUGAR BEAT, Roberto De Carlo, Benny Pecoraio and Ralf GUM himself. RAW ARTISTIC SOUL, who has build up a faithful fan base with his album „What About Love“ quickly, is a likewise important part for the success of GOGO Music than SUGAR BEAT. This project stands for an unmistakable fusion of very danceable broken-beats, Jazz and Funk. The rising Swiss talent Roberto De Carlo, who releases on Purple Music as One Touch as well, achieves his contribution like Benny Pecoraio, who developed to a real hot tip during the last years. Next to the “best of” of the last one and a half years, the marvellous flowing mix contains as well new tracks and remixes by Ralf GUM. The new NY-House-Don Alix Alvarez (Sole Channel, Producer of Mr V – Da Bump and other releases on Masters At Work) and the keyboard-wizard Simon Grey (session musician for Incognito and Remixer for e.g. Elton John or Jamiroquai) grant an extra brilliance to individual tracks. Collaborations with vocalists like Inaya Day (Vocals for Missy Elliott, Michael Jackson, P Diddy, Mousse T.) or Wunmi (Trüby Trio, Masters At Work) help the CD to get a perfect soundtrack. All in all 14 songs convince with their irresistible groove and let the heart of every house-lover beat stronger.

Tracklist V.A. - GO!! - GOCD 003:

01 I’m A Man (CrisP Mix) - SUGAR BEAT
02 Magic Star (Simon Grey Vocal) - Roberto De Carlo feat. Joshua
03 Easy (Compilation Mix) - Ralf GUM
04 Miami Theme (Ralf GUM’s Sax Lick Dub) - RAW ARTISTIC SOUL
05 Soulful Things (Benny Pecoraio’s Bless The Funk Dub) Roberto De Carlo feat. Joshua
06 Try Me (Ralf GUM & Benny Pecoraio Original) - Ralf GUM vs Dennis Legree & Inaya Day
07 Fela Brasil (Main Mix) - RAW ARTISTIC SOUL feat. Domingo Patricio
08 So That You Know (Ralf GUM & CrisP Vocal Mix) - Freddy Lopez presents Mia Chevais
09 Oya O (Alix Alvarez Sole Channel Remix) - RAW ARTISTIC SOUL feat. Wunmi
10 Kana (Main Mix) - RAW ARTISTIC SOUL feat. Laygwan Sharkie
11 Warrior (RAW ARTISTIC SOUL Vocal Dub) - Ralf GUM feat. Beate S. Lech
12 Always (Ralf GUM’s Deep GOGO Music Mix) - Lief
13 Zaab (Minimal Dub & Ralf GUM’s History Goes By Mix mixed) - RAW ARTISTIC SOUL
14 Undone (Original Mix) - SUGAR BEAT & Jen

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6.10.2006 von mk.

Simon Green aka Bonobo returns with his third album and the kind of quantum leap in quality that very few artists make. “Days To Come” has the feeling of a classic all over - a big, brooding, emotional and uplifting record that you can dance to, do the dishes to, or sit and really study.
Green has always been expert at welding together music dripping with atmosphere, combining his own musical and technical talents in such a way as to make utterly organic-sounding machine music. This is not just a knob-twiddling producer but a multi-instrumentalist at work, who writes, plays and then manipulates almost every note of music he releases. And “Days To Come” shows a new structural awareness growing from this, a feeling for the song form and the gradual build which raises it way above the work of many of his contemporaries and cries out for him to achieve the kind of mainstream success that has talent has long hinted at.
Rather than turning himself into a producer-for-hire on his own record and delivering a compilation album, Green found one main singer to work with, and her voice certainly adds that crucial edge to proceedings. Bajka (pronounced ‘Biker’) grew up as part of Embryo, a travelling music commune, whose journies took them through Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan. Now based in Germany she has released records on labels such as Ubiquity and Compost. A smokey, soulful singer, she sounds as at home on the big band soul-jazz of “Between The Lines” as on the more melancholic “Nightlite. Green is also joined by labelmate and fellow Brightonian Fink on the beautiful come-on “If You Stayed Over”, a gem of emotional pop that sees both of them at the top of their game.
Green hasn’t abandoned the instrumentals, though. “Ketto” arrives with a dreamlike intensity, “On Your Marks” hits with the all the force of early-era Shadow, while Part 2 of “Transmissions94″ is amongst the most beautiful and transcendent music that this quiet and self-effacing producer has yet crafted.

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6.10.2006 von mk.

The flood of folk compilations just keeps coming. And we are far from there being talk of any new trend set to take its place. JAZZANOVA have a relaxed attitude to the debate on folk ’cause they neither claim to be the founding fathers of the movement nor do they let themselves be pressurized into having to do anything word changing in the area. In most cases this is when the real magic starts to happen - precisely when you don’t try too hard. The proof that they have something worthwhile in the folk scene is that Secret Love, which is now on the third in the series, has progressed from being an insider-tip to an institution. Together with their buddy RESOUL who runs the Berlin record store Soultrade and TRUE BEATZ COLLEKTIVE, they have again searched out undiscovered jems of the folk scene.
In the folk section of most record stores you can find a very broad palette of varied music from rock, to electronic and brazilian tunes. The goal of this compilation is by no means to solve the puzzle of what is meant by the term “folk”, as many will upon listening to it ask what it has to do with folk-music. Similar to jazz and soul, the term is much more an attempt to try and pigeon hole that which cannot be catagorised. Its much more about bringing together the music that many DJs hear removed from the dance floor. „Secret Love“ is something of a mix tape for a loved one, even if there is no one particular person in mind. Still one or two anecdotes deserve mention. So for example, POLA are swiss friends of ALEX BARCK from JAZZANOVA’s neighbours. Other than writing the music for CHISTOPH SCHLINGENSIEF’s latest theater production they have also just made a really nice album which will unfortunately only be available in their homeland. THIEF already had a track on the first installment of Secret Love. “Does It Make Any Sense” is something to look forward to from their forthcoming album. Englishman FINK had a surprisingly good debut album “Biscuits” on COLDCUT’s Label Ninja Tune. For Secret Love he did an exclusive version of “Pretty Little Thing” which is only available on this compilation. Ninja Tune label colleagues MAX & HARRVEY contribute to the compilation with their track “Sleep” which was previously only available on 10″ and makes a good lullaby. ANDRE ZIMMA is the latest project from Sonar Kollektiv family members DANIEL PAUL & DJ HONESTY (also on swedish label Brandy) aka SLOPE. FUJIYA & MIYAGI proved with their album on Tirk that they go beyond the boundaries (though exactly which boundaries it is not clear) and it’s not always just about an electronic interpretation of camp-fire romantic. Following her recent more club orientated album “All I Can Provide”, CLARA HILL is now striving in a more acoustic orientated song writing direction. She delivers an exclusive preview with the track “Once I Know”. KIRK DEGIORGIO and his new project THE BEAUTY ROOM just couldn’t have been left out. Especially after he worked on “Holding On” with DEODATO, who has already arranged for FRANK SINATRA and ARETHA FRANKLIN.

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6.10.2006 von mk.

The success story of the two guys from Karlsruhe KRISTIAN BEYER and FRANK WIEDEMANN aka ÂME is showing no signs of waning. Having led the annual charts of Groove and De:Bug magazines, provided PETE TONG with a single of the month and even making a DJ mix for said DJs BBC show, the Essential Selection. Their hit Rej has been christened by LOUIE VEGA and DANNY KRAVIT (Masters At Work) as the “Plastic Dreams” of the new millenium…so here is their first official mix-compilation!
Their DJ sets are currently being celebrated everywhere from Miami to Paris and Helsinki, so it was only a matter of time until they immortalized one of their kicking mixes for home use on an official mix album.Sonar Kollektiv label bosses JAZZANOVA delivered the first in this “…Mixing” series and in so doing earned worldwide thanks for making one of their eclectic DJ sets available in digital format for the first time. The duo from Karlsruhe’s selection is no less varied as they switch from old to new, through house, disco, minimal and techno.Synth pioneer LAURIE SPIEGEL, who already presented a prototype of the Detroit Techno Sound in the 70s, sets things off with her Appalachian Grove 1 which was written in Fortran (an old computer programme, long before Basic or C). The unusual track 24 Hours From Culture II from 80s Dutch wave band NEW MUSIK is to this day a favourite of DJs like DANIELE BALDELLI and DJ HARVEY. He later also used the classic Woman Of The World by Swiss group FORMATION DOUBLE on his legendary Sarkastic Disco mix. Stand Up from NEXUS could easily be mistaken for a METRO AREA number. Besides ÂME another name that is often being mentioned with regards to the Deephouse Renaissance is HENRIK SCHWARZ. His most striking remix to date is also his most timeless. The way he accentuates the voice of ROBERT OWENS with opulent strings on COLDCUT’s Walk A Mile means it’ll still give you give you goose bumps in ten years.
BEN WESTBEECH is the star of GILLES PETERSONS new label BROWNSWOOD RECORDS. His track So Good Today unites the typical YORUBA style with analogue Chicago sounds. God of remixers, CARL CRAIG’s version of JONNY L’s This Time was previously only available as a promo so for some the search for this jazz, house and techno hybrid ends with this release. The latest addition to the Innervisions label which ÂME started with DIXON is GILB´R und I:CUBE aka CHATEAU FLIGHT. Their wide tune Baroque makes the perfect bridge to LUCIANO’s Stone Age which has been a central part of the ÂME DJ set for over two years so could not have been left out of this collection. Flashback 86 sounds, as the title suggest, as though it might have been made in the late 80s, however actually it is produced by JONATHAN BURNIP who can otherwise be found behind the counter of London’s SOUL JAZZ record store.
DERRICK MAY’s FUNTOPIA feat. JIMI POLO remix was also previously only available as a promo. It was given to ÂME by DOMINIC CAPELLO, manager of Glasgow’s SUB CLUB. Of course ÂME’s own breakthrough track, Nia, must be celebrated once more before it gets slightly quieter, although no less exciting, with JUMP CUTZ Deep Introspection #5. This track is another true classic and favourite of NEEDS CREW that has long been almost impossible to get. And as true MANUEL GÖTTSCHING fans ÂME of course had to include an ASHRA number in the mix. Their track Sunrain has been a big influence on the club music of today.
As a whole, ÂME’s “…Mixing” is not just a bridge between old and new, club and home stereo. It also serves as an interesting connection between various musical genres which are currently dominating the good metropolitan clubs.

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5.10.2006 von mk.

Alex Cowan (aka TM Juke) returns with his second solo album - a jaw-dropping collection of freshly squeezed, soulful electronica which looks set to confirm his status as one of the UK’s most prodigious young talents.
Written and recorded during an intensely creative three month period, ‘Forward’ is the product of a musical mind that refuses to sit still. Filtering disparate musical genres into one coherent - and incredibly catchy - whole, Cowan has taken another step away from his cut ‘n’ paste roots, asserting himself as a songwriter and producer par excellence. Combining the benefits of a comprehensive musical education with his love of the DIY laptop aesthetic, ‘Forward’ resonates with crisp beats, earthy instrumentation and spellbinding arrangements.
In 2005, two years after we were dazzled by his debut LP, ‘Maps From The Wilderness’, Cowan teamed up with Alice Russell to co-write and produce her critically acclaimed album, ‘My Favourite Letters’. Incorporating aspects of gospel, hip hop, jazz, funk, northern soul, broken beat and electronica, ‘My Favourite Letters’ raised Alice Russell’s international profile, cemented Cowan’s burgeoning reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the studio and went on to become one of Tru Thoughts’ all-time best sellers.
By early 2006, in between long stints of international touring and DJing, Cowan had compiled an albums-worth of new material. But, as the new LP neared completion, he grew increasingly dissatisfied with it and scrapped the lot. Twelve weeks later he emerged from his home studio with ‘Forward’; arguably his most original and accomplished work to date, in spite of - or perhaps because of - the speed with which he wrote it.
The album features the vocal talents of Elmore Judd, Sophie Faricy of the TM Juke live band, Kinny of Kinny & Horne, newcomer Naim and (of course) Alice Russell - each one hand-picked by Cowan to bring a distinct flavour to the proceedings.

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