28.8.2007 von mk.

If you’ve ever experienced the sort of feeling you get when your computer finally sighs it’s last, whirring breath, packs in, and all your data is quite possibly lost forever, then you’ll surely have some sympathy for Deela. When Ingo Möll’s computer crashed during the writing of “Mano Mano”, it appeared that all would be lost. However, far from seeing this as a reason to give up, he instead decided with his partner Martin Morsch to start the album again from the ground up, re-inviting the guest musicians featured on the album and throwing a whole new, different and fresh energy into his production.
As Kabanjak, Ingo Möll has released a number of tracks as well as several sought after remixes for international acts and friends like Fort Knox Five, Up, Bustle & Out and All Good Funk Alliance, even working with the Jungle Brothers in his own studio in Moers.
As Deela, Ingo and Martin combine the organic sound of a real live band with some special touches from the studio. They play a wide range of instruments themselves, with Ingo Möll on guitar, bass, keyboard and piano, while Martin Morsch plays most of the drums and percussion.
The resulting album - influenced by various musical styles, ranging from afro, jazz, and latin to funk and hip hop - is an energetic piece of music with excellent beats, combining the wide variety of musical genres into one unique sound, varying between down tempo tracks and more uplifting music: from the gentle ballads “Naked” featuring Re:Jazz singer Inga Lühning, to the grooving dub stylings of “Local Deela” one of five tracks featuring Reggae newcomer Mango Juice on the mic, via the joyous “Power Gone”, also featuring Mango Juice joined by MC Shocking Murray and the soulful voice of Maiiah. Watch out: this song could very well be one of the great summer hits of 2007.
Deela called upon polish singer Kasia Bortnik for the track “Uciekam”, which also features the talented Tim Isfort on double bass. Meanwhile Spanish vocalist Maria Garcia Lora lends her excellent vocals on five tracks such as the cool “Radio Deela”, a dance floor stomper that was worked out with the Ancient Astronauts (who also helped produce “Absourdo”).
“Mano Mano” develops its own atmosphere across a broad range of styles and moods - you could find yourself relaxing one moment and dancing the next. Put simply they’ve written a unique summer
soundtrack, something to suit those hot nights in a club or the slow chill of a lazy Sunday morning.

Label: switchstance recordings

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24.8.2007 von mk.

With their first couple of releases in 2005 TRICKSKI quickly won the respect of big names such as GILLES PETERSON, TIEFSCHWARZ, CARL CRAIG, PETER KRUDER and of course JAZZANOVA. TRICKSKI’s hugely successful 12″ series for Sonar Kollektiv, Members of the Trick, now culminates in a compilation CD featuring all the members so far represented on the maxis. TRICKSKI aka YANNICK LABBE and DANIEL BECKER have shown with the MOTT series that their skills lie not only in DJing and producing - they also have a talent for A+R as their Members… series has brought to light some brilliant up and coming stars. Detroit’s LEROY & DARNELL, who had the first MOTT 12″ Get Rich Or Die Trying, also set the ball rolling on the compilation with a new exclusive track, 4 Members Only. This is a great little hip-hop intro for the comp. Next up it’s SCHMUTZIG DE MUTZIG’s funky beat number Thank You Daniel which really pics up the tempo of the comp and sets the pace. SCHMUTZIG DE MUTZIG is none other than IRFANE from OUTLINES who just released their album Our Lives Are Too Short on Sonar Kollektiv. The first appearance on this CD by TRICKSKI themselves comes in the form of their stomping tune Move Me, which is really helped along by the live drums from HANS BLITZ who also drums for NEONMAN and has previously worked with MOCKY and HEADMAN. The raw leadvocals by YANNICK LABBÉ and beats give the track something of an LCD SOUND SYSTEM feel to it. The following two tunes are also TRICKSKI original productions. Paperbitch is an exclusive track that is available for the first time to hear on the Members of the Trick compilation CD. It’s dark house that takes in elements of noise and old school to make up one bitch of a track. After Paperbitch, and completing a little TRICKSKI triptych of tracks comes Powerhorse, which careful listeners will know from Members of the Trick #7 (SK146). With typically TRICKSKIan synth rave sounds and slow kicking house beats, there’s a lot of horse power driving this track’s groove. Finish project FBI (FUTURE BEAT INVESTIGATORS): a collaboration between LIL’ TONY (NUSPIRIT HELSINKI), ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ (TRACK N FIELD) and KIMMO OKSANEN (ACID KINGS), are represented with their track All I Want taken from MOTT6 (SK136) Discomedusa. All I Want is a crispy goove number just right for prime time. Filtered sequencers, a sprinkling of vocals, minimalist bass lines and the strings that come in at the end create a kind of afro feeling. TRICKSKI member YANNICK LABBE’s solo production Gallieni, which originally appeared in 2004 on Cabinet records and more recently was also part of the MOTT series on Le Coq Sportif (MOTT5 - SK131) provides a lovely breakdown midway through this powerful compilation. In the words of YANNICK LABBE himself: Gallieni, reflects the style you can also hear in TRICKSKI. It rolls across the dancefloor and nobody present can resist the groove.” YANNICK is succeeded by Vienna resident SKWERL whose track All Woman came out on MOTT4 in november 2006. Former TOWER OF POWER singer HUBERT TUBBS’ vocal performance lifts this track to become a real Detroit style soul infused builder. Keep Control, by Balkan DJ/producer SOLOMUN, is a prime slice of club house. TRICKSKI’s faith in this young producer is obvious from their inclusion of not one but two of his tunes on the Members of the Trick compilation. The second of which, Black Rose, is also due to come out on the penultimate instalment of the 12″ series, MOTT9. Before Black Rose however, they still find time to squeeze in their own hit Grace - taken from The Bat EP, MOTT2 (SK110); one year on from original release, this track still sound as spine-tinglingly fresh as ever. But that’s not even the end of the tale as a hidden bonus track takes the shape of the TRICKSKI remix of FORSS’ track Journeyman. The original came out on FORSS debut album Soulhack (SK006CD) but this remix was previously only available on a Japanese release and is the first ever remix that YANNICK LABBE and DANIEL BECKER ever collaborated on, so something of a rarity. With artwork once again by DANIEL BECKER’s own design agency, Goldener Westen, and almost every track being available for the first time on CD, this compilation is ideal for fans of MOTT thus far as well as people who are still looking to find out what TRICKSKI are all about. This round-up of the Members of the Trick story so far shows just what a high standard TRICKSKI have managed to set with this pioneering series. And listening to the compilation, one can only hope that it won’t be long until the second Members of the Trick series gets going.

Label: sonar kollektiv

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15.8.2007 von mk.

Swayzak are their old selves again! James Taylor’s fatherhood sabatical is over, David “Brun” Brown managed things during his absence anyway, and now they return together with their album “Some other country.”
Swayzak’s new opus sounds mature and full. On the Brits’ fifth album, what counts is quality, loud showy effects are superfluous. Swayzak have always loved their echo pedal, but in their tenth year of existence, their dub-techno attains a new, compositional dimension. “We’re more interested in atmosphere,” says Brun. “The album is darker and heavier - a reaction to all that minimal stuff that has become a type of mainstream.” Indeed, the pieces on “Some other country” aren’t just a trip to another country: little worlds unfold.
Can a diamond get goose pimples? Perhaps it can, if it is confronted with a deep jewel like the opener “Quiet Life.” With the vocals of Berlin producer and DJ Cassy (Panorama Bar/Berghain), Swayzak stage a moving, room-filling question-and-answer game. It’s similarly the case in “Smile and Receive,” where her clear voice mixes with strange noises and gentle bell ringing.
Swayzak’s favorite singer, Richard Davis (kitty-yo, Punkt), is also back. In a gentle and mysteriously melodious voice, he tells in “No sad goodbyes” of how he corrected a faux pas. Then these bright, crystal clear moments, the type one sometimes experiences after an all-nighter, resonate along with it. And it’s thanks to Swayzak if a tension is built up here, which could capsize at any moment, thereby keeping the listener on his or her toes. Grand cinema, but no kitsch.
On the other hand, absurd and completely hysterical, the fun Italian pop’n'roll band “Les Fauves” sings about an unhappy young love: “You’re just a child, you have time to forget.” Well then! The singer’s nasal voice is unique, “an unusual guy who works for a blood transfusion service, that rubbed off on him,” says Brun. Swayzak illustrate this very angry song in a way that is both hymnal and strange and pack the whole thing with a lot of pop appeal. Monty Python goes techno…
At the beginning of “Claktronic” a girl says “up in the air.” And everything starts in a playful, beepy way. But step by step an expressively played flute is added and so is a xylophone and a heavenly chorus. Framed by a razor-sharp high hat and bouncy bass, the piece’s airy arrangement develops, opening onto an almost sacral level.
We can only be amazed by so much courage for intense feelings and for so much fun in experimentation. With “Some other country,” James Taylor and David “Brun” Brown deliver what to date is their most expressive album. Fasten your seat belt, it’s a well-directed assault on the doors to our perception. “See, they return,” say Swayzak at the end of the album, quoting Ezra Pound. Yes, Swayzak are back, and how!
Label: !k7 records

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12.8.2007 von mk.

Whereas on the last album , “Iguana”, there have already been traces of tropicalia - electro crooning Louie Austen has developed an appetite for salsa and rumba and delved into the subject so the summer EP reeks of all styles of Latin muzak - blended with the usual housy beats and zest for life.
“Coconut Girl” is 50s and a wink with the eye, hip swinging and with the notorious trademark Ol´ Blue Eyes Sinatra voice. On the next track Louie is confessing his love for the Spanish capital & metropolis Barcelona supported by an army of brass players. Both tracks have been written and recorded with Viennese Mosquito Factory, the project of the musicians Gregor “Saiko” Nezval and Robert Rehak whom Louie already cooperated with on a song named “Perfect Day”. `The please is mine` and “Won´t you give me a chance, I´m a real nice guy” currs Louie on the ultra-relaxed tingling courtship number “Summer Love”, produced by Gollini and Bernd Rausch. “Brazil” is a downwards cool swinging hymn all playful and with lyrics as versatile and insightful as “Life is so simple - life in Brazil” and “I love her tits and her ass.” Producer credits for that one are in the hands of Thomas Mora and Valentin Oman.

Label: louie austen music

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3.8.2007 von mk.

Sshhhh! This is a secret… this year’s definitive downtempo/chillout/relaxation collection is here…
with music from Norah Jones, José González, Jem, Psapp, Kaskade and Tosca.
Hush Hush has been compiled with those intimate moments in mind. Whether it’s mood music for a dinner party, quiet listening with the paper on a Sunday morning or something to soothe your soul at the spa, Hush Hush is there for you.

Label: swank recordings

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