29.9.2007 von mk.

Here at last, the long-awaited full length debut from Gothenburg based producer Andreas Saag, formerly known on Freerange as Stateless but now using his former Swell Session guise. The LP has been 4 years in the making and consists of collaborations with like-minded producers and vocalists from around the globe. The collaborative artists include such heavyweights as, Mr Scruff, Seiji, Landslide, Domu, LyricL , Simbad, Jimpster, Capitol A, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Kasio (Nuspirit Helsinki) Earl Zinger and Masa (Sleepwalker).
A homemade (but mightily impressive) movie of the making of the LP is included on the disc and in Andreas’ own words, constitutes half of the Swell Communications experience giving an insight into how the sessions came together in the studio with the various producers and vocalists. As you can probably deduce from the names involved, this is an LP of contrasts and contradictions rather than safe and reliable background music. From deep, leftfield hip hop to up-tempo broken beat to dance hall to jazzy house, all life is here and with a quality that blows a lot of the young pretenders out of the water.
A Heart To Cover For feat. Domu and Elsa Esmeralda kicks off with a brooding lo-slung groove which soon develops into a kind of torch song for the broken beat generation.
Then things shift a gear with Right Off The Bat featuring London’s LyricL going with a dance-hall meets swing mash-up which shows why she’s one of the most in demand female MC’s in the UK today.
Next is No No, a collaboration with Stockport’s most famous beat-maker Mr Scruff who assists Andreas in producing a full-on wobbly charleston track featuring the vocals of Elsa Esmerelda.
Prepared To Go is up next and sees Andreas join forces with the mighty Seiji with the result being a fierce yet sublime broken beat track that will work the floor as well as the radio waves.
From here on in we’re treated to the dancehall funk of Better Work That Body, nu-blues on Had It Comin’ and the mad cap ramblings of Earl Zinger on Doing The Mambo In A Border Town. Elsewhere things get more deep and blissed out with The Girl, All Of Me and the beautiful finale Masa’s Theme.

Label: freerange records

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27.9.2007 von mk.

Wax On Records, the new label of Nightmares On Wax mastermind George Evelyn aka DJ Ease, is proud to present the great sounds of another genius talent: Guts from Paris / France is what we shall call a star-spangled beat chef in the first degree. Who actually learned all about the cook book from NY oldschool dons like Bob Power (A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots). And now cleverly rewrites his own recipe collection for all of us to chew on - forget about everything you heard about “french cuisine” so far.

Label: Wax On Records

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24.9.2007 von mk.

Featuring exclusive Soul Jazz Records singles over the last two years for the first time on triple CD (including their first ever mix CD).
Some of the finest artists around have chosen to work with Soul Jazz Records over the last two years. As well as working with all the top Dubstep producers recently such as Digital Mystikz, Skream, Kode 9, etc, Soul Jazz have continued to release new music by the likes of Rekid, Ladybug (The Bug), DJ Rupture and many more whilst continuing to work with legendary dance music pioneers such as ESG. Dancehall, Reggae, Italo-Disco, Baile Funk, Dubstep, German Rock, Post-Punk, Deep Techno and House all feature. This album brings together tracks that have only been available on 12″ vinyl alongside a mix CD featuring loads of extra tracks, again most of which have not been on CD before.

Label: soul jazz records

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11.9.2007 von mk.

On his fifth and brand new album ‘Retro Nuevo’, BUSCEMI serves us even more and better exotica. Of course there are some more lovely bossa moments. Dutch singer FAY LOVSKY contributed her cute words and vocals to the charming ‘Nao falo português’. VIVIANI GODOY conquered the broken beats of the pleasing ‘Isolada do Mundo’. African singer ALEXIA WAKU layed the funky ,,Jumilla”. DAG TAELDEMAN (A Brand) brought the chemistry of ‘Medusa’. Besides, Buscemi experimented with both Bollywood and Balkan grooves. The album was preceded by the storming electro jazz-clubsingle ‘Jazz Jumper’, that got excellent response from dj’s worldwide. Even the great ISABELLE ANTENA returns with another superb performance on the lovely and chilled ‘Nothing to worry about’. ‘Retro Nuevo’ ends with a cry from Paradise, probably somewhere in Andalusia. Nothing to worry about, once more Buscemi makes nostalgia feel comfortable in a contemporary atmosphere of indulging beats and melodies.

Label: downsall plastics

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8.9.2007 von mk.

Albin Janoska´s brand new album ranges from vocal-based soul to sophisticated electronica. Uptempo house, laid-back downbeat and dapper ambience are what “Le Grand Baheux” is made of. Reduced elegance as personal colour stain from a longplayer as straight-forward as it is rich in contrast. With “Le Grand Baheux” Albin Janoska´s produced an album which is danceable, melodically complex, lyrically demanding and sound-like on a high level. Patience and ease to catch the right momentum have proved to be rewarding virtues to create a versatile album sparkling like a gem.

Label: Klein Records

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4.9.2007 von mk.

For Jackals and Vipers in Envy of Man, Sixtoo has delved further into the solo electronics realm that resonates with the brash abrasiveness of his other projects. Surrounded by a stack of machines in his studio space, he set out to make a record compiled from elements originally recorded for use in his live sets, reworked them into new pieces, and then stitched them together as a tape-edit record. And the results are mindblowing. Sixtoo’s signature drum machine fury is combined with dark melodic electronics/synths to create film-noir style paranoia pieced together into one suite with many different movements, sounding as you would expect: aggressive, deep, complex, spatial, and more importantly, tough as nails.
Jackals and Vipers in Envy of Man is a reflective look forward for Sixtoo…something that may require a warm-up and a massage before listening. Truly a head-nodding/beat-down affair of the highest order.

Label: ninja tune

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