The Slow Revolt – This Dark Matter – Max Cooper Remix

It’s a month since my last Max Cooper post, so I think I’m allowed another. This time a remix for The Slow Revolt. It’s more of that Orbital meets David Gray vibe. A rich voice set against clicky but melodic IDM. A one note organ synth, some strings and contemplating the vastness of existence.

This follows Max’s remix of This Dark Matter

Blurb: The Slow Revolt is a great musician, with a great voice, so it was a pleasure to remix this track of his. I tried to enhance the vibe of the original rather than force it into any sort of club format. I just added some new chords by granularising the guitar and layering it up, and focused on making some interesting effects with the vocals and my usual weird noises before finally introducing new bass and strings later to try and bring everything to a peak. I hope you like it!

Available from:
Boomkat bit.ly/10OaO6X
iTunes bit.ly/17tGtND
Juno bit.ly/16etHmB
Beatport: www.beatport.com/release/doldrums/1093992

Brian Mayhall – Wind Chill EP

As you would expect, this EP from D Numbers’ Brian Mayhall is an eclectic collection of tracks that defy categorisation. No bad thing.

Opener ‘Insects’ is a sparse affair, a combo of mournful melodica, whispered voices, staccato beats and bass that gradually gather pace but remain largely subdued. In contrast, ‘Wind Chill’ has a jazzy feel, the scat singing augmented by some nifty keyboard work and housey beats, whilst retaining the exiguous feel of the previous track. A reverberating synth ripples through the lovely ‘Aint Sunshine’, handclaps, snatched vocals and a gently throbbing beat giving way to a myriad of insect noises humming away in the background. Odd but hypnotic. Stop-start vocals feature again in ‘We Love’ and ‘Crash Landing,’ the skittering bass and frugal use of drums and keyboard giving the tracks an almost-not-there-at-all feel. Pleasant enough but slightly too twee for my liking.

Final track ‘Lily’s Song’ is a gentle, ambientish number, the tender vocals and doleful synth acting as the basis for a gentle denouement to the EP.

Review by D

Here is the title track of Brian Mayhall’s forthcoming debut album. Available in stores on June 12th 2013. Enjoy!

Released by: Mesa Recordings
Release/catalogue number: MESA0007
ISRC: QM-KD2-13-00018

Ben Atha – Swing Ball

Just over nine minutes of pure, unadulterated, pounding techno on the new release by Ben Atha. Sweet.

This is a real heads down, eyes shut, pumping powerhouse of a track, shot through with echoes of the classic ‘Access’ from way back when. Opening with a pounding, industrial beat that eschews any ambiguity about where it may be heading, the intensity simply increases by the minute as a ricocheting synth kicks in, reverberating away nicely, before some razor sharp, high hat cymbals get added to the fray.

Very simple, very frantic but very effective. More wrecking ball than swing ball, methinks.

Review by D

Blurb: It’s not often we use the phrase ‘brutal and relentless’ but for our 4th release we’re going to make an exception. Local newcomer Ben Atha is the man responsible for BPR004 and make no mistake this one is a monster. Very industrial in nature, it just builds and builds, the pounding driving kick runs the show, synth and vocals stabs flow in a well structured track. Nearly nine minutes long but it doesn’t seem like it, listen to it on a big system… MASSIVE.

Released by:Blue Panda Records  Release/catalogue number:BPR004 Release date:3/6/2013

http://www.bluepandarecords.com/

PoP Campaign – Where We Are Living (Shut Yer Piehole)?

Synth pop duo PoP Campaign are back with a new single, out next month. After the unashamedly political stuff like Maggie’s Farmers, this cute little instrumental synth pop number with its early 80s synth new wave style is a lovely little minx.

Blurb: PoP Campaign are a duo of music makers: Born in Glasgow. Hibernated in Berlin. Now lording it in Londres. Our POPAGANDA: Bright, right and ready for the fight against the pretentious self-importance that plagues the music industry today.

Buy our debut album here:www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006W…46674&sr=8-1

www.facebook.com/popcampaign

Wolf Cub Guest Mix For The Astral Plane

Here’s a rather fine mixtape for free download by Leeds-based Wolf Cub from the Transmission Collective. There’s lots of light house and disco house. Astral Plane reference Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson in their review of the mix and that feels fair enough.

Tracklist
Alice Coltrane – Sivaya
Olsen – Computer Blue
Wolf Cub – Untitled 2
Terekke – Pf Pf Pass
Marvin Dash – Workshop 14
Skatebård – Confirmation Bias (Telephones Remix)
Motor City Drum Ensemble – Send A Prayer Pt.2
Chez Damier – Teach Me, Keep Me
Move D – Untitled 1
Kyle Hall – Get Down
Glenn Jones – I Am Somebody

Released by: The Astral Plane
Release/catalogue number: 005

Neuropol – Dusky Brights

This is bass music. But it’s good. And it’s a free download.

Never heard of Neuropol before. He’s from Bristol (Brizzle) and this is a combination of Burial-type dubstep and breaks beats. A little bit of chip to throw into the mix and job’s a goodun.

http://www.facebook.com/neuropol

Jack Deezl – …Since We Last Spoke

Been six months since we had anything from Jack Deezl. Looks like he’s been making an album – Disillusion comes out in August. In the meantime, here’s the first single.

Jack’s work is a bugger to classify. My descriptions always end up dribbling away or incoherent. Let’s see which path I’m going down today. Jack describes this as “a pretty wild glitch hop track featuring loads of live instruments” Ummm… yeah… errr… no. In many ways, this is an instrumental rock track. It has the quiet/loud thing going, like the Pixies remixed by the Chems. There are guitars sprayed everywhere, with slightly hip hop beats. There are synths and strings. A cornucopia or cacophony? You decide. I’d say the former.

If that’s all too much, here’s a synthier remix for free download

http://www.facebook.com/JackDeezl