Category: New

Gunk – Overmono

I’ve been sitting on this for way too long. Please forgive me.

It’s UK duo Overmono with Gunk. They stood out at Wide Awake festival and this track was the one with the biggest impact. It has a ravey Jacques Greene kind of vibe that hits right.

They are getting well stuck into the European festival circuit with a UK tour to follow in the Autumn (including Koko in September) – don’t miss out.

Bonus track: this was my first exposure to the duo – an incredibly powerful remix of an incredibly powerful track. Full write-up here.

Crosswalk – Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

This is my go-to track right now.

I’ve been a TEED fan for a long time, and it makes me really happy that he is back on the solo production train after some well-publicised time away and ups and downs. His two latest singles tell me that his second album is one to be excited about. Where the Lights Go will be released in July and has a mammoth 17 tracks. A lot more TEED to look forward to.

Bonus album: 8th June 2022 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the release of Trouble. And here it is.

Fade (Feat. SHELLS) – Bondax

If you are a fan of Flight Facilities’ Down to Earth then this will be right up your street. We all know that Bondax can deliver a catchy electronica track; in Fade, SHELLS channels every ounce of her inner Christine Hoberg to deliver vocals that pair urgency with a soft wistfulness and take it to the next level. I get the feeling the new album is going to be a goodie.

And here is that classic album from Flight Facilities themselves:

Tiraquon Recordings vol. 1 – Space Dimension Controller

Ain’t no two ways about it, I’m a big fan of Space Dimension Controller. He has released a really tasty 6-tracker on his own Tiraquon Recordings.

The release is a slight departure in tone from his usual work; it is less ‘high-concept’ in the sense that there is no space-traveller voiceover, and the tempo is raised a little. Both changes make the tracks just that little bit more danceable. Even so, the release feels very much of the Space Dimension Controller universe. Maybe this is the stuff playing in the clubs of Mikrosektor-50 when Mr. 8040 walks in. Anyway, none of the originality or charm of the persona is lost. Listen up.

If you didn’t understand any of what you just read, where have you been? Do your homework.

Be My Husband (Hot Chip Remix Edit) – Nina Simone

I have a really special treat for you today readers.

There have been quite a few Nina Simone remixes coming out recently as part of a Greatest Hits re-issue, and I have been pretty unimpressed. To be fair it is a hard job to take recognisable and established tracks and reimagine them in a way that is an enhancement, without killing what was special about them to begin with. That challenge is amplified when it comes to Nina – her vocals tread a fine line between power and fragility. That tension is why she is such an iconic singer, and why she is able to convey so much emotion through her voice. It is also why most remixes of her tracks seem to miss the mark.

And so how does Hot Chip get this one so right?

I get the sense they are real fans of her work. They treat the vocal with a huge amount of respect and still let it lead the energy and the tone of the track. And then behind it they build up an incredible soundscape with piano, electric guitars and a bassline so thick you can almost touch it. It gets full marks from me.

Transcendence – Windows

Early Jan might not be the most clubby time for most people, but I couldn’t help but share this one from Windows (formally DJ Windows XP).

The EP opens up with All the Things You Are; I can only describe it as a thumpy monster. But the best part about it is that I’m pretty sure it samples Estelle & Kanye’s American Boy. Inventive, genius, and did I mention thumpy?

Sunset Love is a bit more on the dreamy side and sounds like an early Wayward track. Also highly likable.

Finally Secrets and Long Gone are both nice atmospheric pieces with nice piano and string leads respectively. I suspect they will last a little less long in the memory, but they both stand up well.

Check it out. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.