BASICS recommends: CE009 - Morphology - Information Paradox EP

If you take pleasure in spending your weekends in a dungeon here's one for you. Brand new signing for Cultivated Electronics - a rather unknown UK-based label specialized in pushing powerful drum-machine riddims and raw electronics - from the finnish duo Morphology.

If their name sounds a bit unfamiliar to you, their biggest release to date - Euclidean Algorithm - dropped late 2011 on Semantica, via a limited press of 400 12"s and got identified quickly as a darker, more rugged approach to a sound brought to the spotlight by the likes of Boddika or Jon Convex...with a Detroit twist.



If Morphology managed to prove that Finland's export doesn't only handle rally drivers, Cultivated Electronics on the other hand are yet to break through anonimity. But 2012 seems to have started well enough for them. The label just signed a brand new distribution deal with none other than the guys who brought you a massive Drexciya repress just a couple of months back - Clone Distribution.

So...following some simple logic pattern, their 9th release had to be good. And, guess what? To our surprise, it actually is!

Analogue four-tracker built exclusively for dancefloors consisting of one 808 vs. 606, spatial-strings construction - Escape Velocity; one EBM-infused, twenty-first century Juan Atkins-reviving, Electro-Funk anthem - Information Paradox; a laid-back technoid, arp-driven, Marcus Intalex-pleasing mutation - Tangent Spaces and the indisputable highlight: Sync 24's take on Information Paradox. Dark roller (and by dark we mean pitch fucking dark) set to move the immovable. Simple, not at all pretentious and a banger to play out. The kind of track that gives you the warehouse chills even when played in a pair of headphones.

CE009 - Morphology - Information Paradox EP

In less words brilliant EP and a strong impression from a couple of scene-outsiders, that would fit nicely in a set alongside Jon Convex's Pop That P, Dexter's Space Booty or Mensah's Off The Traxx anytime, anywhere.

The only argument against it could relate to its simplicity and to the fact that it seems to be stubborn enough to try and cater for a lost cause in today's dance music, but then again, we wouldn't have it any other way. It scores an A+ on our list and if your main dish is ~130 bpm Bass Music, it should score one in your book as well, without even trying too hard. So yeah, we'd say...buy a copy.

Do it via Boomkat.

BASICS recommends: LOB003 - NY Transit Authority / Conqueror - Off The Traxx / Conqueror

Acting a bit obvious this time as we're throwing the brand new "revival" of Lobster Boy into the spotlight; to be more precise, the first release for Redlight's label since 2009.

We've been going on and on about these tunes for quite some time now and we're more than excited to see Off The Traxx and Conqueror finally out there, hitting the shelves, after getting a decent number of months' worth of heavy rotation from the likes of Loefah, Oneman, Pearson Sound, Gilles Peterson, Addison Groove, Boddika, Jackmaster or Moxie, to name just a few of the ones who played it before anyone else. But leaving all the hype and PR work aside, truth is this release is one of the few to actually try and restore a lost standard for dance music in a sort-of pretentious era. Warehouse rave feel and chills down the spine included.



So, one record, two sides, each acting as a debut for two brand new monikers from Mensah & Redlight - New York Transit Authority, respectively Conqueror; guises they probably came up with while having a quiet cup of tea, dusting their old 808s.

Off The Traxx finds Mensah obsessing over the New York City Subway network and cross-referencing it with the US House giant while connecting one of the biggest 808 riddims of this year with a catchy vocal sample and laying it all on a spacious broken Techno-ish 125 bpm structure. Give this one a room with a properly rigged soundsystem and it will fucking demolish it! No doubt there. Full on "back-to-the-roots" take on drum-machine usage that seems to be backed by more reason than anything out there at the moment (including what Boddika and Bashmore are building).

The flipside finds Redlight on a "from bad to outstanding" roll. We have to be honest for a second here and admit we never were huge fans of his works as Redlight or Clipz. We always found his tracks somewhat "flashy" and pleasing for audiences we never really thought well of. Not anymore! Under his Conqueror quise he managed to finally make us come to terms with believing he is indeed a great producer. Rocking the same bpm area as Mensah on the flip, Conqueror aims for the same effect on the crowds but follows a slightly different recipe for building mental rave anthems, mainly focused on more echoed / filtered-out drum machine rolls and synthed stabs. And we think it works just fine!

New York Transit Authority - Off The Traxx / Conqueror - Highest Order

Add everything up along with the fact that this comes only in the form of a limited 12" in a badass sleeve, with no digitals available and it should be enough for you to believe that it could very well become a future classic, getting plays all over the place, both now and in 5 to 10 years' time. Definitely not the tool to impress the girl standing by the bar, but it should transform everything around her in a fucking sweatbox. Tip!

Cop the vinyl via Redeye and all the other good record stores out there, but be quick! It will evaporate pretty soon! We warned you.

BASICS Podcast 007 - Toné

Editia a 7-a corespunde cu primul spatiu dedicat curatorilor BASICS. O formula cu care va veti mai intalni pe viitor, mixtape-urile de gen fiind, consideram noi, un pas logic in directia consolidarii perceptiei asupra sound-ului cu care BASICS se identifica intr-un punct sau altul in timp. Pe scurt, ce ne impresioneaza cel mai mult pe parcursul unei perioade de cateva luni isi gaseste locul in podcast-urile Curator's Edition. Nimic mai mult, nimic mai putin.



Fara prea multe explicatii adiacente, mai jos se gasesc toate cele necesare - stream, link de download, tracklist si o scurta dezvoltare a conceptului din spatele mixtape-ului.

Tracklist:

01. Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You (Maurice Donovan Dub) [PMR Records]
02. SCB - Loss [Aus Music]
03. Anthony Shakir - The Floorfiller (Skudge's Floor Killer Remix) [Rush Hour]
04. Resoe - Minus & Plus (Sigha Remix) [Echochord]
05. Jeff Derringer - Tarantula (Claro Intelecto Remix) [Perc Trax]
06. Cosmin TRG - Sirop [Rush Hour]
07. Blawan - Bohla [R&S]
08. Elgato - Blue [Hessle Audio]
09. Boddika - Warehouse [Hotflush]
10. Joy O - Wade In [Hotflush]
11. Pangaea - Inna Daze [Hessle Audio]
12. Boddika - Breezin' [Nonplus Records]
13. Scuba - Feel It [Hotflush]
14. Wax - Wax10001 2 [Wax]
15. DJ Dom - You Can't See Me [Blunted Robots]
16. A1 Bassline - 1.4.7 [Tighten Up]
17. Julio Bashmore - Batty Knee Dance [3024]
18. Hackman - Made Up My Mind [PTN]
19. Optimum - Light Year [Hum & Buzz]

DOWNLOAD (via Sendspace - disponibil 30 de zile)
ALTERNATIVE STREAM / DOWNLOAD (via SoundCloud)

Mixtape-ul in cauza reprezinta in proportie de 100% o selectie personala si cu asta cred ca am spus tot. Nu stiu daca are sens sa dezvolt foarte pe larg povestea.

Se jongleaza cu un numar maricel de genuri / stiluri, avand switch-uri din zona Tech-House-ish si pur Techno - in principal primele 5-6 piese - pana la Electro sau House infuzat 808 sau cu percutii Acid si foarte putin spre (nicidecum in) zona UK Funky, pe final, cu diverse inserturi pe parcurs. Daca ar fi sa caracterizez selectia per total as spune "Acid-percussions / drum-machine-influenced new wave sound"...cumva. E greu de categorisit sau impartit in directii ale sound-ului si foarte putin important, sa fiu sincer.



In esenta, e vorba de un showcase club / warm-up oriented, cu ups and downs, pasaje lungi si double drop-uri, treceri scurte sau cut-uri si treceri lineare sau piesa pe piesa, deopotriva. Daca ascultatorul cauta insa flow-ul perfect si o selectie de 19 piese in aceeasi cheie sau un set care sa se asorteze cu restul materialelor audio de pe iPod, podcastul de fata nu e prima optiune; poate nici macar a 20-a. E vorba strict de o ora si un pic de muzica care tinteste sa fie eficienta si comprehensibila, nu sa dea sau sa arate bine.

Avand lucrurile de mai sus in vedere, totul ar trebui sa functioneze ok. Enjoy!

Mai multe informatii despre Toné via Facebook. Pe noi stiti deja unde ne gasiti.

BASICS recomanda: 3024011 & 3024012

Ok, sa fim sinceri, nu credem ca mai exista in momentul de fata vreun ascultator ahtiat dupa fuziuni 120-140 care sa nu fi dat peste release-urile in cauza, ale caror link-uri de Soundcloud circula de ceva vreme cam pe toate site-urile, blog-urile sau forumurile specializate.

Ne asumam insa riscul redundantei, pentru ca cele doua noi schimbari de directie aprobate de Martyn pentru label-ul sau coincid cu doua miscari esentiale spre sound-ul forward-thinking in muzica de dans si in acelasi timp poarta semnaturile a doi dintre cei mai apreciati producatori din ultimele 6 luni, poate din ultimul an.



Asadar, 808-influenced - House / UK Funky fusions pe primul dintre discurile in cauza, marca Julio Bashmore, care arunca (in sfarsit!) in circuit Batty Knee Dance si Ribble To Amazon - doua rollere superbe pline de clap-uri, chop-uri vocale si bass punch-uri eficiente in club, triplate de un digital exclusive: Grand National, nu atat de spectaculos dar al naibii de interesant. O incercare la 118 bpm directionata, credem noi, catre cei care nu se pot desprinde inca de sound-urile Disco sau Chicago House.

Nu are sens sa incercam sa catalogam release-ul. Martyn a facut-o pentru noi: Sexystep. And it is!

Discul se afla deja in record shop-uri iar de Luni (4 Aprilie) se poate cumpara si in format digital.

Julio Bashmore - Batty Knee Dance (3024011A) by 3024

Julio Bashmore - Ribble To Amazon (3024011B) by 3024

Julio Bashmore - Grand National (3024011DIGI) by 3024

3024012, programat pentru prima saptamana din luna Mai, se intoarce in zona 135-140 bpm insa daca va asteptati la Dubstep deep rollers sau Garage takes...forget it.



Release-ul vine de la nimeni altul decat bijuteria coroanei Swamp81: Addison Groove (Tony Williams, Headhunter), care livreaza in stilul ghetto-esque cu care ne-a obisnuit deja. Side A lasa loc pentru It's Got Me. Daca va mai aduceti aminte de mini-mix-ul realizat de Tony pentru Mary Anne Hobbs candva in primavara 2010...e vorba de prima piesa. 808, Chicago Juke incetinit si englezificat si ceea ce inseamna probabil cea mai inspirata utilizare a unui sample din Bob James - Nautilus din istorie. Side B se duce intr-o zona ceva mai obisnuita pentru 3024, cu Minutes Of Funk, construita in jurul unui beat four to the floor ceva mai cuminte si mai putin intricat decat de obicei. O piesa care ii va gadila pe cei care au cumparat SWAMP009 pentru Work Them mai mult decat pentru Sexual.

Un release foarte bun care arata o fata ceva mai conformista a noului moniker al lui Headhunter, dar sub nici-o forma de trecut cu vederea.

Addison Groove - It's Got Me (3024012A) by 3024

Addison Groove - Minutes Of Funk (3024012B) by 3024

Figura frumoasa facuta de 3024, care prin release-urile de fata, la care se adauga Left Hander / Shook It, demonstreaza in 2011 ca este un label care poate tine in frau aproape orice directie ar lua sound-ul de dans al epocii contemporane.

Dig in!

Mai multe informatii se gasesc pe www.3024world.com.