Alexi Delano & Xpansul
Intelligence Reframed EP
Posted date: August 2006

(Plus 8) Quite the shocker, this debut EP for Delano & Xpansul on techno stronghold Plus 8. It starts out with “Echolocation” which is pitch-perfect and has techno written all over it. Future jazz here as the electronic elements combine for some serious 4-4 power. “Cosmic Antipathy” is one of the hottest tracks I’ve heard in some time, getting to business with some rattling, shaking bass, spacey chords and hi-energy electro stabs—definitely for the peak time, or anytime. B-side starts out with “Vegetotherapy” and is more of an industrial rhythm track, leading to the metallic galloper, “Meta-Intellectual.” Fierceness is always welcome and this EP packs a bundle.
—Dennis Sebayan

(Pineapple Records) One of the biggest club anthems coming out of the underground gets the Munich remix treatment from Micky Monza & Josheph Disco. Nice, effective slab of electro house with minimal undertones. Thor from Iceland, who has worked with Björk, gives the cut a rocking, funky breaks rework with beefy drums and some wild FX. Make this an essential remix package on your playlist.
—Dennis Sebayan

Mr. Oizo
Nazis
Posted date: August 2006

(F Communications) It’s getting to a point where every Mr. Oizo release is essential listening. “Nazis” one of Oizo’s leftover tracks from his Moustache sessions, is a massive single. The original is classic Oizo—thumping floor-friendly electronic mayhem. Fellow Frenchmen Justice keep their red hot production streak alive with a hard, glitchy re-rub. But the highlight of the set just might be Oizo’s tweaking of his single “Half A Scissor” (called “Half An Edit”). Vocal snippets (is that Maddy?) coupled with his stop-start edits make for rough, yet bouncy digital disco.
—Tom Cesa

Linus Lovers
Night Music
Posted date: August 2006

(Breastfed) In addition to co-owning Scotland’s Breastfed label (along with Mylo), Duncan Reid & Kevin Kennedy have spent the last few years recording together as Linus Loves. Now we get to hear one of the best tracks from their debut album, Stage Invader. Originally released in 2004, “Night Music” has finally been re-released with some stellar remixes. Sweet Light’s remix takes the original elements and turns them into a slice of sweaty trance (it’s not as bad as that sounds). Upstart Williams strips it down to create a bleepy, minimal masterpiece. But the original is still the best, with its punchy synths, vocoded vocals and massive bassline. No wonder this has been a staple for many of the world’s top DJs for the past few months.
—Tom Cesa

(Soma) Minimal master Alex Smoke is being championed by Glasgow label Soma, and for good reason. His productions are crisp, sharp and innovative. “Never” has been floating around for a few months, but it’s one to keep in the crate. Choppy vocal snippets are dropped square alongside bouncing acid lines and smooth electronic riffs. It’s minimal magic made better by Smoke’s trademark minimal percussion. ADA lends a remix that is reminiscent of DFA material, and appeals with the original vocal intact, while Slam drops a first rate dance floor workout.
—Dennis Sebayan

Goldfrapp
Fly Me AwayRemixes
Posted date: August 2006

(Mute) One of the top UK pop acts comes at us with a new single taken off of Supernature, remixed and ready by the likes of Carl Craig and Ladytron. Craig provides three different remixes to choose from—all not too dissimilar—including deep-tech space odyssey inspired by Giorgio Moroder with hypnotic, bleeping synths and a chugging bass beat. Ladytron strips Goldfrapp down to the skivvies and adds a hollow bass beat—very nice, lo-fi interpretation there.
—Dennis Sebayan

Depeche Mode
John The Revelator Remixes
Posted date: August 2006

(Sire/ Reprise/ Mute) Another remix package that hits all the right spots. Tiefschwarz proves why they’re remixers du jour of the moment. Their “Dave Is In The Disco” remix makes good, clean use of Gahan’s vocals, making the intelligent pop single a perfect contender for the clubs. Their Dub is downright twisted, with eerie FX washes and creepy synth sweeps. Just wait till that electro synthline comes in. Solid! UNKLE deconstructs the track and makes it more of a rough-edged affair, with rubber band bass and breakbeat percussion.
—Dennis Sebayan

Porter & Blain
Operation Berlin EP
Posted date: August 2006

(FDS) Steve Porter most recently performed on Paul Van Dyk’s Loveparade float in Berlin. For a taste of Porter’s excellent sound, pick-up this first rate EP, fusing the finest elements of electronic house, trance and electro. Blain’s remix of “Fluffer Nutter” uses Porter’s bass treatment to heats up the track, while some nice melodic riffs bring up fond memories of when progressive trance was at its prime. “Trans AM,” is a swirling monster of a track that evokes PVD’s Out There And Back with very clean production and a tasty arpeggio.
—Dennis Sebayan

(Wavetech) Very good, tech-infused progressive number here with bin-throttling beats and penetrating hi-hats. You can feel the pressure rise and drop as track-1 unfolds, with the inimitable Floppy sound. The second makes good use of psychedelic SFX ready to blow your mind.  It’s time for the percolator!
—Dennis Sebayan

Super 8
Keep OnGet Off
Posted date: August 2006

(Anjunabeats) Above & Beyond’s label releases yet another relentless trance number with all the fixins to rightly call it an anthem. Lush and gorgeous piano play puts this track over the top, in a good way. It’s one of those emotive moments to make your hair stand on end, as the floaty bass beats pound your body. Gabriel Batz (a newcomer from Canada) throws in his two cents with a storming workout that’s a bit chunkier (with pads) and deeper, but not without compromising the beautiful chords.
—Dennis Sebayan

Above and Beyond’s stellar imprint, Anjunabeats, gets deep on their sister label, giving us a big treat that wreaks of big room sweat. The strong one for me is the B-side mix; any track in 2006 that’s using house music’s trademark hold synth sounds deserves a bit of the rub, tug and scratch from any DJ. It might be a bit on the stripped down tip, with a few elements combined total, but the sounds are all so crisp and clean. The track just builds and builds, with a modern, electronic house flair. Keep up the great ouput, guys!

Review by Dennis Sebayan  

Be honest, you all love this track. Despite bad covers and its use in terrible films, “Bizarre Love Triangle” still holds up. Which raises the question: why remix a classic? Underrated, [on the radar] producer Richard X handles this track with kid gloves, keeping most of the original pieces and tweaking them ever so slightly. After remixing New Orders’ more recent “Jetstream,” Mr. X rides Peter Hooks’ classic riff and keeps all of Bernie Sumners’ perfect pop vocals. Stuttering edits give the beats a current flair while still remaining nostalgic. A layer of chimes on top of that classic synth gives the track a dreamy, ethereal feel, which proves to be his stamp on the original. Not a bad go at it, but how can you better perfection?

Review by Tom Cesa 

This UK rock 5-piece has the swagger of the Stones and dance floor savvy of The Killers. Formerly distributed independently, “Can’t Get Enough” finally gets a proper release on the legendary Wall of Sound, complete with remixes from Jagz Kooner and Mekon. Kooner’s (who had a hand in producing their debut album We Are Not the Infadels) dub mix is a tech-throbber, injecting guitars and vocals on top of a slow building acid line. Wall of Sound “lifer” Mekon creates a reggae style guitar loop, building an old-skool electro break and dirty baseline around it, throwing in snare rolls and cowbells to aid the track’s progression. But don’t sleep on the original, with its rump shaking, rock-stomping beats. Perfect for parties that have beers on tap, not table service.

Review by Tom Cesa 

Dublin producers Jack Byne and Conor Murphy are on the fence between crazy party-hopping dance music and intelligent, melodic techno. Maybe the label picked-up on this, which is why they’ve released four excellent and moody tunes with remixes as their latest single. From the jacking, crunch-click-cowbell-cadence groove assault of Deadbeat’s Focal Saus Mix of “Futurelude” to the textured perfection of “Winters in the City” remixed by Sebastien Leger, this 4-track beast needs to be tamed in time for some serious club play. Yowza!

Review by Dennis Sebayan

This track’s been floating around for a bit, but since this London band is making waves on this side of the pond, we figured it would be a good time to revisit it. Sweden’s own Axwell, who has more recently re-rubbed Moby & Pharrell, takes the dubby rock beats of the original to create an electro disco, hands-in-the-air anthem. Axwell keeps some of the more euphoric vocals in, making it as hooky as the original. While some might classify the mix as cheeky, Axwell dances on that fine line between “clever and stupid.” Either way, you’re going to find yourself on the dancefloor before the track is finished.

Review by Tom Cesa 

Deekline & Wizard have been making some big noise in the breaks scene, from the UK to Australia. With “All Your Love,” the US gets a taste of these guys, and the track is straight fire. Starting out with Middle Eastern chanting and strings, D&W move quickly into a thumping break beat and sub bass. Vocalist Yolanda’s hooks are part Debbie Deb and part MIA, while MCs Spoonface & Armrick help to balance out Yolanda with their roughneck ragga flow. As the track progresses, bassdrops, electro squelches and vocal edits help build the track to frenzy. “All Your Love” pulls from the past (a little Miami bass, a little NY freestyle), but is hurling itself head first into the future. The guys are top-shelf; keep your ears open for them.

Review by Tom Cesa 

Dance music continues to tilt-a-whirl full-circle, combining elements from the past with the grooves of the future. This time, a rather strong contender comes straight from the King…Unique, that is, on Desyn Masiello’s Alternative Route label. The Original mix, in a similar vein to Ray Bradbury’s sci-fi novel (probably what the song title is based on), contains psychedelic melodic lines and a laid-back sax sequence, all combining with a warm bass groove for what I like to imagine is a tribute to late-nineties Dutch house. Newcomer Bush II Bush, fresh from his remix work for SAW and Positiva, gives us an electronic house stormer that should be heating up festival dance tents this spring.

Cold Hands do live funk and hip-hop, with a warm, organic and groovy feel. The boys at Blunted Funk, as you could tell with a name like that, are all up on this sound, and took “Soup” to give it more chills—literally—by including remixes from Q-Burn as well as a bumping, bass heavy mix from Scottie B. Solidly transforming this release to something you would hear 16B perform, it’s good to know Scottie’s retained the main riff, laced over a thumping 4:4 beat. Wait till those solid wood clacks come into play. And if you’re jonesing for some quality, blunted funk, just hit up the original jam. It’s like butter. Quality, noble effort from this roots dance label. Single reviews by: Tom Cesa and Dennis Sebayan

Review by Dennis Sebayan 

Can anyone stop Get Physical? The label fires off one white-hot release after another, balancing commercial success with innovation. They may have outdone themselves this time. The German label calls on fellow countryman Helmut Geier to retouch painter-poet-singer Chelonis R Jones’ latest single. Hell turns in one of his best remixes to date, throwing together equal parts Chicago with Detroit, ending up with a slice of robo-soul. Leaving Chelonis’ vocals and combining them with a Mr. Finger-esque groove, he brings in uplifting keys, only to have them be replaced (and juxtaposed) with sinister strings. Hell even drops some wobbling techy flourishes for good measure, all the while maintaining the track’s cohesiveness.

Review by Tom Cesa 

It’s been a few years since we first heard Carl Cox was working on his second artist album, Second Sign, which is an album of collaborations. Cox finally releases the first track from this ambitious project. In the original version, Carl teams up with The Prodigy/ Annie backing vocalist Hannah Robinson. Robinson provides temptress vocals over big kick drums, congas and old skool synth stabs, translating into a slamming big room monster. Valentino Kanzyani does little with the original, merely extending elements of the original for a DJ-friendly mix. Mi-Son gives us an instrumental mix complete with a funked up bassline and summery guitar loop, just in time for Miami—although I would like to hear a vocal mix of this.

Review by Tom Cesa