May Roundup 2013

White Noise may have taken a break from writing, but we certainly never stopped listening. Before normal service resumes with a fresh set of reviews and features, here's a 25-strong selection of our top tunes from the month of May(ish). In keeping with the inconsistent weather, our list is split, kicking off with bumpin’ party grooves and backloaded with dark, percussive stompers. Get listening.

Tracklist:

Wildchild – Renegade Master (Applebottom Power Bootleg)

Genius of Time – Love Thang (Genius of Time Re-edit)

Innershades – That Girl

Huxley – Walk 2 U

Kingdom – Bank Head feat. Kelela

Head High – Burning (Keep Calm Mix)

Laszlo Dancehall – Gave Up

Lucretio – Want

Glimpse – True South

Pev & Hodge – Bells (Dream Sequence)

Dark Sky – In Brackets

Laurel Halo – Throw

Ron Hardly – Subway Antlers

Cliff Lothar – Dro Friday

DJ Haus – Cold As Ice

Helix – Whoosh Ice Dispenser

Kowton – TFB [Clip]

Akkord – Navigate

Paula Temple – Colonized

Huerco S. – Apheleia’s Theme

HNNY – Boy

Kevin McPhee – Who Loves You

Pearson Sound – Figment

Koreless – Sun

Mala – Changes (Harmonimix)

January Roundup 2013

As long as we’ve been into the UK dance scene, it has seemed to get better every single year. 2012 was a momentous one, where the scene began to properly diversify and the darkest shades of techno could be found rubbing shoulders with the airiest bass-pop tunes. If this list is anything to go by, we might have an even more exciting year on our hands.

Let’s get on with business then. We start with our favourite track of the month, and onwards through lush piano house, dark techno sounds all the way to the experimental edges of bass music. Here are White Noise’s top tunes for January.

Tracklist:

(Click the track to go to our review of the release)

Applebottom – All Nite [Madtech]

Chesus – Special [Local Talk]

The Phantom – Vogue Dub [Your Mama’s Friend]

Bicep - Mixxmaster 88 [Wolf]

Alex Coulton – Dance, Max [Hype Ltd]

Natan H & Amy Jean – I Know [ManMakeMusic]
Kevin McPhee - Version 5 [3024]

Elson David – God Bless  [Shades of Grey]

Waifs & Strays – I Saw Yo Girl (Full Acid Vox Edit) [Future Boogie]

Parris Mitchell – All Night Long feat. Reggie Hall [Wicked Bass]

Palace – Trust [UTTU]

Boddika – Soul What (Mickey Pearce RMX) [Swamp81]

Troy Gunner – Masks [Infinite Machine]

Synkro – Acceptance [Apollo]
Diva - Paris Stabbing [New Kanada]
Delroy Edwards - Sprk tha Dust [L.I.E.S]

Machine Drum x Sun Ra – Door Of The Cosmos [All City]

Notes:

We love Bok Bok's remix of All Night Long, but it's not on Youtube. Check it here.

Listen to the full version of Chesus' Special here.

Applebottom – All Nite

Label: Madtech

The unstoppable rise of Bristol’s dance scene shows no sign of abating, as fresh teenage producer Applebottom (aka Joe Arthur) steps up to the plate for Kerri Chandler’s on-point Madtech imprint. The city's dance output over the last few years has betrayed a preference for big, ear-shattering bass workouts to steady 4/4s; somewhere on the threshold of the house, garage and bass music scenes. Applebottom's muscular release is no different. Here the young producer seamlessly incorporates disparate styles and references to create a storming pair of dance tunes that are sure to stand out in any set.

These soulful tunes reflect the recent trend towards big 90s sounds without ever sounding less than cutting edge 2013 material. A-side All Nite kicks off with twitching percussive accents and deep kicks crunching under lucid garage-style vocal chops. Around the two-minute mark descending chords introduce a weighty bass drop, accompanied by tough kicks and some deftly applied diva vocals which round up a hefty package. Arthur doesn’t turn down the power for tough B-side Turn On The Faith, which wastes no time starting out with a hefty 4/4, jukey rhythms and a cut-up ghettotech vocal line whose start-stop rhythm is complemented by some powerful synth stabs that add a touch of colour without ever softening this tune's edges. 

Applebottom achieves a remarkably mature sound for a talent so new: each track is structurally complex with an impressive and exciting range of powerful layers, but neither feels over-crowded for a second. Instead we're left with what are perhaps this year's first club-knockouts, and another jewel in the crown for both Bristol's house scene and Chandler's Madtech Records.

8/10