April Roundup

This month we felt the first breath of summer so there are a lot breezy moodsetters and funked-out jams from the likes of Omega Supreme and Mood Hut, including the long-awaited returns of Andrés, Sound Stream and the Pender Street Steppers. Adesse Versions on Numbers takes us to peak-time territory, and we finish on the rough style of Ekman, 1080p's Surfing and Shed (as PCK), via some ultra-melodic house from Makam and Christian Loffler. So there's really something to suit all comers, so get listening.

Tracklist:

Ishmael - Time & Time Again

Midnight Runners - Cold Intimacy

Andrés - Believin'

Haydn - Booty Meat

Sound Stream - Bass Affairs

Local Artist - Feelings

Pender Street Steppers - The Glass City

Palms Trax - Sumo Acid Crew

The Cyclist - Hot House

Adesse Versions - Pride

Gonno - Obscurant (Inna Loft Mix by Call Super)

Makam - A Night at Trouw

Christian Loffler - York

Marquis Hawkes - Raw Materials

Massiande - The Future (Is Now)

DJ QU - Loveboxx

Mix Mup - Skip Intro

Surfing - bbc

Ekman - GMMDI (Breaker 1 2 Remix)

PCK - Amen Garage

Tapes Meets The Drums Of Wareika Hill Sounds - Datura Mystic

Holidays and Quick Spins: Session Victim, Christian Löffler

Hi everyone,

White Noise has been running for a year now, and I thought it was time that the site had a bit of an overhaul. As well as a much prettier layout, there are now different sections in the header for easy navigation and the site runs a great deal faster.

I'd also like to introduce a new feature to bring to the site, in the form of a brief series of musical recommendations. I run this site solo so I don't always have time to write a full review of all the great stuff I hear, and I thought it would be worthwhile to occasionally drop in with some recommendations of albums and tracks without the need for a whole review.

Of course I will still be writing reviews, features, and creating playlists, and each of these articles will go in their appropriate section so the key posts won't get lost amongst more casual recommendations.

Finally, tomorrow I'm leaving for a trip around the West coast of the USA for a month, so the site won't be regularly updated again until mid-July.

Have a good month everyone, and I'll leave you with some recommendations from what I've been listening to this week.

-----

Session Victim - The Haunted House of House

The first thing I'd like to recommend is this fantastic album which slipped under my radar on release a couple of weeks back. Session Victim have been slowly building a reputation following on from their 2011 classic Good Intentions, and their debut LP has finally hit the shelves. It's a top-notch album of classic-sounding house music with a modern twist, and the end result couldn't be better. Literally every track is expertly put together and demands attention, from Dark Sienna's moody locked grooves to the smooth, feel-good glitching of Cow Palace by way of the title track's punchy boogie vibes. It's stylish, it's current, and it's endlessly satisfying and rewarding on repeated spins, so I recommend you get yourself a dose of Session Victim as soon as humanly possible.

-----

Christian Löffler - A Forest

The second album I highly recommend is by Christian Löffler, whose Aspen EP I reviewed earlier in the year. Here the German producer offers a beautiful collection of organic and cerebral deep house; intricately structured and with an enormous array of natural-sounding textures. The album is clearly a labour of love for Löffler and it comes off as one, presenting a singular and consistent vision whether its in the deep groove found deep in a jungle of synths, effects and chimes in A Forest, the melancholic vocals that haunt the clicks and beats of Blind or the tumbling synths in pacing closer Slowlight. There are even a few tracks featuring guest vocalists, and while not quite all of these work for me (Gry's voice really starts to grate about 5 seconds into Feelharmonia), other collaborations such as Eleven feat. Mohna are a surprising success. Any fans of the deeper, slower end of the Electronic spectrum should check this out as Löffler's star is only set to rise from here.

-----

That's it from me for a month, I'll leave you with some moody vintage house vibes, this killer track out soon on Delsin courtesy of Trevor Deep Jr. It's certainly been brightening up my day.

 

Trevor Deep Jr - Keep On!

February Roundup

It’s that time of the month again. February has been as explosive as ever with loads of big artists emerging from their winter hibernation, and I’ve got a fantastic selection of tunes this month. Kicking off with the biggest tunes are upbeat House offerings from Huxley, Scuba (x2) and John Talabot. Next we delve into Bassier territories with GoldFFinch’s best track to date, followed by a darker Techno turn; featuring huge tracks from heavyweights Objekt, Model 500 (Juan Atkins), Shed and SIgha. Next some glorious Deep House courtesy of Dusky, Matthew Dekay and Christian Löffler, followed by some cerebral cuts from Synkro and Shlohmo. It’s all topped off with an extraordinary new cut from Burial and The Field’s magnificent Cries (released as Loops Of Your Heart), and I hope you get as much out of February’s treasure trove as I did.

Tracklist:

Huxley – Let It Go

Scuba – The Hope

John Talabot – Destiny feat. Pional

Scuba – NE1BUTU

GoldFFinch – Funky Steppa

Objekt – Cactus

Model 500 – The Messenger

Machinedrum – What U Wanted 2 Feel

Shed – RQ-170

Sigha – How To Disappear

Dusky – Lost Highway

Matthew Dekay & Lee Burridge -  Für Die Liebe

Christian Löffler – Aspen

Above & Beyond – Love Is Not Enough (Synkro Remix)

No Fixed Abode – Indian Street Slang

Shlohmo – Wen Uuu

Burial – Loner

Loops Of Your Heart - Cries

Christian Löffler – Aspen

Label:  Ki

Aspen

Undefined Season

On one end of the Deep House and Techno spectrum is an obsession with machines; the inhuman clanking and percussion of Berghain’s finest. But deep at the other end of these genres is found just as striking an obsession with nature; the deep forests in Gas’ seminal loops and the rustling windchimes of Pantha Du Prince. Löffler situates himself firmly on the latter end of the spectrum, drawing deep and atmospheric compositions from his equipment that flow organically and almost seem to softly breathe as you listen. On this gorgeous EP he presents a few cuts from his album to be released later this year, and the tunes on offer are a real delight.

These tracks are Techno at its most melodic and placid, so if you’re looking for driving dancefloor material then it may be best to look elsewhere. But if you allow yourself to become immersed in the depths of these songs it’s easy to see their beauty. Title cut Aspen is an intensely satisfying cut, building slowly with a melancholic organ and subdued percussion. Every sound is perfectly chosen and treated to compliment atmosphere and mood, so even when there isn’t a lot going on it’s still a joy to listen to.  Slowly the field samples accumulate with a deep low-end and finely textured percussion cementing the track in a solid groove. Midway through the song transforms into something really special; a twinkling melodic line emerges with subtle chimes and the beat drops back in with perfect timing. The result is a deeply atmospheric and meditative song which has been carefully constructed to draw attention to each element, and it’s a rewarding journey.

On the flipside Undefined Season explores darker territories, with deep minor chords and subdued percussion evoking a powerful mood. Small details stand out; a morphing synth accent and the natural touches that emerge only to be stifled by the throbbing bassline. Final cut Signals returns to the cerebral leanings of Aspen but with different touches, a deep bass pulse underpins skittish synths and swung beats until the track establishes a strong groove. All the tunes here are careful and subdued, but masterfully wrought and presented with a real understanding of mood and space. Löffler has definitely got my attention, and if you’re a fan of the deeper, moodier end of dance music then he might just grab yours too.

7.5/10