U, Trikk & Erosion Flow - ManMakeMusic Edits Volume 1

 Label: ManMakeMusic

After a thunderous 2012 and a relatively quiet 2013, George Fitzgerald’s ManMakeMusic imprint is gearing back into action with a fresh series of edits. For this white label collection of bootlegs, two of the label’s stars and one fresh name take the reins of a trio of classic tunes, aiming for the party jugular in a variety of styles. The first flavour is the most authentic, as resident weirdo U (who you may remember from his strangely seductive debut EP) turns in a rough and ready rework of Dancemania classic House Nation. Rather than modernising (read: sanitising  the track, U’s rework focuses on looping the distorted percussive patterns, as razor-snares and sunken kicks are retextured with the appropriate grit and heft. Given the recent love for lofi house jams, U’s effort comes off as the most timely, and bodes well for his forthcoming sophomore EP for the label.

The second  classic to receive a rework is Crystal Waters’ Gypsy Woman, which MMM alumnus Trikk takes ‘back to the traxx’ on a beefy big-room number. It may be polished but the effort feels ultimately lacklustre: the Portugese producer heaps a big bassline over a powerful 4/4, but aside from the recognisable vocals and organ line this is identikit deep house. The surprise turn of the package comes from newcomer Erosion Flow, who spins Next’s RnB classic Too Close into a slinky bass burner. Still, it is hard to forget that this transformation of RnB into bassy house has been done before, and better, by the likes of Joy Orbison, Palace and Jacques Greene. Still, it remains a competent rework, as neon pads wash over skittering percussive tics and that timeless acappela. ManMakeMusic’s volume of edits is clearly aimed at the party crowd, but these bootlegs don't wholly convince: too close to the originals to be considered worthwhile re-interpretations, they feel like unnecessary updates for a trio of tracks which can still work their magic just fine. 

5/10

Best Tracks of 2012: 101-76

Year End Coverage

* Best Albums of 2012

* Best EPs of 2012

* Best Labels of 2012

* Best Breakthrough Artists of 2012

* Best Tracks of 2012 - 101-76
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 75-51
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 50-26
* Best Tracks of 2012 - 25-1

Follow White Noise on Facebook and Twitter!

It's been a big year! We'll end the festivities with a countdown of our favourite tracks of the year. All of these are great tunes, and the order is somewhere between deliberate and arbitrary, so bear that in mind. So many that got cruelly cut out of the list, but I reckon this is a solid roundup of what has been a great year for dance music. Enjoy!

 101 – MikeQ – Let It All Out 2012 feat. Jay Karan

Vogue is back.

100 – Pablo Nouvelle – Be True To Me

One of the few non-Dance tracks on here, irresistibly simple. EP Review.

99 – Four Tet – Lion (Four Tet Remix)

Huge vibes and slick atmospherics from The xx’s mastermind.

98 – Pangaea – Majestic 12

Breakneck darkness from a real master.

97 – Jimmy Edgar – Sex Drive

Just one of many brilliant moments of Edgar’s sleaze-fest.

96 – George Fitzgerald – Child

One of the year’s bounciest, most satisfying House tunes.

95 – Ejeca – Horizon

Massive House tune. It really does sound like ‘dinnertime’.

94 – Goodfoot feat Didz & The Organ Grinder

Utterly intoxicating piano House throwback from one part of CRST.

93 – Fantastic Mr Fox – Yesterday’s Fall feat. Alby Daniels

Strange, bassy, neo-pop from the inimitable Mr Fox. EP Review.

92 – Mista Men – Forget U

Muscular Garage workout from one of the UTTU crew’s very best.

91 – Body Double – Be Strong

(This is the audio for the A-side, What You Need)

Some weird House-pop from the 100% Silk camp.

90 – Jeremih - Fuck U All The Time feat. Natasha Mosley

This track was everywhere this year. Sensual, addictive, and filthy.

89 – Trikk – Jointly

One of the finest examples of the intersection between Techno and Bass. Absolutely kills on the dancefloor. Definitely big things to come from this Portuguese native. EP Review.

88 – The xx – Chained

Although Coexist was nowhere near as good as the band’s debut, this song perfectly encapsulated the powerful vibes of The xx at their best. Album Review.

87 – Maddslinky – Compuphonic

Super-stripped club track from Zed Bias, was doing the business in clubs up and down the country since its September release. EP Review.

86 – Alden Tyrell – Touch the Sky feat. Mike Dunn

Powerful Acid from a real legend coming out of the Clone camp. Top vocals.

85 – October – String Theory

Super-chilled House track from one of the scene’s unsung heroes. Totally unique, works great in the mix too. EP Review.

84 – Fracture feat. Dawn Day Night – Get Busy

Terrifyingly strong DnB / Footwork fusion that sets the floor on fire. Check out Dawn Day Night’s debut EP.

83 – TNGHT – Higher Ground

A bit too much? Definitely. Unbelievably large? Without a doubt.

82 – Shadow Child – 23

A late-December entry, this is not your average House tune. Excellent vocal build-up leads to one of the dirtiest drops this side of the New Year. Essential.

81 – 5kinandbone5 – Reset

Don’t you wish there was a button we could reset? Bassline brilliance from the UTTU camp.

80 – Funkineven & Fatima – Phoneline

Unbelievable genre-defying hybrid feat. Fatima’s gorgeous voice and Funkineven’s slick production, all from one of White Noise’s favourite labels, Eglo.

79 – Bwana – Baby Let Me Finish

Sounds like your average sugar-sweet Bass track until the percussive madness following the drop. Blissful addiction.

78 – Koreless – Lost In Tokyo

One of the Bass scene’s brightest stars only issued one release this year. It was 3 minutes long, and it wasn’t really dance music. Still, undeniably gorgeous so who really cares. EP Review.

77 – Bo Saris – She’s On Fire (Maya Jane Coles Remix)

Unexpected brilliance from one of the scene’s most consistent female producers (not nice that we have to say that, eh?) Twinkling midnight Garage, lush piano and moody vocals.

76 – Elsewhere – Trippin’

 

The darkest of the dark creeping out of your speakers from the Mindset camp. Huge, nasty, a real dancefloor killer. EP Review.

Guest Mix: Dark and Dirty

Moth comes round with another guest mix for White Noise. Tracklist on this one is killer, featuring a lot of our favourite bass, techno and house bangers.

Tracklist

Akkord – The Drums

Tom Demac – Critical Distance Pt. 2

Midland & Pariah – Untitled 2

A Made Up Sound – Take The Plunge (Beat Mix)

Trikk – Jointly

Blawan – Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?

Benjamin Damage – Swarm

Head High – Rave (Dirt Mix)

Boddika & Joy O – Dun Dun

Breach – Fatherless VIP

Darling Farah – Bruised

Pangaea – Hex

Sully – The Loot

Bok Bok – Silo Pass

Ghost – The Club

Genius – Waiting

Visionist – Come In

Dusk + Blackdown + – High Road 

March Roundup

It’s been 2012’s biggest month yet, so here’s a selection of March’s finest tunes for anyone who missed a few or needs a catch-up.

We kick off on the brighter end of Dance tracks, with some warm House and Bass courtesy of Krystal Klear, Lorca and DJ Q, as well as Aaron “Fit” Siegel’s stunning House epic Tonite. Next up Pearson Sound delivers a predictably brilliant new single and we move to darker Bass tracks from the likes of Duct and Trikk. Things get a bit frantic with Machinedrum and Om Unit’s Dream Continuum collaboration, fusing Jungle with Footwork, and Boddika keeps up the pace with his thrilling Acid Jackson. Akkord and 2562 offer a couple of deep, dark percussive workouts before Romare and Midland slow the pace with some fresh and intriguing tunes from the brilliant EPs both released last month. The final few tracks are less dance-orientated, with some excellent vocal workouts from Bondax and Doc Daneeka, all topped off by Anenon’s achingly beautiful Acquiescence.

Tracklist:

Krystal Klear – From The Start

Omar S Presents Aaron “Fit” Siegel feat. L’Renee – Tonite (Detroit Mix)

DJ Q – Brandy & Coke

Lorca – Can’t See Higher

October – String Theory

Pearson Sound – Untitled

Duct – Love Crazy

Trikk – Jointly

Dream Continuum – Giv A Lil Luv

Boddika – Acid Jackson

Akkord – The Drum

2562 – Jerash Hekwerken

Romare – Down The Line (It Takes A Number)

Midland – Tape Burn

Burial & Four Tet – Nova

Bondax – All Inside

Airhead – Wait

Doc Daneeka & Abigail Wyles – Tobyjug

Anenon - Acquiescence

Trikk – Jointly / I Fall Down

Label: ManMakeMusic

George Fitzgerald’s ManMakeMusic is still just getting on its feet, but with this newest release, a debut from Portugese import Bruno Deodato, the label proves itself a real force to be reckoned with. Although you may not associate the darker fringes of Bass and Techno with Southern Europe, Trikk shows a lineage grounded in the last ten years of underground dance music, and these two tight tracks show off that heritage with style.

Jointly

Even though this is his debut, Trikk rapidly establishes a clear voice through his spare style, opening out A-side Jointly with a ferocious kick drum and skeletal clicks. The track would clearly be monstrous on the dancefloor, with a deep bassline paving the way for cut-up Garage vocals and searing old-school synths that are sequenced over the latter half of the track. These synths are particularly note-worthy, constantly shifting the track’s focus while taking nothing from its powerful groove.

I Fall Down

On the flipside I Fall Down is a more unusual 4-am cut, introducing itself with sampled applause and a full run-through of the vocal line that haunts the seasick synths underpinning the tune. Tight drum programming adds to the punch but it’s the details here that really count; a far-off sax cry, perfectly syncopated claps in the track’s second half, and that ungodly heart-in-mouth moment around the two-minute mark where the whole track drops out for four bars, springing back to life after a lethal bass stab. Although Trikk doesn’t tread any radically new ground on this release, his production chops are clearly strong, demonstrating an impressive grasp of space and timing, and his particular fusion of Techno, House and Bass music definitely cements him, along with the nascent label, as ones to watch this year.

8/10
Check out this review in its original form on Inverted Audio.