88 Music Blog

Fidget, Wonk, Wobble, Filthy. All fitting descriptions of one of the newest and upfront sub-genres of House music devastating dance-floors and molesting bass bins the world over. It has it roots in the UK Speed-Garage scene from the 90s, combining the huge, distorted half time bass lines of Drum n Bass with the thumpin’ & jackin’ beats of House music. Fidget House draws up these stylistic traditions but can incorporate elements of an assortment of dance music styles, such as Glitch (giving its hallmark sound of sound samples ‘glitched and cut up’ and manipulated in a jerky “Fidget-y” manner) and Baltimore Club  (the frequent use of the ubiquitous Lynn Collins “Think about it” (think Rob Base ‘It take 2’ break) and Gaz “Sing Sing” loops exploited constantly in Bmore Club. Fidget also draws upon disparate stylistic elements of Hip Hop vocal stabs, Electro House’s ripping synths, and the low-end rumble of Tech House. With this huge palette of sounds and influences, what is now know today as “Fidget House” ranges across a wide spectrum of styles, anything and everything ranging from the techy flavors of O.G Fidget pioneers such as Switch and Jesse Rose and the acclaimed Dubsided label; to the banging, peak-hour hard Electro House of Bryan Cox  and his Crux da House label; the crunked-out Euro synth-funk of the Crookers ; to the UK Speed-Garage revival (dubbed ‘Bassline’) of the Count & Sinden  & Detboi ; to the wobbly big bass House from the UK scene with prolific producers such as Twocker, Herve and Hijack  ; to the wobbly grime and dubstep influences on producers like Foamo; to the jackin’ Electro-flavored funky House from Santiago & Bushido; to the assorted weirdness of France’s Mustard Pimp and so on and so forth.

The term “Fidget” itself was coined as a joke between Jesse Rose and Switch (Dave Taylor) to describe this amalgamation of genre-bending electronic music. The name ended up sticking. Solid Groove (initially Switch & Trevor Loveys) Jesse Rose, Herve and other luminaries released tracks on the mighty Dubsided label dating back to 2003. Dubsided was described as expanding upon the “UK weird-house tradition started by Basement Jaxx and sounds like nothing around : quirky, crazy, silly house with sound FX, cut-ups, but maintaining ruffness, deepness and funkiness in the same time.” They have released a number of tracks since then, even acknowledging the DC production team of Matt Nordstrum and Dave Nada (Nadastorm) with the DSD018 “Pussy EP”

Another one of my favorites labels is Bryan Cox’s Crux Da House - out of NYC. He runs this label and the excellent Crux da House blog. Whereas Dubsided is known from the quirky and jackin, Crux is known for the hard bangin ‘post rave’ flavor of Fidget. The lineup includes many relevant artists of the genre such as Cox, Kelevra, Jamie Fanatic, Mom & Dad, TJR, Leko & many more.

Bryan and crew were nice enough to include some of my recent Fidget House productions on their blog, my remix of the Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever” and some other tracks and mixes. You can download here –

http://cruxdahouse.blogspot.com/2008/09/mojo-jones-on-crux-da-house.html

Another U.S based Fidget House label is Potty Mouth. Based out of the mid-west and run by label head James Amato, they release quality funky-ass tracks, no doubt influence by jackin Chicago House. Releases include tracks by the Crookers, Santiago & Bushido, Hijack, Mighty Fools, Klaus Hill and more. Amato also hosts the Fidget-based message board You can find many today’s leading Fidget DJs/ Producers and up and comers in this online community and plethora of tracks and mixes to download.

UK Wearhouse recordings  is based out of the UK and run by Lee Mortimer
(AKA the Sawtooth Sucka) that has put out an assortment of classic Fidget House tracks from assortment of artists such as Kelevra, Foamo, Andy George, Scott Cooper, and Connecticut’s TJR.

Jack Union is another well-respected UK label featuring releases from Hijack, Nic Sarno, Clark Able, the Bulgarian, Jacksaw and many more.

Other labels of interest include (but not limited to)

Bombsquad  – Mickey Slim’s label, featuring breakthrough artists such as Stupid Fresh.

A New Hope  - Loads of Wobble from artists like 2 Bit Thugs and others, and they also host an excellent blog as well

Vacation Records- label specializing in dirty Electro and Fidget House, featuring many killer releases by the duo Twocker (Calvertron and Will Bailey) & Bass Kleph among others.

Audio – Here is a few of my own mixes to download and listen. Mostly Fidget House but some have a a bit of Electro / Blog House flavor as well. All mixes are 192 Khz MP3 with direct download or streaming of my buddy’s FTP. Enjoy!
My latest, Wobbly and blog-y House fun featuring 2 of my own productions.

Mojo Jones “A Thin Line Between Love & Hate”

(click to stream, right click and save as to download)

1.  Bill Eff - “Hate You”
2.  Clark Able - “Back in the Bronx” (Hijack remix)
3.  Clark Able - “Back in the Bronx” (original mix)
4.  Sharkslayer - “Bad Ding”
5.  Jesse Rose & Action Man - “Take it to the Club”
6.  Cypress Hill - “Insane in the Membrane” (2Bit Thugs remix & Mojo Jones edit)
7.  Bloc party - “Mercury” (Herve remix)
8.  Mickey Slim - “Hit the Club” - (Stupid Fresh remix)
9.  Destro Disco - “But I Ain’t”
10. The Beatles - “Strawberry Fields Forever” (Mojo Jones remix)
11. Atomic Hooligan “Electro Ain’t Electro” - (Rico Tubbs Rave mix)
12. Heavy Feet ft Peyote MC - “Rude Bwoi” - (Stupid Fresh remix)
13. Chuck N attack “Rocka revolution” (Twocker remix)
14. Mighty Fools - “Hey Babe”
15  Blatta Irasha - “Blow Up” (Hijack remix)
16. Klaus Hill - “Dirt Driver”
17. Action Man - “Under Your Skin”
18. Lee Mortimer - “Putto”
19. TJR - “Borat’s Discodance”
20. Sawtooth Sucka - “No Ordinary Girl” - (Zodiac Cartel remix)
21. Mojo Jones - “This is Buzz” - (Professional Gentlemen of Leiusure Fidget remix)
22. Foreigner - “Cold as Ice” (Sharkslayer remix)

Mojo Jones & the Raiders of the Wobbly Bassline

(click to stream, right click and save as to download)

Indiana Jones intro
1. Jesse Rose – “A-Sided” – Dubsided
2. Bryan Cox – “Go to Work” (Andy George & Jakz remix) – Crux
3. Clark Able – “Lemonhead” (HiJack remix) – Wearhouse
4. Sawtooth Sucka – “Backing Town” (Scott Coopers ‘Back in the Rave’ remix)
5. HiJack – “Out There” – CDR
6. CJ Boland – “Sugar is Sweeter” (Twocker remix) -  CJB 1
7. DJ Kue – “Don’t Get High (off your own supply)” – CDR
8. Sawtooth Sucka – “Depressed Mode” – Wearhouse
9. Randy Brusseto, JR From Dallas – “Jazz Ghetto City” (Lee Mortimer remix) – Union
10. Boyz Noize – “Oh!” (A-track remix) – Boyz Noize Records
11. Crookers – “Knobbers” – Southern Fried
12. Steed Lord – “Dirty Mutherfucker” (Crookers remix) – Dirty Mutha
13. HiJack – “Possessed” – Potty Mouth
14. Riva Starr – “House music” – Southern Fried
15. Buy Now – “Body Crash” – La mode
16. Aston Shuffle - “For Everyone” (Stupid Fresh remix) – Hussle
17. DJ Mehdi – “I am Somebody” (Switch remix) -  Ed-Banger
18. Soulwax – “NY Lipps” (Kawazaki dub) - Pias
19. Streetlife DJs – “Gunn Crime” (Streetlife Soundsystem mix) - Kitsune

Terror to my Dome

(double click to stream, right click and save as to download)
1.  Wolfgang Gartner - “Squares” - OM
2.  TJR – “Atomic” - Wearhouse
3. Klaus Hill – “Boombaclut” – Hussle
4. Reel 2 Reel – “I like to Move it” (Twocker remix) – CDR
5. Larry Tee – “I Love you” (Bart B more secure dub) –  CDR
6. Jacksaw – “Get Some” (Defunkt remix) - Nitrous
7. Hatiras & MC Flipside – “Get Blashsted” (original mix) - Hatrax
8. Kate Perry – “I kissed a Girl” (DJ Kue ‘kissed a squirrel’ remix) - CDR
9. Nic Sarno – “Watch This” (Hijack remix) – Jack Union
10. DJ Dan – “The Zipper Track” (Breakdown remix) - CDR
11. Harvey Johnson & Trevor Loveys – “Beat Bang” - Machines Don’t Care
12. Fukkk Offf – “Rave is King” (Discodust Edit) - Coco Machette
13. South Rakkas Crew – “Mad again” (Scott cooper boot) - CDR
14. Robosonic - “Kaputt in Hollywood” – (Santiago & Bushido remix) - Diskomafia
15. Trevor Loveys & Sinden -“Organ Grinder” - Dubsided
16. Hatriras & Jelo – “Speaker Humper” – Hatrax

Mix of Electro and Fidget House and some other ill shit - Get Crunky muthafuckers!

(click to stream, right click and save as to Download)

Katt Williams intro
1. The Bulgarian ft Spoek - “Jack It like a Zombie” (Santiago & Bushido RMX) - Potty Mouth
2. Calvin Harris - “Merrymaking At My Place” (Deadmau5 dub) - Do it Yourself
3. Snoop Dogg - “Sexual Eruption” (Dirty South remix) - white
4. Crookers - “Big Money Comin” - Sothern Fried
5. Andy George - “Big Dipper” (Hostage remix) - Earwigs
6. Claude Von Stroke - “The Whistler” (Vandalism remix) - Ministry of Sound
7. Martin Solveig - “C’est le Vie” (Fedde Le Grande vs Katt Williams dub edit) - Mixture
8. Azzido Da Bass - “Doom’s Night” (Crookers Bum remix) - Kontor
9. Josh Wink - “Higher State of Consciousness” (Dirty South and TV rock remix) - Strictly Rhythm
10. Snoop Dogg - “Make it Clap” (Hostage Ravemix) - white
11. Mojo Jones - “Bondage Acid” - Blurred Logic
12. Det Boi - “Gun Shot Foward” - (Andy George and JakZ remix) - palms out
13. Legowelt - “Disco Rout” - (Freeform reform) - Cacoon
14. Jentina - “French Kisses” (Switch’s Jack The Box Remix) - Virgin
14. Richard Grey - “Warped Bass” - Ultra
16. LJ MTX - “Punk Rawk” (Mojo Jones remix) - Metronix
17. Deadmau5 - “Dr.Funkenstein” - Play Digital
18. The Chemical Brothers - “Salmon Dance” (Herve remix) - EMI UK
19. The Doors - “People are Strange” (Che Fu Manjomango remix) – white

DJ Bookings: djmojojones@hotmail.com &  http://www.myspace.com/digital4lifemusic

Finally I got to give some shoot outs to some local Fidget DJs tearing shit up. I got to give props to my tagging partner, DJ RX together we form the Fidget House duo – “The Professional Gentleman of Leisure” Also Leko of Tharsis records out Baltimore, whom I will be working with a have some tracks slated for release soon.

Also the Neighborhood Watch crew tearing it up in Baltimore, consisting of DJs: Schlitz, Retail and Logo.

If you’re a fan of EDM, you’ll definitely be interested in getting these from the incredible Fabric in London.

Headhunter – Nomad

“Too weird to live, too rare to die”…. Hmmm, I can relate to that.  I think anyone who has spent the better part of the last 5-10 years in front of a screen, channeling their soul through a sequencer can too.  When you’ve put in that kind of dedication, you start operating on a certain kind of level- and the ability to realize your vision can ascend to the point of absurdity. Such is the case here, with Headhunter and his first LP entitled ‘Nomad’.  Dropping on the definitive Tempa label, ten tunes have worked their way through the machine of quality control that has made it THE outlet for quality dubstep innovation.

Headhunter has been producing this quality for the last couple of years, leaving a trail of 12’s and mixes in his wake that have actually defined a strain of dubstep, almost single handedly..  Isolated, rugged, and stripped to the core- this tightly designed framework of techy beats and bass has always led to the same place: dark and HUGE.  This has been a template for success, as his music has found its way to other prominent labels such as Planet Mu, Rinse, and Ascension.  The rise of this form has opened up channels for producers of like mind, sounding the call for a return to the source, a re-embracing of pure vibe and energetic depth.  I know that as a producer myself, observing his use of ‘making much of little’ has been an encouraging influence to draw from when needed.

Assuming the name ‘Nomad’ from the fact that every tune was made in a different place, it represents the architecture of this album properly.  Each bit has its own identity that is well placed in the larger scheme, creating a well-oiled machine of both efficiency and diversity.  Starting with ‘Lifeform’, which makes a perfect opening statement about the compatible nature of techno and dubstep (and its hybrid incarnations), gated textures breathe in rhythm with an understated 4/4 kick structure to accomplish a syncopated hypnotism.  Instead of the kicks taking much too much of the emphasis, the texture and chord-play assume the foreground- leaving room for the subs to swell just right.

Onto ‘Prototype’ which just screams ‘Headhunter’ with every gallop of mid range nastiness, this brings the spotlight back to sci fi upfront pressure- utterly satisfying.  The separation and pronunciation of every drum sample is distinct, every hit is crucial. Prime bass work resides in the form of ‘Baseflow’, aptly titled- as some genuine new wobble functionality is devised and utilized.  The tune is just too fucking wicked.  One of the things I find most attractive about this style, is that it invokes a sense of timeless meandering, a flow that is at once delicate and heavy- rolling at its own pace with little care about past or future tense.  It is unapologetic of its own form; naturally comfortable with itself in a very pure way.  It knows it’s a monster, in touch with it’s essence, enjoying what it does.  These are the finest moments in dubstep in my opinion.

Moving on to ‘Birk’s Range’, which closes the LP by departing with another form of techno hybrid, a 4/4 kick teases the techno devotees - by denying them a pure pulse. It bounces with the proper momentum, but there are components of predictable structure replaced with elements native to the dubstep arsenal- like scattered rim shots, clipped snares, paced subs and windswept chord sequences.  More sci-fi film commentary accentuates the mood, and leaves you in a place of space….and grace. J

I’ve been waiting for this album from Headhunter, and my expectations have been met fully.  This is a shining example of how the genre is progressing, and what sort of control and vision is needed to direct it.  It’s a firm grip on the current landscape of the style, where it’s going, and why it’s relevant.  The fact that Headhunter has been on a U.S. tour in support of this offering shows that people are connecting to the music increasingly- and that it’s voice will be heard.  Let us thoroughly acknowledge the significance of Headhunter’s presence at Loda tonight, his appearance here is a welcome one that breaks the mold of formulaic restrictions, and keeps our ethic of ‘pushing things forward’ in strong practice.

To listen and buy Nomad Click here.
-DM

Carl Craig at Loda in Silver Spring

Some of you following this blog and running in the circles of 88 may know our fine friend Dj Slouch-    turntablist, producer, and beat selektor with a refined taste in all that is low slung, spaced out, jazzfunk beat collage.  Slouch is hardly the name for him, as he’s been more than hard at work in recent months, and is well due for an update on his most recent achievements.

First, he comes at us with his ‘Travels’ EP- which is a compilation of ‘rarities and re-releases’ of tunes that never made it to see the light of day, due to record label politics and conflicts….a shame but I suppose things happen for a reason, and these tracks seem to have found a proper home with each other on this release.

On the whole I feel that all of the tracks presented here- are variations on a particular vision, drawing from a focal point of common influence and tastes in samples.  Oh, how I’d love to hear the original records from which these samples are drawn, to be able to compare source and result, if only to get a better understanding of the obviously huge amount of dedication that’s invested in their manipulation.

Starting out with ‘the Walk Home’, a tune that interlocks various layers of jazz trumpet, traditional Japanese instrumentation,  Indian vocals, mc samples, breaks and beats - stitched together with organic scratching- sets the pace immediately.  As the tracks progress, the arsenal of strings, ethnic samples, vinyl noise, gritty urban beatwork and loungey nuance is further defined/refined- so that a sort of immersive environment is created.  Once enveloped in this environment, each element starts to take on its own identity, and form it’s own voice of ‘Slouch speak’.   Therefore, a sort of language is created- in order to construct musical sentences and paragraphs of unique character.

‘Travels’ stays the course through this well defined musical landscape, moving with calculated precision through tracks like ‘Window Seat’ – with its dronal mood and soulful funk cries- to ‘The Breaks’, which is maybe the most mournful, reflective tune here. My personal favorite.  The production is totally worth being paid homage to- and it delivers the musicality of the compositions with complete adequacy. The snares are snappy, the percussion is nice and loose, the pianos are full of delicate subtleties and the rich crackle is in all the right places. I mean- what is a hip hop beat collage without well placed vinyl crackle? It just doesn’t hold up at this point, it’s become a fixture in our psychoacoustic expectations.

A jump to the future, or near present of Slouch- brings us to his more recent ‘Labor’ EP.  A little more upfront than ‘Travels’, some of the beats on this one could even make you dance- it’s got more ruckus in it.   For instance, ‘Black Coffee’, if sped up and quantized a bit (god forbid this)- could actually be a mixable breaks tune.   Where ‘Travels’ was a bit more leftfield, heady music, this EP could signify more of a focus on the floor, less sunrise and more late night.

‘Water’ might be the epitome of this, combining a raunchy-as-fuck harmonica blues jam with the sounds of a 50’s Alabama hoedown, Afro-Cuban beats, and cinematic string layers- combines the essence of reflection with that of the party.  Branching out in different directions of pace like this shows the longevity of Slouch’s style while staying consistent with what defined it in the first place. That’s a desire of any visionary artist in my opinion, so I’ve got to admire that.  Both releases are strong in what they set out to accomplish, and pave the way for the future.   Oh, and he also puts out regular mixtapes- to keep us in tune with where that future is headed.  Thoughtful, yes?

- DM (Aligning Minds)

An employee of a Baltimore record store issued the statement in May 2007 that “Bostonites love minimal because they feel cool when trying to talk over it”.  An interesting statement probably true of any big city.  But in Beantown, the music you talk over seems to be a selling point.   For example and because deep house is now the vogue, an event posting gives the ethnic, sure to be swarthy, name along with the tag line “silky smooth house for your Saturday night”.  Along with the process is the promotion ploy of the names and faces of twenty chic open bloused BC sophomores ready to sip bellinis and not talk to you.  I digress and conclude, this situation could exist in any town prominently advertising Pachabees and 2 for 1 millers.

The above cynicism ends at the Middlesex Lounge.  Having hosted the US debut of Ostgut Ton’s premier artist Shed the week prior, the night “Make It New” serves the travelin’ European DJ well.  If the up and coming darling of Berlin, flies in to NYC on a Thursday you might play Cielo or Bunker on either Thursday or Friday night. Hypothetically, “Make it New” offers the same general vibe of the loft party perhaps played for free, but justifies the 8 hours of heart arresting panic of traveling across the pond with a priceless vinyl collection underneath the plane.  As such it becomes a nice complement to an invitation to Bunker not to mention an excellent tune up for an evening at Pulse.
As for the club, it plays up the idea of a loft party well.  There are 20 foot high ceilings, a dual purpose kitchen, knee high stackable furniture and 3 unisex bathrooms.  All these features seem designed to either put the focal point exclusively on sound, give guests the idea that the owner stores bathtub liners there four days a week or both.  If the focal point is sound, there is certainly enough and pretty high quality for a club of its size.  The system has its pockets but volume is no issue.  Even if the discerning ear would need desire something better, for a 200 person club in a college town it does the job admirably.  Also from viewing a fair cross section of bars and venues, it might be one of the few to meet the needs of the friendly Basstown promoters for this night.

Friendliness is the name of the game for Jan Krueger.  His sunny disposition took him from playing to his pets to recording on Mathias Tanzmann’s label in under 5 years. During this time, Krueger fell in love with Planet E, M-Plant by way of listening and meeting its various artists.  Since 2001, Jan founded the up and coming Hello?Repeat label with longtime friend Daze Maxim.  After a banner year of 2008, Jan spent much of the summer in the Americas.  By fall, Jan came to the East Coast once again, playing Bunker, a rave in DC and Make It New.

What made the night special was the Make It New crew and the overwhelming feeling that attendees were there to get down.  Jan played some great tunes and when the system had vinyl on the sound was deep and very smooth.   In fact, the entire night was spent towing the line between deep house, minimal, and tech house as is the new vogue.  It must be fun for Jan to play records from his early days along side records giving due credit to their influence.  He spun well and left with a giant smile and much appreciation.  There is such a crispness to his selection that his tracks feel best suited for the deepest points of night.

That Jan could not spin into the night would be my only critique.  Such a quibble has to little to do with Jan, Make It New or Middlesex Lounge, but more likely from the city’s puritan roots.  Boston has its reasons to halt public transit before 1am.  Most of them have little to do with techno much less music in general.  When public transit ends at 12:30 patrons have to leave at 12:00 and the warmup DJ has to get some jams in to get people to stay.  Warmup DJ last Thursday chose some latin bangers and a tasty Ben Watt record to close his set; however, by 12:05 the place became half empty.  Jan, to his credit, spun some great records and most assuredly built some fans. What is troubling is merely that Jan could not have a better setting.   Not six months ago Jan opened to international and receptive ears and an idyllic morning before Ryan Elliott, Konrad Black, Troy Pierce, Dan Bell twice within a 24 hour time frame.  True it is an apples and oranges comparison but for as many DJ courses offered at Berklee there need to be nights AND early mornings for talent to blossom before such faces head to New York en route to in Berlin.  Due credit is definitely owed to Make It New and SoulClap for their sustaining contributions in Boston.  The outsider’s perspective is that the underground exists (see generally Modeselektor’s appearance at the Enormous Room w/ Jan Jelinek) but development may be stunted by the 1:30AM curfew.

- Adam B. Ross

Photo by Fitsum

If you are a Detroit DJ of a certain age you spin every night as if it was the Music Institute in 1988.  In other words, you put on the funkiest, hardest tracks, close your eyes and take  yourself to that mercurial place in  the city’s history.  For Carl Craig such a party is the traveling quartet of DJs known as Demon Days.  The party features set up man Gamal and denuouement man Drugmules complimenting the big guy and his always stunning track selection.  What was most striking about September 26, 2008 in the Demon Days history is the urgency of this party at this time in the country’s history. In the course of the week prior, anyone with a pulse and miniature American flag knew the subprime lending burst along with the Dow’s 14,000 point year.  So where would Carl Craig fit in to this picture?  Precisely, where he designed the party.  In 2005, Craig explained Demon Days, perhaps jokingly, as a Revelations 22:17 scenario in which floods, wars and of course pestilence give reason to dance one’s cares away.  All these factors in play, Craig showcases that Music Institute type of scene where one is squarely forced to dance, yelp and scream as if men in dark suits and pitchforks were at the door waiting to foreclose the place.

With the above, last Friday served very much to legitimize the DC techno scene.  For weeks, DC’s faithful posted on boards in anticipation.  Indeed by Friday afternoon the font on one’s computer could not have been big enough.  CARL MFing CRAIG.  Pictures, Youtube vids, thousand track selections and comments all for what would become a big night in Loda 88 history as a living legend graced the decks for a Friday night gig that began just a little bit cooler than the others.  This recognition is important because it was not the Detroit transplants who were out in droves but, from its appearances, electronic music fans from all genres.  Chic aviator glasses rubbed leather clad legs, while in the corner the top of a hoody bobbed along happily. Simply put all walks of life needed this night, in this place, at this time.

Many attach the word epic to Craig productions, so the word will need to belong here as well.  In his 2.5 hour set, Craig ran the gamut from R&B funk to his newest remix of Morgan Geist’s “Detroit”.  Even if Craig would halt the entire occasion [Armin Van Buuren he is not] it was for good cause such as the grand pause to introduce “Music All Night Long”.  The dance floor’s participants could not have loved it more especially when he dug his deepest by concluding his set with the Convextion (AA) track which began a chorus of cheering from the Detroit contingent.

But the night belonged to 88 and DC.  Docindo and Measax remain the roots of this night and true to form their funky deep brand of minimal and deep house is where this night developed.  From their sound has risen the names of techno’s legends and growing stars on weekly Loda fliers.  Stewart Walker and Stacey Pullen, to name the October schedule, are indeed gifted talent; however, from Detroit.  If the Music Institute was able to launch 1,000 DJ careers we hope Loda and 88 can deliver nights like Demon Days to similar effect.  Demon Days is just as important to cleanse a world worried mind as it is to put sounds into young musicians ears to be analyzed and developed into what DC can dance to next year.  The prescription is clear, attend as many Loda nights as possible, close your eyes and put yourself in this mercurial spot and its ever welcoming confines.

- Adam B. Ross

On April 9, 2008 Timewarp ushered in a hectic season of dance music to great aplomb.  Richie Hawtin, stalwart of cutting edge technology in techno, pronounced this years event as the “best techno party he has ever attended”.  Three weeks before an uneventful ep with three songs (four if you count the digital release) would tell the real tale of techno sound in 2008.  Kate Simko’s She Said Ep defines all of the things this year has brought:  deep soulful tech house,  intelligent production and finally (best of all) raw talent.

Raised in a rich, musical background, Kate’s formative years were spent listening.  Car trips, as Kate describes, were never a time for discussion rather enjoying and describing came out of the family cars speakers.  Thus, the music was the focal point of the activity and not necessarily the destination. Educationally, this exercise makes perfect sense.  Whether hearing that first latin rhythm in a South Florida club, that first bassbin rattle of a Midwest rave, or the first combination thereof in the South America, Kate appears to be listening and absorbing.  For this Spectral Sound Ep, Kate more finds her sound than tips her hat to her influences.  Kate’s evolution from “Wake Up!” party resident in Chicago to Fabric and Weekend club performer is obvious metagathering of sounds between Kate’s ears.  The listener, here, will find Kate at a primordial stage sure to grow in the coming years.

As one finds Kate on this “major label” debut she might be testing her sounds on the format of her expert minimal production.  The first probably five minutes of Kate’s title track feel like the run_stop_restore group’s “corporal” used as a sonic palette.  To explain, consider how the latter track uses its pulsing sonic groove to envelope the listener.  Kate seeks to achieve the same except instead of a muted barely legible voice, she uses sonic scraps to dance about the rhythm.  At 5:30 the distant bell serves as the high hat and listener is more or less locked for the twists and turns of the final delicate minutes.  Where Kate goes from here is anyone’s guess; however, the statement is best made through the title.  Simply Kate has spoken and through this release has arrived.

Ryan Elliott does little with his take on She Said perhaps more out of respect than any real need to embellish Kate’s work.  In fact if this track were named She Said (dub) most might not bat an eyelash.  Elliott does add some nice space to the track and take just a bit away from the principle groove.  With the reverb on overdrive one imagines a vacuous space filled with the muted bell giving here a nice accent inside of the unanchored echo.  Upon repeated listens one can find a happy place for this track at the tail end of a midnight/early morning set.  Most telling, therefore, is how well Marcel Dettmann used this version of the track in his 2008 Berlin techno time capsule “Berghain 02″.
The following two tracks on the EP show Kate’s versatility and production acumen.  On the sugar sweet dulce, Kate combines a punchy synth with a multi chord progression over a rather un house rhythm.  The effect recalls apparat tunes and perhaps some escapist ambient imagination in between studio takes. In other words, Dulce’s resolve is one of comfort.  You get the mental image of tremendous care flowing through each layered sound.  For these reasons alone it is a prescient song and regretfully escaped the vinyl ep.

The final track “Soltera” is again an early morning anthem which feels more delicate than its companions.  For this exercise, Kate chose a chugging electronic snare heavy rhythm with a neat reverbed single note melody dancing on top.   Mixed in  between come  slight jangles which affirm the dark oevre abundant throughout the  song.  The result is again a comforting listen even if overtly dark and nocturnal.

This Ep and more importantly the Spectral Sound imprint tell us that intelligence does belong in dance music.  Lucky for us Kate uses her intelligence to convey clean, pulsing and comforting grooves through very learned production.  Even if sparse these songs tell the tale of many car trips, sounds and countless hours in the studio.

- Adam B. Ross

OK… We got there around 11:30pm, caught the end of Aligning Minds set (good stuff!) said hi to people etc. There were a lot of people there.

I’m guessing the moved the valley of boom to upstairs because of the potential rain. Looks like it worked out well. I don’t know who was playing and honestly didn’t spend much time upstairs except for when I went out to smoke.

Filastine came on and was fucking awesome. His sound is great, doing very interesting things with midi triggers and whatever. I didn’t like the videos he used in the background because I felt they detracted from the vibe, but just barely. Great stage presence and the music was dancey enough for people to dance to. As an encore, he played a DISGUSTING dubstep tune that he said he is not releasing yet. I bought his CD anyway (in the car now) and I sent him a myspace message asking for the dubstep tune, if he puts it up somewhere I will let you all know. But it’s good.

edIT was of course fantastic, great crowd control (anyone who says that a “laptop DJ” sacrifices crowd interaction is an idiot). While he did less “interesting” things compared to Filastine, the sound was much better and dancier and awesome.

If someone came to me and told me that some of the most cutting edge dance music can be found on East West Highway in fucking Silver Spring, I would have laughed, if I did not see it for myself.

This was my second time at a LODA event but the first time I only got there at 2am so it doesn’t count. One thing I love about this, is the same thing I love about Dive and Lie Wrecked, is that everyone that comes to these parties is fucking into it, and into making the vibe better, dancing, and having a good time. There’s no immature bullshit and I think that’s pretty cool.

So good job and thank you 88! I told you in person but I also want to say publicly, this Friday was one of the most impressive bookings I’ve seen here for 2008 and I am (quite frankly) surprised that it was so successful.

- Amitai :