Vrijdag laatstleden zag ik de Zweedse band Meshuggah samen met hun landgenoten CB Murdoc en het Poolse Decapitated in het Antwerpse Trix. Het was een indrukwekkende ervaring en ik schreef er een verslagje over, voor de blog van het tijdschrift Gonzo Circus, dat je hier kan lezen!
There isn’t much known about Sawlin – except that he’s called Ronnie, lives in Berlin, studied sound engineering, runs a studio and is an analogue machines freak. That’s about all the information we’ll get for now and that’s all that he considers relevant. The guy doesn’t perform in public that often and tries to avoid the media. It’s a commonplace in techno: artists who deliberately dwell in obscurity while drawing on the classic statement that the music should speak for itself. In the case of Sawlin this actually works out finely since his relatively limited discography is imbued with a true trademark style – one which is definitely dark and gritty.
Nowadays, it is noticeable that several techno artists seem to return to a sinister, industrial and rather hard variant of the genre. Instinctively one can view this given as a response to life in an age that is eclipsed by a worldwide economic and political crisis. It could also well be a reaction against the current state of things in the dance scene, which has been penetrated by the mainstream and by commerce, where the influence of club culture has decreased and where instead large-scale dance festivals prevail. These focus primarily on a bland and colourful escapism and on delivering the visiting flock an overall experience; the music as such is only a small element of such lived events.
These are just a few elucidations, but I think it is obvious that people like Sawlin attempt to deliver a kind of techno music that implies another form of diversion from the hardship of everyday life. It might be perceived as being more confrontational because it doesn’t veil the gloominess of our times, but represents it and exploits it as a tool for subversion. Hence the references a lot of techno artists now make to musical styles that had a similar strategy, such as punk and industrial.
Anyway, for Sawlin this is an inspiring and productive period –he is about to release two eps soon. The first will be the twelfth record of Vault Series, a label started by Berlin-based producer Subjected around two years ago and I must say its mission statement sums up my introductory thoughts nicely.
The first track, “Mandeltone”, immediately brings one into a sphere that is reminiscent of derelict heavy industry, including rusty tones and uncanny sound snippets which are set against a background of hard pounding beats. A short-cut vocal sample adds to the music’s grimness. “Ambos” is slower but equally menacing due to its distorted high tones. The beat that characterises “Rebirth” is massive. Gradually layers are put in: metallic sweeps and echoing grinds carry along a hollow sounding melody. The digital version of “Vault Series 12.0” is supplemented with “Between Machines”, a track with a typical techno structure but also with a seemingly unpolished production – a feature that fits it perfectly.
Mid-December, Delsin’s sister label Ann Aimee, which was responsible for the man’s debut ep “Techno Dumping”, will then bring out “Eviment”, consisting of three more Sawlinesque stompers. The title track is packed with creepy parts, giving it an introvert and even depressing ambiance. Nevertheless, its build-up is thrillingly efficient. The same can be said about “Sour Tear” with its high-pitch snare percussion and weird hissing. But for me personally, “Kretze” is the Berlin producer at its best when it comes to creating mayhem on a dance floor, thudding as if an old factory is producing at night-time in a rhythmic, fluctuating pattern.
With these two releases, Sawlin confirms his status as a big talent and his future is looking bright – though that may not the best word to choose in relation to his musical output.
Sawlin – “Vault Series 12.0” will be out on November 28th (vinyl) and December 5th (digital)
Track list:
1. Mandeltone
2. Ambos
3. Rebirth
4. Between Machines
Sawlin – “Eviment” will be out on December 17th
Track list:
1. Eviment
2. Kretze
3. Sour Tear
It has been a while since my last post, so here is a collection of recent news that might be worthwhile to check. Continue reading
Hm, I think we need some creative, narrative critique here…
It’s one of those Sunday afternoons and the five of us are sitting on a sun-drenched porch in urban surroundings drinking poorly mixed cocktails and listening to music. Our attire is scarce and fit for absolute leisure. Communication is reduced to almost complete non-verbal forms. The only movement going on is the cat chasing long shadows. No more than a few hours ago, you could find us in a sweaty club, high on the circumstances and on whatever, dancing, chatting, flirting and having fun. And now it’s just one of those Sunday afternoons…
So we are all concentrated on doing nothing except for taking in the sounds that are drifting along. They are beautiful and relaxed – attuned to the setting. Several keyboard layers and supporting rhythms float in seemingly perfect harmony through the thick air. The sound system itself now radiates warmth, which is paradoxically created out of metallic and cold apparatuses and devices. Suddenly there’s the sea and a Latin guitar as well. It’s accompanied with the odors of someone lighting a J and the muttered suggestion to call for a pizza. Too good.
The soundtrack is a brand new cd; it’s a collection of tracks by John Beltran, a music veteran from the illustrious city of Detroit with a Puerto Rican heredity. Those aren’t mere geographical references because Beltran is well-known for his work that files well under Detroit techno and for his endeavors into Latin-inspired house. But his scope is far broader than that. Beltran’s first 12inch was already released in 1991 and several of his albums, on labels such as R & S, Peacefrog or Ubiquity, included dreamy ambient tracks. These are exactly the material out of which this compilation consists – hence the obvious name.
The fact that the Dutch imprint Delsin is responsible for this release shouldn’t come as a surprise: label boss Marsel van der Wielen, a noticeable figure in Amsterdam’s night life scene, has always had a keen ear for electronic dance music made in or inspired by the Motor City. Let’s not forget that on the way from Detroit to Berlin or vice versa, the main stop in between is indeed Amsterdam. But it was John Beltran himself who proposed to do this project after hearing back these fine tunes after all these years and van der Wielen agreed without any hesitation.
The result is this “Ambient Selections”, which contains sixteen tracks. A great deal of this number will sound very familiar or will be recognized immediately by people who have followed Beltran in the past. “Collage Of Dreams”, “Anticipation”, “Sub Surface” and “Vienna” have almost reached a classical status. But their juxtaposition on one single album was a simple but most keen decision; the format provides a new context in which these works function optimally. Later, Delsin will also bring out some 12inches with remixes from artists affiliated with the label.
Yes, this is a record for a Summer of Love. Love of whatever kind, between individuals who are passionate about each gesture or word of their partner, between the closest friends, between people who just met but had felt an immediate connection, between sisters and brothers or between entities in a group who are in tune with the same lingering positive vibe. Love that is warm, like the Summer air….
Gosh, someone needs to open that door ‘cause the bell is ringing. Must be the pizza man…
John Beltran – “Ambient Selections” will be out on June 13th
Track list:
1. Collage Of Dreams
2. Morning At The Window
3. Anticipation
4. Sweet Soul
5. Soft Summer
6. Water Colored Dreams
7. Sub Surface
8. Everything Under The Sun
9. Snowdrifts
10. Gutaris Breeze
11. Expecting
12. Going Home
13. Miss Weird
14. Brilliant Flood
15. Collage Revisited
16. Vienna
Is musical geniality and musicality in general genetically conditioned? I’m not going into this scientific discussion here, how interesting it may seem. But when considering the evolution of Stefan Goldmann’s output, the question inevitably comes up. Son of composer of modern classical music and of electroacoustic pieces Friedrich Goldmann, who was revered in the DDR and taught at the university of Berlin, Stefan was immersed in classical music and later went on to study music himself. Next to the great dance tracks he has released on labels such as Perlon, Classic Music Company and Macro – which he runs himself together with Finn Johannsen -, he also published electroacoustic experiments as well as highly conceptual outings.
Take for instance his seemingly absurd reworking of Igor Stravinsky‘s “Le Sacre Du Printemps”. With this tour-de-force, Goldmann paid homage to one of his musical heroes. Moreover, “Le Sacre…” is a wonderful piece of dance music, one might even say techno avant-la-lettre since it was written for a ballet play and strongly emphasised the rhythmical elements in a manner that hardly anyone did around 1913. But apart from that, Goldmann also tackled some issues concerning the mindless editing of already existing tracks in today’s dance scene with his edit of “Le Sacre…”. Furthermore it is a small lesson in hearing the differences in the recordings of classical music which are for instance related to the available technology at the time of each version, to background noises in the studio or to interpretations of the conductor. Lastly, one might also view Goldmann’s effort as a way to put his finger on the matter of musical copyright: Stravinski’s heirs forbid anyone to make variations on the piece, but Goldmann cleverly avoided doing just that with his edit.
The thing that is so admirable with this sort of conceptually heavy tracks, is the fact that Goldmann invariably succeeds in making them sound as, well, simply good music. The same goes for this new double 12inch “The Grand Hemiola” which consists of six tracks and 144 loops; 66 in 4/4 at 33 RPM and 78 in 3/4 at 45 RPM. “Now what is that all about?” I hear you wonder. The whole package is just an exercise in polyrhythm: two (or more) independent rhythms played simultaneously. This idea has been used for ages in the most diverse styles of music, for instance in lots of African music, in medieval and baroque European music (Des Prez, Brahms, Händel, …) and so on.
In contemporary dance the 4/4 rhythm is predominant for obvious reasons, but Goldmann thought – correctly – that there are so many other possibilities which are explored too little. So the Berlin-based producer gave it a try, even to the extent that the piece “Double Hendecagon” is built on an 11/8 beat. All six tracks on this ‘album’ contain a percussion pattern that is rather awkward but they never fail. Goldmann fills up the music with eery sounds that come into play marvellously. Truly haunting at some instances!
Moreover, for the title track Goldmann used fragments of music of his father. Later this year, he will bring out some unpublished pieces from his dad on Macro and the respectful use of it in his own material really is a beautiful tribute. In the aforementioned “The Grand Hemiola”, Goldmann has put a hemiola underneath a concerto piece that is almost Mahleresque in its drama and grandeur. A hemiola, by the way, is a shift of the accent in a metrical system, most often in triple time, articulated as if it were dupal time. This is why it is often said to be antimetrical. If this reads as something very abstract, just listen to this wonderful track which illustrates it perfectly.
Apart from these tracks, you’ll also get the loops. With those, you can start building your own polyrhythms by playing them together on two decks. Once you get into it, you can make a large amount of variations. It’s a most enjoyable way to break out of the 4/4 beat pattern and perhaps to learn more about music and rhythms. I totally recommend every (future) dj to try it out! And obviously I totally recommend this double 12inch to everyone else too.
Stefan Goldmann – “The Grand Hemiola” will be out on March 28th
Track list:
1. Mining The Vein
2. The Grand Hemiola
3. Double Hendecagon
66 Loops in 4/4 @ 33rpm
4. Goat’s Guts
5. Megi’s Waltz
6. Away From The Flock
78 Loops in 3/4 @ 45 rpm
Anniversaries are just great! Well, it has always been a marvellous reason to set up a good party and don’t we all love a good party? I guess Belgian Raoul Belmans thinks quite the same and mind you, he really does have a noteworthy ground to celebrate this year. Since in 2011, it is the twentieth anniversary of his dj career.
Belmans has been a flag-bearer of Belgium’s house scene for quite some time, most notably as a resident of Food – together with Geoffroy Mugwump. He has played and still plays all over the globe, thanks to being such a loveable guy and of course thanks to his superb mixing skills. Furthermore, he managed the first-rate house label Aroma – until it ceased to exist some time ago.
Production-wise, he’s known for being part of the duos Swirl People and Cosy Creatures, together with Dimitri Dewever. But as his releases on for instance We Play House have proven, he’s a skilled solo artist as well.
On the occasion of this twentieth anniversary, Belmans will release four digital EPs which will go under the name of “Porcelain”. This precious material is, as all you culturally educated people know, the symbol of remembering a twenty-year-old event. Moreover, Belmans will do a small tour in his native country (confirmed dates this far are April 16th: Decadance, Ghent; April 22nd: Silo, Leuven; April 30th: Krush, Ostend; May 28th: H20, Pecq) that will be followed by some gigs in Europe, Asia and the U.S.
This “Porcelain EP #1” consists of two tracks that give witness to a certain shift in style compared to previous material of for instance Swirl People. Firstly, they come across as being less sleek, less polished and secondly they overtly refer to 1990s deep house – two characteristics I can only applaud. A beautiful builder is “Didadum” with its subtle conga’s and percussion and catchy melody line. Play it at -4 and it’s suitable for a warm, sexy, laid back set. Play it at +4 and you’ll have the dance floor burning.
“Bodacious!” comes in a Cosy Creatures remix and the track is filled with features that are so typical for Belmans’ and Dewever’s production outfit. The beat is rather simple and steady-going but those synth lines are so damn smart, effective and actually funny too. Really, it makes one dance with a preposterous smile on the face which is actually cute. And the break is one of the most pleasant I’ve heard in months.
This little digital package is a very nice treat that sets the standard for the coming “Porcelain” releases. Lastly, I have to say most sincerely “congratulations” and “thanks” for that splendid career; I’ll add those festivities to my agenda!
Raoul Belmans – “Porcelain EP #1” is out today
Track list:
1. Bodacious! (Cosy Creatures Remix)
2. Didadum
Metope is Berliner Michael Swanen is co-founder of the fine label Areal Records (with Basteroid and Konfekt) is manager of Omega Oz booking agency is producer of superb techno tracks on the aforementioned Areal and on Sender Berlin is a guy with a freaky sense of humour is now working on a production project cum live-act called Beachcoma together with Jake Fairley (a.k.a. Fairmont) and Pan/Tone.
The three musical and beer-loving comrades actually first started out with a label with the same name on which so far they only released material from themselves. “You Are My Beach” is catalogue number seven, an EP by Metope with a title that is poetic in its simple image use. Moreover, it contains three pieces of music that at first listen seem to be constructed in a simple manner but are poetic to a high degree as well.
They are firstly less straight-forward than the two tracks on Metope’s fantastic 12inch “Betaowl/ The Quiek”, put out by Sender only recently. The title song of “You Are My Beach” has some heavy basses, a twisted click pattern and deep sounds as a frame, around which a dark drone and high but moody notes evolve harmonically.
A similar structure of bouncy clicks supports a rather heavy pounding beat in “Ride Free” but its warm synth tones gives it a thorough deepness. Finally, “Stranded” serves us with the same thick sauce but served on a more shiny platter.
All in all this an excellent effort of a great producer. I can only hope that he keeps up this standard, since a full-length is due soon on Areal. And please, more of those titles!
Metope – “You Are My Beach EP” is out since last week
Track list:
1. You Are My Beach
2. Stranded
3. Ride Free
Oh! My! Goodness! I got excited to the max when hearing that none other than Emmanuel Top has started producing again. Top, hailing from northern France, used to be a household name in many legendary Belgian clubs, from the early 1990s onwards. And yes, that’s where I kind of grew up musically. Remember “Turkish Bazar“? Remember “Acid Phase“? Without any doubt truly classic material.
Now, after more than ten years of utter silence, we welcome Top back with a first 12inch of what should become a series on Terence Fixmer’s imprint Planète Rouge. The A-side is called “Addiction” and is indeed an addictive slow-builder. No fringes on its main structure, simply an effective dark, industrial hook where upon several layers are being added during its course, until after several minutes some high notes appear and the track is being lifted to a sure height.
“Revival” (such a well chosen title) is more of a peak-time track, subtly moving into an extatic mood. there’s a simple, pounding beat, an industrial sounding pattern and an hypnotic, seemingly endlessly uplifting layer underneath.
It is as though Top never stopped doing his thing: these are superb productions that may come across as rather simple but have so much to them if you listen closely. Moreover, on a dancefloor these may work as precision bombs. More please, let there be more!
Emmanuel Top – “Addiction/ Revival” will be release March 1st 2011.
Track list:
1. Addiction
2. Revival
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