JB. Magazine

Better late than never … To finally finish this two-thousand-and-nine thing, I owe this list of some “appealing” dance tracks from last year, limited to a number of ten, maybe eleven. There have been some more solid dance tracks than before, it was a proper year, some fresher productions and even some real exceptional artists plus some great recoveries too. Admittedly I was more open again to this kind of stuff, it was more fun to explore all these beats. I will keep it short. Not so much gossip, more tunes … and a good preview of what will happen this year.


DJ Sprinkles — Grand Central Part I (Deep Into The Bowel Of House) (MCDE Bassline Dub) Mule Electronics

Everyone was talking about MCDE’s “Raw Cuts” but cat.-no. 03 on MCDE by the Jayson Brothers is really cool. “Monsterbox” is straight and powerful and one of the secret hits of the year.


Jayson Brothers — Monsterbox MCDE 1203

Roska is the funky dude! As he is producing many, many tracks at the moment, some of them are really kick-ass tunes. Simple dance tracks, focused on funcionality, nothing for home listening. For me, “TWC EP” was the record among some proper remixes. As I can’t find any of the tracks on YouTube that I would post here, listen to the quite evident hit of this EP and below a track called “Elevated Levels”, already from 2008.


Roska — Without It! Roska Kicks & Snares


Roska — Elevated Levels Roska Kicks & Snares

Once a myth and only known by the initiated or maybe uncovered by the most attentive ears, stamped white label releases from the Hardwax camp, WAX is Equalized is Shed … He is the Techno artist of the hour, with a traditional approach but fresher than tomorrow’s fish, his tracks are hardly to compare and have the ingredients and emotional power that have been missing in Techno for quite a long while.
Can’t find that B-side track, the A-side is a bit less pumping but so beautiful. Below a track from EQD, a pure monster …


WAX No. 20002 (Side A)


EQD — Equalized #003 (Side A)

I like STL a lot. Can’t find “Space Warrior” or “Flying Square” on his own imprint Something but this one is also a really nice tune:


STL — Silent State Smallville

Next one is Levon Vincent from New York of Underground Quality, Deconstruct and his own imprint Novel Sounds. Already loved him for “These Games” (Novel 001), this one really catches me. A superb track in the Basic Channel tradition, most of these Dub-Techno/House tracks lack that dynamic impulse, that drive. I read somewhere that Levon Vincent “pretty much owned that year”. In his case, yes.


Levon Vincent — Double Jointed Sex Freak Part II Novel Sounds 003

Nothing extraordinary, some commonly original, retroesque Chicago Housemusic. The son of Rick “Poppa” Howard, Tevo Howard, is kind of the unsung hero of Housemusic at the moment. With a piano like this, he broke my heart … Every track on this EP is good, listen to sound samples here.


Tevo Howard — Everyday House Music Beautiful Granville

Actually released late 2008, but the vinyl was available in 2009: on Tin Man’s Wasteland EP on Global A is one of my most favourite tracks to date, “Constant Confusion”. Sweet melancholic, warm and weird. Narcotic House!


Tin Man — Constant Confusion Global A

Don’t know really why it’s the next one, but to continue with that case about those who try to follow that Basic Channel/Chain Reaction sound, this Dub-Techno/House track is simply rolling and has the depth that is needed to these type of tracks. Sigha is an artist to watch out for in the future, a very versatile producer.


Sigha — Rawww Hotflush Recordings 010

My man Pete from Kreuzberg, aka Substance or as one half of Scion Versions … After I heard him playing live under his Substance moniker at the Hard Wax anniversary, this one had to be in the list. One of my all time favourites ever since, he performed this track in his liveset and it blew my mind once again. Techno at its best!


Substance — Relish Chain Reaction

Some more dub and a strong bass comes from the label Idle Hands from Bristol. First release is anonymous, some are guessing Peverelist behind it. Could be true, it has this Peverelist feel to it. Here is a preview of both tracks of this 12″, A side “On & On” is a more Dub Techno flowing track, the B Side “Cm3 skank” sounds like a stripped down version of a Yello song played on cooking pots, a horn and metal sheets with some delay …


Unknown Idle Hands 001

The great people of Rush Hour took the serious matters into their own hands to give credit to one of the most overlooked characters in dance music: Anthony Shake Shakir. A compilation that recalls the years of his Frictional imprint plus some 7th City releases. Shakir is from another planet, has shaped dance music with his variety since the first moment of Motor City, his work finally gains the attention that it deserves. Something for our descendants. Eternal stuff!


Anthony ‘Shakir’ Shakir — Arise Frictional