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Review: Krystal Klear "We're Wrong" b/w "From the Start"
Label: All City

While many producers are eager to push sonic boundaries into unheard realms, exploring far into the reaches of future-this and future-that, Manchester-based Krystal Klear once again proves on his latest release for All City that there's plenty of treasure to be found by digging through dance music's past. On his return to the Irish imprint, he draws heavily from once-passé styles such as '80s boogie, old-school electro, New Jack Swing, and '90s house, but without sounding dated, retro, cliched, or nostalgic. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/22/2012

Review: RxGibbs Futures EP

Quick Spin
Label: Cascine

Chillwave's notoriety didn't last too long, but many of its signifiers have become an almost ubiquitous part of the independent music world. Heavy usage of reverb, sunny atmospherics, upbeat tempos, '80s-pop inclinations—the way these elements are applied to a song can often make the difference between a vapid stinker and a contemporary treasure. The Cascine label is no stranger to the pieces left over by chillwave, having built a reputation on signing artists who can skillfully mesh those sounds with well-crafted pop. So, it's little surprise that Cascine's first release of 2012, the six-track Futures EP by newcomer RxGibbs, uncovers some of the best examples of how you can apply that aesthetic to ambient techno. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/21/2012

Review: The M.E.B. "Il Principal"
Label: Let's Play House

New York has long maintained a healthy tendency towards house revivalism. You might say that the Big Apple has, since the early '00s, assumed the mantle of a Stateside center for a style of dance music that blends a retro-minded sensibility with new-school sonic aesthetics. Though the city houses many DJs and labels, only a few regular parties specialize in this sound, one of which is Let's Play House, the roving event put on by edit maestro Jacques Renault and journalist Nik Mercer. Last year, the party capitalized on its successes and evolved into a label with the release of Runaway's "Indoor Pool," an ode to Le Bain's infamous jacuzzi. Now, the party-cum-label has spread itself further with the release of The M.E.B.'s "Il Principal" Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/20/2012

Review: Grimes Visions

Pick
Label: 4AD / Arbutus

It happens quite often: An unknown chanteuse suddenly appears from the ether of 'underground' sounds and genres currently peaking in popularity and somehow rises into the public spotlight. They are usually either met with a resounding "meh" by tastemakers and left to the graces of the music-buying public, or critics jump at the chance to champion them as the latest 'It girl' and allot the requisite amount of verbiage and accolades that often come with such a title. And even though Montreal artist Claire Boucher has been releasing music under the name Grimes for a couple years now, she was only met with notable attention following her 2011 split EP with d'Eon, Darkbloom, attention which has since ballooned into widespread acclaim—like, say, a feature in Vogue—leading up to the release of her new LP, Visions. Suffice it to say, everyone has their critical eye on Boucher, and there's a lot riding on her new batch of homemade, experimental-pop tunes. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/17/2012

Review: Redshape "Throw in Dirt" b/w "The Land"

Pick
Label: 3024

Let's get this out of the way: Redshape wears a mask. That said, while the seemingly endless parade of identity-cloaked producers has made the decision to wear a mask increasingly seem like a gimmick, in the case of this particular German producer, it actually feels appropriate. Listening to his music, one gets the impression that his choice to wear a mask isn't motivated by a desire to create some sort of mysterious artistic facade or make any kind of statement. In truth, Redshape rarely says much of anything at all and the mask seems more like a genuine attempt to remove his persona from the process of experiencing his art. It may sound cliché, but Redshape lets his music do the talking, and his latest record, "Throw in Dirt" b/w "The Land," set for release on Martyn's 3024 imprint, shows that the techno veteran's flair for crafting bold, muscular tunes hasn't diminished in the slightest. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/16/2012

Review: Burial Kindred EP
Label: Hyperdub

How could Burial properly follow an album like Untrue? That 2007 LP has practically become a sacred tome, and not only for dubstep, but the whole of electronic music. The adoration and respect that fans and critics have awarded to Burial since Hyperdub released his second full-length has put him in a bit of a pickle; if he turns out more of those desolate soundscapes and rickety beats, he'll be called a one-trick pony, but if he changes too much, he runs the risk of alienating those who treat his music like a religion. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/15/2012

Review: Murk House Masters

Pick
Label: Defected

How does one review an extensive compilation of Murk, one of house music's most prolific duos? It seems like it would be easy, but the sheer breadth of material contained on Defected presents House Masters: Murk is honestly intimidating. Over the past 20 years, the Florida duo's work has maintained a consistent quality as it's developed and grown with the global underground house scene. It's hard to imagine a history of house, much less New York club culture, without the work of Ralph Falcon and Oscar G. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/14/2012

Review: Objekt "Cactus" b/w "Porcupine"

Pick
Label: Hessle

Hessle Audio continues to assert itself as one of the most reliable sources for forward-thinking electronic music, tapping the relatively fresh producer Objekt for two tracks that are as sophisticated and expertly crafted as they are absolutely visceral. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/13/2012

Review: Mux Mool Planet High School
Label: Ghostly

Planet High School, the sophomore album by Brooklyn beatmaker Brian Lindgren (a.k.a. Mux Mool), arrives roughly two years after the producer's first LP for the Ghostly label, and the time between releases has served Lindgren well. Skulltaste was splintered between instrumental hip-hop tunes and straight-up dancefloor fodder (not to mention hits and misses), but the new full-length finds Lindgren narrowing his sound almost entirely on bouncing boom-bap grooves and the retro-futuristic samples he's keen on crafting them with. That focus has yielded better results, too, as Planet High School is evidence of Mux Mool gradually coming into his own. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 02/10/2012
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