Yousef – Africa
Clearly inspired by the African tribal sound (hence the title I guess), this latest track from Yousef on Renaissance is less dance music and more experimental instrumentalism. Although I’ve enjoyed past Yousef efforts, this track does little for me – a rather repitive drum beat with the occasional distant vocal groan and twanging of guitar strings. Sadly the remixes do little to inspire either, although the Dave James “We Love” remix has a decent stab at spicing things up a little, but that too is overly repetitive, but with a track clearly based around tribal beats and a bongo player, it would be difficult to achieve much else with this track.
Sorry Renaissance – don’t like this one 
Gramophonedzie – “Why Don’t You”
Out on Positiva, Gramophonedzie’s Peggy Lee inspired (or should that be sampled) track ‘Why Don’t You’, is an interesting listen. Whilst the track is not that original an idea (you might think this was another JXL track) I found myself strangely mesmerised by the video.
For sure it’s the kind of track that will have the oldies up in arms (for samply Peggy Lee) and the younglings bopping away at their local disco.
And apparently, theirs remixes from DJ Sneak, Bingo Players, Trevor Loveys and GreenMoney.
Subsource – “The Ides”
Judging by their PR I don’t think these guys like their music to be put into a specific genre, which is good really because it’s pretty difficult to do so anyway.
The four piece group (or five if you count the occasionaly guest appearance by MC Kimba Mutanda) has produced a pretty awesome track actually.
A kind of fusion or perhaps mash-up of dubstep with heavy metal overtones. If The Prodigy were to meet Pendulum and Rusko or Caspa this would probably be the result.
The track is taken from their forthcoming album “Tales from the Doombox” which is released on 5th April and comes in a number of flavours. The darkest, dubstepesque “Far to Loud Remix” and Deezy Remix are by far the best versions, although there’s nothing wrong with the Subterra & Bazil Remix (which you would mistaken to be a Pendulum track) with it’s DnB feel.
Out on the 29th March 2010 on Doombox Records
Free Amon Tobin mix of Noisia “Machine Gun”
I reported on the release of Noisia’s “Machine Gun” back in Feb.
Looks like the single from the album “Split the Atom” is out on Monday (8th March) and to celebrate Noisia are giving away a free download of an Amon Tobin remix of the track.
The remix has the typical Amon Tobin sound adding “plinkle-plonkle” to a typically hard and raw track. Can’t say it’s a favourite of mine – but hey it is free after all 
But that’s not all. In addition to the release of the single, Noisia will be releasing four Drum & Bass tracks from the album on a Vision Recordings EP and four non-Drum & Bass tracks on a Division Recordings EP. Released on vinyl on 5th April.
Tracklist for Vision Recordings EP:
A. Shellshock ft. Foreign Beggars
B. Sunhammer ft. Amon Tobin
C. Thursday
D. Hand Gestures ft. Joe Seven
Tracklist for Division Recordings EP:
A. Split the Atom
B. Alpha Centauri
C. Machine Gun
D. Red Heat
Romanian dance tune
You may have already heard this, as I caught it on Radio 1 the other night.
Think “Paddy’s Revenge” meets Enrique Englesias (sic), certainly in terms of the accordian soundtrack and the vocals (respectively )
But that’s not to knock “Stereo Love” from Romanian producer Edward Maya (featuring Vika Jigulina), because the track is very good. I’ve only heard a couple of times and am loving it – there’s something very catchy about it, and it looks set to do well here in the UK.
You can check it out yourself on YouTube
Make The Girl Dance – Kill Me
Parisian electro act, Make The Girl Dance, have released a new single called “Kill Me”, with some interesting remixes from the likes of Toxic Avenger, Vektorkat, We Are Enfant Terrible and Audrey Katz. The Toxic Avenger version is particularly interesting particularly if you like your electro mixed with metal.
You can view the normal version video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc2m35_make-the-girl-dance-kill-me-officia_music
or view the Toxic Avenger version: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcd9ow_make-the-girl-dance-vs-toxic-avenge_music
or check out Make the Girl Dance in Frankfurt:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc9il3_make-the-girl-dance-in-frankfurt-ja_music
The track’s out now!
Lotek’s blue screen rap
Anyone who’s had to give the three single shuffle to their PC will appreciate this song. Ska revivalist, Lotek, has concocted a neat and humourous track about owning a PC which then goes wrong: “CTRL, ALT, DEL”.
It features some Window’s sound samples which may make you think that you’re computer is shutting down or just starting up. Available as a standard version or dub remix the track is pretty minimal in beats but the focus is clearly on Lotek’s rap which is fine, because their are some cool lyrical twists and you want to try and take in all the words. The Dub Remix isn’t up to much in my view – not as deep based as it could have been and missing the Windows samples, but as I say you’ll want to listen to this track for the vocals, not the music.
“CTRL, ALT, DEL” is out on 22nd March on First Word Records
A gift from Deconstruction
Ah, the mid 90s! Hands up if you can remember them, or more importantly hands-up if you can remember Way Out West?
Way Out West for the dance cross over group (Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff) that produced excellent progressive house tracks that did well in the charts but appealed to the dance massives. So they were big in the charts and big in the clubs – I loved them.
So enough nostalgia, let’s bring things fast forward to 2010. Recently revitalised Deconstruction are releasing on the 29th March a remix package of “The Gift” by Way Out West. As well as an up to date Way Out West version, the original (the first time available of digital download) and an outstanding remix package (Gui Borrato (“Fallopian Remix”), Michael Woods, Logistics and Tek-One) providing everything from a tech version from Gui Borrato to a Logistics’ drum and bass version. And woah! hang on to your bass-bins – you gotta check out the dubby Tek-One version.
Whilst the original will always be a classic, and the WOW version maintains much of the beauty of that, time has moved on, and indeed so has my listening style so the Logistics and Tek-One versions are a fresh and exciting take on the classic and are by far my favourites.
But this release isn’t by accident – this ties in nicely with their new material (“We Love Machine”) and a remix package, Way Out West are also headlining The Glade and appearing at Glastonbury this summer.
Structured Noise by Diarmaid O’Meara
With “Selfish Bass” coming out shortly, it is timely to offer a review of Diarmaid’s full artist album “Structure Noise”.
The album kicks off with the excellent “Selfish Bass” which sets the scene for what is undoubtedly one of the best unique sounding techno albums out there. Throughought you get Diarmaid’s recognisable dirty grinding bass and deep beats interlaced with in places funky beeps and tweaks and in other places entrancing melody.
But as the album title suggests, this isn’t album of just noise. The tracks are excellently produced with great melody and rhythm and without repetition. There clearly is structure to the tunes on this album and in my view this is the best selection of tracks from the techno-master since he started banging them out in 2006.
It’s already out on Gobsmacked Records.
“Selfish Bass” out 29th March
There’s nothing selfish about the bass in the latest from Diarmaid O’Meara. It’s chunky and dirty and there’s plenty of it – just as you’d expect from the Irish techno master.
Taken from the album “Structured Noise” this is a must for anyone (like me) into their heavy techno/electro tracks. And a must for any Diarmaid fan out there.
It’s out on 29th March on Gobsmacked Records
Follow Beatzbase online
