textura

Albums
Alsace Lorraine
Becuzzi & Orsi
Andreas Bertilsson
Cheju
Coleclough & Liles
Dev/Null
DJ Bone
eRikm (Ferrari) & Lehn
Fisk Industries
Fridge
Hanna Hartman
Jazkamer
Laub
Madagascar
Manasyt
Mus
Organum
Pandatone
People Press Play
Laurent Perrier
Porn Sword Tobacco
Pylône
Milford Reynolds
Rumskib
Skeletons and Kings
Ran Slavin
Stateless
Televise
Throbbing Gristle
Tied + Tickled Trio
Akello Uchenna
Brendan Walls
John Watermann
Mark Williams
YACHT
Z'ev / David Linton
Zonk't

Compilations / Mixes
Beat Dimensions Vol. 1
Buzzin' Fly Vol. 4
Hernan Cattaneo
Hot Chip
Jamie Jones

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
A Guy Called Gerald
Ambivalent
Apparat
Atone
Audion
Dan Berkson
Andres Bucci
Taylor Deupree
Emot. Joystick / Line 47
Feel the Beast
Renato Figoli
John Keys
Komonazmuk
Ed Laliq
Miskate
Peace Division
Alix Roy
Sinner DC
Someone Else
Urban Tribe

A Guy Called Gerald: Proto Acid The Berlin Sessions 2
Laboratory Instinct

A Guy Called Gerald fans will be delighted to hear that, having already turned heads with last year's Proto Acid The Berlin Sessions, Gerald Simpson will soon issue a second installment. This 12-inch appetizer from the acid house innovator provides a tasty foretaste of the full course to come, though the cuts themselves are radically different in character, one an exotic dance piece and the other a sleek Detroit-styled burner.

“Voltar” (Bring Da Rain mix) opens with a grooving tribal swing that places it at the center of a jungle. Though a high-pitched hooting call deepens the vibe, there's nothing primitive about Simpson's artful handling of the material, especially when handclaps and an insistent bass-and-drum rumble give the cut a modern, club-house sheen. The twelve-minute “Sweet You” shows Simpson's inimitable talent for crafting deep Motor City grooves, even if its 'Petticoat Junction' drum brushes intro makes it feel like it's originating from Hooterville. Silken synth chords provide night-time ambiance as piano lines dance brightly atop percolating drums and bass lines. A particularly sweet moment occurs halfway through when the tune pauses to catch its breath, and then snaps to attention with the punchy drum pattern leading the charge. Interestingly, the tribal feel of “Voltar” re-emerges once again though now transported into the center of the nocturnal cityscape.

June 2007

This review also appears in Grooves.