Articles
2007 Ten Favourite Labels
Backtracking Greg Davis
Shackleton Interview

Albums
John Luther Adams
Joseph Auer
Commix
Dartriix
Floratone
Furniture
Shuta Hasunuma
Richard Hawley
Hologram
Icarus
Kiln
Kobol
Labradford
Last Days
M83
Mai
Darren McClure
Near the Parenthesis
David Newlyn
Objekt4
OK Ikumi
Ontayso
Wendel Patrick
Phon°noir
Pocahaunted / Robedoor
Poostosh
Prefuse 73
Quosp
Rapoon
The Retail Sectors
Skull Disco
Socos
Supersilent
Tigrics
Trentemøller
Zuydervelt / Baars / Veld.

Compilations/Mixes
Airport Symphony
Devil in the Detail
Dinky
EXPANSION | contraction
Funckarma
Little Darla v. 25
One Five Zero
Playgroup / Alter Ego
Signal Path
Soul Jazz Singles
U-cover Mix 03 [IDM]
Ricardo Villalobos
We Are All Cotton-Hearted
Well Deep

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
Basic Unit
Bodycode
Kit Clayton & Sutekh
Dartriix
Ditch
INKlings
Insanic4
Lackluster
Najem Sworb
Ontayso
Sutekh
The Tamborines
Telafonica
Zainetica

Basic Unit: Fedass
Fine Art

Israeli-based electronic producers Yair Etziony (Vermont, Faction) and Shlomi Avni (DJ Sola), who have been fusing elements of Detroit techno and German house under the Basic Unit name since 2005, make their Fine Art debut with the infectious Fedass EP.

The title track's a warm house-stepper that swings mightily once it gets going. Slightly stripped-down in character, the clubby cut's beats breezily skip and strut while syncopated percussive accents ping and echo. Make way for Gary Beck's delirious overhaul too, a jacking behemoth that adds congas, jungle chatter, and a bumping bass thump to its maximal attack. Next up is fellow remixer Pedro Cali who gives “Fedass” a soulful jazz-techno makeover that wouldn't sound out of place on Background Records. Old-school synth melodies give the tune a ‘70s vibe but, when they kick in, the steaming, cymbal-kissed beats couldn't be more fresh. Basic Unit's other original, “Pattern Matcher,” pounds relentlessly for eight breathless minutes, bringing the group's sound closer towards techno than house, though the balance shifts in the other direction in the second half. Throughout the furiously jacking piece, metallic wipes and hovering tones rub shoulders with a bubbly bass motif and thrumming percussive patterns. Fedass's club cuts are solid, regardless of whether they're heard in Israel, Chicago, or New York.

December 2007