ARTICLES
2006 Top 10s and 20s
2006 Artist Picks

ALBUMS
17 Pictures
Angina P
Ateleia
Benni Hemm Hemm
The Boats
Cappablack
Celer
Dead Letters Dead Words
Deceptikon
Deerhunter
Denzel + Huhn
Displayaz
Dollboy
Drone
Eluvium
Emanuele Errante
The Eternals
Fear Falls Burning
Marcus Fjellström
Fonoda
Funkstörung
Goldfrapp
Gyroscope
Robert Henke
James Holden
The Idealist
Anders Ilar
Landing
LCD Soundsystem
Library Tapes
L Pierre
Lullatone
Tor Lundvall
Mad EP
Mahogany
Melodium
Mem1
Daisuke Miyatani
Mole Harness
Momus
Monoceros
Mormo
Mothboy
Original Hamster
Pierson & Horton
Prince Valium
Radical Face
Retail Sectors / Yaporigami
Rylander & Elggren
Scott Solter Plays PIM
Sideshow
Silicone Soul
Skream
Splinters
Mark Templeton
Thread Pulls
T. Raumschmiere
Tycho
Ultre
Virculum
Xela

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
AudioArt 03
Cumulous
Dubstep Allstars Vol. 4
Eriksen / Toft / Utarm
Katapult VA Vol. 3
Let's Lazertag Sometime
Mr Geoffrey & JD Franzke
Skagen / Halvorsen / Toft
Tectonic Plates

3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Gabriel Ananda
Robert Bardini
DAT Politics
Dead Letters / R. Sundin
Dogmixer
Benjamin Fehr
Fenin
HL
I Make This Sound
Zoë Irvine
Kyriakides and Moor
Lamont & 2tall
Ljud. & Piloten / Kama Aina
Jacob London
Sam Mcqueen
Miskate
Ryo Miyashita & Hiiragi_
[nara]
New Faces
Of / Greg Davis
Charlemagne Palestine
Phon.o vs Litwinenko
Portable
PostPrior
Samarah
Nicholas Sauser & Ditch
Someone Else
Hannes Teichmann
Tractile
Andy Vaz

IMAGES
F.S. Blumm

Displayaz: Control the Event
Downstream

Formerly involved in techno production, UK-based Damon Vallero (aka Displayaz) makes a thoroughly convincing foray into drum & bass and dubstep on Control The Event's dozen cuts. Though the hour-long collection is flawlessly executed, some of the drum & bass tracks don't radically stray from convention; “No Play For Free” certainly slams with authority and the jazzy groove of “Validation Of Sound” is impassioned, too, even if its blazing bass lines and doomsday vibe are by now a bit too familiar. Vallero wisely mixes it up by adding experimental and soulful elements to “Three Sixual” and “So Being Together,” respectively.

The dubstep cuts, on the other hand, impress more, to some degree perhaps because the genre's still fresh enough that its explorative potential hasn't yet been reigned in by convention. Atmospheric grime coats “Dead And Buried” but the tune sounds anything but lifeless; in fact, a rather uplifting mood pervades the piece as a wooden flute and string surges add warmth to the pulsating skip broiling below. Elsewhere, Burial fans will cotton to “Sunk With A Trace,” especially when its descending synth melody aligns Displayaz so closely to the Hyperdub artist's style, and “Both Your Hands Up” brings a light-footed funkiness to the proceedings. Listeners eager to introduce themselves to the genres could do a whole lot worse than Control The Event.

January 2007