ARTICLE
2006 10 Favourite Labels
ALBUMS
aMute
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Asphalt Jungle
Joseph Auer
Avia Gardner
Tommi Bass
Caural
Cdatakill
Christ.
Conjoint
Contriva
Cursor Minor
DJ Soul Slinger
DJ Wally/DJ Willie Ross
DoF
Electric Penguins
Encre
Flashbulb
Fuckpony
Funckarma
Cedric Gervais
Eglantine Gouzy
Greater Than One
Greg Haines
François Houle
Housemeister
Jan Jelinek
Eleni Karaindrou
Kode9 + Spaceape
Takagi Masakatsu
Mini
Move D
The New Law
Nuuro
Qwel & Meaty Ogre
Rant
Max Richter
Janek Schaefer
Svarte Greiner
Thighpaulsandra
Unwed Sailor
Geoff White
Wilt
Yellow6
Jesse Zubot
COMPILATIONS/MIXES
4 Women No Cry Vol. 2
Analog for Architecture
Assemblage Sessions
Jimmy Van M
King Unique/Nubreed
Monza Club Ibiza
Pop Ambient 2007
Rub-N-Tug
Thankful
The Rorschach Suite
3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Baseheadz
Big Toe
Franco Cangelli
Richard Chartier
Deadbeat/Monolake
Depth Affect
Diebombshelters
DJ Koze
Eltron
Johan Fotmeijer
Hellothisisalex
Mitsuaki Komamura
Múm
Ozka
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Strategy
Tandem 5
Andi Teichmann
The Twilight Sad
Ray Valioso
Eltron: Wirefall
Festplatten
Andi Teichmann: Refaded
Festplatten
Refaded, a four-track remix of Andi Teichmann's Fades album, is one of the best EPs I've heard this year. After a 20-second overture (“Fades in Loops” whose ten loops spotlight a loop from each track of the album), the EP's purest stroke of genius arrives: Hannes Teichmanns' ‘Romantica Mix' of “They Don't Care,” a glorious fusion of winsome pop melodies, entrancing vocalizing (by Hans Forster), and inspired dance pulses and funky edits. Teichmann rhythmically chops Forster's voice into hiccupping fragments that elevate the tune's already infectious burbling groove. His feathery singing also grace Ada's (Michaela Dippel) dreamy makeover of “Tape” with the Areal star bringing sparkle and soul to the downtempo original. Wholly different in character, Dubmasta (Serge Dubrovsky from Kiev ) gives “Endscapes” an ambient ‘Redub' overhaul that closes the disc in stately manner.
Though issued on Festplatten too, Eltron's Wirefall inhabits an entirely separate stylistic universe. The three techno cuts on the Berlin DJ's vinyl debut groove forcefully despite being minimal—melodically at least—in the extreme. In the title cut, the two lead instruments, a low-slung bass and a convulsive percussive hammer, worry their respective single-note ‘melodies' into the ground while the beats hold the listener's attention by incessantly twisting inside and out. One hears not only early Chicago house in Jan Haufe's tracks but—on the B-side's “Loadbalancer” in particular—strong echoes of Minus-styled minimalism too. Keep your eyes peeled too as the grimier closer “Patcheraser” chops heads with its guillotine snares and blistering bass sputter.December 2006
Parts of this review also appear in Grooves.