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

Cedric Gervais: Experiment
Ultra

Experiment, the debut artist album from Marseilles-born and Miami 's Club Space resident Cedric Gervais, weaves hard-hitting electro, house, and tribal funk into twelve dizzying cuts. Though the album opens at a generally thunderous level and largely stays there for the next fifty minutes, it maintains listening interest by exploiting contrasts in song and vocal styles. Tracks like “Bang,” “Sky,” and “Electro Therapy” are, fittingly, exercises in delirium while Gervais namechecks a cadre of influences and friends in “Respect” (Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Roger Sanchez, Laurent Garnier, Satoshie Tomie, Frankie Knuckles, etc.). He smartly mixes things up with some discerning guest choices, like Caroline (Maria Matto) whose soaring vocal on “Spirit In My Life” smoothens the tune's raving electro-stomp. She also graces “Fire,” an almost too-bald Everything But The Girl imitation (specifically Walking Wounded and Temperamental) with a more-than-passable Tracey Thorn impersonation. In like manner, “Halfway Love” could pass for a Depeche Mode dance remix, in no small part due to the similarity in vocal style between Dave Gahan and Antoine Toupin, who appears alongside Second Sun partner Adam Cavaluzi on three Experiment tracks (“Pills” weds a chugging electro-house bounce with bold voice edits and “Touch” closes the album in a loping electro-trip-hop blaze). Experiment may wear its influences a little too openly on its sleeve, but it also can't be dismissed as one-dimensional.

December 2006