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

Tommi Bass: Tommi Labs Volume One
Rednetic

Rednetic's in-house DJ Tommi Bass draws from a diverse array of house, electro, drum & bass, and techno styles in concocting this relentlessly hard-hitting hour-long set. Bass modernizes his chrome-plated futurama sound by hot-wiring the tracks with android voices and layers of glitch, and boosts their sexual ambiance with orgasmic moans and sighs (“Amber,” “Y_tronics,” “Nasty Girl”). The material's solid throughout, whether it's pulsating electro-funk (“Dirty Chavette”) or steaming electro-dub (“Very Metal”). Bass is clearly well-schooled too, given how naturally the synth-heavy techno landscapes of “Nono” and “Darkfak” reference the majestic tradition of Kraftwerk-styled music-making. In the best cuts, a swirling storm of glitch can't stop rimshots from snapping like firecrackers in “Dirty Dustronica” while epic washes and a slippery electro-funk pulse kick out the electronic jams in “The Kainer.”

December 2006