18 February 2011

Top Tracks of 2011 (so far)


Top tracks of 2011 which made it into the first mixtape for my car this year. Thanks guys!

1. Lower Entrance - Unknown Variation feat. Natalia Grosiak
2. CEX - Trumpetflower (Scrubber Fox Remix)
3. Damscray - Warrior (Lakritze Remix)
4. Virtual Boy - Mass
5. Juakali - Freak you back
6. Th'Mole - I Love Unicorns (Bit-Turner Remix)
7. Gucci Mane - Dollar Sign (Duke Dumont Remix)
8. Demokracy - Zeroth Law
9. GoldRush - SuperSymmetry
10. Damscray - Stay High
11. Take - Begin End Begin (Falty DL Remix)
12. AEED - Electricity pt. 2
13. krojc - Kid 7+8 (PTR1 Remix)
14. Pixelord - Fish Touch
15. Sneaky - Toytown Elegy (Danny Drive Thru Remix)
16. Smokey and Casper - Red Pop
17. Lunice - Freaky
18. Forensics - Midnight Planet
19. krojc - Kid 7+8 (MCQ Remix)
20. Schlachthofbronx - Nasty Bass f. Spoek Mathambo & Bigspace
21. Salva - Icey
22. + verb - Luv U (Extended Heart Mix)
23. Spooky Jones - Starship Ping-Pong.

17 February 2011

Damscray - Make Me Juke


I have ambivalent feelings about the juke (house) as such, never know how to do a proper footwork on the dancefloor - ha ha. The sound patterns used by producers seem to be too repetitious in a longer run. There are of course some interesting artists hailing e.g. from France or Benelux (Moveltraxx family) and I like ghetto house / bastard juke aesthetics when combined with some other form of contemporary IDM music into a more variable music textures (e.g.: Schlachthofbronx, many producers from tigerbeat6). But something changed recently and in 2010 juke sound started gradually leaking into Europe / UK scene adding up another flavor to already twisted underground urban patchwork there (even ending up on some comp released by Planet Mu!!). Will Juke replace another stomping heavy-bass genre which now seems to be dead - I mean Bassline? Will we soon talk and write about UK J as an equal sibling to UK G or UK F? Honestly, I doubt it but trying new avenues in music is always better then copying others, me thinks. There are more and more examples of successful flirts with juke recently. Damscray is one of them definitely.  

Damscray (representing 1/2 of my favorite duo of synth slayers from Alfa Centauri ) has just released a super-duper juke EP featuring 6 original tracks and 2 absolutely gorgeous remixes (one of them totally mental!). Just listen to a super fat Stay High sounding like seriously accelerated glitch hop joint with dark, underlying bassline - a dancefloor killer for sure! One of the most powerful and straight-in-yer-face tunes I've heard this year! My personal highlight of the entire release. Clearly, Damscray uses juke aesthetics to experiment with his fancy gear moving from mutant beatz, dubstep and wonky to juke, mixing it all like a devil in one big post-post-something cauldron, like in sick Warriors or Itz Darkness or extremely dubstep'ish - Make Me Juke.  A 'cannonical' juke tune - Smellin Feelin  has been robo- reslipped by +verb into wobbley affair with amazing crispy synths. TUNE! But the real gut-twisting, totally mental trip awaits the listener in Lakritze's remix of Warriors. Though I heard this tune before it never ceases to grip my neurons and give me creeps! I'll play this tune to my wife next time she pisses me off :)  All in all, a very refreshing release, definitely worth checking even if you are not a big fan of ghetto / juke sound. Highly recommended by Doktor Krank.

Damscray - Make Me Juke (bandcamp $3 only!)

15 February 2011

Sneaky - Deeper f. RQM video (Feel Like a Remix LP)


Berlin Bass Maffia attacks again :) A few days ago Sneaky dropped a very nice video of "Deeper" featuring vocalizations by the Berlin-based Polish-born Emcee - RQM.


SNEAKY "Deeper" feat. RQM OFFICIAL VIDEO (taken from "Feel Like A Remix" LP) from Simon Houghton on Vimeo.

In December Sneaky released "Feel Like a Remix" LP, available on e.g. JUNO and other Internet retailers. A remix album of great beauty and very eclectic selection of tunes featuring remixes and reinterpretations from Sneaky's album "Feel Like A King ...Pluck A String" released in 2009. Remixers include Dj High Priest, Peter Parker, Danny Drive Thru, GlueKids, Robot Koch, Paper Tiger, Paddy Steer, Filewile and Sneaky himself . I have been really enchanted by these compositions. Next to Peter Parker's fantastic refix of Deeper, Dj High Priest's laidback, rainy song, Danny Drive Thru's superb refix of Toytown Elegy or Gluekids remix of Dark Joy have been heavily rinsed in my player recently. This music has soul and feelings, offering well-developed, multi-layered music compositions with laidback, sometimes acoustic, jazzy edge moving into more stomping electronic beat and drums. I have been suffering from mild winter depression (which is strange as the sun is shining bright like never before this winter) and this album just attunes so well with my mood :) Totally underrated release in my opinion. This album needs more exposure peeps! Highly recommended by Doktor Krank.  

Sampler mix:


SNEAKY - FEEL LIKE A REMIX album sampler mix by snky

Check the entire release on Juno:


11 February 2011

Demokracy - Double Star EP


A few weeks ago, I already wrote a short review of the absolutely smashing new Double Star EP by Demokracy from Siberia (Russia). But, as the release drops today exclusively on Beatport. (8th of March in the rest of the virtuality), and I would really really like you to check this ultra contemporary music, hear me once more and check these beautiful and kinky beats and twisted synth extravaganza. Woth every penny!


Demokracy - Double Star Ep - Rbxep20 by Robox Neotech

The title track Double Star is the essence of Demokracy for me, showing their trademark, fluid and 'talking' synths and great rhytmic sections with analog drums and pads! And the melody! Well, they know how to tell 'stories' with their music, how to build full-fledged compositions or cut voice samples. The music you will never be bored with, eclectic, following its own path and what is equally important - with serious banger potential. When I listen to Demokracy in my car I nod and swerve my head like crazy ha ha. Double Star also features the mighty Searchlight which was in top-5 of my tracks in 2010, but this time with added great vocals by Didjelirium (whom you might remember from collaborations with Doshy). WOW! And I thought this tune could not have been better. There is also another, fat, dark and enchanting roller I heard before - Zeroth Law. I simply love these synths, smacking you across the ears with raw power, yet at the same time spreading strange warmth on your synapses. Fuck, I know I am starting to sound bombastic but this is how I respond and evaluate this type of music - on a visceral rather than cerebral level. Deadhead shows the most Skwee face of Demokracy with a totally amazing intro and siiiiiiiiiiick drops. I don't know what are their drinking or eating habits over there in Siberia, but I want the same. Pronto! Then, the artists take the listeners to the Zone full of 8-bit bleeps, crazy button improvisations, cut-up voice samples and drilling bass in a kind of broken beat frenzy. Voight Kampff is a pure mechanical beauty and the beast, lots of spacey synths and ultra heavy bass - the Daft Punk of the future. Awesome!

Double Star EP is the type of contemporary, mutant electronic music I wish to hear more in 2011. Don't sleep on Demokracy peeps. The new star is being born ... What is more, this will be followed by Double Star EP Remixes, incl. rmxes by Zet., Coco Bryce, Bass Science, Montgomery Clunk, Doshy, Stagga and more. Can't wait! .

09 February 2011

New beats new kicks (U Know Me, ptr1, pixelord, robot koch, schlachthofbronx)


Corporation is squeezing the last juices from me, my blog suffers, but I shall never surrender he he he. I present a few tunes worth checking out of the mass of music that accumulated over the last few weeks. I would like to apologize to all the great artists and promoters out there sending their stuff to me but the time is a scarce commodity in Dr Krank's mansion recently. Trust me, I hear ya and I hear your stuff. Keep up the good work guys  - I love you! (Dr Krank's waving a hand in late Michael Jackson's manner).

I am really proud to post a couple of tunes coming from Poland. U Know Me Records, a new sibling labal of JuNouMi Rec (releasing polish hip-hop since 2002) is definitely at the forefront of new beatz movement made in Poland right now. After a fantastic release of Teielte's Homeworkz (read my review here) and an interesting LP Digital Gaden by Kixnare last year, they have new tunes in the pipeline.

The first release from U Know Me in 2011 is a laidback, jazzy and twisted funky stuff from Daniel Drumz available on 10" vinyl or in digital format (e.g. on Juno) Here is the preview of the title track "Lay Low On The Treble" reminding me of the music released on Tokyo Dawn Records. Really good quality and nice work Daniel!

Daniel Drumz - Lay Low On The Treble [UKM 003] by U Know Me Records

The next release on this label will be even better!! Let me take you for an absolutely mesmerizing and enchanting trip with Lower Entrance featuring oneiric vocals of Natalia Grosiak. This tune made my day and really helped to drop out at least for a few minutes. Longish intro leads to the great, trippy beat with a nice use of delays and Natalia singing in a manner of Oriental divas. She bought me instantly.Unknown Variation is the first single from forthcoming Lower Entrance's EP [UKM 004]. Can't wait to hear the rest of the stuff.

Lower Entrance feat. Natalia Grosiak - Unknown Variation [UKM 004] by U Know Me Records

ptr1 from PÅ‚ock (Poland) released one of the best EP's of 2010 (Above the Structures), and his Cold has been haunting me for months. His new tune Warmth posted to soundcloud is equally good. ptr1 again creates the moody sonic excursion into the barren land. Beautiful!

ptr1 - warmth by ptr1

Robot Koch is a great producer but equally good remixer. What he did to Kraddy's  Let Go, as a part of the Labirynth Remix Project , is simply 'osom!! Lush vocals of Juice Aleem and Justice and heavy bass, dubby beat make this tune an instant crowd-pleaser. I wish I was now at the dancefloor in some club with sweaty bodies dancing and jumping around me to this groovy robotic rhythm. TIP!

Let Go (Robot Koch Remix) by KRADDY

More twisted stuff from Pixelord, a free download of Tropical VIP refix of his Fish Touch from the recent EP on Error Broadcast,  also posted on xlr8r site yesterday. Properly UK basssed tune. I LIKE!

Fish touch (tropical vip) FREE download by pixelord

Finally, the carnival butchers from Bavaria, Schlachthofbrox, in a preview of their forthcoming Nasty Bass EP dropping 15 Feb on Mad Decent. Ghetto Bass mixed with Cumbia, occasionally going into the extremes of Juke House frenzy. I love these crazy bassterds.

Nasty bass promomix - schlachthofbronx by schlachthofbronx

06 February 2011

Sector 7g - 2010 Bleep Mix


2010 was absolutely awesome music-wise. Heavy bass, wonky, mutant future beatz and every f..g genre squeezed in between erupted into eclectic and very fresh neon frenzy which many times left my jaw opened low low low. Just check this fantastic mix by Sector 7g hailing from Athens, Ohio, to catch the great vibe of past year in a super tight selection including 99% of my favorite artistis. We have nearly identical music taste Mr. Sector 7g! West Coast - eg. Teebs, Nosaj Thing, Jon Wayne, Lorn, Gaslamp Killer, Gonjasufi meets thriving UK scene represented by - e.g. Slugabed, Loops Haunt, Redinho or Rudi Zygadlo and Continential Europe champions of synthetic improvisations , like Demokracy, Robot Koch, Doshy, DZA or Slow Hand Mothem. Plus Tokimonsta, Dimlite, Letherette, Shigeto and tons of other big names. This is a hit parade. Don't sleep on this mix. A super concise look at the best (if niche) music world of 2010.
...READ MORE

02 February 2011

Isaiah Toothtaker - Illuminati Thug Mafia



Machina Muerte label in cooperation with Alpha Pup Records released a few days ago the notoriously good bass-heavy, devilish hip hop album Illuminati Thug Mafia by Isaiah Toothtaker - a rapper, tatoo master, street fighter (among other things) from Tuscon. Straight-in-yer face rhyming, foul language, brave beat mixed to create a powerful music shot for any music junkie looking for a quality fix. The legion of collaborators on this brilliant album ensures the variety and eclectic selection, you have no chance to be bored during the rough trip with your scary toothtaking host. Illuminati Thug Mafia is one of the best and interesting albums of 'canonical' hip hop I've heard for months. My personal highlights include:  Intruder, WTF You Say, Tantamout, Self Control (crazy synths!!! though Pink Floyd fans might have mixed feelings about this one ha ha), Unheard/Unseen (great beat and drums!), but the entire release is of top-notch quality.  Highly recommended by Doktor Krank!

... READ MORE