BASIC SOUL UNIT レコード& CD

Review: Toronto's Basic Soul Unit is usually known for his soulful Detroit inspired techno and house, so it's interesting to see him step out on tough techno institution Skudge for a change. Keeping in line with the Swedish label's aesthetic, he smashes out some gritty and furious peak time stompers that feature all the hiss and grind of analogue machines that you'd expect by now. On the A side, "Ruckup" is the kind of track you could have almost mistaken for Skudge themselves with its loopy melody and industrial clang and clutter. The grinding and seething "Heatseeer" is really impressive with its restrained broken beat suited for those cool down moments, before it finally unleashes itself in 4/4 glory. On the flip, "Church Pews" features a haunting horror movie style melody and a grinding perc sound over a 8/4 beat while "Moonlit" hammers the message home impressively on this cavernous, immersive and downright evil peak time weapon.

Review: There's been a fair bit of hype surrounding this second album from Stuart Li under his now familiar Basic Soul Unit guise, and it's not hard to see why. Dropping on Dekmantel some three years on from his Still Music released debut album Motional Response, Under The Same Sky revels in its' instinctively atmospheric and floor-friendly blend of classic Detroit, Chicago and - more surprisingly - British techno influences. As usual, the chords are deep and spacey, the melodies bold and shimmering, and the beats rough and ready. The results are splendid from start to finish, with the early LFO-influenced smasher "Fate In Hand", thunderous "Temptress" and sci-fi brilliance of "We All Want To Believe" amongst the numerous highlights.

Review: Stuart Li, better known as Basic Soul Unit, set up the Lab.our Music label last year as a low-key outlet for vinyl only transmissions from himself and others. Having introduced local Toronto talent Maxwell Church last time round, Li is back behind the buttons for Lab.our 003 which seems to retain the techno orientated slant of much of Basic Soul Unit's work in 2013. Lead track "Head Long" grips control of the A Side, rolling out one long groove of heads down techno, with the sort of windy textures and rolling toms that tend to get Ben UFO all excited. Face down, "Nowhere To Be Found" opts for a more broken feel, with the ghost of hardcore buried deep in it's DNA and the kind of stunted drums that can cause ankle fractures, and "Spiralling Down" will appeal to STL fans.

Review: Stuart Li has been releasing music as Basic Soul Unit since 2003 across labels such as Dolly, Mathematics, Creme, Nonplus, and Still Music, but has only just put his toes into the murky waters of label ownership with the Lab.our imprint. The first release comes from the producer himself; although Li has flirted with both deep house and techno in the past, the three tracks on the label's first release seem to be more aligned with the latter, with the mid-tempo piano tones of "Innershell" soon giving way to a pulsing analogue bass, and the fast, electro-inspired rhythms and irregular chords of "Frack" and heaving mechanical acid thump of "Earwerm" providing some of the producer's weightiest, most club-focused material to date.

Review: Jason Li always knows how to take acidic house and techno to next level of hyper-resolution, injecting more colour, sparkle and punch into his drums and synths than many other producers could even dream of. So it is on Distant Lines, his latest offering which surfaces on Spanish label Fanzine. The title track is prime BSU material, as cascading 303 lines meet with twinkling arrays of synth over yearning bass, while the drums splatter out a merry madness of vintage jack. "Thaw" is a more measured affair, reining the beats back and letting a more reflective melodic section take hold. "Low Simmer" meanwhile manages to strike a neat balance between the two, ramping up the rhythmic energy whilst keeping the nagging synth lines in check.

Review: Motional Response marks the excellent (and long overdue) debut album from Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit which finds a welcome home on the Still Music imprint. In the works for some two years, the album follows an eminently impressive array of releases for the likes of Mathematics, Creme Organization, Dolly, Mule and most recently Nonplus and sees the Toronto based artist otherwise known as Stuart Li craft ten tracks of elaborate techno. Anyone with a firm grasp of the Basic Soul Unit style will know not to expect straight up 4/4 and this truth manifests itself in the opening track "Across The Room" which pairs delicate fluttering melodies with bass heavy broken rhythms and remains pleasantly surprising on the ear throughout.

Review: Motional Response marks the excellent (and long overdue) debut album from Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit which finds a welcome home on the Still Music imprint. In the works for some two years, the album follows an eminently impressive array of releases for the likes of Mathematics, Creme Organization, Dolly, Mule and most recently Nonplus and sees the Toronto based artist otherwise known as Stuart Li craft ten tracks of elaborate techno. Anyone with a firm grasp of the Basic Soul Unit style will know not to expect straight up 4/4 and this truth manifests itself in the opening track "Across The Room" which pairs delicate fluttering melodies with bass heavy broken rhythms and remains pleasantly surprising on the ear throughout.

Review: Ahead of the eagerly anticipated album Motional Response, due for release soon on Jerome Derradji's Still Music imprint, Toronto's Basic Soul Unit drops this 12" taster featuring album tracks not available on the album's vinyl release. "Breathe" is a mid-tempo, piano-drenched deep house number, with the sultry vocals of Sacha Williamson providing the perfect foil for the producer's crunchy drums and raw analogue bass. It's accompanied by Derradji's remix, in which the original is transformed into something between techno and proto-house, sitting the vocal atop ascending pads and a pulsating build-up of unfiltered analogue madness which nonetheless maintains a sense of decorum throughout. The B-side is devoted to a long version of album cut "Clouds", a typically deep BSU cut which demonstrates his ability to journey through satisfying analogue squelch and ethereal chords whilst keeping things jacking. If the rest of the album is this good we're in for a treat.

Review: Now exclusively helmed by Boddika now that his Instra:mental cohort Jon Convex has moved on with his own Convex Industries imprint, Nonplus enters a new phase of its existence. Those worried that the change in management will mean a dip in quality should rest easy however, as the veteran Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit is tapped up for one of his best releases to date. There's no bells and whistles with these tracks; "Swept Up" revolves around a raw breakbeat and rugged analogue one-note bassline, giving way to a wash of pulsating filtered chords and deep melody, while "Mindstorm" utilises muffled percussion and a sludgy but frenzied acid line, but there's no denying the craftsmanship on display. Not many producers can create techno that's satisfyingly deep and has industrial rhythmic tendencies, but this release positively nails it.

Review: A new twelve inch crafted in the Toronto studio of Stuart Li is always going to be welcome at the Juno offices, however there is added intrigue in the Northern Heights EP, his debut release for the Other Heights imprint as it also features the inaugural remix efforts of Unbroken Dub. Both original tracks are refined examples of Basic Soul Unit's trade with lead track "Come On" driven by typically raw and off kilter programming and sounds. "Growing Pains" weaves its way intoxicatingly from the delicate beginnings of soft analogue touches over rough bass hewn stop-start rhythms into something much more intricate before starting again midway through. Remix wise, the young Siberian excels in retaining key elements of both tracks but flushing the arrangements with his own signature frosted and dubby sounds.

Review: Stuart Li follows up some fine material of late for the likes of Fine Art and Dolly with further Basic Soul Unit deviations through the depths of house music on the New Kanada imprint. The EP's title track is suitably named, delving into murky house with militant 909 snares the only real crisp quality amidst creeping drone sounds, searching chords and foggy textures. A jagged, thrusting guttural arpeggio takes effect as the track progresses making for one of Li's darkest productions in some time! "Herstory" steadily unfurls from its spinal beginnings into something wholly dreamlike, making it a nice counterpart to the darker excesses of its predecessor. Turn over and "For Some" casts a highly pressurised spell with ease, letting off steam like bursts of texture over a rattling groove, whilst "Groundswell" oozes class, drawing out a multiplicity of syncopated layers and ascendant piano tones over bubbling analogues.

Review: Toronto based Stuart Li, better known as Basic Soul Unit, returns to the Creme Organisation with a new four track EP of dirty, acid house. His releases over the last year, including his remix of Arnold Jarvis' classic house track, "Take Some Time Out" have proven his ability as a producer. This rep is only going to be further enhanced by the raw edged, Detroit influenced techno of "Tuff Luv".

Review: Basic Soul Unit follow up their Tuff Luv EP with a stellar package of "Jak D Freq" from Dave Huismans, aka A Made Up Sound. The Dutchman, best known for his productions offerings under his 2562 moniker, kicks off with the Puur Natuur mix, which strips the jacking original into a mechanical, dubbed out affair. His acid rework creates a smorgasbord of crunchy beats, squelchy basslines and general motorik goodness.

Review: After his nice releases for Versatile, Stuart Li aka Basic Soul Unit
unleashes a new single, 'Tunnels', on Mule. His sound is always
deep and hypnotic, reminiscent of the classic techno sound.
Includes a killer remix by Sebo K!

Review: Dynamic hypnotic deep techno from Paris. A Killer EP!

Review: With this 12", Midnight Shift demonstrates their ambitions with aplomb; the Singapore based label only launched last year but already they are expanding beyond their original remit with a newly established remix series. The first release in this series sees festival headliners Deetron and Secret Cinema rework the tracks from Basic Soul Unit and Eddie Niguel that launched Midnight Shift. Swiss house don Deetron focuses on Stuart Li's "Black Ice" turning in a re-edit that polishes the original's crystalline notes whilst beefing up the pulsing bassline. On the Dutch producer Secret Cinema aka Jeroen Verheij offers a driving, hypnotic rendition of Eddie Niguel's "Absolute".

Review: Finale Sessions continues to fly the flag for the freshest variations on deep techno with a distinct Detroit flavour, and now the label is celebrating five years of operations with a split release that calls upon some label regulars to turn out the goods. Luke Hess is up first with the dynamic whipcrack dub techno pulse of "Deliverer", while Patrice Scott continues his fine run of form with the meditative "Future Funk". Basic Soul Unit meanwhile strikes the balance between experimentation and immersion with the sharp-angled yet soothing "Torn Satin", and then label boss Michael Zucker drops a punchy but poignant offering in the shape of "YHWH".

Review: After a top-flight 12" back in 2018, the mysterious Jamn Ensemble. entity returns with the plush, deep and melodic techno strains of 'The Snows Of Yesteryear', which get a damn fine shuffle up from Basic Soul Unit. 'Nord' piles on heady deep house of the highest order, and 'Envol' swerves into a knotty rhythm and celestial pad drops to keep your mind locked in and travelling far. If you're after some fresh yet classically rooted contemporary techno, this comes highly recommended.

Review: Jaunt Records is celebrating 10 years of active service in fine style with this series of various artist 12"s. The Air installment features four beat scientists presenting diverse musings on deep diving techno, kicking off with the hypnotic, cyclical "Meandering Rivers" by Kaelan. JC meanwhile spices things up with the breakbeat roughness of "The Jaunt Track" before Basic Soul Unit lays the smack down with the bruising broken techno of "Escape Velocity". Blackhall & Bookless finish the EP off with the big room dub-out of "Spirit", a churning beast of a techno track that still maintains the meditative qualities of the other tracks.

Review: Dairmount curates the third episode of Room With A View's Midnight Circles vinyl-only series and there's plenty of reason to indulge. Firstly Motor City Drum Ensemble' delicious Mr Fingers inspired jam "Moving Through Clouds" is given a much needed vinyl release - a pretty smart move ahead of the producer's excellent edition of the DJ-Kicks series. Alongside this is the last ever musical contribution from the dearly departed Aaron Carl, whose distinct tones ride the hypnotic, ever so spectral, Detroit back of Sebastien San with real aplomb. On the flip Basic Soul Unit is in crescendo building mood with the deep, emotive bump of his classic "Bedroom Blues" which is a perfect bedfellow for the one real unfamiliar name here in the shape of Christo. In such exalted company the rising Derby based producer excels with the reverberant skittering brilliance of "New Jazzno" based around the most joyous of jettisoning piano leads.

Review: Cherry picking jams from the much anticipated Think & Change compilation, Nonplus offer up a second sneak peak at what will be on offer, and in the case of SCB and Basic Soul Unit, it's very much techno. Ploughing big room dynamics into a bleak and hostile soundscape like only he knows how, SCB is on fearsome form with "Dissipate", letting a slowly rising synth hurtle towards tomorrow, buoyed by the sturdy undercarriage of kick. Basic Soul Unit instead opts for an outsider approach, letting vaporous blasts form percussion and the groove to fall at a funny angle. Don't worry though, there's a trusty 303 bubbling away in the middle of the choppy waves.