BRIAN KAGE レコード& CD

Review: Tales Italy looks to the Motor City for this fresh four tracker featuring some of Detroit's most assured talents. Javonntte sets things moving with 'House Express,' a rickety house groove with plenty of that celebrated US soul. DJ SCSI offers a brilliantly crisp and frosty electro jam in the form of 'Robotik Dance (Shake Yo Thang)' and Brian Kage's 'Connected Principal' heads to the stars on chilly smeared pads and compiling broken beats. The rumbling bassline is the real standout feature though. Lastly, Drivetrain builds the pressure with the tense tech house loops of 'Dark Liaison.' Crucial stuff.

Review: The taste-making Craigie Knowes label welcomes Brian Kage for one of his sublime new EPs, Analog Heart, Magnetic Soul. The perfectly entitled opener 'Smooth Orbit Over The Detroit River' is a widescreen and cosmic groove cruise full of Motor City class. 'Planet Lumina' ups the cosmic vibes with thinking synths and talk box vocals over cyborg-friendly electro-funk. 'The Keyz' then fizzes with electro energy and more astral sound designs while 'Rouge Like' closes with big, bouncy drum undulations and smeared, dubbed-out chords. Utter machine-made soul perfection.

Review: Both a fan of the number and the machine, Michigander Music boss Brian Kage has always related eight to the paths we take in life - and being on the right one. For the label's eighth release, Kage pays homage to electronic music's futuristic past by bringing it up to speed with the present, including reimagining one of his own releases from when net labels were a thing.

Review: There can be nothing finer than a new hit of techno direct from the D. Brian Kage is the man behind the beats here and references the current coronavirus pandemic numerous times, starting with opener "Lockdown." It's a corrugate and jacking cut run through with acid lines and airy hi hats. "Hold On Pain Ends" is a warm dub current awash with subtle synth effects and a hypnotic sense of tension, then "That Woman From Michigan" features spoken word news snippets based on advice to stay at home and stay safe while acid lines undulate below in ever deeper circles. "FU Covid-19" is the tense, angsty techno banger you might expect of such a title.

Review: Brian Kage's fourth release on Michigander Music "303 in the 313 EP" features 4 uniquely gritty and acid-soaked manifestations of mid 90's Detroit. This exercise in analog monosynth mastery directly connects the grittiness of the urban landscape with the raw spirit of creative freedom. Detroitasaurus starts the record off with a subtle prehistoric soundscape, steadily building rhythmic tension using hypnotic toms and melodic drum patterns. Razor sharp 909 hats hammer down there through the sonic mist as the journey continues to build. Shrieking jurassic trumpets cap off each of the peaking climbs to reveal metallic broken-down structures that are bound together with oscillating 303 threads and a grooving bassline. Van Dyke Vessel features an atmosphere of textured percussion and metallic analog synths that wind around a deep square bass groove. Suddenly, truncated growling vocal samples start to collect into the catchy phrase "Let's take this to outer space". Swelling pads give way to squealing acid as this track transports dancers to a nostalgic melodic dimension. Delray Dance undulates with thick bass slowly building into a body focused groove as it winds up and gives way to a rugged 303 saw with fluttering Spanish style synth stabs. Classic Detroit pads continue to swell, adding to the tension and leaving enough sonic space for melodic mixes in and out. This tune is the perfect tool to transition between genres. Zonin breaks the mold by combining old-school electro vibes with a heavy dose of acid and freestyle hip hop. Heavy broken beats are combined with a rockin' nostalgic bassline and layered party vocals that transports you to the center of the dancefloor on the best night you've ever had.

Review: Longstanding Detroit deepsmith Kage returns on his brand new label Michigander. The result? Three superlative exercises in synth soul and an on-point version for later hours. "The Arc" prowls with all the string-soaked majesty of an early Rolando cut while the stringless version hits a little harder. "D Drive" jacks with a slappy bass groove while tipping a slight nod to Yazoo with its vibrant riffy ripples while "Transcending" is all about the big dubby synth washes and off-kick bass palpitations. Let's hope there'll be more to gander from Michigander very soon.

Review: A White Bear's Heaven... Is A Black Bear's Hell is something of a departure from the smooth, deep and undulating sound we've come to expect from Omar-S's FXHE label. It signals experienced producer Brian Kage's first outing for four years. While that release for Beretta Red paid tribute to atmospheric techno, this outing is far more inspired by late '80s Chicago house and acid. The standout is undoubtedly "Shut Your Eyes", a co-production with Omar-S that wraps James Garcia's soulful, heartfelt vocals around classic synth-strings, tactile stabs and pared-down, '80s style drum machine hits. He switches off the lights and signals more of a heads-down mood on the First Choice-sampling "It's Not Over" - a thrillingly tactile, synth-laden jacker - while "Bear Gonna Getcha" sounds like a warehouse anthem in waiting.

Review: Cryovac Recordings exists because craftsmen and artists work together to make it so. Cryovac enlists individuals that are true to their identity and expression. These conscripts are survivors that adapt and continue through techno's ever changing terrain. Cryovac works to expose the depth, creativity, and diversity of the Detroit underground. We believe that vinyl is the best format to inscribe our effort. It is our intent to leave a physical record of our time before we can no longer speak. Brian Kage moves quietly letting his personal projects, various labels and collaborations be his voice. His production is marked by a big and lumbering sound pushed by a strong crispy percussion. His clear headed response to techno electro is a conditioning of a Detroit instinct. Kage's drive to achieve his vision means escape from the box and into his own world. >>>>Andy Garcia and Mike Kretsch have a shared method of recording and editing that works naturally together. It is a mindset of minimally based 4/4 progression amid simple synth hooks and heroic rises. They build a free form improv jam and insert it into a mathematical arrangement. It is this duality of extremes in which their tracks find identity. The Garcia/Kretsch team endeavor to tell a story one melody at a time.

Review: DeepLabs is a Detroit based record label run by Luke Hess. The focus for the label is to release Detroit influenced techno for the dancefloor and to build a strong community of likeminded artists. The second installment of the Warehouse Sessions Series highlights four artists: Brian Kage, LIIT, Regen, and David Hausdorf - all of which are masters at their craft. Enjoy the music and play it loud. With Love From Detroit.

Review: Six releases in and Michigander label head Brian Kage teams up with the legendary French Techno producer, Taho, aka David Jacopin. The electronic music world knows to put respect on the Motor City, but the "Detroit EP" represents a fusion, emphasizing l'accent aigu - not a typo or spec on your screen that needs cleaning. Between Kage and Taho, their production pedigree includes releases for labels like FXHE, Planet-E, Delsin, F.Comm, and more, so it's no surprise the pairing makes for a masterfully produced EP covering the spectrum of Detroit house and techno sounds, with an added deft touch from its French connection.

Review: Detroit bad man OB IGNITT returns to our charts with a two-tracker for his own OBONIT imprint, and the producer is joined by fellow Detroit producer Brian Kage - a man who has been churning out badness on the low-key since about 2004, and who has already appeared alongside Omar-S on FXHE. The newly formed duo kick off with "On The Run", a light and bumpy house attack with plenty of samples, blazing melodies, and an altogether 'upper tone' approach. On the flip, Ignitt comes through solo with "All We Do", a piano-led house charmer with a hefty level of kicks and bass, Detroit styleee!

Review: Coming off a successful transatlantic exchange, Brian Kage and his Michigander label keep the momentum, and the collaborative spirit, moving with an EP that hits closer to home. For any Detroit artist, working with Delano Smith would be on the bucket list, as one of the city's original, more influential DJs - before the D developed any of its "waves" - who would come into his own as a producer later to, once again, help mold the Techno City's sound. Make no mistakes about it, this tastemaker had a ripple effect back before techno even had a name, when it was just "progressive" music and mixing. The thing is, the feeling of admiration and respect here is mutual, from the moment Smith first stumbled across one of Kage's records and had to know who was making these sounds. This meeting of the minds happened organically and timely, with Keep 'em Movin' as the result.