Minimal / Tech House Recommendations November 2013

Review: The sorely missed talent of Spencer Kincy left many an overlooked gem in his wake, most of which has been slowly getting re-released over time since he left the music business. This EP previously appeared on Classic shortly before he stepped out of the fray and its not hard to hear the signs in the playful lyrics of the title track, but throughout the EP is the evidence of what a gifted house artist he really was. From the playful, bubbly bounce of the lead track to the heads down low end trip "A Taste", this is as strong a selection of house cuts as you're likely to hear all year.

Review: As PERL100 rolls ever closer we are beginning to wonder if Perlon founders Zip and Markus Nikolai have realised the design job involved when it comes to the centre labels. Regardless PERL96 is here and hooray it's some all new material from the Half Hawaii pairing of Sammy Dee and Bruno Pronsato. Both very much a part of the Berlin scene, All Over finds Sammy and Bruno revisit a project responsible for a couple of memorable 12"s (including Into You in 2007) and plenty of live performances. Last seen on Perlon with a contribution to the label's 2010 compilation Superlongevityfive, Half Hawaii's strengths are on full display here with both the title track and "NYC Town Car" notable for the abstracted weirdness of Pronsato's textural input and the finely sculpted beats of Sammy Dee. Proper Perlon tackle.

Review: Pitting previously overlooked jams against the artists that first supported them in the dance is an inspired move, and so its no surprise that the Hell Yeah posse struck gold with these two remix commissions. Justin Vandervolgen has a whale of a time playing with Alexander Robotnick's "Undicidisco" track, maximizing on the warm and quirky melodic attributes of the Italian stallion and pushing the cut into ever more effervescent territory. Doc Martin meanwhile brings a sweaty clamour to Florian Meindl's "Flashmob" which results in delirious basslines, feverish vocal processing and some nasty synth rubs all placed with deadly accuracy to set the place on fire.

Review: Engaged within the fresh wave of minimal artists and labels bringing a sense of vitality the long-beleagured scene, Vid is back on Anjdromeda with another pair of austere tracks that delve into the depths of micro-production. Where Vid and similarly minded artists differ is in their handling of texture to inject some interest into their music, and Vid has plenty of that on this record. "Lignum" in particular hangs heavy with distant strings of a classical nature adding an eeriness behind the cavernous echoes and near-field pops and squiggles of the sonic toolbox. "Unnormal" is more mechanical in its demeanour, a slender breakbeat of sorts marching out under the faintest wraiths of melody and plenty of insectoid musings.

Review: With only one other release to their name, Loopdeville are back with more ruminations on stripped down and spooky tech house with a hint of breakbeat appreciation running in its veins. "Zafro" lays the uneasy textures on thick while the beat rolls in a perfect cyclical funk that cuts through the horror film tones, although it in no way prepares you for the low slung jazz shuffle of "Strangers". With rumbling bass and scattered flecks of beat, it's a bold creation that still manages to pull everything together into a focused groove. Suciu comes on board for a remix of the title track that breaks the cloud of tense murk and instead lets some sunnier melodies fire chance beams of light into the proceedings.

Review: Romanian powerhouse All Inn returns to its intermittent Limited series for another pair of anonymous edits that pile the hooks on with a deft touch to create a fiery atmosphere in the context of the stripped down house scene the label operates in. Billed as a tribute to Eva Cassidy and Curtis Mayfield, "People Get Ready" takes a deadly piano loop and works the respective vocals with the skill required to make an edit stand on its own two feet. The dub mix on the flip homes in on the melodic loops for a more heads-down end result, but whichever side you pick the results are likely to be rapturous in the kind of parties that last for two days or more.

Review: Autonomic pioneer D Bridge has become the latest producer to be seduced by the notion of making music at a slower tempo; having graced Electric Minds with an EP of simply constructed but nonetheless devastatingly effective techno under the Velvit banner, Darren White continues this approach for Craig Richards label The Nothing Special, teaming up with Keith 'Radioactive Man' Tenniswood as dBRm. Given their respective production pedigrees the three track EP We Are No One You Know is an intriguing proposition and one that leaves the listener craving more! The title track is a frenetic ode to Motor City futurism blessed by White's rhythmic understanding, whilst "Darnley" is more grounded in the dark electro of Tenniswood's past. The sub bass on final cut "Hornsey Rise" quite literally snarls out of the speakers.