WITCHNEY HOUSTON = H34RTBROK3N (Blvck Lite 2092 Hardcore Mix) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Here's another one for all the true ravers out there. Also make sure to check out the original Niche / Bassline tune "Heartbroken" by T2 feat. Jodie Aysha which is the source for the massive and well-cheesy vocal. Loved the original and loving the re-lick as well. Lighters!

Blvck Lite - Sunday Bugatti Drivers [FREE DOWNLOAD]

Maybe the most spaced out Footwork tune these days. A lesson in how to create a Dub vibe with Jazz samples. This stuff rules big time, especially for its totally off the hook half- and double-time layers.

Various Artists - Hard Ass Compilation [Enchufada]

Kuduro ist angekommen in der elektronischen Tanzmusik. Nicht zuletzt dank der Wellen, die das Buraka Som Sistema in den Clubs dieser Welt geschlagen hat und schon längst wird der ursprünglich aus Luanda stammende Style in den verschiedensten Varianten der westlichen Clubmusik neu und re-interpretiert, mit Bestehendem verschmolzen oder auch nur partiell adaptiert. Und so ist es mehr als folgerichtig das nun J-WOW als Teil der Buraka-Posse dieses Phänomen in Form einer ungemixten CD-Compilation neu beleuchtet und dabei seine persönlichen Favoriten und Lieblingsproduzenten mit ins Boot holt. Bekannte Namen wie Bok Bok, Poirier oder der immer wieder gern gehörte Seiji sind ebenso dabei wie jene unter dem Radar der allgemeinen Wahrnehmung agierende - Kry Wolf, Oliver Twizt & DJ Rockid oder WILDLIFE! seien hier nur beispielhaft genannt. Das geht mal tierisch nach vorne, nervt auch mal ungeheuer dank quietschender Sirenen und billig wirkender Bleeps, übt aber aufgrund der rhythmischen Struktur und des leicht stolpernden Grooves eine nahezu unwiderstehliche Faszination aus. Als Dauerbeschallung im Club in dieser Form vielleicht etwas zuviel des Guten, als Überblick über die aktuelle Entwicklung jedoch höchst interessant.

9 Points (of 10)

baze.djunkiii

A lost review that did not make it into July's issue of FAZE Magazine. Stuff that is to be found there includes my column "There's More To Life Than..."  plus reviews on releases by Quantec, DJ Empty, Marie Madeleine, Theremynt and many more. Get it. 

Somebhajans - Mera Jivan Tere Hawale Prabhu

As this place is a place that is mainly about discussing music and musical findings this CD album has to be mentioned here for more than only one reason as it is the most obscure thing I've seen in a while. Hanging out at Hamburgs Meine Kleinraumdisko last night drinking this one immediately caught my attention while going through a pile of their CDs with the bartender thinking of what to listen to next as the albums design and it being seemingly Indian music totally stuck out of all the cool Indie & related stuff that they usually do have there and as I'm a curious cat I immediately asked to borrow it for a while expecting sth. weird or at least funny. Plus: no-one seemed to know a thing about it as the album - as far as the story was told - was sitting in their postbox one day but wasn't even considered to be checked out... for obvious reasons.

Now it's stuck in my CD deck, being recognized as mixture of obviously religious Indian lyrics and what the producers think that Indie Rock is but turns out to be bad Alternative Rock riffing and something that could be identified as Celtic Rock, a style out of fashion for more than 20 years now and even back then it was more considered to accompany alcoholic excess in Irish pubs or at small town youth festivities and not cool or in fashion at all.



Now a few questions came up which I need to be answered.

Who listens to stuff like that seriously - apart from the reason of being a curious cat in search for obscure stuff?
Is there a target audience?
Why do they send out CDs to cool places like Meine Kleinraumdisko and what the fuck do they expect from that as these places will obviously never play music like this?

I've never made up my mind on stuff like Christian Rock / Pop / Reggae although I know that these styles are existing somewhere in the world but I do wonder if that sounds as bad and fake like Somebhajans do and if the producers / band members or fans ever came across "real" music at all - like contemporary, popular music of now that's actually being played out in clubs and venues these days. Or if they think of what that stuff might sound like and try to emulate what they've never listened to? I am puzzled and somehow fascinated, guess there's time for doing some research on that issue. If anyone can provide some soundcloud or youtube links this help will be appreciated for sure. Plus: if there's anyone from India actually reading this - what about them lyrics being authentic?        

I'm Not A Band - Woody

IndieElectro? ElectroPop? No matter what, a nice one for sure.

When Waste Meets Volcano...

More of an excursion into the world of science but this little video is quite fascinating.

Verbrannte Erde - IV [Major Label 054 Promo]

Set for release on June 30th via the not that major Major Label is the fourth album of Gera's Verbrannte Erde, a group founded in 1996 building their musical home upon a dark grey foundation mainly consisting of German Punk / PostPunk and a slice of (No)Wave - a stylistic mixture best known to many international readers through the legendary 1978-released Fehlfarben masterpiece "Monarchie und Alltag" if one wants to refer to one of the genres uber-classics here. The dreary, wall-fenced Berlin of the cold war era comes to mind as well as the musical colour is concrete but "IV" - the albums well chosen title - is way more than another no future and fuck the police / society / capitalism / whatever record that has been heard times and times before although there's not only a bit of criticism to be found in all of them ten songs. But it's deeper, more profound and between the lines instead of relying on old war cries over and over again which is defo a good move. And melancholia-filled lines like "Nur die Zeit hat Mist gebaut / löscht aus Erinnerungen wahre Teile aus" are of a lyrical beauty of their own that is impossible to translate to non german readers whilst shout-a-long slogans like "Nie wieder arm sein" provide a rough street credibility that also die-hard punks can relate to. Plus: this one is a grower and within weeks or months or years there is more magic to unfold than the first listening sessions can provide. Timeless.

Champion - Crystal Meth

Seems like there's some heavy bass music coming up via Butterz quite soon'ish. They've created a monster.

Human Woman - DDDI

This little free download gem might be best described as the Icelandic view on Psychedelic KrautDisco or dark'ish TrollCosmic - grab this one quickly if you're into the sound of producers like Padded Cell or Emperor Machine. Taken from Human Woman's self-titled album put on the circuit via HFN Music .

Jamie Anderson & Owain K - Do You Know [Dessous Recordings 109 Promo]

Forthcoming within the next few days via Dessous Recordings is this exciting piece adding a good bit of jazzy NYC House flavor to the labels catalogue and those still reminiscing about the greatness of labels like Nervous Records will defo know what we're talking here. The title track - also featured as dub version on the flip - is paying respect to a fucking lot of Jazz legends on top of well lively, uplifting beat structures and the occasional sparse but on point and well accentuated Jazz piano glimpsing through. Stripped down to the bone but still working dancefloors right and I'd love to know where the pair of producers grabbed that vocals from - a seemingly afro-american musician calling a number of Jazz greats names to an audience, asking who knows these names... not many do and he kinda tries to cover his disappointment in humor. Partly. But he IS disappointed anyway. "Keep It Pumping" on the flip is - as the name might well suggest - a pumping DeepHouse affair for a connaisseurs nights out, sweetening a damp, heated athmosphere in tiny underground clubs. House music at its best.     

Bisk - Memorabilia [Shhhh Records Promo]

Forthcoming via Mettmann's finest Shhhh Records is - surprise! - the first full-length album work of Naohiro Fujikawa a.k.a. Bisk after a twelve years break that took many by surprise after three well-anticipated contributions to the Sub Rosa / Quartermass catalogue. And still, after all these years of silence, Bisk knows how to trigger mind and dancefloor, serving a musical plot reaching from FutureGarage - "Etymology" - to Electronica-driven Future R'n'B / Urban - "Distortion Field" / "Persephone" - and including 'nuff CutUp-Electronics as well as variations on Downtempo / TripHop with a special, often quite funny and humorous twist that will be recognized by those who've been appreciating his musical works in the nineties as this album could've been produced in that era as well. And although it does not sound dated at all it seems to be taken out of its original context as there is not much music released these days that is on a similar or even related tip. Plus: being the first non 4/4-bassdrum focused album on Shhhh Records it might be sounding slightly irritating to the imprints fans and followers which hopefully are going to appreciate not only the music but also the massive inlay proving that there's still people out there that do care about special artworks and gimmicks in these days where everyone is buzzing about going digital or serving stamped white labels only. This one sticks out.

Sascha Müller - I [Pharmacom Productions]

The man Sascha Müller reactivates his Pharmacom Productions imprint these days to spread more niceness in electronic music via a new seven track album simply entitled "I" and consisting mostly of beatless Ambient spheres - check: "Ambientlogic 1 - 3" - , experimental AmbientDub workouts and other non-genre fitting musical crossbreeds, all put out under the Creative Commons license and available as free download to the world. But: people are able to donate via Flattr to support the artist or just say "thank you for the music"... which they should.

FUCK ART, LET'S DANCE! - The Conqueror (Family Core - Remix)

Party like it's fucking 1994. Happy Hardcore for those who still love it. Available as free download for all of you ravers. Biggin' up JBow who was invlvd in doing this awesome remix...

eVADE - Sd3 EP [Psychocandies 003]

Manfred Reckers a.k.a. eVADE is the next one to serve a three track EP on the digital Psychocandies imprint, exploring several variations of Acid music. The first tune "d3" seems to be a fucked up or at least mutated idea of what AcidTrance could be like - sick, slightly distorted and semi-broken beats, evolving lines and a few sweet, melodic strings and chords glimpsing through at some points. Weirdo tune, but good. "Feb 4 Ant" is the next one, a jumpy ElectroAcid affair with influences of mind bending MonoAcid to be found before more sweet chords and another trancey modulation are taking over whilst "Ngt", the best tune taken off the three, stands out as a moody ElectroAcid affair for purists with a deeper attitude and beautifully arranged, epic strings serving an Ambient-influenced but still floor fitting vibe.  

Toph Subderground, Mark Rey & Sergio Pardo - Vice Versa EP [Super 6 Records 077.5]

New stuff to come via Super 6 Records is the above named four track piece coming up with a remix swapping concept. First is Toph Subderground's "Take Off" - a bangin', quite uncompromising tool Techno affair with a siren'esque bassline take off in its original form which is reworked by Mark Rey & Sergio Pardo, putting up speed levels and adding a ravey, hyperactive feel to the tune like one listens to 1994 House records on a pitch level adjusted to +14 %. Hectic as fuck but thrilling and hype. Great remix. Their tune "Scarface" is on a similar tip speedwise, but with drums marching like a machine and a massive breakdown pleasing all Trance addicts out there - if there's a proper crossbreed between HardTechno and Trance this tune is the one to be mentioned. Talking the final cut on this EP Toph Subdergrounds remix of "Scarface" adds a bit of Eurodance flavor vocal- / samplewise but is keeping things on a Techno tip as well, serving - like all tunes do - the tool loving DJs and their fellowship more than the homelisteners out there.

Steve Bug - Those Grooves [Poker Flat Recordings 130 Promo]

Coming up next via his own Poker Flat Recordings label is Steve Bug's new double-A-sided 12" "Those Grooves" featuring his tune "Tell Me Why" on the flip side. Announcing an album to come these two tracks are giving a hint of what is to expect - quality as usual for sure but with a slightly different twist as "Those Grooves" seems to take a step back from the immanent, stripped-down Chicago-influences that have always been found in his music but to lean forward to a warmer, more melodic and a - yes! - slightly deep, nearly trancey feel that is even intensified by its massive, speed changing and slowed out breakdown - serving a trick that hasn't been heard in ages and defo made to increase the tunes dancefloor impact by numbers. But the true winner is "Tell My Why", a dark moody affair with an even film noir-fitting feel in its chords and a few freaky, motor city reminiscing synth lines that will be appreciated by connaisseurs throughout any late night session. Good one.

GOJIRA - L'Enfant Sauvage (Official Video HD)

I don't know shit about Metal, I'm far from being an expert and I'm as far from being a fan of this kind of music at all. But this seems to be fucking evil... Plus: the video is great. Stumbled upon this via "Amtlich" @ Spiegel Online. Big up.

Intrauterin Recordings / Intrauterin Tapes @ shhhhop...

Backstock items of Intrauterin Recordings / Intrauterin Tapes are now available via shhhhhop... which is the mailorder section of the Mettmann-based label Shhhh Records. Be quick, their stock is limited and most releases are nearly sold out everywhere.

Enter shhhhhop...

A Homeboy, A Hippie And A Funky Dredd - Total Confusion

Dance Energy 1991. U know the score. Massive tune still.

Sascha Müller & cR-teK - Termination X EP [SM Traxxx 2220]

And Sascha Müller strikes again, this time on SM Traxxx and joining forces with cR-Tek for a three track series released as "Termination X EP", all working on variations of the same musical theme and hookline which vary from ElectroHouse with a slightly tip of Trance to deeper AcidTrance and jumpy, partly screaming Acid lines for true skool lovers and DJ's out there. Solid.

Sascha Müller - Dynamic Analog [Super 6 Records 077]

Sascha Müller seems to be the most productive guy in the world of music unleashing his next full-length album named "Dynamic Analog" via his own Super 6 Records and serving another ten fine tunes from his lab that is focusing on banging Techno and raw, angry and analogue sounding Acid storms this time. And once again he proves that his tracks - although defo hailing from and made for the underground - are here to stay, are able to stand the test of time as this kind of acidic agression will always be loved in dark bunkers and other squatted venues somewhere on this planet. And that's where this guy should play more often... book him!

Bisk - Etymology

That's quite a fine piece of Future Garage bringing a forecast of what's to expected from the next release on Shhhh Records...

Spherical - Diggin' Deeper [California Sunset Records Promo]

It's been somewhen in the late 90's when I released the vinyl debut of the Hamburg-based band outfit Spherical on my very own Intrauterin Recordings, a limited to 348 copies white label pressing containing 6 of the finest Vocal TripHop tunes ever heard. Much time has passed, somehow we've lost touch, the band line-up changed massively - the only familiar name to me amongst the core lineup of five is Oliver Fischer, the maximum live line up can be a sixteen piece been band crowding the stage - and so did the music. Instead of TripHop it's organic, loungy Jazz and (Neo)Soul now, focusing on warm live aspects, a light vintage feel that brings thoughts of high class cocktails and amounts of money spent on these drinks to mind, epic horn sections are to be found as well plus an all over attitude that will be appreciated by real music afficionados able to recognize the piles of time and work that must have been spent to make these complex arrangements work out right. But these are a rare species to be found these days and all others might rate "Diggin' Deep" as an album that, somehow, seems to be fallen out of time, slipped in 2012 from a long gone era, standing here but missing some kind of well-fitting context to exist in, maybe even a scene that can relate to their music properly. Plus: the album artwork is kinda dark'ish with a dingy colour range, slightly irritating and chaotic like old Monty Python stills and not really complementing the bands musical approach which is a tricky thing when it comes to gaining the attention of potential buyers. I'm puzzled.   

Sascha Müller - Krankenhaus (Schwermetall) [SM Traxxx 021]

It's been a while since the last issue of Sascha Müller's "Krankenhaus"-series but now it's back and it's banging again - three tracks served here with hyper-compressed bassdrums, straight forward or as well on a more abstract level rhythmically, jazzin' around like some Steve Stoll records back in the days or even serving electroid structures, and all of them home to cheap sounding but still well working 8bit melodies accompanied by acidic bits that - especially in "Krankenhaus (Schwermetall) 3" - have quite a tranced out effect. Thrilling. Good.

DJ Jana Rush Minimix

07.30 only but still full on madness when it comes to the GhettoBass / Juke zone. She's getting wild on some massive DJ Clent tunes here. Need to DL if you don't know the Juke.

Supershirt & Captain Capa - Tote Tiere (official video)

Just 'coze I'm listening to this song these days buckets. For a reason. Perfectly fitting to what goes on inside of me. Plus: I kinda re-discovered it after it being featured on "Doin' Our Thing #2" and it's defo nice to finally see it out on vinyl. Large one. Still.

Q[e]M @ discogs.com

I've been thinking about these option more than once and more and more often throughout the last weeks and finally decided to join the discogs-community to clear out stuff that has been sitting in my shelves for too long without being taken care of. Now I set up a sales only account under the name of Q[e]M , a name that has been chosen carefully and for a reason - all stuff is new, unplayed and mostly taken directly from the labels backstock. Those being curious what sits in baze.djunkiii's private collection will be disappointed, there's nothing to see here and at this point I can't be bothered to put all my records and CD's in that database - that's simply too much stuff, talking in thousands here, and loads of it is not even listed.

But for sales - check Q[e]M . Enjoy.

Kraak & Smaak - Mixed Feelings [Jalapeno Records Promo]

If you think of Funky Breaks these days you gotta think of Kraak & Smaak and Jalapeno Records, two names closely connected and well representing a scene that has gained much attention within the last years, not only but partly due to the bands album "Electric Hustle" and their massive live shows all over the place. Funky Breaks is music for those bored by the strict 4/4 ruling contemporary House music, missing the Funk and the warm, embracing organic feel in todays NuSkoolBreaks and longing for a discoid Pop aspect in dance music at all without feeling the need to go mainstream. Put all these needs in a melting pot and you'll get something Kraak & Smaak'ish as a result and with their "Mixed Feelings" they're representing their musical hood for sure. Remixes of their last album meet with their remix works crafted for artists like Moby, Smoove & Turrell or Sander Kleinenberg and a bunch of new tunes as well, served as 13 tracks in-one-go-mix and additional 11 track unmixed album, spreading the positive dancefloor vibe the group is known and loved for by their fans which will happily add this one to their individual collections when it's released in the end of July.. But still: listening to "Mixed Feelings" in a focused session is a bit much of positivity and sweetness for me, things are a little too slick and too less edgy for my personal taste. Honestly I did feel the need to stop the CD after the first five or six tunes... although I loved Kraak & Smaak's live performance at Hamburgs Moondoo Club about a year ago. Guess that's how their music works best for me - live on stage.

Foals Tapes [!K7 Promo]

A concept as eclectic as it can get. Talk to a band about the concept of - nowadays - oldskool'ish mixtapes, ask them to select a bunch of songs and to put them in an order like that would be well fitting for a mixtape, a cassette with two different focuses, lets say side A keeping an eye on songs, side B keeping an eye on the dancefloor. Simple as that. Now have a five piece band doing this, with its members all having a different taste in music that sometimes is even well clashing with eachother. Calling this band Foals and letting them reflect on what they've been listening to while touring allover in an old van, driving from venue to venue, listening to a lot of - guess what? - tapes. Get a selection partly mixed, partly blended including the Plastic Reggae AfroPop of Condry Ziqubu's "Confusion (Ma Africa)" , the Skweee'ish aspects of Bibio's remix of Clark's "Ted", the totally spaced out DiscoPop of JR Seaton's "Way Savvy" remixed by Gatto Fritto, the AfroHouse trip that Carl Craig's rework of Tony Allen's "Kilode" is or the ultra-sexed, crooning ChicagoHouse of Arnold Jarvis "Take Some Time Out" to name just a few... This is what a proper mixtape should sound like, at least the one preferred by the open minded amongst us. And maybe this one is one of the best compilations these days when you're looking for something representing a broad variety of musical styles instead of being tunnel-focused on one particular micro-genre in electronic music. Also a good gift to a friend. The one you would've given a tape to like 20 years ago.

baze.djunkiii Charts 06/2012

01. Frittenbude - Delfinarium [Audiolith Promo]
See review for details...

02. Prinzhorn Dance School - Clay Class [DFA / Cooperative Music]
Well, I gotta admit that I am a bit of a fan boy when it comes to Prinzhorn Dance School as their raw, minimalist approach to PostPunk is the most spine-tingling musical discovery for me since... whatever. I totally love their music to death, got the most of their vinyl releases stuck somewhere in my shelves and that's the reason I bought this one, too. And it's great as expected - "Usurper", "Happy In Bits" and especially "The Flora And Fauna Of Britain In Bloom" are my personal favorites but I'm afraid that the average vinyl buyer, the average non-collecting listener is not about to share my passion just for this single LP being that fucking pricey. C'mon guys, even if you fucking love a band paying about 30+ € for eleven songs is not what the non-dedicated do and it makes no bit of a difference if there's a bonus CD album included or not. You get most 2xLP's in gatefold covers for a cheaper price these days and you won't gain more fans or attention for being expensive. That's what the labels have to think about. Now.

03. Atma - Lone Range Drifter [Govinda Records]
See blog post for details...

04. [aniYo kore] - Pieces Of Conversation [BOBHARRIS 001 Promo]
See review for details...

05. Björk - Biophilia Remixes Part One [One Little Indian Records]
Part 1 in series of eight 12"es accompanying Björks recent "Biophilia" album sees Berlin's hardest Current Value serving two massive Dub-/Drumstep variations of her tracks "Solstice" and "Crystalline", bringing out the ultimate darkness and a hyper-compressed structure underlying the ethereal but still insistent vocals. Reworks for the very late hours, when the dancefloor crowd needs the ultimate destruction.

06. Unbroken Dub - Kosmos EP [Rawax 010.2]
Actually there's a bit of hype going on when it comes to the colored vinyl stamped whitelabel imprint Rawax and actually I am not only a bit of a sceptic when it comes to hypes, especially when they're mostly build around the labels location and not necessarily around the music. So this one is the first fully convincing Rawax release to me - a blue 10" piece by Unbroken Dub including a nice, dreamy and melancholic piece of Detroit Techno for advanced dancefloors, a piece that's perfectly crafted to send punters home after a long ecstatic night whilst the flipside is a dubby, driving and slightly sci-fi'esque Techno piece, ever modulating and partly similar to what was once put out as "Function. Anticipation.", the tenth release on the now fully established and well spoken Sandwell District impint. A good one for sure.    

07. Reptile Youth - Black Swan Born White [HFN Music 016s Promo]
See review for details...

08. Sascha Müller - Error 404 [Pharmacom Records]
See review for details... 

09. Nelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)  [Interscope Promo]
See review for details... 

10. Alex Niggemann - Paranoid Funk [Poker Flat Recordings Promo]
See review for details...

Digitalism - DJ-Kicks [!K7 Promo]

Scheduled for June 25th is the next touchdown of !K7's legendary DJ-Kicks series, this time compiled and mixed by the Hamburg-based duo named Digitalism that has spent more days playing out on the road than in their home town throughout the last years setting festivals and huge stages on fire live and DJ-wise, hyping crowds with ElectroHouse, NuRave and what might be best described as fusion of the mentioned with good old Rock music. And this is exactly what their contribution to DJ-Kicks is all about - massive Rave bangers as there is TWR72's "Summer" , tunes by the likes of Alex Gopher, Housemeister, The Rapture, WhoMadeWho and - inspired by the duos personal favorites amongst all DJ-Kicks compilations - a solid base of exclusive and previously unreleased Digitalism-tunes to please all of their fans with something new, something special. And they will be pleased for sure although this compilation might not be going down as essential piece in the history of the whole series as it is way less eclectic than a lot of its predecessors. But who amongst their followers cares about eclecticism? The kids want bangers and that's what they get.

Alex Niggemann - Paranoid Funk [Poker Flat Recordings Promo]

Released only this week is Alex Niggemann's album debut "Paranoid Funk" put on the circuit via the great Poker Flat Recordings which once again prove that their A&R department always is on the forefront of exploring new or at least relatively fresh talent as Mr. Niggemann has been releasing various 12"es on different labels since 2008 and appeared on several compilations since then as well. But "Paranoid Funk" is his first attempt on the long play format and a well-crafted for sure, exploring the field in between warm, deeper and more athmospheric TechHouse, slightly jacking formats - "That Is...(Vinyl Cut)" - and even some 'troity prime time affairs like the massive "Back 2 Basics" which has been crafted alongside Benji. Defo a nice overall affair, showcasing the multiple tasks and talents of Alex Niggemann which is one of the artists to make bigger waves in the next years, easily establishing themselves amongst the top notch producers of this scene. This is the next generation in TechHouse. 

4ZZZ1 - Lick It EP [Psychocandies 002]

Fresh stuff to come via the relatively new Psychocandies-imprint is a new three track piece from the unpronounceable 4ZZZ1 named "Lick It EP" exploring the fields of Acid from stripped down and quite minimalistic to monotonous but thrill-seeking and even served on top of deep but joyfully jumping Electro beats as in "Stärk Dich, Härte Dich" which is my favorite track on this one. Check out if you're a true connaisseur of various Acid flavours.