Artefakt ´Fernweh´ / Delsin / 13 February
February´s first entry slams in from Dutch live act and DJ duo, Artefakt. Selected from their atmospheric debut album on esteemed techno label Delsin, it´s a powerful track that has an immediate effect. Coiling and contorting as it engulfs you, with waves of ethereal synths and a pulsating, warping loop, ´Fernweh´ is crying out for your undivided attention.
COEO ´Mydonna´ / Toy Tonics / 4 February
Techno ticked off for now and we´re bouncing into house territory with German producers Florian Vietz and Andreas Höpfl. As a duo, they´re known as COEO, and their latest four-tracker EP, Mydonna, marks a return to German label, Toy Tonics. They´re part of a new German scene alongside other artists whose house music is inspired by old jazz and funk records. ´Mydonna´ is one of those house thrillers that has your body involuntarily chasing the tracks´s groove. You can´t resist and you musn´t fight against your jackin´ impulses. Laurent Garnier has touted these guys in the past – enough said.
Esteban Adame ´Descendants´ / EPM / 10 February
He´s affiliated with pioneering Detroit techno collective, Underground Resistance, and that alone should give you a taste of where Adame´s at with his material. The LA-based producer is back on Dutch label EPM with an EP that´s backed with a remix by Detroit legend, Juan Atkins. Esteban´s original version of ´Descendants´ is loaded with a pounding bassline that burrows deep to scrape at your bone marrow, and flashes of vivid synth work that has you grappling with it mid-air. It´s the one that struck out and slapped us the hardest, so get it on and let the sonic violence begin.
DJ Soch ´The Mother´ / Wound Music / 6 February
Italian producer Marco Socci (a.k.a DJ Soch) sends us back into the loving arms of house music, and we´re feeling all warm inside. Jam-packed with old school and funk band beats, it´s a restless, infectious banger that´ll have your rubber soles worn out before you can thank your mamma.
Junior Jack ´´Thrill Me´ / Defected / 24 February
Now here´s a classic track that you´ll have blasting on repeat to no end. Junior Jack is the latest artist to be added to Defected Records´ latest House Masters series, and he stands with the rest of the House Masters pack, which includes Frankie Knuckles, Masters At Work, Dennis Ferrer, Derrick Carter, Kenny Dope, Henrik Schwarz and Joey Negro. He´s in there with the very best of the best, and it´s superb to see a collection of his biggest tracks back in focus.´Thrill Me´ first had us thrilled and addicted in 2002, and in recent years Luciano, Yousef, Nic Fancuilli and Todd Terry have all dropped it into their sets because they know what´s good.
Quivver ´This Was´ / Bedrock / 6 February
John Graham, better known as Quivver, is a DJ and producer whose career spans over two decades, with releases on Toolroom, Yoshitoshi, Hooj Choons and VC Recordings, among many more. With ´This Was´ he´s back on John Digweed´s imprint, Bedrock Records, with a double A-side. It´s a glittering piece of electronica loaded with dizzying synths, classic techno melodies and scattered basslines.
Hysteric ´Venice By Night´ / Banoffee Pies Records / 24 February
Banoffee Pies Records´ lands this month with the 4th edition of the Limited Series, and as an eclectic collection it´s being promoted as “music for prancing, love and dancing.” ´Venice By Night´ is an all-out ´80s-tastic tickler. If you know your Italo-disco, Hysteric should be a firm favourite on your playlist, and if you haven´t yet heard his name, you´ve plenty to dig through as he´s also the man behind Italo-disco label, Mothball Record.
Todd Terje ´Jungelknugen´ (Four Tet Remix) / Olsen Records / 24 February
Norway´s Todd Terje rakes through his unreleased file and digs out ´Jungelknugen´ for the remix treatment. The original version of ´Jungelknugen´ is set to drop on Terje´s third full-length, and while we await its arrival, we´re getting stuck right into Four Tet´s piano heavy house rework. We´d advise that you do the same. Guzzle on those synths, guys.
Marquis Hawkes ´The Burning Light´ / Aus Music / 10 February
London-born Marquis Hawkes caught the raving bug and was swept along as it infected Britain in the late ´80s and early ´90s. A long time has since passed and Hawkes is now based in Berlin with a catalogue of dance floor ready ammo. His releases first began appearing on Simple Records´ experimental sister label, Aus Music, in 2015 and he´s been a mainstay on the label ever since. The four-tracker Sweet Temptation EP follows his Doornroosje EP, and nuzzled in there is ´The Burning Light´ which packs big-room punch. A whirring synth is heard circling overhead before the vocal loop kicks in, and after that steady, heavy bassline jumps in, you know it´s game on.
Thundercat ´Friend Zone´ / Brainfeeder / 24 February
´Friend Zone´ dropped from Thundercat´s third album, Drunk, just in time for Valentine´s Day and if you know anything about his humour, you´ll not be surprised that he swerved convention and dumped the romantic mush in the bin. The critically acclaimed bassist is lead vocalist on this cut, with his lyrical content taking aim at the unlucky in love “nice guy.” He´s name-dropping a bunch of classic video games and squeezes in a reference to Kendrick Lamar´s ´Bitch, Don´t Kill My Vibe.” His signature spacey-tinged bounce is easily detectable, and it´d take a real bitch to be able to murder the vibes oozing from this track.
WORDS l Aimee Lawrence
