Peter Chambers: Recently, Warp artist Clark has commented that “four bars is a long time.” In the artisan world of Isolée’s music, it seems equally true to say “five years isn’t much time.” One listen to the bespoke animals of his imagination on We Are Monster was enough to explain where a decade or two could have been spent. While genre artists scribble, tinker and “produce,” Isolée’s music is a careful creation of storytelling and illustration better compared with master children’s illustrators like Maurice Sendak, Tomi Ungerer, or Bruno Munari. The title track “Hermelin” sounds for all the world like “Rest” or transitional period Isolée, with its straight, open structure and oddly tuned and effected synths. It’s unusually linear by the standards of his usually tangential arrangements, and doesn’t ever really blossom or rupture like my expectations wanted it to. The B1, “Willy Skipper” contains strong elements of Niun Niggung-era Mouse on Mars, even if it retains Isolee’s trademark melodic overstuffing. From the B1 to the “Sleazy Bee” (B2): this one’s a bumbler, clap-waddling along with a deranged hip-hop groove. These aren’t tracks, or even songs, but precious treasures, and yearn to be kept and cared for, and passed on.

Nick Sylvester: Busy as hell but no beat outta place, “Hermelin” reps the detailwork of 2005’s fantastic We Are Monster, and its sense of surprise: kicks come in a beat before expected, melodies compete and combine and deflate, sonics mutate, creating impossible space. Typical of Isolee, the composition grows up and out pretty logically, so it never feels overwhelming. The track darts out of the box with like this bluesy, slightly paranoid subway-car rattle, balanced out perfectly a minute or so later by these pillowy horn stabs that float like juggled handkerchiefs. Rhythm becomes tone, tone becomes rhythm, and it’s all so facile, like when that crisp laserlight melody snakes around the low-end like a laser in a labyrinth of mirrors, or how the held flute tones at the end torment each other by moving in and out of each other’s harmony. I haven’t even gotten to the other two tracks—I’m sure they’re great too—but, holy shit, is this guy in his own league or what?

Playhouse / PLAY130
[Listen]

If there’s one thing London based Soul Jazz Records knows, it’s how to keep their collective fingers in a multiplicity of pies. Though best known for insanely high-quality compilations of classic and obscure reggae, funk, jazz, and soul, over the past few years they’ve been quietly building a stable of solid artists of their own—the great Matt Edwards project Rekid, awesome electro from Bell, and afro-house from Osunslade are just a few of the acts that have seen release. Tetine are a Sao Paolo-based duo that were instrumental in both the recent Mr. Bongo Funk Carioca compilation and the outstanding Brasilian post-punk collection The Sexual Life of the Savages. “A Historia De Garca” draws more on the latter sound than the former, with a slight, almost menacing down-tempo groove that cuts swathes of unease before breaking into a clean 80’s DX-7 synth lead that evokes the mid-period sound of Cabaret Voltaire. Though the gurgling bassline is cold Northern minimalism at its finest, the drums are a pure shot of baile funk. A startling combination of influences and ideas that I’m still working out. Definitely one to watch.

Soul Jazz / SJR 150-12
[Listen]
[Mallory O’Donnell]

Precious little jewels! In two tracks and less than eight minutes, Dntel and Mia Doi Todd re-affirm their reputation as two of the most interesting talents working in the strange, difficult gaps between indie and electronica. Like a lot of the work on Life Is Full of Possibilities, both “Rock My Boat” and “Everything’s Tricks” require close, repeated listening to surrender a portion of the quality crafted into them. They’re both much larger than their run-time, and require repetition to unpack fully. The reward for your efforts is a beautiful pop song and a wonderful instrumental, both of which blend found sounds, samples, synths, beats, and instruments together into a delicately balanced mélange that’s only shy of giving itself up for knowing it’s got so much to offer. If you enjoyed Dntel’s earlier work, this is (as they say) a “must have.”

Aim Records / 100-10
[Listen]
[Peter Chambers]

Daedelus concocts ace leftfield hip-hop, dresses like a dandy in concert, and has a heart of gold. But why did he have to spoil the best moment of his remix of the Life Force Trio’s “Space Flowers”? He places the listener in the lobby outside the concert hall where that lullaby is playing. The loose jazz-hop beats, the glum clarinet melody, and the sighing, melancholic vocals are blanked in enough reverb and echo to fit that picture. When the beat steadily marches home and the woodwinds bid farewell after the song’s peak, a studio producer’s voice suddenly interrupts and says, “That’s nice!” Curses. Nonetheless, Daedelus gives a much needed surprise to Life Force’s otherwise flat single. “Space Flowers” is a ballad built on a simple, almost rudimentary keyboard melody that builds tension to the point where a beat is crucially needed—but never arrives. Life Force mastermind Carlos Niño (of L.A. leftfielders Ammoncontact) fares better on the b-side, “Starship.” He achieves a genuine psych effect with melted Moog drones and soulful organ stabs that genuinely hypnotize. Ammoncontact then takes that ship through the cosmos in their remix. Over a deft Reggaeton beat, Rapper Myka 9 tells everyone that alien abduction is truly liberation from Earth. His sales pitch is delivered like a seasoned Army recruiter with an arm around a naïve college kid. I’ll see you in Roswell.

Plug Research / PLG72
[Cameron Macdonald]

Depending on where you’re coming from, Rekid’s Matt Edwards will probably be better known for his big-room house remixes of Elton John, Tiga, and Jentina or for his bearded disco as Quiet Village Project. Rekid catches him making slo-mo frozen-in-the-strobe-light discoid house. “85 Space” and “Tranzit” sound like Edwards has slowed them down in an audio editor until echo and spring reverb swirls like thick cream poured slowly into black coffee, and that’s probably what they are—screwed, but not chopped. Sometimes I listen to this record and nothing happens, it’s disco with its blood drained and cold lips, but sometimes—like right now!—the degraded cowbell and resonant white noise creep of tracks like “Lost Star6” or “Arp” are as voluptuous and overwhelming as any woman in a Fellini movie.

Soul Jazz / SJR132
[Patrick McNally]

How do you revisit a critically acclaimed album noted for its eclecticism, homemade quality, danceability and humour? If you’re Stefan Kozalla, aka DJ Koze, you enlist the remixing services of talented cohorts Jan Jelinek and Matthew Dear. Up first, laptop crafstman Jelinek steals the show, looping “My Grandmotha” into a gurgling brew of pneumatic stutters, clipped cymbals, and exhaled vocals that chug atop the deep fried fumes of an infectiously dubby bass beat. But while the track’s gorgeous groove is sure to prod hips toward this summer’s dance floors, it thankfully retains the original’s Saturday morning cartoon innocence. Herr Kozalla wraps up side A with loungey bonus track “Bobby,” employing a warm, revolving melody and a rhythmic, granular sway as if he’s panning for gold under the gentle radiance of a midsummer sunset. Gears shift and unfortunately grind on side B’s “Raw,” as Matthew Dear—working under his revved-up Audion moniker—scatters and then reassembles the original’s jigsaw pattern for what proves to be a sometimes jarring, sometimes stagnant seven minutes. To me, it seems that the Michigan boy-o’s poppier, Leave Luck to Heaven sensibilities would have been better suited for this otherwise excellent release.

Kompakt / 136
[James Jung]

Now, Russian techno music is not going to be something most of us have heard a lot of. From what I understand, there’s a great scene arising out there, but SCSI-9 are one of the first acts to poke their head out. If they are any indicator, however, we may have some exciting times ahead. As with their sublime “All She Wants Is,” released on Kompakt in ‘03, the key is the delicate balancing act that the duo undertakes between dusky and feathery, lush and strident, warm and chilly. “Pour Ne Pas Perdre Le Coeur Da” starts us off with a tranquil landscape interjected with creaky bells and whistles, like sounds from nature viewed through a fractured lens. “Transsibirski Express” (wink, wink) takes the boys from Dusseldorf on a trip through high steppes and tundra plains, a bold premise to be sure, but one that succeeds and wins them points for cheekiness infused with an appropriate reverence. “Woodman,” which rounds out this three-tracker, is a different proposition entirely. The shifty, unsettling side of the “Pour Ne Pas…” coin, this time the shadows are thicker and those distorted natural sounds have something of the supernatural about them. Still, with so much depth and humanity to their music, it’s no surprise it ends being more than a mere freaky soundscape. Top shelf electronica for a Sunday morning when one is bruised but hopeful.

Neuton / 022
[Mallory O’Donnell]

Nathan Fake must be busy trying to get Jesus, Buddha, or Shiva to remix for the next 12”, because it seems like every other big name is quickly finding itself attached to his work. But as evidenced by the Watlington Street EP, and his recent full-length, he doesn’t really need them. Still, there are some seriously noteworthy mixes on this short EP, and none of them sound much at all like the originals. Apparat’s take on “Charlie’s House” was an attempt, in his words, “to just try and make a rave song.” I nod my head as if I understand, and think to myself that it’s maybe the most beautiful remix to have been graced by such a stomping electro beat. It’s like a cleaner German take on Sebastian, and just using Nathan Fake as a starting point. It is clearly the standout track.

Nathan’s friend and visual artist Vincent Oliver takes a stab at “Long Sunny,” in an attempt that brings to mind the work of Textual and Arab Strap, vocals and sloppy guitar jabs present. In a hot Border Community-on-Border Community action sequence, Fairmont, of “Gazebo” fame, takes a completely different approach to “Long Sunny” by keeping things fairly micro and melodic. There’s no doubt that it’s well done, although probably a bit too downtempo for most dance floors. The Fortdax remix of “You Are Here” is a good track, but on an EP this strong it takes more to stand out. Also, at times Fortdax’s mix comes off like the triumphant theme song of an anime cartoon, with strings. When all is said and done, it’s best that James Holden isn’t on this, if for no other reason than to prove that there is so much in Fake’s music and that other artists deserve a fair chance. Run, don’t walk, to Beatport, or Itunes, or whatever, because you’re going to need this.

Border Community / 010
[Cameron Octigan]

For his first full-length under his SoulPhiction guise, Michel Baumann (aka Jackmate) strays from his own Philpot label onto nearby Berlin imprint Sonar Kollektiv to deliver Germany’s best imitation of Moodymann. The faded soul samples with crackling voices, the velvety smooth Rhodes, the plush, jazzy atmosphere being interrupted by snippets of conversations: these are all tactics you’ll hear on your copy of A Silent Introduction or Black Mahogani. “Midnight Funk Infinity” even revives one of The Electrifying Mojo’s spoken introductions to the Midnight Funk Association. To Baumann’s credit, he’s able to keeps things entertaining throughout the album, shifting easily from house to R&B to a downtempo funk that’s not too far removed from a Madlib production. I’m not too sure about his jazzbo cover of Bob James “Angela” (mostly known as the theme to US sitcom “Taxi,” sounding here like it’s been rewritten for “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,”) but at his best, like on the sparse neo-soul of “Used,” the steamy mist of the title track, or the spacey soul-house of “Transistor Slugs,” State of Euphoria is able to live up to its title.

Sonar Kollektiv / CD 008
[Michael F. Gill]

“Broadway,” like Tellier’s last single “La Ritournelle,” is full of lush orchestral strings, romantic lyrics, and gorgeously jazzy drumming (courtesy of Afrobeat legend Tony Allen.) Both singles are anomalies on his recent album Politics, which veers from huge, Trevor Horn-style bombast to hyperactive new wave tomfoolery. Five remixes, including two apiece by Jake Bullit and Chicken Lips, are split across this CD and 12” single, but no one really improves on the original. “Broadway” being immense as it is, adding layers of synths and four-on-the-floor beats on top results in mixes that reek of overcrowding and overcooking. Sparingly, Chicken Lips had the wise idea to include a dub version of their disco-tech mix, which becomes much more palatable as an instrumental. Also included on the CD single is Tellier’s rhodes-fueled slow jam “Le Long De La Riviere Tendre,” which was also one of the two tracks he contributed to last years Respect Is Burning compilation “Ete D’amour.”

Lucky Number / 005
[Michael F. Gill]