Epic Post: Late ’09/Early ’10 Record Reviews

My computer being down over the holidays led to a massive backlog in new records that I haven’t had a chance to mention here. Since I finally got the PC up and running again, I’ve been hit with another deluge of new things. And I have at least 15 more new records on their way to me in various manners. I realize that if I don’t get started now before my new job begins on Monday, I may never get through these. Most of these will be short and sweet, as always I’m covering the highlights and if I mention it here I recommend checking out the wax. I’ll kick it off with what’s left from the end of ’09 and move on through them all…..

We Play House ended up being the strongest label of ’09 for me. Part of the reason was the ridiculous end of the year: a scorching EP by Russ Gabriel and another limited color vinyl EP, this one by San Soda and Raoul Lambert. The Blue EP is a two tracker with San Soda dropping the pitched electric piano chords in a dancefloor banger and Raoul Lambert bringing the vocal loops and horn stabs to do damage. Russ Gabriel brings the serious heat on his release, from the deep techno of “El Juan” to the jazzy house of “Mister Din”. All three tracks are gorgeous, and I’ve played them all in sets. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but the B side cut “Le Voyeur” might be the one if it came down to it. Buy on sight!

Real Soon is a label we have been down with since day one of this blog. They’ve mixed up releases by cats like Lerosa, Juju & Jordash, James Duncan, and Kai Alcé with released from lesser known names. Rising Sun has also recorded on an old Styrax comp from ’04 and had a track on Workshop 05. “Sun Dance” on Real Soon is his first solo 12″, and he turns in a nice jazzy downbeat house jam on the title track. Sven Weisemann dubs it out on his mix and gets really nice results doing so. On the Late Runner EP, Session Victim turns in a mix of dubbed and deep house tracks that are all pleasant enough, though no one cut stands out. Kai also checks in with another 12″, this one being a little more driving than his usual deepness. His mix of the title track “Polyester Static” uses a banging disco beat and vocal cut-ups as its primary weapons, while Chez Damier’s remix of it takes it a little deeper with those old Prescription-style synth chords.

There’s been a nice rash of albums out recently. Dam-Funk’s “Toeachisown” album finally dropped on wax, a 5xLP box set that is absolutely worth whatever it costs to get it. Seriously, this shit is bananas. Stone’s Throw also dropped James Pants’ lo-fi synth-pop album “Seven Seals” recently. Definitely less quirky than some of his productions, this is all about the atmosphere which it has in spades.

Andrés’ II album saw it’s second part released on wax recently, which is just as essential as the first part. However, to me the best way to listen to this album is on the CD where he takes bits and pieces of his recent Mahogani releases, mixes them up with the cuts from both vinyl parts of the II album, and throws in a couple other ill jams and some voice overs that make it sound like a radio show. In the end, it kinda comes off sounding like a house music version of J Dilla’s Donuts, which makes sense as Andrés was close friends with him. This shit is absolutely essential, I will be banging this in the car in 2020 much less 2010. CLASSIC.

On a jazz tip, Carl Craig has done the Innerzone Orchestra and Detroit Experiment albums, each of which is a classic, and now he drops the full length by the Tribe collective. With a lineup featuring Marcus Belgrave, Phil Ranelin, and Wendell Harrison, you know that it’s gonna be dope. And it is. Craig’s simple and clean production works wonders with the soulful jazz these guys make, keeping it sounding rootsy but not old-fashioned. Check this video about the making of the album!

In another pairing of old and new, Jimi Tenor hooked up with legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen for a new album in the Inspiration Information series on Strut. This combination works very well together, with Tenor’s multi-instrumentality laying a solid foundation for Allen’s polyrhythms. A very solid album that all afro lovers should check out. Here’s a video that previews the album a bit:

I mentioned 9dw’s self-titled album on Wax Poetics a couple months back, and I finally picked up their split LP with Boris on the Japanese Catune label. While their WaxPo album was better overall, this split features my favorite single jam of theirs, the ridiculous “Stingray”. Check the video below to see why this is such a monster tune.

Now on to some more ridiculous 12″s!

Chicago has been blowing shit up again recently, with Rick Howard’s “Can Your Love Find Its Way” being one of the best vocal house cuts I have heard in a number of years. Bruce Ivery returns with his second release on Stilove4music, “Things I Want”, which combines his editing talents with his minimal techno leanings for yet another excellent EP. I also came across a copy of Rahaan’s very first EP from way back in ’02, the R Music EP on Four Play Music. As you might expect, this is all about the sampling style house, taking deep disco loops and turning them into house bangers. There’s even a vocal track, though the best tunes on here are all on the A-side.

Moving on to Chicago related music, Chez Damier’s Balance Alliance continues its domination with two new releases. This untitled EP in conjunction with Revival Recordings features tunes from three different artists, with the East River Rituals’ “Goddess Of The Sea” as the highlight. A split 12″ that came out at the same time features a nice vocal track in Timnah Sommerfeltdt’s “Feel Me Up” as well as a deep late night jam on Adventures In Barcelona’s “No Doubt”.

Even though he is from Oakland, Aybee is known for his connections to Ron Trent via releases on Prescription and Future Vision. He has been doing things digitally for a minute, and his first vinyl release in years recently dropped on Underground Quality. Aybee’s three tracks are all spaced out deep minimal house, while Jus-Ed adds another similar sounding cut on the B-side.

Lerosa has been a busy man for us recently, dropping a bunch of ill mixes. I’ve mentioned most of his recent productions, but I want to chime in again on his collaboration with Donato Dozzy, “Snakes At Number 2”. Just about everything Leo has done is dope, but I find myself REALLY digging this one. Hopefully these guys will get together on some more tracks!

It’s probably been beaten into the ground by now, but I LOVE Four Tet’s “Love Cry”. It seems as though he really learned some things when working with Burial, as this is another dark and gritty house tune in a similar vein to the 12″ they did together last year.

Our man Walter Jones drops another ridiculous deep house/disco jam on this comp 12″ on Permanent Vacation. “I Am Loved” sounds a bit like classic Metro Area, with Walter’s tasteful musicianship evident all over but especially in that funky-ass bassline. The other two tracks on the 12″ are decent enough as well, though they can’t touch Walter’s cut.

Karizma’s rough and tumble production style can be hit or miss, but when he hits it is very dope. That’s the case with these remixes on the Illegal Leopard label. Taking big beautiful vocals and juxtaposing them with raw beats is what this is all about, especially on Musiq Soulchild’s “So Beautiful”.

Our man Speculator’s W.T. Records drops its third release, Entro Senestre’s “La Caccia”. No clue on the identity of the producer, though we have a few guesses here at ISM. Regardless, this is all about the old school production style of drum machines and synthesizers interacting to create beautiful electronic music. This is one of the wonderful crossover records that will find a home in the bag of techno, electro, and house deejays; really, anyone who likes that deep synthetic shit should be all over this.

As usual, there’s been a ton of dope Detroit related releases. Some of these have been reviewed everywhere already, so I’ll keep it really short!

Kyle Hall’s The Dirty Thouz EP is more of that fucked up hiphop influenced dance music that he is becoming well known for. Omar-S is back as Alex Smith with another ridiculous EP of goodness, including the dope vocal jam “Here With Me” featuring Diviniti. The re-release of his 002 also features a new cut! Scott Grooves brings it with a double pack called “Riddum Collection”, but these are not all just drum tracks. Jared Wilson’s 7777 Records is back with another EP of 707+303 trax, including a late 80’s style vocal jam “This Love” that wouldn’t sound out of place on old Ron Hardy tapes. Malik Pittman is back with a new EP for Fit which should be a little easier to obtain than Unirhythm Green, but which is also just as abstract and insane sounding. Reggie Dokes drops a new EP on Deep Explorer featuring two cuts from the early ’00s that were slated for Psychostasia. The originals are cool, but the Dubbyman mixes are pretty forgettable. Last but not least, Rick Wilhite’s EP on Stilove4music with Billy Lo on vocals is an absolute classic already. All cuts are dope, but the B1 is especially devastating. You must go buy this one right now if you like that Detroit style house music. Shit, if you just love good music, go get it RIGHT NOW.

In looking for cool re-edits, I finally gave the East End records a good listen and discovered that I fucking LOVE them. I’ve only picked up 4 so far, but they are all outstanding! I’m gonna try to get a bunch more, but in the meantime I can definitely recommend these:

Leroy Hutson “Feel the Spirit (’76)” – Awesome synth string-led disco soul music. This was originally an LP only cut, and both the full-sided pressing of that and Victor Rosado’s edit are dope in their own way.

Johnny Hammond “Los Conquistadores Chocolates” – Another album cut that was a dance classic at spots ranging from the Loft through to the Music Box. Awesome jazz-funk, again the edit is different and cool and just as playable.

Fatback Band “Going to See My Baby” – The short original LP-only cut is dope, but on this one it is all about the edit: 11 minutes of repetitive grooving soul music. Probably my favorite of the ones I have so far.

Teddy Pendergrass “The More I Get, The More I Want” – Another classic vocal PIR jam from one of the greatest to ever do it (RIP Teddy), but Rosado makes it over into a jazz-funk instrumental on his edit. Absolutely awesome.

On the digging tip, I finally found a Lenny White album I had been looking for since I heard Maurice Fulton drop the jam “The Ride” in a mix years ago. This cut is nothing less than one of the best boogie jams I have ever heard. Check out the video and salivate!

Well that’s the condensed version of my record buying in the last two months. I have a couple releases that I will mention in greater detail very soon, then another monster new records post once the things in the mail arrive!