Records: Future Times, Automatic Tasty. Gig bizness.

This weekend sees the rest of the world pretend to be Irish while we just act the same as we do every other weekend with the added bonus of having the Monday off. That means, of course, that it’s St Patrick’s Day, which falls on the Saturday. It usually means it’s a fairly hectic weekend for gig action around the country but things are a lil quiet this year. With the exception of Moodymann on  Sunday the 18th in Dublin there isn’t a whole lot going on, unless you count producer has-been and dj never-was Joey Beltram on Paddy’s eve. For those out west in Galway City myself and Ger Z will be providing the disco and house bizness in the Beirhaus on the Sunday which is free in. Neither of us  can lay claim to having the charisma or back catalogue of Kenny Dixon Jr but we can mix records better, so pop in if yer knocking about…

Unknown Artist – Planetary

For future referencing there probably isn’t a worse time to talk about the details of music than after a few drinks and spliff in a club. Somewhere buried in my brain is more information on the latest release from Future Times given to me by Beautiful Swimmer’s Max, during his recent trip to Dublin. ‘Cause yer gonna get nothing from the vinyl which is a one-sided white label with no plans for a full follow up release. They’ve chosen to keep the artist secret and there is no real clues in the production to who it would be either. I believe it’s an extended edit of an Italian house track with maybe something else added to it, my memory is vague (and could be completely fooling me).

Stylistically it’s a bit of a side step for Future Times but is still imbued with their sense of fun and party and if you’ve seen the Swimmers dj it isn’t really that surprising of a release as the guys tend to drop a bunch of pop-house cuts. Also they offer some other edits on their website. It’s got a strong 90s feel to it and is also a lil bit reminiscent of those uplifting Happy Records cuts from way back when, carried along by , er, pumping kicks and claps with winding keys leading off the cut before a crisp bass eventually drops and bright strings hang around in the background. It may not appeal to those who prefer their house a bit deeper and moodier and the vocoder’d message that “this is from another planet, have no fear, we are your friends” could be a divider but it’s insousciant mood is a cool contrast to so much plodding deep house that is flooding the airwaves in 2012. If you’re already a fan of Future Times and their artists you should be able to find room for it in your bag, but I wouldn’t sleep, it’s a pretty limited release…

Automatic Tasty – Strange Terrain / Fieldwork

Just over 18 months ago one of my favourite tracks from the last few years, “I Can See Your House From Here” by Wicklow bumpkin Automatic Tasty appeared on his debut Ep for Dublin’s Lunar Disko. His follow up  for the label also works as the landmark 10th release  as he returns here on 2 seperate releases; the 12″ Strange Terrain and 10″ Fieldwork.

Listening to Tasty’s work it’s not much of a surprise to learn that this is not a man who busys himself with city life as there is often an etheral near folksy bent to some of his music. It also comes as no surprise that this will also lead to comparisons to that most famous of techno bog-hoppers, Aphex Twin.  When Richard D James was at his most wistful and tuneful he would also evoke images of long summer evenings and care-free, if psychadelic, country living, not an image one often associates with such supposedly modern and urban music. This can be a double-edged sword for Tasty, as on the Strange Terrain opener Beannach Mor (following the hilarious and self depreciating skit, Keep Your Reciept) he veers that too close to coming off as Afx-lite.  Over The Hill on the other hand sees him melding those colourful melodic twists and turns with his own hi-octane drums and 101 bass, with a thrilling main hook bringing the 12″ fully to life.

Tropic Exchange on the B-side is the high-light of the double release, another energetic, psychedelic clump of acid house. What underlines a lot of Tasty’s work is his songwriting craftsmanship. His best work often manages to work well as both stand along songs and rush-inducing dancefloor killers that a smart dj can utilise pretty easily. A lot of my favourite music often lands itself in that contradictory position of being both uplifting yet melancholic, and Tropic Exchange gets this spot on.

The Field Work 10″ is a small concept peice which is firmly stamped with the authors love of slow paced country living while once again seeing Afx as it’s most inspiring light. He wins the battle of stamping his own trademark over the notable James influences on this quietly unique Ep which invites the listener to sit back and put their feet up. After so many years of James’ complex and sometimes punishing rhythmic forms being the inspiritation for so many producers it’s also a nice turn to see that authors unique approach to euphony being the catapult for someone’s work. The four tracks work as morning/day/evening/night compositions, though don’t expect that cometh night time, cometh the dance, with In the Day being the most upbeat of the 4. They are for the most part, gentle, quirky electronica.