Sven Laux – Mud Up, Mud Down

Deep House & Techno, House, IDM, TechHouse, Techno & Detroit // By: simiolioliocloseAuthor: simioliolio Email: simon@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (40) // 08/03/2013 // No Comments

This chirpy little number is about as tight as glitchy microhouse can possibly get.

Mud Up, a sweating leather bag of broken paper clips, leaking from the bottom. Squelchy and mischievous. Clicky and clattering, yet soft and bouncy. From a distance, I would guess that it was Akufen, especially the barely audible vocal cuts, enveloped right down to barely a microscopic transient. Intricate, quirky, and intense, with the hihats clambering all over each other, fighting for groove supremacy.

Mud Down, a little darker, perhaps a seething duffle bag of drawing pins. The groove on this track is immense. Skitting and swaying like a cornered fox. It is the sound that 39 atoms make when you get a mic close enough. I like the subtly evolving textures, and the kick drum is so sick. Well, all of the sounds in this release are beautifully clear and edgy. I love the very occasional arrival of the bit crushed snare.

Mud Down (The Coffee Boy ft. Vocal Matador Remix), starts weakly, but finds its feet very well. The offbeat hihat compliments  Sven’s two original tracks; the 808/909 type hihat (and the claps) stick out as a little generic when compared to the original, which incorporates such a finely tuned individuality. Only for a minute or two, as the track builds very wonderfully indeed, and before long had my head moving, quite violently in fact. The crowd samples are crazy; I can’t wait to play this in a club…

Mud Down (Tone Def’s Mud Down and Out Mix), back to the space-glitches, starting with a metronomic hihat. Initially the bass part which arrives is not to my liking; at first, the pentatonic / ‘blues scale’ seems a little out of place as a remix for a track which dives so far into the sonic world and leaves average musicality behind. Perhaps this was the idea, forming some sort of balance. However, the drop in the middle came with a moment of clarity. There is something rather admirable about that weak bassline, which I only noticed when it had gone. As it comes charging back in (very expertly I might add), I was shocked at how much I missed it.

Microhouse? Is it even a genre?! It still perplexes me how this music can possibly fit into music society. Too minimal for a successful club night. Too mind-numbing for an evening listen. Too subtle for casual headphone listening. Too hectic to relax to. Yet there is something quite fantastic about it. Would you agree?

Sven Laux – Mud Up

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Stefano Rocchi – Spanish Madness

Acid, Deep House & Techno, TechHouse, Techno & Detroit // By: simiolioliocloseAuthor: simioliolio Email: simon@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (40) // 22/10/2012 // No Comments

‘Tech House’ is a term that I have never been that fond of. At what point does ‘House’ become ‘Tech House’ ? When the purpose of the tune is to dazzle a listener with detail, rather than supply a decent soundtrack to a club experience? In any case, the netlabel Ephedrina released a great ‘Tech House’ release a few months ago, and I just couldn’t let this one slip under the radar.

“STEFANO ROCCHI is back from his personal SpanishTrip and this is what he has heard, what he has felt and what he wants to tell you in the second Episode on Ephedrina Netlabel.”

A fairly confusing blurb, but you get the picture. It seems this release is the result of a traveling experience by the artist Stefano Rocchi, and it is his second release on this eclectic label. Information about this artist is limited to say the least. If the same Stefano Rocchi has this Soundcloud account, then I know that a) he has a fairly bushy beard, and b) is modestly not uploading any material! [edit: turns out the real Stefano Rocchi uses this soundcloud]

This release is a great blend of originality and diversity. A lot of it reminds of me Orbital; mellow and squelchy, with a lot of light-hearted analogue elements. However the tint this artist adds to an already-well-established and now-somewhat-dated sound kept my ears pricked up. It is simple, repetitive, and a little mind-numbing, but if you like that sort of thing, this is right up your street.

‘Nascimiento’ has a surprisingly tetchy introduction, when the regular thumping expected from a house album doesn’t quite get off the ground until just the right time, amidst a joyous bassline. ‘Hidden Key’ is by far my favourite, with velvety vocal chops and and a quirky simplicity. A plunge back to the acid techno era with the aptly named ‘Acid Arena’. Not so sure about ‘Mi Erasmus’, a little too confusing for my liking, and ‘Why say you’ was bizarre and gave me bad dreams.

In places it is a little dry, and with so much soul being thrust into music with seamless technical ability these days, it is hard not to identify this as a turn-off. And if it has been done before, this is not going to revolutionize electronic music culture or be regarded as a valuable contribution to the music scene. However, that doesn’t matter too much. Stefano has made a great album. It is crisp and clear, conforms to the toe-tapping and technique-fueled nature of the genre, and has him well lined up for spreading his ambitions and taking his sound as far as he is willing to. Perhaps a journey further afield than Spain is required by this artist (see quote above), before we get to hear a more crazy side to this artist!

Stefano Rocchi – Hidden Key

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Thefft – The Primer EP [CUT007]

Audio, Dubstep & Garage, Instrumental, Minimal, TechHouse // By: simiolioliocloseAuthor: simioliolio Email: simon@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (40) // 22/12/2011 // 10 Comments

Cut is a very new label. They have been going for nearly a year, and release deep, emotional electronica which is contributory to the post-dubstep and future garage movements. They have a handful of releases so far (five of which we have already reviewed), and the quality is outstanding. It is hard for a netlabel to carefully define their sound, and more importantly, to stick to it. It’s so easy to say yes to every submission, and end up with a huge catalogue spanning a wide range of styles. With Cut, there is a distinct consistency and solid foundation to the style of their releases. For new netlabels, I think this is extremely important, as it allows you to stick out above the sea of other labels out there.

Snappy and polished production, dance floor friendly, beautiful textures, wonderful musical content, and an enlightening experience. As I listen to this three-track EP, it makes me feel privileged to hear it, something which only a handful of artists have managed to achieve. Thefft seems to effortlessly bound around between techno, garage and dubstep whilst maintaining an exceptional flow.

The choice of synth sounds and samples is very original, and a delight to hear. On ‘Gammy Crazy’, the super-wide tones first heard at 1:22 have an almost cheeky element to them. This unconventional sound has allowed Thefft to flood this distinctive track with character and personality. Now I have heard it twice, I don’t think I will ever forget it, and that is a big sign of success. ‘No Match For She’ has some fantastic synth work on it too, and the expert use of reverb and delay gives the track a mesmerizing and addictive depth.

‘Stares’ scared me at first, as the beautiful melodic quality of the first two tracks was suddenly absent at the beginning. However, the delicate pad at 1:40 ends the drought with fine style. Then a funky four-to-the-floor digresses into a bizarre almost-atonal journey, with sporadic life-like chords scrambling the suggestion of monotony.

The tracks are short, and could be a great deal longer. But with modern looping techniques in DJ software, this is how it should be. The ep is a fine example of modern music done properly. Abiding by convention just enough to reach an eager audience, but demonstrating and delivering your own unique style to impress and innovate. Cut records we salute you, again.

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