mixes, part two

back, with another assemblage of sounds that have been recently rocking my world:

hubble - live at club der visionäre, september 2011 a relative oldie, but goodie nonetheless, and proof that the approach heard in hubble's studio mixes isn't too different from his 'live' jams. behold, a two-hour long trip through deep techno soundscapes filled with strange strands of melancholy... lovely!

surgeon - live at berghain, april 4th 2012 not only is surgeon a damn fine producer and dj, he's also a generous guy who often shares his sets. here, he offers up a recording of a recent three-hour set at berghain in berlin. wide-ranging but always hard-hitting, the mix launches out of a dubwise groove into one of surgeon's own tracks, and included amongst the ensuing maelstrom is material from his excellent breaking the frame LP - one of my favorite albums from last year, if you recall. the above link goes to surgeon's blog, which is definitely worth a peek. go to soundcloud for a stream and extra download link.

gianluca meloni - only for robots 011 a typically mind-screwing set from one half of modern heads, for a fellow chicago techno defender, don't trust humans. some of you may remember my review of gianluca's outis record at RA last month - this mix thrusts forth with his original version before moving into a blissful outro. very nice!

juho kahilainen - workhorses in winter a set of mix tips wouldn't be complete without one from an anatomy alum... like his anatomy mix from way back then, this one shows off juho's eclectic tastes, from deep and dubby house into acid and raw techno, etc, and back into some airy house jams to finish. give into the funk...

that's all for now, but one final note for the chicago heads (in particular the far north siders) - come see m50 and lokua at morseland tomorrow night!

anatomy 14 - modern heads

(click on image to enhance)

the final chapter of 'stroboscopic artefacts anatomized' comes from modern heads, who have been weaving deep, dark strands of techno for five years via labels like elettronica romana, dozzy records and prologue as well as on SA, including one of my favorite tracks from last year. up until recently, modern heads was a collaboration between two italian producers, dino sabatini and gianluca meloni. now, with gianluca still living in italy and focusing on his new notfromearth concept, modern heads is primarily dino's project, based in berlin. tracks and sketches from both producers feature in this anatomy mix, which builds to a curiously blissful 'peak' before the set recedes back into darkness.

Aria # 1 – Dino Sabatini
Sense of Latent Power – Jana Winderen
A1 – Nuel
The Origin Soundscape – Notfromearth
Untitled – Gianluca Meloni
Nocturnal – Dino Sabatini & Donato Dozzy
Telectro – Philus
Plastic star – Byetone
Confusion 2 – Leo Anibaldi
Step 2 – Dino Sabatini
Gliding hipnotic vers. – Modern Heads
Untitled – Modern Heads
First Contact – Robert Henke
Cantazzo – Jeff Mills
Slow Ice, Old Moon – Brian Eno
Introspective Intelligence – Rossella
Das Zahnrad – Claudio PRC & Svart1



as we bring this 'SA anatomized' project to a close, i just wanted to say thank you to lucy and the entire stroboscopic artefacts crew for joining in the fun here, and i hope everyone is enjoying the sounds that xhin, perc, dadub and modern heads have shared with us. the anatomy series is going to go on vacation for a bit to give everyone time to digest these mixes... so please, enjoy!

more late-night jams

mathew jonson's pummeling 2.5+ hour live set last night at smartbar took my legs away tonight so i'm staying in and listening to these mixes...

appleblim - apple pips label showcase @ mary anne hobbs experimental show 2009-12-17
as one of the heads of the now-defunct skull disco imprint, laurie osborne, aka appleblim, has made a name for himself carving out deep cuts of militant, tribal dubstep and bass music. here he showcases the sound of his new(er) label, apple pips. compared to skull disco, this material seems a bit lighter and more playful, but still has the depth of appleblim's previous works. nice little 30-minute set... tune in, and hop over to appleblim's myspace for some more info.

matthias tanzmann - CLR podcast 051 2010-02-15
here's a heater from a smilecoldanatomy favorite. if you're familiar with tanzmann and his moon harbour label (which celebrates 10 years of operation in 2010), you might know the drill: super repetitive, hypnotic house with some vocals/spoken-word passages and a touch of funky, soulful swagger. i could gripe about chris liebing's brief interruptions, or the fact that this sounds like it should have lasted longer... but it's still a very good mix. dance over to the CLR podcast page for more info/tracklisting and other mixes, and the moon harbour myspace for more sexiness.

modern heads - process part 184
part of the modyfier blog's mini-showcase of the prologue imprint, this mix comes courtesy of dino sabatini and gianluca meloni, aka modern heads. it's prologue, so of course it's gonna be deeply rhythmic and atmospheric. lots of dubby droning chords on this one... something to turn on and just let it wash over you. you can find the musicians' thoughts and a tracklisting for this mix at the modyfier blog.

so - a little bit of dubstep, some sexy house music, and a thick slab of deep techno... enjoy!

prologue portefuille one (2009, prologue)

recently i discussed richie hawtin's plastikman project. one big reason why i like plastikman is that even though it is very minimal, he usually has some drawn out atmospheric noise in the background to settle the music within a deep, disturbing atmosphere.

during the past few months, due to some mnml ssg mixes and an RA label of the month spotlight, i've been attempting to wrap my brain around the concept of 'headfuck techno,' and i think i'm finally getting it. from the munich, germany-based label prologue comes the EP, prologue portefuille one, a trio of tracks that are definitely exemplary of a new, futuristic sound that harkens back to the simplistic subleties of plastikman, 15 years ago.

on this EP are three producers - gianluca meloni, claudio prc, and obtane - whom i had never heard of before, and each one puts forth a lengthy, hypnotic epic that focuses almost entirely on rhythm. busy drumlines phase in and out as rhythmic acid melodies gradually transform and solidify, all under a dark atmosphere that sounds like an icey wind, or a steady inhale or exhale of breath. there's not much else to these tracks, barely even a semblance of melody, but what's there carries so much depth.

this is an amazing record, one that rewards patient, introspective listening on good headphones or a nicely controlled, enclosed soundsystem. prologue's take on minimalist electronic music is refreshing and exciting; the label is barely a year old, and i can't help but think that big things are in store for these guys...