In the grand second weekly installment of Rave New World, Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty delve into very best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as unmissable upcoming nights and releases over the festive period.
Gigs
The Respected Beggars Present: Dego with Kaidi @ The Menagerie, Belfast – Friday December 19
Get down to The Menagerie tonight for The Respected Beggars’ Christmas party where they’re having Dego and Kaidi provide vibes all night. Dego is probably best known as being one half of the legendary 4Hero and hasn’t played in Belfast since 1991, so this should be a special one. He’ll be joined by collaborator and familiar face around Belfast, Kaidi, who he released a single with earlier in the year on the fantastic Eglo Records. Support and energy comes from the ever enjoyable Jamie Nelson. AL
Moth Present: Kerri Chandler and Art Department @ Ulster Hall, Belfast – Saturday December 20
A true stalwart of deep house, Kerri Chandler is justifiably one of the biggest global propagators of the sound since he emerged in the early 90s. He’s managed to continue boosting his profile over the last couple of years by wheeling out the new alongside the classics he’s known for, so he’s as familiar with a new generation of dance fans as well as the previous few. Moth also have tech house stars Art Department who are touring their Natural Selection album and will surely bring a slice of Ibiza to chilly Belfast. Support from Dale Hooks, Timmy Stewart, Jordan and Twitch. AL
Hidden Agenda: Daniel Avery & Legowelt @ Opium Rooms, Dublin – Saturday, December 20
It’s Legowelt, live. Need I go on? Oh, Daniel Avery’s playing too? Game over. Legowelt is that stunningly prolific Dutch producer who could fill a football field with his aliases. His sound is spookily inspired by the occult and UFOs alike, yet still is brimful with funk and groove and musicality. Daniel Avery, meanwhile, is the next Erol Alkan, a DJ who can play muscular grooves and big-room tunes without ever opting for lowest-common denominator drivel. If you’re a fan of his monthly Rinse show you’d be a fool to miss this one. AH
Subject at Pogo – Steffi & Virginia @ The Twisted Pepper, Dublin – Saturday, December 27
It’s a Panorama special at Pogo, as these two residents at the world’s best club™ come to town. What better excuse do you need to escape the in-laws? Steffi is fresh from the release of her beautifully crafted Power of Anonymity album, moving effortlessly between different modes of electro and house. She graced the Essential Mix just a few weeks ago, so you can get a taste for what you might hear across its two hours. Fellow Panorama Bar resident Virginia, with whom Steffi collaborated on Anonymity’s Treasure Seeking, is also in town. AH
Tracks
Klaus – Delta [Tanum Records]
I’m not really sure how, but Klaus still remains one of the UK’s most underappreciated entities. He’s released on R&S, featured on Hessle Audio’s Rinse FM show and put out arguably the best mix of last year in Blowing Up The Workshop 23 yet still seems to pass by without causing much of a hype. Anyone familiar with him will attest that he’s a master of delicateness and ‘Delta’ is no different, creating a kind of unique floating intensity in a period where there is a glut of ambient being released making it especially difficult to stand out. AL
Soichi Terada – CPM [Rush Hour]
Amsterdam-based Japanese producer and DJ Hunee has put together Soichi Terada Presents Sounds From The Far East, a compilation of tracks highlighting the keypoints of Terada’s Far East label. Pressed in limited quantities, many of the label’s releases have gone into the spirals of Discogs hell, so this is a welcome arrival. ‘CPM’ is a glorious piano house jam, featuring classic vocals from Jinny and Gwen Guthrie alongside cascading riffs and indigenous sounds, giving it that eastern touch. It’s a beautiful thing, and we can’t wait to hear the rest of the comp. AH
A.G. Cook & Oneohtrix Point Never – Bubs
Like it or not A.G. Cook’s PC Music has been omnipresent in 2014 with millions of words spilled on internet spaces of all kinds with people arguing whether their music is genius or downright awful. Personally, I feel it veers between the two and, thankfully, Cook’s collaboration with electronic music royalty veers more towards the former. It pretty much sounds exactly as you’d expect it with Cook’s signatory gloss and sheen and OPN’s mastery in creating works of art from pastiche-y sounds peeping through underneath. Although that’s just my take on it, you may well hate it. Only one way to find out! AL
DJ Double Nugget – Dance Floor
LuckyMe put out an advent calendar of goodies each December, and this track, from the filthily named DJ Double Nugget, is one of our favourites so far. Doing for Roger Troutman what Kanye did for Luther Vandross, Double Nugget speeds up this 80s boogie jam to ghettotech tempo for maximum silliness. It’s hugely enjoyable, and that’s what really matters. But who the hell is DJ Double Nugget?! AH
Releases & Mixes
Kokum/SZO – Splt [Farbwechsel]
It’s mid-December and people are still putting out music?! Come on son. Farbwechsel is a Romanian label run by Alpár and Stephan Olbricht, the latter of Opal Tapes and Gang Of Ducks fame. They recently put out Office Of Public Works, a tape by Irish producer Frank Sweeney, operating as Sias. Their latest release showcases two fresh Romanian producers, with two wildly different approaches. Kokum’s sound is all throbbing noise, free-form darkness and post-punk-meets-EBM robotic vocals. SZO on the other hand opts for a gracefully delicate take on house and techno, deft touches and soft claps shrouded in fog and haze. Ones to watch, perhaps. AH
Shackleton – Deliverance Series No. 2 [Woe To The Septic Heart]
Believe it or not, this is Shackleton’s third release this year (after Freezing Opening Thawing and the first installment in the Deliverance Series) which is clearly a fantastic thing. What’s not so fantastic is that so many year-end lists have been overlooking him and at the moment he’s as strong as, if not stronger, than he ever has been. It may only be two tracks long but Deliverance Series No. 2 clocks in at over twenty minutes and continues Shackleton’s gradual shift away from his relentless deepness towards a more fluid and rhythmic sound. It’s still undeniably Shackleton though as he continues to cement his place in being the most singular and inimitable artist in dance music right now. AL
Felix K – Juno Plus Podcast 102
After dropping one of 2013’s highlights in the drum and bass tinged dub techno album Flowers of Destruction, not much has been heard from Felix K, so having his succinctly named ‘Zusammenstellung von Musikwerken In Zwei Teilen’ mix appear this week on Juno Plus was a delightful surprise. The first half of the mix is filled with absorbing subaquatic dubbiness synonymous with Porter Ricks and Basic Channel with Felix’s signature dnb flirtations, while the second half moves into more straight up dancefloor friendly techno. The whole thing is decidedly greyscale so this one really couldn’t have dropped at a more appropriate time of the year. AL
Shanti Celeste – 12th December 2014 By NTS Radio
Shanti Celeste is a Bristol-based DJ and producer who’s had a pretty great year. She dropped two records, one on Idle Hands and another on Julio Bashmore’s Broadwalk, contributed a thoroughly ebullient Resident Advisor podcast in September and even managed to fit in a trip to this island to play Electric Picnic. To top it all off, she’s now got a monthly radio show on Rinse FM, the first of which we share here. Just like her sets, it’s a joyful excursion through seriously jamming house and techno, with classics from Pepe Bradock and Drexciya alongside newer cuts from fellow Bristolians Outboxx and Rhythmic Theory, to name but a few. Vibes for days. AH
Shanti Celeste – 12th December 2014 by Nts Radio on Mixcloud
