In the latest installment of Rave New World, the impossibly heedful, ineffably excellent Antoin Lindsay & Aidan Hanratty delve into best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as various unmissable upcoming nights and releases.
Gigs
Ken & Ryu – EP Launch Party at The Menagerie, Belfast
Friday, February 6
James McConville AKA Ken & Ryu is launching his Fantasy Ink EP at The Menagerie tonight alongside Defcon, Jamie Nelson and Paul McCarthy. I reviewed the EP on these very pages and the party should be equally as enjoyable. AL
Twitch Present Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea at The Mandela Hall, Belfast
Saturday, February 7
I think it’s fair enough to speak on behalf of both Aidan and myself to say that this is the most exciting, even for us, since we started the column. Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea, in the event you don’t know already, are responsible for Hessle Audio, easily one of the most important dance labels of the last 10 years. Known for their penchant of bringing weirder and more obscure sounds to dancefloors, they also have an immeasurably influential radio show every week on Rinse FM and are all massive draws in their own right (Ben was listed voted 7th best DJ in the world in 2014 by RA readers). Their styles are all pretty differing from each other at this point but their back-to-back-to-back sets are an education on how how they can be strung together. We’ll see you down there. AL
Gary’s Gang presents: The Gary Off at The Sweeney Mongrel
Friday, February 6
Gary’s Gang put on riotous free parties in Dublin, bringing Call Super over for last year’s Christmas do. Tonight they’re engaging in what’s surely a foolhardy endeavour – and eight-man back-to-back night. Silly? Perhaps. Entertaining? Most likely. AH
The Building Society & Hangar presents: Greg Wilson at Hangar
Saturday, February 7
Tapemaster and edit king Greg Wilson is in town. Nuff said. Get down to his perfect Psycho Killer rework, just one of many examples of his wonderful touch. Mother’s Kelly-Anne Byrne is on support. AH
Tracks
Hysterics – ‘Empty’ [Night Slugs]
I had, up to this point, been unconvinced of GIRL UNIT’s work under his Hysterics pseudonym. His Club Rez EP is right up there with my all time favourites and his IRL EP was my introduction to Night Slugs, a label I have a long-standing love affair with. But his first release as Hysterics Club Constructions Vol 5 was probably the weakest of the series. However with ‘Empty’ he’s made a chilled out house jam that’s still got that Night Slugs ethos which demands keeping things fresh. He’s back to creating whole new worlds with his textures and I’m back to having every confidence in him again. AL
Daniel Avery – ‘Simulrec (Conforce Remix)’ [Phantasy]
Part of a massive remix project which is being carried out on Daniel Avery’s Drone Logic album which will see a double LP of reworks of one of 2013’s highlights. We’ve been getting odd tracks over the last week and this is the third remix, by my count, that Avery’s put up on. This one’s from Italian electro and techno man Conforce. It’s a late-night stomper and spices up on of the more average tracks on the album. AL
KABLAM – ‘CLOSE(D)’
KABLAM is part of the Berlin-based Janus crew, home to M.E.S.H. and Lotic, among others. This track features scattered claps, rolling kicks and oh-so dramatic strings, all while a chilling wind blows beneath. File alongside the ever-growing pile of hypothetical club constructions. AH
‘D.Tiffany’ – The Genero EP
Canadian producer D. Tiffany, who also goes by Xophie Xweetland (or Sophie Sweetland), has released on a few labels, including the relatively mysterious CACAO and label of the moment 1080p. This release is the second on Genero, a project geared towards advancing the work and presence of women in electronic music. A late-night ride through fuzzy yet energetic club music, it’s pretty self-explanatory, with titles like ‘muddy’, ‘midnight getaway’ and ‘5 hour chill out mix’ to name but a few. AH
Releases + Mixes
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – A Year With 13 Moons [Mexican Summer]
I am so, so glad people are finally picking up on Jefre Cantu-Ledesma because he’s been making absolutely gorgeous music at a fairly prolific rate for years. If you’re a fan of the likes of Tim Hecker and Belong then this is absolutely essential. Cantu-Ledesma makes beautiful warm drone music and, to me, is a high watermark of the genre. A Year With 13 Moons is right up there with his best and you should absolutely allow this to suck you in. AL
Leif – Truancy Volume 109
I might be cheating a bit here since I’m pretty much the reason this mix came about, but I set it up for a reason. Leif’s mixes are always a total pleasure and, in a way, he’s still rather unsung. With this he slows down techno, speeds up trip-hop and throws in some house to make a triumphantly understated and deep mix. AL
Rinse FM Podcast – DJRum – January 29 2015
DjRum (pronounced Drum) is known for his epic, cinematic productions (most famously his Mountains series on 2nd Drop), and this two-hour mix perfectly captures his wide-ranging approach. Moving between soundtracks, jungle, trip-hop and techno in an unfathomably seamless manner, he really shows his chops here. To my knowledge he’s only played Ireland once – Limerick, two years ago – so it’s about time someone got him back here. AH
Cignol/Stellar Mass – Scan Transfer EP (SR003)
The opening tracks of this split release on the rather fine Seagrave label come from Dublin-based Cignol. Other-worldly techno tunes underpinned by some classic electro drum machines bristle with spine-tingling energy. Stellar Mass, the alias of Bristol’s Ollie Hall, provides some more oblique soundscapes, all abstract industrial clank and sinister murk. AH
