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.
GIGS
Twitch Present Motor City Drum Ensemble b2b Antal at Mandela Hall, Belfast
Saturday, May 16
Twitch are on a roll recently and this weekend they’re bringing back two of the best DJs they had last year. Motor City Drum Ensemble is one of the finest selectors of disco and house you’ll find and I still regularly bring up Antal’s set at Twitch last year as being one of the best I witnessed all year. Put the two together and you should be getting something very, very special. AL
AESC Present Harri & Domenic at Aether & Echo, Belfast
Saturday, May 16
Sub Club residents Harri & Domenic have been round for an eternity and anyone who’s caught them playing in the Glasgow club knows why they’ve managed to become such legends in the city. Expect some enjoyable selections of house and techno at Aether, they have a reputation for a reason y’know. AL
MUD: Bodytonic & Bedlam present Hannah Wants at The Twisted Pepper
Friday, May 15
Prepare for smooth and polished house grooves in abundance tonight, as Radio 1’s Hannah Wants comes to MUD. Named Mixmag’s Star of the Year for 2014, she may not be the most underground choice for this column, but it’ll sure be fun. AH
Hidden Agenda & Palisade present: JAM CITY [LIVE] + Soil Creep + Palisade DJs
Saturday, May 16
We’re surprised this hasn’t sold out. Jam City (above) in a 100-person room – you’d be mad not to. Following his scene-defining debut Classical Curves with a dramatic shift into the realm of fuzzy shoegaze pop was probably the last thing anyone might have expected for this member of the Night Slugs crew, but Classical Curves 2 would have been a bit safe. Reports on his shows, since Unsound last year, have been mixed, but it’s such an intriguing prospect that we’re sure to be there. Expect a report soon. AH
TRACKS
Keita Sano – Sweet Bitter Love (Spring Theory)
Japanese producer Keita Sano is behind the next release on Avalon Emerson’s Spring Theory label. The title track is taut and cavernous, its live drum samples rattling and clanking under sporadic guitar samples that would sound at home on a Let’s Play House! release. Fittingly, LPH man Jacques Renault pops up to remix ‘Once I Found A Diamond’. Dope stuff all round. AH
DJ Guy – Basf Ferro EP (Cejero)
DJ Guy has untold riches in the vaults. This is a release for Danish label Cejero, and while the tracks don’t sound a world away from his archive-plundering releases for All Caps and Crisis Urbana, the quality is just as high. There’s a release that’s been forthcoming on NORD for I don’t know how long, I can’t wait for that one either. AH
Stellar OM Source – Sudden
That new Stellar Om Source on RVNG AKA one of the strongest labels of the last few years? I can’t bloody wait for it. ‘Sudden’ is a taster of Stellar Om Source’s new EP Nite-Glo which suggests it’s going to be pretty special. It’s the first new material from her since her incredible Joy One Mile album a few years back so I’m incredibly excited. She’s gone more acid and more techno than ever before, and I absolutely love it. AL
Japa Habilidoso – Funk Do Sindicalismo [Future Times]
Some wonderfully wild stuff on Future Times from Brazilian producer Japa Habilidoso. It’s like a cross between something you’d get released on Principe or L.I.E.S with punky guitar samples and a whirlwind drum pattern. Supremely raw and singular from someone I hope to hear more of. AL
MIXES/RELEASES
Dasha Rush – “KIDS DO NOT MIND” just for fun techno with my son 🙂
Russian producer and DJ Dasha Rush shared this playful number – a gentle main riff and crisp percussion lead the way, colliding with baby vocals and acid glob. Just for fun! AH
Best Available Technology – Tape 02 Section 05 (Astro:Dynamics)
More old tracks resurface here, as BAT drops a second round of Excavated Tapes from 92-99 for Astro:Dynamics. This dubby affair closes the release, which is brimming with ideas and sounds that sound futuristic even today. This one is dubby and jerky, like an 8bit cookout. I’m into it. AH
Hi & Saberhagen – THUMP mix
An excellent mix from the Glasgow (via Derry) duo Hi & Saberhagen. They’ve got a forthcoming release on Huntleys + Palmers which has been spun by none other than the likes of Joy Orbison recently, so they’re definitely ones to watch. It’s a glorious trip of satisfying club beats with sounds from all across the electronic spectrum, don’t sleep on it. AL
Paula Temple at Bloc Weekender 2015
A few weeks ago Paula Temple delivered a cracking mix for Resident Advisor. If that’s not enough to satisfy you, she’s uploaded her set from Bloc. Festival which took place a few months back. Being a club set, it’s pretty relentless and it was apparently one of the highlights of the festival. Hearing just how good this is, I can’t imagine how there could’ve been many better. AL
