Articles
Spotlight 10
Ten Favourite Labels 2013

Albums
52 Commercial Road
Chantal Acda
David Åhlén
Daniel Bortz
Peter Broderick
Brass Mask
bvdub / bvdub & loscil
Colorlist
Dale Cooper Quartet
Cuushe
Jack Dangers
Deco
Deetron
DFRNT
Egbert
The Foreign Exchange
Nils Frahm
Bjarni Gunnarsson
Robert Haigh
Marihiko Hara & Polar M
John Heckle
Arve Henriksen
Joy Wellboy
Kaboom Karavan
KILN
Land of Kush
Jessy Lanza
Last Days
L.B. Dub Corp
Lights Dim with Gallery Six
Livity Sound
Moskitoo
MUfi.re
Oddisee
Om Unit
Ø [Phase]
Raudive
Matana Roberts
Sakamoto + Deupree
Secret Pyramid
Quentin Sirjacq
Sleeper
Sonicbrat
Special Request
Stratosphere & Serries
Thisquietarmy
Ricardo Tobar
Tom Trago

Compilations / Mixes
Foundland
In The Dark
Mathias Kaden

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Anduin
Anile / Lm1 & Kharm
Cursa
Gerwin & Nuage ft. 2Shy
Hessien
Jon McMillion
Miaou

CD-Vinyl-DVD
Seaman and Tattered Sail

Anile / Lm1 & Kharm: Naibu Remix
Absys Records

Gerwin & Nuage ft. 2Shy: Lying Portraits (Zero T Reprint) / Soul Truth (Bungle Remix)
IM:LTD

The mighty IM:LTD returns, this time with a remix treatment of Gerwin's earlier single release, which backed “Lying Portraits” with “Soul Truth” and featured the contributions of collaborator Nuage and vocalist 2Shy (on “Lying Portraits”). On the new release, Irish producer Zero T beefs up the elegant, jazz-inflected arrangement in “Lying Portraits” with a rolling groove the primary animating force, though a wave of sweeping synths also adds to the tune's forward thrust. As punchy as the groove is, it's not so dominant that the flute, Rhodes, strings, horns, and percussion elements threaded through the original are obscured as a result. Even better is Brazilian producer Bungle's incredible “Soul Truth” makeover, which recasts Gerwin's original as an epic dynamo whose high-velocity pulse receives a beautiful charge from well-placed percussion accents and a soaring vocal (“It's just me and you we'll fly”). If a six-minute B-side ever qualified for time capsule status, this one's definitely a candidate.

On a slightly dreamier tip is the latest twelve-inch vinyl single from Absys Records, which pairs the warm flow of Anile's “View Catcher” with a harder-hitting remix by Naibu of LM1 & Kharm's “Inversion.”Anile's cut inches into position languorously, taking in the warm splendour of the early morn before leaping forth with a luscious Calibre-esque pulse of piano sprinkles, acoustic bass, and steamy beatsmithing. The vibe is spacious and free-flowing, and the music breezy and organic on this sinuous and seductive spellbinder. Originally issued in 2008, LM1 & Kharm's “Inversion” receives a punchy beatdown from Naibu, with a clattering drum pulse and gurgling bass line a dark low-end to bright synthesizer atmospherics that grow to positively incandescent proportions during a galaxial breakdown. It's high-quality material on both counts.

November 2013