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Compilations / Mixes
#100
Best of Poker Flat 2013
Evolution of the Giraffe
Danny Howells
Missing Fragments

EPs / Cassettes / Mini-Albums / Singles
Richard J. Birkin
DJ Bone
Cernlab
Akira Kosemura
Fabrice Lig
Lilies on Mars
Mako
Nian Dub
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Solenoid
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ujif_notfound
Voyager

DJ Bone: A Larger Orbit
Subject Detroit Records

Fabrice Lig: Hmong Dignity EP
Subject Detroit Records

“Hmong Dignity,” the lead cut on Fabrice Lig's Subject Detroit debut outing, has got to be one of the most exuberant cuts to have graced textura's turntable in recent memory. For this twenty-two-minute EP, the Belgian techno producer's own version is supplemented with equally effervescent remixes by Aaron-Carl and DJ Bone. Powered by a high-velocity bounce, Lig's “Club Mix” sprints from the gate before its signature element, an irrepressibly squiggly synth motif, makes its first appearance at the one-minute mark. Other elements appear in turn, among them synth washes, organ stabs, funk guitar shadings, and thudding bass figures, without any one slowing the tune's momentum or dampening its blithe spirit. A joyous and resplendent banger it assuredly is and one whose energy never flags during its nine-minute run. On the B-side, Aaron-Carl recasts it as a dub-wise swinger without sacrificing any of the original's high-energy vibe or its wiry synth motif, and elements of acid-funk and even Afrobeat seem to work their way into its wide-ranging arrangement along the way. DJ Bone cuts to the chase with a straight-up techno-funk treatment that delivers no small amount of slink and thrust in its rhythm attack whilst also doubling up in the synth squiggle department.

Speaking of Bone, the Subject Detroit head also has a collection of new material on offer, this one an EP of equal duration to Lig's but featuring three originals as opposed to one. “What He Said” kicks off A Larger Orbit with a thudding bass-powered groove and a swirl of looped vocal utterances of the track title for additional texture. When the vocal briefly drops out, squelchy synth stabs surface before the vocal returns, this time accompanied by layers of sizzling hi-hats to amplify the delirium. On a slightly different tip, “I Do” lunges forward with a relentless house-powered swing that's so singularly focused it calls to mind Robert Hood's Floorplay material. A mid-track breakdown allows ghostly stabs and murmuring voices (the track's title looped to dizzying effect) to become more audible, but the moment's over quickly when the groove barrels back in. “I Do” is a natural lead-in to the nine-minute house anthem “Rhythm, Soul, Funk,” given the latter's like-minded handling of frenzied vocal loops, in this case one involving “the rhythm” repeating wildly until it morphs into “the rhythm, the soul.” The producer packs a lot of detail into these uptempo tracks, making for dynamic rides that are always stimulating and scenic.

January 2014