textura

Albums
17 Pygmies
A Dancing Beggar
A Guide For Reason
Alonefold
Gabriel Ananda
Antonymes
Arborea
Art Department
Baker & thisquietarmy
Bee Mask
Richard Chartier
Seth Cluett
Daedelus
Deep Magic
Dentist
Kyle Bobby Dunn
Dominik Eulberg
Fabric
Fancy Mike
Forrest Fang's Sans Serif
Randy Gibson
Mark Hakonen-Meddings
Hana
Ezekiel Honig
Kode9 and the Spaceape
Akira Kosemura
Logreybeam
Manik
Mokira
Murcof
BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa
M. Ostermeier
Posthuman
Prefuse 73
Pulseprogramming
Quiet Evenings
May Roosevelt
M. Ruhlmann & B. Bailey
Savaran
Simko
Tape
Tokyo Bloodworm
Yamaoka

Compilations / Mixes
Ata
Cloud 11
Echocord Jubilee Comp.
Era One
M.A.N.D.Y.
Nick Warren

EPs
A Guide For Reason
Autechre
Circle Traps
Deepbass
DJ Duke
Finesse
Mokira
Rone
Nigel Samways
Janek Schaefer
Semtek
Tracey Thorn

Posthuman: Lander Remixes
Tsar Bomba Records

In which “Lander” by Posthuman (cousins and Seed label founders Rich Bevan and Josh Doherty based in London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland) gets overhauled by eleven guest remixers. Anyone looking for sedate ambient treatments should look elsewhere, as the release is pretty much uptempo and in-your-face from start to finish. The noisiest of the cuts comes courtesy of Original Primate's drum'n'bass fireball, but it's hardly the only blazer in the bunch: Mr. No Hands “Lunar Funk” remix serves up bleepy electro-funk replete with sirens and a healthy dose of insanity, while Global Goon indulges in five minutes of hell-raising acid madness. In addition, Lifecycle and Echaskech contribute hammer-headed groovesmithing and low-end dubstep wobble, respectively. So, yes, tomfoolery in the grand Warp-and-Skam tradition that gave us Aphex Twin and Luke Vibert/Wagon Christ is present and accounted for, but it's the less frenetic treatments that have the greater staying power: Brake 7 keeps the mayhem nicely under control in a “Jeep Following” mix that finds dubby chords mixed with a furious drum'n'bass/jungle groove; Input Junkie's version locks into its breezy acid-funk swing with clearheaded control; and Jose Bee carts out a spinning disco ball, bongos, and swinging hi-hats for a jubilant “Disco Dust” makeover. The occasional repetition of an element (a heavily syncopated keyboard motif and voice uttering “Warning,” to cite two examples) connects the dots from one track to another, but generally speaking the versions are sufficiently contrasting that the release plays like eleven unique cuts rather than too-similar variations on a common theme.

May 2011