Articles
2009 Top 10s and 20s
King Midas Sound
Starke

Albums
36
Aardvarck
Matias Aguayo
Anaphoria
Anduin
Arbol + Fibla
Aufgang
Beneva vs. Clark Nova
Black to Comm
Bvdub
Cornstar
Dinky
Enola
Fieldhead
FOURM / Shinkei / Turra
Billy Gomberg
The Green Kingdom
Chihei Hatakeyama
Ian Hawgood
Marek Hemmann
Khate
King Midas Sound
Marcel Knopf
Robot Koch
Lambent
Shinobu Nemoto
Olekranon
Laurent Perrier
Piano Magic
Porzellan
Pylône
Ryonkt
Shadyzane
Slow
Small Color
Solomun
The Sound of Lucrecia
Stray Ghost
The Use of Ashes
Sylvie Walder

Compilations / Mixes
Sebo K
Will Saul
Tama Sumo
VOLTT Amsterdam Vol. 1

EPs
Blindhæð
Roberto Bosco
Franco Cangelli
Dieb
dub KULT
Abe Duque/Blake Baxter
Gemmy
Christopher Hobbs
Duncan Ó Ceallaigh
Christopher Roberts
The Sight Below
Two Fourteen
Van Der Papen
Andy Vaz
Vetrix
Eddie Zarook

DVD
Optofonica

Solomun: Dance Baby
Diynamic

A more-than-impressive debut long-player from Solomun (Bosnian-born Croatian Mladen Solomun), who's established himself as a DJ and producer of some renown and as the steward for the Hamburg-based Diynamic imprint. What distinguishes Cloud Dancer most are the delectable strains of soul and funk that run throughout the album's finely-crafted house tracks.

In an opening track whose light-hearted spirit can't camoulfage the artfulness of its construction, “Country Song” rolls out a jaunty, clap-happy jack goosed by a cycling, one-bar bass line and occasional smatterings of countrified vocals offset by funkier vocal interjections. It's a strong opener but dwarfed by the tight funk-house of “Cloud Dancer,” which gets a serious groove on by wedding a soulful lead vocal to an effervescent attack (the vocal refrain “I'm a cloud … dancer” can't help but call to mind “She's a brick… house ” from The Commodores' hit). Soulful vocals also boost “Hypnotize” though it's the silken string stabs, burbling bass, and swizzling house pulse that stand out most of all. Strong too are the classic house workouts “After Rain Comes Sun,” whose syncopated chords Solomun powers with cello and violin melodies, and “Forever,” which the producer whips into a transporting blaze of voice whispers and epic synthetic fire. Elsewhere, “Deep Circus” sweetens its jakbeat-styled house with funk and bleepy elements, and “Deja-Vu” casts an affectionate eye upon house's Chicago roots.

Eleven cuts, then, and not a throwaway in the bunch. The quality level is consistently high, with each piece impressing as a self-contained jewel that Solomun polishes to perfection before moving on to the next.

December 2009