I’m not even going to attempt to review this one.
If you know techno you will want this. 13 tracks from Deepchord, Variant, cv313 and Echospace all in one package. Dubbed out techno-bliss made with analogue machines and loving care. Just get it; you’ll be better for it.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today to hear this release!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
WNUR resident; Tundra Dubs, tonAtom and Kimochi Sound recording artist; photographer; painter; DJ Lgcc is a man of many hats. Presented here is a set recorded by him at Gramaphone on February 2nd, 2012, including some original material under his Dreamlogicc guise. DJ Lgcc plays on the radio Saturday evenings, and has a residency at the Tonally night at Swig in Wicker Park, all detailed at his website.
One of my favorite conversations to have with Gramaphone owner Michael Serafini is about the lack of good vocals in house music today and the take over of the “song” by the “track.” It seems we aren’t the only ones reminiscing and lamenting the loss of the vocal given this EP’s title of “More Vocals For Everyone.”
However, that title is really just a bit of a tease as only one track on this release has vocals. That track is the opener titled “Used To Be” and in all honesty it is a bit more of an Indie Dance track than a House track. But as an Indie Dance track it is quite good with nice movement and a nice female vocal. The real standout on this one is a remix by one of my favorites, the German duo Arto Mwambe. For the last track on the EP they rework FCL’s “Back” into a nice deep groove accented by a well-placed flute solo and some dubbed out keys.
While a bit disappointing on the vocal front, there is quite a bit of good music here for House and Indie kids alike.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today to hear this release!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
There are times when two ingredients cultivated in two distinct parts of this world decisively come together to create something extraordinary. I’m referring to the genius of exiled Ugandan vocalist/musician Geffrey Oryema and prolific producer of the organic sound of the underground and 1/3rd the dynamic DJ trio of the now historic Body & Soul gatherings, New York resident Joe Claussell.
The result is a 12inch package entitled “Kei Kweyo” by Geoffrey Oryema currently out on Joe Claussell’s imprint Sacred Rhythm and Cosmic Arts Inc. that comes equipped with two mixes, The Afrikan Outlaw Demo and The Outlaw Demo Dub.
With the masterfully exaggerated key work of Sir Bennett Paster, Joe Claussell brilliantly creates a landscape of sharp effected percussion and manipulated overdubs dressed by the strength of guitar that breaks and builds with erratic energy and settles handily around tender yet imposing chants and Geoffrey’s spiritually nuanced vocals. Chants and vocals that persuasively captures the unforgotten native language of his past.
Review by Oscar McMillan
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today to hear this release!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
This is a really nice record on Qalomota. Its house the way it should be; fun, funky and emotive. Frenchman DJ Steaw really gets it right for the French label with a really nice blend of classic dance ideals with an updated sound.
All four of the tracks on this EP have their own unique ways of hooking you. Its the bassline and vocal of “Stay In My Head”, the lush synths on “Get It Up”, the jacking groove of “Urban Illusion” and the off-kilter soul of “Da Fingerz” that prove this one to be a feel good record of dance floor fuel.
Many people are currently trying to capture the feeling of the 90’s house and techno sounds but few are really finding it. DJ Steaw seems to have caught a bit of the magic on this one.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today to hear this release!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
It seems these days there are a lot of artists out there making their own version of “deep.” For Christopher Rau that framework is more techno than house leaning. His work brings to mind some releases by Rob Hood at times but with a bit of humanity added by vocal samples, drawn out chords and more percussion.
With “Spring Loop” you get an exercise in minimal change and repetition built around some sub bass, stabbing analogue sounds and a breathy sample. In “Swearing (Vinyl Version)” things open up a bit with piano stabs, reggae vocal and some subtle percussion composition changes that really make the track.
On the B side “Datournment” is a bit more classicist in the deep house category with breathy string sounds and a bouncy groove reminiscent of Playhouse releases. The closer brings it all home with some nice little vocal stabs, a huge sub bass line and some nice key work all making “Rabulism” a stand out.
This is a nice record for the house and techno afficianado’s alike, especially those who appreciate subtlety and restraint.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today to hear this release!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
This one features two really nice edits from Istanbul’s Onur Engin. Onur is a man with a good ear for the best moments of an original and how to pair it down to make it right for the modern dancefloor.
On this two tracker he takes on the disco funk of James Mason’s “Sweet Power Your Embrace” and creates a powerful dancefloor mover out of the track’s rubbery bassline that flows through the key changes of the original. Add in the lovely string and horn melodies and vocal and you’ve got some serious dancefloor heat.
On the flip he dissects the classic “Summer Madness” by Kool & The Gang into a nice slow stomper, perfect for that outdoor afternoon party or the last track of a sweaty evening.
As with all the GAMM edits you get a lot of variety and some quality refinements of classics. This is a great pick up for the edit heads out there.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today to hear this release!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
In 2010 clubs, radio and internet shows from nation to nation were in favorable agreement about the success and impact of an underground dance tune out of South Africa produced by Black Coffee featuring the sultry vocals of Bucie entitled “Superman”. It has become one of the signiture anthems of our time. Bucie has reached stardom in a blink and has shown the world that she is more than capable of hanging on to it with an impressive body of work as proof.
Her latest achievement “Get Over It” echos a savory hook that kisses the ear like a whisper. She has a formula that speaks to the listener, the dancer and she is aware of it. It’s not errogant or boisterous but soft like pastel with lyrics that are poised, persuasive, even powerful. Her style and success also illuminates the idea that dance floors can be held to a higher standard of art and contain a sense of relevance and popularity.
The 12inch on Foliage Records comes in the form of a full sleeve highlighting in brilliant color the beauty of it’s artist. It hosts the original, a mix that is perfectly defined by the underground sound of South Africa, a gentle and sleek builder produced by Sun-El Sithole and two distinct renderings by Ezel, the haunting yet effectively passionate Remix and the captivating Nu-Soul Mix that pops palatably for radio.
The soul of South Africa has arrived and is here to stay. Her name is Bucie.
Review By Oscar McMillan
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
These are a pair of stream-of-consciousness tracks. So, starting with the first side… a pair of horn flourishes, some delay processing, looped briefly, four-on-the-floor kicks, a brief sung phrase in key with the rest, some live loose snare and hi-hat work, a tiny snippet of the horn again and a muted guitar string fading into and out of the background, a brief pause, pensive strings, beautiful female vocal singing something like “body soaking up the taste of the streets,” the drums roll back in with a heavier bassline, slightly questioning modulated bassline, energetic hats pop back up again, a couple syllables of the vocal crescendo in again before another brief break, “just a sound, no melody,” and the beat continues again, letting all the elements thus far wind over themselves into thicker and thicker layers before they finally wear themselves out.
Other side: a delicate house groove, flickering resonant treble bits squiggling overhead, a bouncier feel, oh – here come tropical vocal harmonies, some plucked guitar? ukelele? fades in and the kick disappears while all the melodies swell together, the kick and bass interplay come back in again but the live snare work gets a little more brave before everything drops again, there are swells of melody, drums return more insistently than before, heavily processed piano atmospherics, vocals play back and forth against the loose drums, all the lower register drops out for a radiant moment, more layers of processed piano, murmured vocals, vocals are peeling away over themselves like L’usine’s fragmented pop songs, fully fleshed-out drum parts return, bouncy rhythm, vocals fade away, drums start to lose steam again, vocal vowels pierce through again, vocal phrases now with just faint hints of the ground-up piano in the background, pulsing bass foreshadowing, undulating resonant treble gesticulations again, more layers of voice, cascading, some comprehensible words about longing, chords resolve, snare, hihat, clapping interplay, kick, hard closed hat all come back in, full groove returns for a brief epilogue before things wind down with high frequency doodles trailing off afterwards.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
A couple legends of the US techno scene pair up for this latest stamp series 12″ from the Los Angeles-based Historia y Violencia label. Managed by Santiago Salazar (Seldom Seen, Underground Resistance) and John Mendez (Cytrax, Silent Servant, Jasper), the label has a notable pedigree and only releases a record or two a year.
John Tejada‘s contribution offers his customary musicality and sleek, judicious composition, but with a comparatively austere, monotone feel compared with his most recent work. Truncate‘s ominous dark techno fits well with the sound of Sandwell District and Prologue, which makes for a notably varied split 12″.
Visit or call Gramaphone Records today!
2843 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-3683
