Reviews

Review: Kevin Di Serna & Ditian – Crystal Forest / Dallah

DJ Elroy Leave a Comment

Review: Kevin Di Serna & Ditian Crystal Forest Dallah Lost & Found

4.5 out of 5 stars

Leading the charge in Argentina’s new guard, Ditian and Kevin Di Serna boast a string of individual successes and have recently put together their newest treasure for Guy J’s Lost & Found label. “Dallah” opens with soft beats laying the groundwork before it unfolds in a blissful chorus of pads, juxtaposing it with melancholy piano chords and smooth synth pulses. Add Kevin’s subdued but effective vocal work and tie everything together with engaging percussive patterns and you’ve got a masterpiece of breathtaking beauty. “Crystal Forest” is more grounded with a deeper bottom, but it also has an airy and inspiring aura. A hypnotic groover laced with melodic goodness, this taste of euphoria gets my pick of the pair. This is the perfect union of intelligence and emotion with rich textures, full sounds, and an almost tangible tugging at the soul. For these two rising stars, this double dose of deeply uplifting progressive power is set to launch into the stratosphere.

Review: Kali Phoenix – Voices

Gavin Brown Leave a Comment

KALI-PHOENIX-VOICES

4 out of 5 stars

After previously working together on a few musical projects, Glaswegian singer Kali Phoenix reconnects with influential Bristol producer Hundred Strong (a.k.a. Ben Dubuisson) to create Voices. The album is an intensely personal journey that’s informed by the ending of Phoenix’s relationship. Her strong vocals mark her as one to watch.

Voices is dominated by her strong, passionate voice and soulful blend of different musical genres. From the gentle mix of soul and jazz on “What’s Your Poison” to the swirling acoustics and P-Funk grooves of “Bolt From The Blue” (which sounds like a more soulful version of Bristol legends Portishead) to the gentle but stirring beats of “Save Me,” there is a such a variation of different sounds. Each of the tracks segue together effortlessly, and despite all that is going on sonically, nothing ever sounds out of place.

These musical landscapes are bolstered by Phoenix’s voice. She can go from a gentle hush to an emotional howl in a heartbeat with ease and confidence. Under the tutelage of Hundred Strong, Phoenix displays her talents which despite the seemingly laid-back vibe of the project are defiantly focused and supremely executed.

There’s is a strong hip-hop and dub influence under the whole thing with Hundred Strong’s Bristol roots giving Voices an urgent yet familiar feel. The producer does a fantastic job with the two styles, making them work brilliantly together. Although the material could be raw given the subject matter, the musical outcome is smooth and uplifting and sounds all the better for it.

The circumstances for the content of the album may have been brought together by a tumultuous experience but the result is definitely a positive one. Kali Phoenix’s voice is the perfect example of the healing power of music and establishes her out as a talent for the future.

Review: Josh Wink – Shoelaces EP

DJ Elroy Leave a Comment

Josh-Wink-Shoelaces-EP

4 out of 5 stars

Mention Josh Wink’s name and immediately a handful of hit techno/house ear-drillers like “Don’t Laugh” and the classic “Higher State of Consciousness” come to mind. His newest work on the Shoelaces EP (Boysnoize Records) is another notch on his belt of big bangers. The diversity of techno ranges from casual to hardcore so there’s something here for everybody.

The original mix of “Shoelaces” features knotty acid runs twisting up and down the board with Wink’s trademark dirty tech-driven style shoveled atop a crisp electro-breakbeat structure and tied together with a throbbing bottom, oversized bass bubbles and deep, cosmic vocals. The Instrumental and Acid Instrumental mixes each present a slightly stripped alternative without losing any of the snap and punch of the prime cut.

The four-to-the-floor shock-and-awe of Truncate’s bangin’ remix is for those headstrong hard-tech warehouse ‘heads that would laugh big-room EDM out of the club. For a more conservative spin, check out the Mono Junk remix— it’s got that same solid techno flavor without the strict niche appeal of the others.

I like techno in bite-sized morsels, and the breaks make this EP even more accessible to those whose heads aren’t always buried in the underground. If you stumble across this one on a dark dance floor, consider yourself lucky to be trippin’ over Josh Wink’s Shoelaces.

Review: Nubreed 9 – Habischman

DJ Elroy Leave a Comment

Nubreed 9 - Habischman review

4.5 out of 5 stars

Global Underground has been a cornerstone of the electronic dance music community for two decades, but their Nubreed spin-off label dedicated to spotlighting budding artists around the globe has been noticeably silent. In the beginning we were introduced by Nubreed to future favorites like Anthony Pappa, Danny Howells, Lee Burridge, and more, with the most recent being 2009’s critically-acclaimed work featuring Sultan. Even so, it’s been seven years since anyone has seen a fresh Nubreed DJ mix, and I’d long given up on the possibility of adding another, newer, treasure to my collection. The gods of rhythm, however, must have decided that 2016 was the year to send a prophet to usher in a new era and save the music from itself. Although Iranian DJ/producer Habischman has been bangin’ away for years behind the decks and has had a string of underground hits on sundry labels, his name isn’t well known outside of DJ circles. Continue Reading →