Reviews

As more over-hyped pop festivals clutter our calendars and more celebrities demand a spin in the DJ booth, the frustration grows for discriminating ears to separate the pure from the pretentious. The electronic dance music scene has become a caricature of itself, pumping out disposable tunes from an assembly line of ghost writers while the corporate cash-in echoes the blind eye of a dying dance floor during the death of disco.

But for us jaded-types, all is not lost.

Enter Balance Music. The Aussie label’s newest release is conducted by Spain’s Henry Saiz. Balance presents Natura Sonoris Mixed by Henry Saiz is a journey of epic proportions, blurring the line between chill house music, techno, tribal, acid, and more.

With a runtime of nearly 2.5 hours (as either a two-disc physical set or a single continuous digital download), this project is near-perfection. It’s packed full of exclusive music, classic reworks, remixes from Saiz’s Natura Sonoris label, special samples, and unique layers.

Related: Henry Saiz shares his 5 tracks of the moment

Saiz’s confidence really shines through in his acclaimed live sets and award-winning productions and reworks. And just as importantly, he’s in touch with the dance floor; he knows how to program a set that’s interesting and emotional. His music inspires artists and engages listeners. This is his first official mix album since Balance 019 more than five years ago, and it was well worth the wait. Continue Reading →

UK producer Dave Robertson, who is better known as Reset Robot, takes his bespoke brand of tech-house/techno into the stratosphere on his cosmic debut for Ovum Recordings.

With an unmatched track record of crafting transformative tracks for Adam Beyer’s Truesoul, Sven Väth’s Cocoon, and Anja Schneider’s Mobilee Records — in addition to co-founding Whiteblower Records with Alan Fitzpatrick (with whom he co-helms the Customer project), Rhymos and Con Fraser — Robertson displays his uncanny ability to summon musical nirvana.

Opening track “Bark Orders” is as a lean, mean and subtle tech-house romp. Minimal melodies ebb and flow as the track unhurriedly simmers. The synth-driven “Croquette” sprints out of the gate with a big kick drum, adding shimmering pads over an enthralling nonlinear narrative. Robertson flips the script on “Tincture,” where he cuts to the chase right away on the darkest sounding track, which is my favorite of the three incredible offerings. The fiery cut wields a stirring, ominous groove that’s peppered with a meandering melody and frog-like croaks (that’s right, croaks).

The Bark Orders EP is all killer with no filler. It’s manna for DJs with inclinations toward pitch-dark dance floors and the magic that happens when the lights are turned down low.