Sounds of a city: Frankfurt
February 19, 2024
The month in music, March
April 7, 2024
Four new releases that have piqued our interest this month.
Ion Ludwig
Junono's Bridge
Few do it like Ion Ludwig, fewer have done it for as long as Ion Ludwig has. The ever prolific minimal techno stalwart shows his unwavering talent on Polyson - another great addition to a growing bank of stellar stripped back electronic music.
Kicking things off as the EP means to go on, Fast Lane is a dark, menacing roller, using a range of synths to create a real sense of urgency whilst sustaining enough melodic progression to keep any home-listener engaged. This theme of contrast is a constant throughout the EP. It’s one of those rare records geared towards darker dancefloors, but filled with elements necessary to be devoured during life’s more sociable hours. Whether it’s the harmonic keys that course through Ingenious or it’s the heavenly transition that illuminates Junono’s Bridge, dark sounds often rub against soft, feather-like elements to make for an enchanting listen.
A characteristically interesting 4 tracker from one of the best in the game.
Buy the record here.
Audio Werner
The Chord Chronicles EP
Andreas Werner is quite simply a House legend. His personal output and the Hartchef discography has been at the forefront of a particular kind of sound for decades: funky, vivacious and ridiculously sophisticated. For this latest release on Adam’s Bite, he continues to push that same groove.
The A1 contains many of the textbook elements of his sound. Off-beat chord stabs provide a hint of dub, alongside swung hi-hats for a crisp counterpoint. It's German engineering with a Detroit soul. ‘Chordlift’ is similarly high quality, built around another trademark in the form of rumbling, hypnotic percussion, which feels loose and organic enough that it might just descend into jazz improv. On the flip, the entire side is taken up by ‘Tension’. Spanning 12 minutes, Werner gives the track’s elements the time and space they deserve. Intricately detailed percussion and shimmering, dubbed out chords make for a hypnotic combination. On the right kind of dancefloor - patient and curious - it's easy to imagine this tune delivering the kind of subtle ecstasy that is a hallmark of great minimal.
DJ Popup
Efune
Reliable provider of deep, dreamy and downright funky ‘NES’ releases its sixth offering, this time from head honcho DJ Popup. The release provides all the aforementioned qualities with great effect in the form of a 3 track EP. Thus far, NES’s release load has been shared between dj popup and fellow Dane/friend DJ Central (someone who needs no introduction whatsoever).
Matakana is a slow moving deep house groover which chugs along at a cool 119bpm with warm pads and swishing percussion allowing for a dreamy, jazzy experience.
MLK grabs attention immediately with raw and dirty, Todd Terry-style drum work - the type of beat one could happily listen to on loop for eternity. Accompany this with some choppy, rhodes-esq piano and you have yourself a hip swinging banger. A certified peak time weapon.
The nostalgic tingles come thick and fast with the star of the show efune - imagine being steadily catapulted into a balearic voyage through early 90’s cosmic Ibizan realms. The pureness of every element on display here creates warm coherence which feels authentically euphoric in every sense of the word. Less words, more music… this one is special.
You can grab it here.
Joy Jenkins
Flowers EP
2024 has seen the birth of a new alias from the perpetually leftfield house don that is Steve Mensink. Explaining that he makes music under different identities as it helps him “produce with a different mindset” in a 2014 interview, Steve’s latest offerings as Joy Jenkins is somewhat more orthodox in its arrangements. Whilst somewhat more conventional than prior productions, this three-tracker from the Bobby Donny Soundsystem/Will & Ink label boss is dripping with his idiosyncratic grooves. It all sounds so organic that I expect his production setup is never lacking in petri dishes.
Flowers is composed of metallic chords that are inexorably chased by drunken snares and hats that intertwine with one another in a woozy sonic natter. Whilst giving the impression of always slightly lagging behind, this percussion coalesces with rounded kicks, somehow generating a groove so loose it’ll breathe life into the klutziest of dancefloor oafs (speaking from experience here).
No Worries feels like the deepest track of the EP. Undulating chord stabs form the throbbing heart of the tune and its sustained by lucid percussion that sounds so organic it's hard not to envisage Steve getting fruity on a drum set as the origin. Sleazy yet elegant: this is emblematic of the Bobby Donny sound.
And finally, delivering exactly what it says on the tin, Feels Good Man (83% Mix) is a masterclass in innovative snare design. Spruced up with a quirky arrangement of breaks, shakers and soulful keys this is a swinging delight that will provide a shot of energy to any tiring stanky legs.
You can grab it here.
