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AT 004CD
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What does a rave sound like the next day? The strobe lights in a dark warehouse, the pounding kick, the blur of ecstatic faces lead to a morning-after emptiness, all fade into memories of the friends you once had. On Ode, Tin Man (proper name Johannes Auvinen) explores this feeling, offering tracks which possess an exhausted joy, the aural equivalent of the stretch of time beginning when the last record is played and stretching on towards the doleful contemplation of last night's unmade sheets. Appropriately, Tin Man's melancholic dance music is more club-ready than ever. The opening tracks explore the spacious atmosphere first proposed on Neo Neo Acid and the (recently-repressed) Acid Test 01 collaboration with Donato Dozzy. Auvinen continues to coax unique, bittersweet sounds out of the 303 -- his control is akin to a virtuosic Theremin-player, all dramatic lunges and dynamics. Yet on tracks like "Depleted Serotonin," the memories of half-remembered nights surface. That track reprises the minor-key rave breakdown, ending with nearly three-minutes of knackered techno throb. Similarly, "What a Shame" sounds like a forgotten Warp classic run through Tin Man's palette of tasteful reserve. Always conceptual, Tin Man is commenting on big-room techno music by presenting his thoughtful, hungover version of it. On "Vertigo," he reins in the acid box acrobatics -- opting instead for a rudimentary, early-Chicago style pattern, eventually following optimistic chords skyward. It's a simulacrum of that end-of-the-night moment when the music is so charged and utopic that all fatigue is forgotten. Auvinen's recognized talent to imbue machines with complex human emotion draws us into his world. With Tin Man's music, there is always something left unsaid -- he uses familiar elements yet his perspective remains singular and mysterious. Each dream-like track is another clue. He ends the set with the intensely dramatic "Memoraphilia" and "Ode." The former concludes on an ominous note with strings that evoke paranoia, yet this feeling, too, will pass. The final (and title) track begins with the Deepchord-level percussive filtering that acts as the album's textural base. Almost immediately, Tin Man introduces an octave-jumping acid refrain. The four-bar loop reaches operatic heights of yearning. "Ode"'s rave stabs indicate this drama comes from the implacable notion of being alone in the crowd -- an emptiness which can remain long after it's disbanded. What comes when the dance is over?
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DESOLAT 004CD
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Argentina-born Guti releases his inaugural album on the label that has given his echoingly hypnotic jazz-infused house music a stable platform. The live performer effortlessly presents a collection of beautifully-constructed productions that demonstrate the convergence and symbiotic nature of his musical past and present. Classically-trained jazz virtuoso and national rock 'n' roll hero in his native Argentina, Guti is no stranger to music. A musical education that takes in Argentinean folk, blues, rock and jazz, Guti is currently enjoying a new chapter in his musical adventure within electronica. With his productions now being a regular feature in the record bags of DJs as diverse as Seth Troxler, Marco Carola, and Carl Cox, it is apparent Guti is enjoying a watershed moment in his long adventure. Patio De Juegos, which translates as "Playground," is a wonderful multi-genre journey through the mind of an artist who is both on top of his game and on the rise towards the stars. Lashings of his ever-present South American heritage fuse with incredibly intricate and perfectly simple house structures that give the whole album its almost "child at play" ethos that is rarely found in electronic music. Future club hits such as "Wanna Be," with its nod to the historical upbeat lineage of house music, and "All The Girls," with its chugging rhythm, trickling piano loops and erotic vocals sit effortlessly alongside more experimental and jazz-inspired tracks such as the explorative "Still Here." Another fine example is "Sun," with its deep bass line punctuated with the sun-soaked synths and summer hi-hats that export listeners away to a warm utopia. Guti produces a number of tracks with high profile artists from both within and outside the DJ fraternity: Guy Gerber features on "We Shall Overcome," with its rising synths complemented by a chunky beat. Ryan Crosson lends a hand on "No Promises" which has resulted in a truly driving dancefloor groove. And "My Whole Thing" features Anthea Marie Nzekwu whose uplifting vocals accompany a dreamy, chilled-out beat. Grünbox features on "Miraloo" -- an example of Guti's ability to collaborate with the world's musical elite. Notably, and perhaps the biggest coup, is that of Daniel Melingo who features on "Lucio El Anarquista." The Grammy-nominated tango singer and world-renowned musician is well known for his composition work on Pedro Almodóvar's films, and he brings a rich musical education to a truly sublime track. Overall, Guti gives up a beautiful mixture of tracks that bridge the space between the club and the living room with consummate ease.
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FLAT 004CD
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"Inflatabl's fourth release is Vauxhall44's first full-length album, entitled sub-i . The artist is Yuki Kiba, a Tokyo resident who began playing guitar at the tender age of fourteen . He has seen his share of go-nowhere garage bands, playing experimental rock, jazz, reggae and soon, and didn't start making computer music until he was twenty-one. Sounds like a typical kid from the suburbs, right? What we can't figure out is how this shy, deferential Japanese kid makes such fascinating music. Each track is constantly changing, sometimes jump cutting to the next big idea, sometimes gradually evolving through shifting elements that never play the same way twice. Superficially, there are techno and house elements to his tracks, but there are so many little details that the mind has no chance to wander. This makes sub-i an uncommonly satisfying experience."
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