It seems wrong to call Speedy J a stalwart, because that suggests the guy’s still making average records, despite being “hard at it” for more than a decade. If at times his production (however brilliant) goes a little bit off the hard/deep end for my delicate ears (I spook easily) - with an incredible live show and a few seminal albums behind him, you’d have to say the guy’s an innovator. And an undermentioned one. Maybe the problem with him, the reason why he never became a Craig or a Hawtin, was just that he’s singular - there’s something inimitable about his style that has deterred disciples, and his deep, textured, powerful music has remained a cul-de-sac or an appendix, albeit a beautiful one.

But when he pulls one out, he really pulls one out: this remix of Syncom Data is one of the most powerful, expressive, deep, and interesting tracks I’ve heard all year. Like some of the contributions on the Shut Up and Dance compilation as well as some of Monolake and T++’s more epic workouts, this is more freestyle/deepscape than techno pure and proper; their cylinders are too large, and there’s two much gas in them for this to be a bog-standard four-pot burner. Damn, it’s is just…fantastic (gush alert).

Oh yeah, and there’s two other remixes here too, which are both great in their own way, although not nearly as grand as the A. SD’s remix is much more digi-dub (similar to the Burialmix & ~scape sound), taking a melodica into delayed terrain with some heavy beats which move all the textures around. Meanwhile, Legowelt comes out with one of his best tracks of late, opting for something which (as always) is both steeped in his ‘85-’95 passions/influences and is in possession of an eccentric expressivity that’s solely his own. This one also goes bang around the two and a half minute mark, with a massive kick that puts the whole kaboodle into peaktime orbit.

Syncom Data Records / SD05
[Listen]
[Peter Chambers]

Todd Hutlock
Audion - Mouth To Mouth (Heartthrob’s Hot Breath Treatment) [Spectral Sound]
Pole - Jungs [~scape]
Creation Rebel - Starship Africa (Parts 1-5) [On U Sound]
DJ T - Lucky Bastard [Get Physical]
Mad Mike - Lo-Tech Reality [Underground Resistance]
Riton - Hammer of Thor (Roman Flügel Remix) [Souvenir]
Dominik Eulberg - Die Grunschenkel Im Blauen Priel [Traum Schallplatten]
Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix 1) [Juno]
Adultnapper - Betty Crocker Moves To Berlin [Superfreq]
Audio Werner – Flatfunk [Circus Company]

Michael F. Gill
Jacek Sienkiewicz - Good Night & Good Luck [Cocoon]
Porter Ricks – Porter Ricks [Mille Plateaux]
Motorcitysoul – Aura (Jimpster Remix) [STIR15 Recordings]
Glimpse – Julia [Hypercolour]
Jay Pauli – Hamburger Spritzer [Ware]
DJ E Tones – Soul Detergent [Sounds]
Blue Vision – Visions [EMI Electrola]
Secession - Touch (Parts 3 & 4) [Beggars Banquet]
Rick James – Glow [Gordy/Motown]
Cheri – Murphy’s Law [Venture]

If ~scape began life as a half-way house for dub explorers lost-and-found in their own reverberation tanks, it has of late become something of a shelter for another sub-
species of musical voyager—that group of Mutek-hnicians working between micro-techno and what I call “deeptop.” You know, it’s a Canadian thing—the ungodly alliance of Montreal (basically) channelling Berlin channelling Jamaica, with the glitches indicative of both the signal distance and a keen sense of the ridiculous. Beaupré’s contribution to this new ~Scape sound takes the template in his own characteristic dimensions, blending boompty beats, chip-chopped vocal snippets and the audible equivalent of a raised eyebrow into a thick, slurpy brew. The A-side borrows from Beaupré’s earlier Crakhaus outings, which always came off sounding like an overly goofy derivative of Akufen, as far as my ears are concerned. “Misshapely” is her name, and lumpy is the arrangement of her parts and pieces. On the B-side, “Stay Here Every Night” goes for it in much more direct fashion, coming off as the less annoying and more floor-functional cut. The overall effect is nice, but not enough to really smoke my meat.

~scape / sc 034
[Listen]
[Peter Chambers]

Guest Chart: DJ Barbara Preisinger [~Scape, Berlin]

Alix Alverez & Mr.V - Beat Bodega vol1 [Sound Channel Music]
Shed - Shot Selection [Selection records]
Deadbeat - Version Immersion [~scape]
STL - Purple Saturn Days [Perlon]
Pantha Du Prince - Lichten [Dial]
Ferrer & Sydenham Inc - The Black Door [ibadan]
Nathan Cole - Musik Freak [Funk´d]
Andy Vaz - Remixes [Background]
Herrmann & Kaden - Corroboree [Freude Am Tanzen]
Beckett & Taylor - Hired New Hands [Hand On The Plow]

Michael F. Gill
And One – Sometimes (Instrumental) [Virgin]
Terrence Fixmer – Resistance [Gigolo]
Deepchild – Blackness of the Sea (Luomo Remix) [Future Classic]
Chagrin D’Amour – Chacun Fait (Dub) [Barclay]
Black Gold – C’mon Stop [Prelude]
Kiko – Solar [Notorious Elektro]
Alisha – All Night Passion [Vanguard]
Stephane Signore & Wehbba – Destiny [Bound Records]
Red Lipstique – Drac´s Back (Dub) [Magnet Records Ltd]
Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats – Let Them Talk [Soundway]

Todd Hutlock
Lawrence - “Deep Summer Hole” [Dial]
Lazy Fat People - “Shinjuku” [Wagon Repair]
Heidi Vs Riton - “Vejer” [Get Physical]
Sense Club - “Tommorrov Cocktail” [Perlon]
John Dahlbaeck - “Wet Summer” [Kompakt Extra]
Trentemøeller - “Always Something Better (Trentemøeller Remix)” [Poker Flat]
Meek - “Glowing Trees” [New Ground]
Andrew Weatherall - “Feathers” [Rotters Golf Club]
John Hassell - “Voiceprint (Blind from the Facts) (808 Mix Two - Latin In It Mix)” [Opal]
Dirt Crew - “Largo” [Dirt Crew Recordings]

Nate DeYoung
My My - Songs for the Gentle [Playhouse]
Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet [Kranky]
Rex the Dog - Maximize [Kompakt]
Matthias Kaden / Onur Ozer - Pentaton / Twilight [Vakant R]
Mobilee - Back to Basics [Mobilee]
Pikaya / Andomat 3000 & Jan - Grüne Raufaser / Entr’acte Music [Cadenza]
Bruno Pronsato - Lady Collage [Orac]
The Modernist - Presents “Popular Songs” [Faith]

Todd Hutlock
The Rice Twins - For Dan [K2]
Donnacha Costello - 6.3 [Minimise]
Mathew Johnson - Beach Party [Wagon Repair]
Nitzer Ebb - Shame (Derrick May Remix) [NovaMute]
Porter Ricks - Port of Call [Chain Reaction]
Afternoon Coffee Boys - Busted Speaker Brew [Clink Music]
Thee Madkatt Courtship - Da Mindfuck [Deep Distraxion]
Sami Koivikko - Dore [Spectral Sound]
Limaçon - Ajar [Intrinsic Design]
Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It [Trax]

Nate DeYoung
My My - Butterflys and Zebras [Aus]
Audion - Mouth to Mouth [Spectral]
Heidi vs Riton - Vejer [Get Physical]
Cobblestone Jazz - India in Me [Wagon Repair]
Donato Dozzy - Dimensions EP [Dozzy]
Jona - Tizia [Get Physical]
The Rice Twins - Reach for the Flute [Kompakt]
Sleeper Thief - Chasing You [Mobilee]
Madonna - Get Together Remixes [Virgin]
Justus Kohncke - Advance [Kompakt]

Cameron Octigan
Alice in Chains - Dam That River [Columbia]
Dominion - The Light of Day [unknown]
Jan Jelinek - Im Discodickicht [~scape]
Jesu - Your Path to Divinity [Hydrahead]
JPLS - Program 01 [M_nus]
Limp Wrist - Just Like You [Lengua Armada]
MDK - Rohe Gewalt [Weird System]
Putsch 79 - Doin’ It (Putsch 79 Edit) [Clone]
Rex the Dog - I Look into Air [Kompakt]
Ricardo Villalobos - Que Belle Epoque 2006 [Frisbee Tracks]

Michael F. Gill
Voigt & Voigt - Was Du Willst [Kompakt Extra]
V/A - Dashammer Remixes [Max.I]
Gusgus - Mallflowers [Pineapples]
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Instrumental) [EMI]
Phreek - May My Love Be With You [Atlantic]
Dalton & Dubarri - I (You) Can Dance All By My (Your) Self [Hilltak]
Moment of Truth - So Much for Love [Salsoul]
V/A - Historical Archives Volume 2 [Members Only]
Gino Soccio - There’s a Woman (Carl Craig Re-Edit) [Moxie]
Munich Machine - Bolectro [Casablanca]

Ruoho Ruotsi is a relative newcomer, at least as far as production is concerned, but already his reputation is growing. No wonder: his sound perfectly straddles the middle space between the floor-grounded end of ~scape (particularly Deadbeat and Portable) and Background records, with its (barely) audible deep house heritage. “Tants Doll,” contains one composition and three re-interpretations. The original shows off Ruotsi’s predilection for foregrounding the musicality of effects themselves; this is plug-in music, but with silicon soul. Close listening reveals an admirable attention to detail and an ear keen enough to capture the nuance necessary for the overall effect to be “subtle,” instead of merely ‘dull.’ Suz and Layborn’s mix adds further details and some vocal loops without harming the mood. KLMN’s Ghostrider Mix goes further inside out of itself, sounding a little like Quiet Daze’s “The Scenic Route.” Mike Uzzi and Ben Recht’s remix is the only one to attempt a total reconstruction, and comes out with a minimally bangin’ strummer. It’s all well turned out stuff, and if you’ve got a thing for this particular type of laptop deepness (deeptop?), then the beautifully personalised cover art is just the icing on the cake.

De’fchild / DCP-004
[Listen]
[Peter Chambers]

The legendary Betke is back. For his first release in a few years, he comes with ~scape compatriot Scott Monteith (aka Deadbeat and Crackhaus) to produce….two new Deadbeat and Crackhaus songs. Seriously, Pole’s legendary studio monkey wrench is not heard here. Fortunately, the signature Deadbeat sound of drumsticks sweating like after-hours rain begins the track “In Red.” A steady, dub rhythm then walks in circles while synth-lines speed by and squeal like crosstown traffic. “In Blue” on the flip grinds to a stiff microhouse beat that’s curiously punctuated by a man whispering “sika-da, sika-da, sika-da.” Despite the house party of one grooves, Krakau is more rerun than step forward.

Echochord / echocord18
[Cameron Macdonald]