Hey everyone - welcome back at the discotheque!
.jpg)
It's now the end of July (holy crap, where did all of the time go?) - and as per usual, the last two weeks were stacked full of absolutely incredible releases and lots of news - so much so, that if I had to add on the drops from the last few days, we'd be here for hours, so I'll be doing a separate post for them. There's some debuts on the blog, several anticipated returns and a super eclectic mix of stuff today, so buckle your seat belts - this is going to be a great one!
Let's get started!
Dequame - Seaside
To kick this post off strong, I want to talk about something that's a little bit different from the stuff usually covered on the blog, and that comes in the form of French musician and producer Dequame's brand new EP, which was released on legendary net-label Creux La Nuit on July 25th. A far cry from his usual house productions - Seaside is an absolutely incredible record that borrows from the early 80s city pop sound, funk and post-disco, swapping out the warm, sample based grooves of his previous work with an entirely new sound stuffed to the brim with smooth, gorgeous instrumentation akin to the work of Japanese musician Masayoshi Takanaka - and it's probably my favourite release of the month, thanks to the fact that it's extremely summery (did the title give that away?) and it's bursting with great hooks, a whole lot of finesse and above all, it's just so much fun!
Seaside is a relatively short record, clocking in at around seventeen minutes (not including the bonus instrumental cut of the closer, Rosemarine!) - but in the five tracks featured, it packs a mighty punch, opening with the incredible One More Summer Night, which is a truly stunning, and very calming song complete with choirs, lots of trumpet action (I've spent years listening to the Midnight, so I pointed that out instantly!) and some pretty sweet bass guitar action (which the rest of Seaside does feature, I just adore the bassline on this opener!) - and to me, it wouldn't sound out of place in video games from Nintendo, or various late 80s films. To add, this EP also manages to perfectly bring in a brand new side of the Parisian musician's talent - that he's an excellent singer, providing soulful, deep vocals on Rosemarine with a touch of sentimentality, and in a more upbeat fashion on the brilliant 'Sunset On The Bay'
My favourite two tracks on Seaside, however, come from the mid-point, with the excellent Tropic Circuit - a ridiculously energetic, high energy, percussion heavy piece of nu disco that could totally do a ton of damage to dancefloors, even in the most unsuspecting of crowds, becoming a huge ear-worm for me upon first listen (and that isn't just because of the killer Yamaha DX7 solo that features!) - and the penultimate track Coast To Coast, which, although short, is an extremely sweet slice of funk that's bound to be a pick-me up for any future rainy day that's ahead (or a perfect tool for the upcoming summer vacation, for all of the blog's readers in the southern hemisphere!) - so be sure to give my favourites a spin!
To sum it up in the best way I can, this record is an absolutely magnificent piece of work, and if this is anything to go by, the future is looking extremely bright for this young musician.
You can grab 'Seaside' on all major platforms now. As per usual, the Bandcamp link is below, in case you want to support Dequame directly - alongside the awesome music video for Tropic Circuit, which is exclusively available through the CLN YouTube channel now.
Phobos - I Have Not Released Anything In Forever So Here's A Couple Of Tracks For You People To Enjoy
Also released through Creux La Nuit on July 29th - the brand new EP from American DJ and producer Phobos, who readers may recognize as the guy who took over mixtape duties on the blog in May with a set of banging ghetto house - is, as to be expected, a super sweet release that's full of filtery club bangers, DJ tools and killer party beats reminiscent of the late 90s sound coming out of Chicago, pioneered by the likes of DJ Sneak and Armand Van Helden, whilst simultaneously one-upping his previous body of work - 2024's Stargaze, in every way possible.
Opening with the great, stylish and extremely funky Armenta-sampling future classic I Wanna Be With You - the tone for this EP is set with practiced ease using this opener, the thumping, bass heavy beats, rough sampling techniques and deep grooves set to backdrops of post-disco and funk presented right from the get go, only continuing as the listener ventures further. Following this is the excellent Cloudberry features - a Fafa Monteco-esque workout that was initially featured on Creux La Nuit's fourth major compilation, which was blogged back in early July, before launching into the fantastic Wireworks - an extremely groovy, and slightly jazzy club tool that wouldn't sound out of place being spun by Derrick Carter in a smoky club, or in the catalogue of legendary Toronto-based label 83 West, before closing with the equally epic (and my personal favourite!) On The Air - which is an extremely awesome banger that's full of low end, analogue warmth and several stylistic nods to the likes of Vinyl Fever, Kluster and Patrick Alavi - so if you like that particular era of French house music, give these tracks a try!
This EP closes in spectacular fashion with two awesome remixes from label mates Luv4Loop and Guv'nor Funk - with Lee turning in a killer remix of Wireworks, flipping it from a filter club tool into a stripped back, bassy and chilled out hip-hop influenced jam that bumps when played on loudspeakers and monitors, while the Guv'nor turned in an energetic edit of I Wanna Be With You, amping it up further in the process with lots of low fidelity, raw 8-bit charm whilst sprinkling his signature style to create a six minute anthem which is guaranteed to make it into a whole bunch of my DJ sets to come.
You can find this dope EP on the CLN Bandcamp now.
Inky - WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED + SATURATION
If the releases from Dequame and Phobos weren't enough to satisfy your growing appetite for the work of Creux La Nuit, then look no further than the brand new maxi-single from co-owner, game developer and producer Inky, who came in hot with a sweet re-issue of his two most popular singles, namely the epic French electro / dubstep-influenced We're Just Getting Started, which initially featured on the label's third major compilation - and the equally cool (and very bad-ass) Saturation - which is packed to the brim with extras, including alternate versions, DJ tools and a slew of remixes from the likes of Luv4Loop, Hackosef, Hollowire, Nickster and Aimless9 - making this an ultimate celebration of the work of one of the coolest people I know.
The first half of this maxi-single focuses entirely on We're Just Getting Started - opening properly with an insane remix from Luv4Loop (yes, the blog's resident Liverpudlian has been on fire lately!) which trades the thumping electro of the original for a fast-paced, groovy garage jam that's reminiscent of Todd Edwards' early to mid-2000s work, kitted out with what's essentially a whole bucket of micro-samples and extremely tight, smooth production. Directly after this, comes Hollowire's mad edit, which, while similar to Lee's in tempo, is much darker, heavier and full of distortion, jittery synthesis and trashy, raw drum hits, making it something you can dance to, but also mosh to, in some way or another - before slowing down into trippy hip hop - Hackosef's remix takes a completely different approach, turning in a quirky, yet impossibly unique, filtery French rework that feels reminiscent of the deeper, dreamier work of Lone that was released on R&S Records, whilst being very deep, oddly calming in one way or another, and sounding extremely comforting and resonant - but you could definitely spin it at a party and watch the crowd explode, too!
The latter half of this maxi-single focuses on Saturation, and after being opened with the amazing, original track, Inky comes back to deliver an insane electro-house rework of the track which is bound to set parties and festivals alight in the coming months thanks to its raucous, playful nature and super intricate production - and for those closely following the blog-house revival, especially on the electro side, then this is something I urge you to listen to - it has all of the necessary ingredients to work as a club banger that wouldn't sound out of place being signed to BNR back in late 2007 - so it's a huge thumbs up from me. Following this, the remix from Aimless9 takes a similar approach, with lots of stylistic nods to the blog-house era with tons of great sound design, boomy kicks and a heavy reliance on distortion - meaning that it would have totally been a fixture in the sets of SebastiAn, Partyshank and Justice back in the day - and Hackosef's remix features more of the same deep, funky vibes and low-fidelity charm - before this excellent maxi-single is closed with an idiosyncratic rework from Nickster - who many will know from his debut album release on Business Casual - which is much more stripped back, traversing through several genres such as trap, funk and house within the span of around three minutes, so I heavily approve!
You can find WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED + SATURATION digitally through Bandcamp, or on vinyl and CD through ElasticStage. Both links are below!
Kouek - Smilin'
Released independently everywhere on July 20th - the long awaited return of French future funk producer Kouek, who's been on fire this year so far, namely with the release of his legendary third record Superwave through My Pet Flamingo - has finally come, and boy, was it worth the wait. His brand new single Smilin' is an absolutely sublime piece of future funk that borrows from the smoothness and romantic undertones of nu disco and R&B, and the grooves of various legendary French house acts such as Fred Falke and Modjo to create an absolutely wonderful single that's effortlessly bright, catchy and shiny - and if you ask me, it's bound to soundtrack your next summer adventures, whether that's on the beach having a gathering with some friends, at a party under the sun, or just dancing in your bedroom to wake yourself up in the morning. It's an extremely welcome mix between soothing, funky and dance-able - so I'm very pleased to report that it's a thumbs up from me!
You can find Smilin' on Bandcamp now.
.jpg)
Loze and 48 Ocean - Turbine
Moving away from the mostly smooth sounds explored so far in today's post - I wanted to shine a light on the brilliant new single from Parisian producer Loze and his sidekick 48 Ocean, which was released through Mr. Hoosteen's legendary label OMEAC last Saturday - which serves as an extremely gnarly, epic and driving electro house single which to me, sounds like a relentless, yet rather welcome combination between the early work of Boys Noize - especially during the time in which he released his debut, and the wider French electro movement pioneered by labels such as Kitsune, Ed Banger and Dim Mak, amongst others. At many points, Turbine is an extremely cinematic, yet immersive single that's brash, confident and violent in the best way possible, packed with snappy drum work and thick, gritty layered synthesis that dominates almost the entire track, before finishing off in a glittery, disco-esque fashion - and while that contrast may seem a little bit strange, in this context it works perfectly, and if anything, manages to showcase the blog house movement in an extremely iconic and unique way - DJs, be sure to put this in your digital crate, and producers who are aiming to bring back that sound - take notes, take notes!
File next to the likes of Broken Embraces, SHPESHFTR, Wire One, Poetically and Artemis Morte!
You can find Turbine on various streaming platforms. The YouTube Music link is below!
Catch me, Luv4Loop and Opierm play jams weekly on Twitch!
Building onto the topic of DJs - I wanted to briefly mention that now, every Thursday night on the CLN Twitch channel, me and co-owners Opierm and Luv4Loop perform back to back playing whatever we're in the mood for in a night we call 'Thursday Night Throwdown' - ranging from the usual stuff, like French house, electro and nu disco - to garage and deeper stuff, with occasional guests - last night we had Future0s come on and do a Brazilian funk, classic disco and 90s house set, and the previous week, Inky did a multi-genre 75 minute set.
The next event is on August 6th. Tune in if you want to!
Rest in peace, Kavinsky!
Before we get back to talking about all of the new releases from the last few weeks, I wanted to briefly talk about French musician, producer and DJ Kavinsky - who is one of the biggest legends in our scene for so, so many different reasons, ranging from his excellent house and synth-wave work for labels such as Record Makers, Fool's Gold and Arcade Mode - his 2010 hit 'Nightcall' which was used in the opening for Drive, starring Ryan Gosling - his close partnership with the Ed Banger crew in the late 2000s, having been remixed by Mr. Oizo and SebastiAn, alongside playing with the likes of A-Trak and the late DJ Mehdi - and finally, influencing a massive range of artists from several different backgrounds, including synth-wave band The Midnight, Canadian singer The Weeknd and Miami Nights 1984, amongst many others.
On Wednesday morning, I was at my computer casually browsing the internet, when the news broke of his passing the day before at the age of 50 - and as I'm writing this, I am still shocked over this news, and deeply saddened that our movement has lost one of its greatest purveyors. That being said, I would like to take this time to ask of you, readers, to go and give some of Vincent's work a spin, if you haven't, as it is truly, truly wonderful. My thoughts are with his family and his friends, and I know for a fact, that his art will live on eternally.
Thank you, Kavinsky.
Below is my favourite track of his - the excellent Wayfarer, which was released on his second EP in 2007.
Da Syncopator - To Find
According to my calculations, the last time Houston-based filter house producer Da Syncopator - who's known for kick starting the first major Crydamoure revival and as the head of hot new label Synchroma was featured, it was back in October, so when he released this brand new banger through SoundCloud on July 15th - I knew it had to feature. His first outing in the best part of four months since the chilled out single Revealing - To Find is a super sweet (and ridiculously funky) club jam that feels deeply reminiscent of the mid-90s work of Chicago's home town hero Paul Johnson - it's really playful, at various points raw, yet quirky and intriguing, and while the majority of this new single is dominated by 909-esque beats, plucky synths and sampled licks that wouldn't sound too out of place on legendary labels such as Riviera, Relief or Dust Traxx, towards the middle and the end there's some nice disco action to boot - so it'll likely please almost anyone upon first listen - me included!
This is a criminally underrated cut from one of the scene's finest talents. Go and stream it now (and Synco, if you're reading this, a Bandcamp release would be killer!)
Moekyen and [Phantom] Noiz - Nokia
Going back to the French electro sound, by now readers are expected to know Moekyen (formerly known as Angelhook!) - the French producer who has been cooking some of the finest electro and discostep in the game, and this is in fact, his third time featuring on the blog this month - a feat which has previously never been done before, and it's extremely deserved, as his brand new single, released independently also on July 15th, done in collaboration with Austin-based dubstep producer Phantom Noiz is a nasty slice of electro that's quite simply, utterly bonkers from start to finish. A dark, snappy and tight, two minute workout complete with the usual ingredients - slamming beats, lots of dubstep influence and lots of intricacies, largely in part to the stunning sound design that leaves barely any room to breathe - examples including the dirty synth stabs the two of them are known for and frequent bass growls you'd find in Justice's debut album Cross or in Skrillex's early work from 2010-2012 - to me, Nokia feels as if you took the dirtiest and heaviest of the bloghouse era and pumped it full of steroids - which, should hopefully convince electro DJs and producers to spin this endlessly for the next month or two, until they get signed to Ed Banger, or at least until they both team up again!
You can find Nokia on SoundCloud now.
Melonade & Kujo - WANTUBABY
To end out this (pretty huge) post, I wanted to talk about the brand new single from Scottish future funk and French house producer and DJ Melonade - who came out of retirement last Saturday to deliver eager fans a sweet, new Starpoint sampling single featuring Dundee's very own Kujo - and let me tell you, it is absolutely fantastic, as it manages to bridge the gap between both future funk and filter house damn near expertly. It's an extremely joyful and glamorous outing that feels reminiscent of the mid-2010s work of Matabei, and also the late 90s work of French house's greatest purveyor Thomas Bangalter - and if this was released during the initial filter house explosion, I can guarantee you that it would have been a major, major hit across the world, as it's a super infectious jam with excellent production, and above all - it's genuinely just an awesome single that fans will be delighted to have out, so go and play it loud!
You can find it on SoundCloud now, alongside a stripped back edit from Luanmer.
There you have it, everyone!
I hope you've enjoyed reading today's post - make sure to support all of the artists featured today, and as always - keep enjoying your stay at the discotheque!
Comments
Post a Comment