This is a much-delayed continuation of the previous post here on Girlpants. Sorry for the delay. I won’t waste any time getting to the tunes. –Ben

10. Carsten Jost - “Love” [Dial]
“Carsten Jost actually co-runs the Dial label with Lawrence. To be honest, I wasn’t all that wise to this sound a few years ago but by all reports he was a pretty big deal back then and released a bunch of really great tracks. Up until now he’s been on semi-retirement and focusing on running the label, but now he’s back! This is the other track on the Dial split EP (#15 was the A side and this is the B).

While the Efdemin track was a movement away from the Dial sound, Carsten has delivered something very Dialesque only with a few subtle differences. One of these differences is the use of percussion. I really love the percussion on this one. These blissed out melodic tracks don’t really need it but it really does lift it up to that extra level. The classic Dial sound comes from the brilliant rising synth notes that grab a hold of you. It’s a simple track that just gradually builds as it goes. It’s the sort of trick that the prog producers used to do but they’d get to cheesy while this is executed perfectly. But what more would you expect from Dial? If you like this track or anything else you hear from Dial (Pantha Du Prince, Lawrence, Efdemin) then try to grab everything you can on the label. It’s easily the most reliable medium/large techno label going at the moment.”

09. Fran Matjor - “Aver Aver” [Thema]
“It’s great to see Argentina continuing to provide an impressive amount of deep minimal fare. Minimal is getting to a point where enough sounds have been explored that it’s difficult to be surprised by the types of sounds used. But this track really does sound very different. I really have no idea how to describe what the fuck is going on with this hook. It’s a beautiful mess of compressed pings, squelches, scrapes and acid goodness. But that’s not all! There’s a funky bassline and the beats stay busy enough to not sound too pedestrian as the hook does fuck-knows-what.

It’s always great to see new labels bringing out fresh stuff that gets noticed. Dial, M_nus, Perlon and Kompakt are great and all but these small labels are what keeps the scene so healthy. This is only their 2nd release and it’s one of the best of the year so far. It appears Argentina has much to offer in 2007.”

08. Martin Buttrich - “Well Done (Serafin remix)” [Four:Twenty Recordings]
“Buttrich had a great 2006, so I was looking forward to this release. The original track was a little disappointing, but this Serafin remix more than makes up for that! Serafin is another guy who I really admire because his productions are just so well done technically. Listen closely to the sounds used on this track: how complex the hi hat is, or how the first hook and synth very loosely wrap themself around the bassline in a way that’s almost out of sync. The track sounds like it’s going to collapse on itself but it stays together. And this is only the first 4 minutes of a 12 minute tune!

He doesn’t even introduce the main hook until 6 minutes in and it’s a ripper of a hook containing some beautiful multi-layered melodies that if tweaked a little wouldn’t sound out of place on an Aphex Twin track. We then get some more rising synths and all the top notch percussion and beats are brought back in. It’s a perfect track and highlights how great this guy really is.”

07. “Seph - Ann Tullah” [Kalimari Musique]
“I think it’s safe to say that Seph is still on fire. While he’s still delivering the deep dark Argentinean techno, on this track we can find a little more funk than his previous work. There’s a few reasons for this, firstly the structure isn’t as rigid and this results in a looser, more elastic feel. Also, the effects/samples used are more stretched out and textured and the deep bass appears to be along to party rather than just creep everyone out.

So overall it’s much funkier than the old Seph sound, which suggests some development in his sound and is good to see. While artists like Seph and the others in the Argentinean brigade were brilliant in 2006, sometimes these localised sounds can get stagnant rather quickly–tracks like this one suggest otherwise for their scene.”

06. From Karaoke To Stardom - “Big Bad Swoosh” [Apnea]
“From Karaoke To Stardom have pretty much come from out of nowhere with 2 EPs in the space of 2 months, and every track is stellar. On this track they deliver a tasty slab of slow burning nasty techno. Everything about this track is stretched out, tense and sinister. Long drawn out static and eerie sounds fill the mix which are underscored by a deep bassline and bubbling echoed minimal pings. I’ve mentioned how there’s been many examples of tracks being stripped of reverb and made “dryer” but nothing could be further from the truth here. Everything about this track is wet and drippy.

Once it has settled into its groove we learn why this track is called “Big Bad Swoosh,” as we get hit with a big swoosh of static which ushers in a temporary release of tension. The bass gets punchier and the eerie sounds are removed and replaced by some more dancefloor friendly percussion. But parity is soon restored as the tension returns and some new Minus-esque paranoid pings arrive. This is a really fresh tune and the sort of track that I’d expect to get played a lot for the next few months. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t lose their shit to this one, especially when that swoosh hits!”

05. Tractile - “Dynam” [M_nus]
“Everyone is waiting for the M_nus bubble to burst. There’s been some people saying they are overrated and perhaps a couple of their releases are. It’s like when Warp were on top of their game, anything they released would get more attention because it was on Warp, while there were some better IDM releases on smaller labels that would go virtually unnoticed. Personally I’m not sure either way, but one thing I do know is that a majority of their releases are freaking amazing and the new Tractle EP is a good example of that. All of the 4 tracks are top notch and could have been placed in this top 20. As appears to be the early 2007 trend, this release is quite hard and not really that minimal, which is significant because M_nus has been the major player in the minimal sound for quite a while now.

Dynam is a super rocking slice of analogue techno by the M_nus newcomers. Dubby funky deep bass is paired with tasty beats and high hats, but it’s all about the snare on this one. This snare is the best thing to happen in 2007 so far–it’s sort of off kilter like it has been stuttered or knocked out of its designated knook. It’s a subtle change, but it throws the whole track that little bit out of sequence, which loosens it up–as we all know, looseness often leads to funkiness. Given this template, Tractle uses it as licence to rock their drum machine and throw all sorts of glitched up madness and robotic cicada frequenices into the mix. It really is great to be reminded of that special warmness analogue gear can bring. This reminder is particularly well timed as digital technology has been the dominant force in techno for the past few years.”

04. Half Hawaii - “Into You” [Perlon]
“Half Hawaii are my tip for best group of 2007. This EP is amazing and the short clips of their next EP sound even better. Plus, they have an album due later in the year. They are a new group, but the 2 members (Bruno Ponsato and Pantytec’s Sammy Dee) have been around for a while now and have already built a good reputation for themselves. While expectations amongst fans would have been high, I doubt anyone expected something this fabulous. This is the freshest sounding track on the list as it’s really stripped back and minimal but also really warm which is very different to the typical cold/deep minimal which is so popular right now.

The bass on “Into You” is muffled slightly so each pulse massages rather than hits you in the gut. This blends perfectly with the sampled bongos and other live percussion as well as the field recordings of running water and slightly processed vocal snippets. A super deep sub bass and distant sirens and bleeps are added later to further enhance the warmness. In hindsight this sound is a logical next step for minimal but I don’t think anyone saw it coming. Problem is that it’s probably too fresh to play in a set because there’s literally nothing else out there that sounds like this right now. It’s a pity because it deserves plenty of dancefloor love. Hopefully we are witnessing the beginning of a new sound.”

03. Dub Kult - “Cluster Fuck” [Curle Recordings]
“This is probably the most uniformly loved track so far in 07. I haven’t heard anyone say a bad thing about it yet and for good reason. The beats are comprised of various forms of live percussive sounds and glitched out digital beats which are given just the right texture to blend well with each other. This combination delivers both technical precision and raw funkiness to the mix which is a lethal combination if the right balance is reached as it is here. Herein lies the secret to “Cluster Fuck”’s appeal: by utilising both organic and non-organic sounds in the same track it manages to bring both warm funkiness and cold mechanic moods, which are 2 of the best routes to take a track. But rarely (if ever) do you hear both these paths taken in the same track.

Once the platform has been set by said organic and digital beats, some dubby bass is added which is soon joined by cut up vocals for a while. Then things start to get dark and trippy as the vocals disappear and the once funky and clean bass transforms into eerie deep acid and some spooky melodies creep into the mix. As this happens the percussion becomes more urgent to complete the 180 degrees shift in mood. Then, as if to make sure you are kept permanently off guard, the vocals return in what sounds like some sort of schoolgirl chant and the funk is not only restored but brought to new heights. Once this phase is over the track once again plunges into new depths of darkness, never to return to it’s bright funky climax again. This one is an epic in length and journey as it brings you up, takes you down, then up then finally down again.”

02. Beck - “Cellphone’s Dead (Villalobos Entlebuch Rmx)” [???]
“I really don’t know what else to say about Ricardo. He’s probably the most important guy in electronic music at the moment and he’s a genius. But enough about him and more about the track. This is Ricardo in loose funky mode. He’s taken the percussion and the vocals (i.e. the only good elements) of the original and shaped them into the Ricardo format then just rides it out for 15 minutes of funked out minimal goodness. In some ways it’s a similar approach to his “Sinner In Me” remix from last year with its deceptively complex percussion, smoothed out bass then halfway through the introduction of a second funky bassline to get you moving. The main difference is this track is bouncier, brighter and less minimal which is possibly a reaction to Beck’s brighter vocals. It’s interesting how on both the Depeche Mode and Beck remixes Ricardo has chosen to isolate the vocals and make them more of a feature of the track than the original did. This isn’t really something that is done very often in a remix but in this case it works brilliantly. Actually, this remix has made me appreciate Beck’s vocal performance more.

I always felt that there was a good track buried somewhere in the original. Beck has always been that little bit off the mark recently even when he has a good thing going. So in retrospect this track was ripe for the remix treatment. Out goes the ill advised samples and crowded production and in come what beck has been trying to rediscover for the past 10 years, funk and energy!”

01. Ben Klock - “Czeslawa” [Ostgut Tonträger]
“Read the recent ‘This Month In Techno’ column at Pitchfork and you’ll see another example of someone jumping on the Klock bandwagon. This sound right here is where techno is going. It’s minimal yet it’s big and beefy too. But it’s also using minimal’s love of technology to push it up that extra level. So you could say the phrase “the best of both worlds” applies here.

I’ve always enjoyed weird frequencies in my music and Klock uses frequencies in ways I’ve never heard before. It sounds like you’ve stuck your head inside a mechanical underwater beehive. These sounds are joined by a piercing high hat, deep thudding bass and a simple yet catchy hook. Once these sounds have been established Ben just variates and brings each element in and out at different point for the duration of the track. It’s quite a subtle track and something that really has to be heard to be fully appreciated but it really is clearly the song of the year so far. So deep, penetrating and downright hypnotic.”

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