Council Meeting Memo #041

Blondes: Warmth (R&S, Album)

Have to confess i’m a huge Blondes fan. 2013’s ‘Swisher’ was overflowing with poignant melody coupled with a dissonant, abstract take on house rhythm. But the results were accessible, immediate and very direct. This however, despite the title, this is a lot darker and murkier in tone. Looped mantra’s in 4/4, allowing room for experimentation and play, almost as if it was delivered live. As a result, ‘Quality Of Life’, ‘MRO’ and ‘Trust’ have a real urgency to them. SA

Various Artists: The Awakening (Good 2 Go DMR, EP)

Rumbuncous jungle that really went over my head. Spun it through a couple of times but nothing stuck. The label who are ‘dedicated to releasing mostly new hardcore and jungle done in the same classic style as 1992–1996’ have released more effective stuff. SA

John Shima: CPU Modular 1 (CPU Processing)

The more I listened, the more I liked. Bright, pixel-perfect, machine tooled electro. ‘005’ was the one that made do out-of-time jerky body movements, much to the embarrassment of those around me. SA

Roy Of The Ravers: Emotinium ’22 (Emotional Response, Single)

It’s like Roy knows that despite his efforts, he’ll never top this track. ‘Emotinium’ is the best slice of acid-drenched dance pop you’ll ever hear. Full stop. Just reissue this every year with a bunch of remixes for all eternity. And I’d be happy. SA

Torus: 333 Mirrors (Tresor, EP)

Searing, soaring, sound design as ambience has its altitude calibrated to a higher setting than most. Think of R&S output where dance-focussed artists would jettison the kick to see where it take them. Spiralling off into more interesting airspace. Everything has that satisfying musical core to it and ‘300 Mirrors‘ is its best calling card. SA