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The new Kontra-Musik release aims for the dancefloor. With two stunning Rivet (Naked Index) originals plus an anthem alert Marcel Fengler remix, this EP will make us dance. Of course, as always, with a bit of a Kontra-Musik twist.
Rivet puts a lot of effort in his sounds and his production. This is not another copycat. The Rivet sound is after just a few releases a hallmark of dirty funk and originality blended with cinematic beauty.
First out on the EP Amid the Roar is Metrist, a sexy march that blends the stiffness 80-ties disco with techno from the future. A distorted bass line meets clever drums, metallic stabs and a beautiful string keeps the track in the moody Kontra-Musik territory. On the b-side Marcel Fengler takes his turn on Metris. He keeps the string of the original, chops up the bass and creates a dancefloor monster with a big anthem alert stamp on it. Amid the Roar ends with what might be the strongest track on the ep. With Sleepwalker Rivet brings us down with a broken and mud-drenched version of the Rivet sound. Medieval darkness turned into funk and beauty, with string and voices bringing thought back to Peter Benisch and his excellent Sound Track Saga album. Enjoy!
Rivet (Naked Index) is the well-kept secret behind one of 2011s strongest techno EPs - Inside Looking Out on Naked Index. Followed by the EP Running Thick and a very strong remix for Kowton on TEAL, this producer enigma now joins the Kontra-Musik stable with what will hopefully be a l...
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Kondens is collaboration between Swedish electronic music veterans Andreas Tilliander (Kontra-Musik, Mille Plateaux/Force Inc, Raster-Noton and Repeatle) and Stefan Thor aka Folie (Mitek). The sound is a hybrid of techy dubstep with a twist and banging dub-influenced techno. Pure peak time bliss without losing the love for dub and tape delays. The vinyl debut, First Cut EP, was a success. The Second Coming in now here including a breathtakingly beautiful Substance remix.
First out is the fast and furious broken dub-techno track – Flamingo. Rolling bass line and grainy synth layers strives towards a breakdown. But only after a short rest, the flamingo takes off again. With heavy production and the most elegant stab riff, Flamingo defines the Kondens sound – high energy dub tech. On the flip Substance (Chain Reaction) brings us down, deep down. With scraping harmonic samples and bass line production to kill for, this is just beautiful bass music. Or as Substance puts it:
“It was a production with a lot of heart. The sound files lead me in a more dub-emotional-monumental direction. The key thing is the bass line. I hope the track will grow on you.” Tropic Star brings us back to the same energy level as on the A-side. The dub is more than present, but still this is dancefloor techno never weak in funk and energy. And this is exactly what Kondens is about.
Kondens is today a group that has matured into their own sound - and this sound something very
heavy. Enjoy!
The EP...
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The much-anticipated album from Jonsson/Alter, the new project from Henrik Jonsson (Porn Sword Tobacco/Gunnar Jonsson) & Joel Alter (Joel Alter/Jor-el), has finally arrived. If the very well received preceding EPs, Olidan (km019) and En Livfull Skildring (km020), are future classics, the album Mod, sets a new standard of what a dance music album could be. With personality and grace Jonsson/Alter blend soul, atmosphere and space with heavenly monotone funk. Or as the artists put it: “This album just landed in our laps like the sand falls inside an hourglass, every note is a breath of air and each kick pumps like a woken heart.”
Tension is the key word to this album. The raw funk of bass lines and drum programming always grinds against the smooth and beautiful, almost sacral and poetic parts of the music. You can feel the work of two producers, two styles, two ideas, meeting and blending to create something new - a sound of their own. This can clearly be heard on Acapellan. A sharp acid bass line meets smooth church-bell pads and Pet Sound choirs move freely in and out of the piece. Djup House plays around the same theme. Dreamy monotone organ pads and deep human sighs meet the striving funk of daily life. Dvärg is probably the most danceable track on the album. Minimalistic but irresistibly funky drum programming jams together with a wild and constantly tweaked one-tone bass line. Very few sounds play efficiently in this amazingly dirty club track. Kyrka 2.0 brings us ba...
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Jonsson/Alter - the new project from Henrik Jonsson (Porn Sword Tobacco/Gunnar Jonsson) & Joel Alter (Joel Alter/Jor-el) - presents the follow up to their debut EP - Olidan. After the summer their full-length album will drop.
The title track, En Livfull Skildring, is a well-arranged and heavy dance track moving the newborn duo closer to techno domains. But the Jonsson/Ater version of techno is something very playful, warm and organic. With free and floating organs, the already acknowledged trade mark of the group, this feels like techno seeking inspiration in the sounds of the seventies.
On the b-side a minimalistic but irresistibly funky drum programming jams with a wild and constantly tweaked one-tone bass line. Very few sounds play efficiently in this amazing track that will be spun extensively by djs worldwide this summer. You will not miss this one - be so sure.
On the last track, house maestro Move D alias David Moufang threats the title track and brings us down the memory lane. A fierce kick, classic and old school house stabs mix with a 303 and Davids own Dobro guitar. The result is a deep, melodic and very warm house track striving towards dance floor peaks. Only David can do it like this…and he does.
It all started with some old synthesizers and the will to play. Jonsson and Alter met in Gothenburg, Sweden, years ago. In 2010 they found themselves being neighbors in Berlin, Neue Köln. One day Jonsson went over to Alter, checking out some abandoned sy...
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Jonsson/Alter - the new project from Henrik Jonsson (Porn Sword Tobacco/Gunnar Jonsson) &
Joel Alter (Joel Alter/Jor-el), take house music in new magic directions.
There has been a lot of talk about a Nordic house sound lately. When Jonsson/Alter enters the arena, they nail it. Spot on.
It all started with some old synthesizers and the will to play. Jonsson and Alter met in Gothenburg, Sweden, years ago. In 2010 they found themselves being neighbors in Berlin, Neue Köln. One day Jonsson went over to Alter, checking out some abandoned synthesizers Alter found in the streets. A jam session started that has not yet ended.
On A1, Olidan, Jonsson/Alter goes back to their common childhood city, Trollhättan. Surrounded by the wild nature of the Göta River, this is where Jonsson and Alter seek their inspiration. The drama of the swirling live recorded organs and synths create house music that lurks of Northern myths. The second track on the a-side is Orgelpunkten, a free musical improvisation of Swedish poet and mystery man Gunnar Ekelöf.
On the b-side the track Jätten follows. The dance and funk is very present in the great bassline but the floating cords and melodies still take you far away into space. In a better world, Jätten would be a hit record.
Jonsson has a long history of record making and is the musician behind projects like Porn Sword Tobacco, Stress Assassin and Gunnar Jonsson. His track Morgonånga was voted one of the best tracks of 2010 by MNML SSG...
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Time Axis Manipulation. Three different artists (Silent Servant, Echospace and Redshape) were asked to remix Swedish experimental dub/drone act Mokira (Type, Raster Noton & Mille Plateaux). The stunning result is now released as three limited 10-inch records, including original track on a-side and remix on b-side. A full Mokira cd and digital album will accompany the vinyl releases.
Part III – Manipulation Musik
Manipulation Musik is the darkest and most cinematic piece on this collection of EPs. Delicate manipulated melodies and melancholic strings moves in and out of a crackling and distorted soundscape, telling an experimental sound tale with a sad ending. On b-side Redshape (Present, Delsin) makes a remix solely using sounds from the original. Redshape described his tape dub version like this: “think disco dub, plonk & pain”. Not much to add to that – it kind of says it all. Enjoy!
Mokira is the first and main alias from the Swedish producer Andreas Tilliander and releases are out on labels such as Raster-Noton, Mille Plateaux and Type. The music of Mokira could be described as electronic kraut, harsh ambient and the deepest dub. All recorded on vintage gear.
Kontra-Musik and Mokira would like to thank Echospace, Silent Servant and Redshape for investing their time and talent in this project and also for using the original parts and samples in such and extensive way. Also look out for the full Mokira album – Time Axis Manupilation, that will follow this re...
