Booka Shade - Planetary/City Tales

Something of tech-house royalty, Booka Shade had an interesting 2007. Following the mixed reaction to "Tickle/Karma Car" and some alright-but-not-great remixes, they released their DJ-Kicks, a defining mix CD of the year, along with the single "Numbers". It was the first time Booka Shade had used vocals in a track and it worked pretty well. Looking towards their soon to be released third LP "The Sun and the Neon Light", it's clear that Booka are making more of a home listening record rather than a straight club record like "Movements". Some are unsure what to make of this, but if it's straight techno you want, Booka will still always deliver.

First single from the album features a "Club Mix" of Planetary, what I assume is just a longer and more driving version of what will be on the album. It starts with an odd little synth and then comes in a little clave that sounds like it may have that 2006 ping pong delay on it, but it nothing like it. Bass tones come in, going up and down, while little whistles add an eerie effect. Unfortunately, the main synth line and little breaks here and there interrupt the flow, which is why they included the "Dub" mix. Keeping everything that's good about the original, it smooths everything out into a cut that will make dancefloors go mental.

On the B-side is a cut not intended for the album called "City Tales", here in a "Neon Dub" version, but I doubt the original will ever see the light of day. A track that Booka were going to forget, M.A.N.D.Y. told them that they had been playing it out and getting a huge reaction to it, so Booka decided to include it here, and we must all be glad that they did. Featured as a centerpiece on M.A.N.D.Y.'s Fabric 38, "City Tales (Neon Dub)" is like Planetary in that it's got so much propulsion you can't help but dance, but only better. More rhythmically interesting, little bass tones come in and out to give a sense of melody where there isn't one. Little vocorded voices are put here and there not doing much , until a big "uhhh" comes in adding a new dimension. Booka then take little "tch" "uh" and "bap" vocal snippets and turn them into a massive rhythm. What this track does with the vocals makes it such a classic its a shame that we may have never seen it. Using nothing but moans, grunts and "bahp"s, if this doesn't get you dancing then there is no hope.

Booka's next album may be less of a dance album and more of an electronic album, but don't let that scare you. "Movements" was sometimes criticized for being formulaic and too melodic. Booka took those comments and said "you want something different?" and gave us something completely different. These standout cuts feature little or no melody and are so far from anything on "Movements" that it's a shock at first that it's Booka Shade. They plan on releasing a more club friendly version of their new album, and with the duo of more melodic songs for home listening and straight-forward-rhythmic club tracks, it's safe to say that 2008 is, like 2006, Booka Shade's year again.

Geräusch 8.1

New Mix: Geräusch 8.1

My last "Geräusch" was going to be a two part mix, but in the end I just decided to a shorter mix in one shot. Here I'm pulling a two-parter, and here's the first part.

dOP - Zero Zero [Milnor Modern]
Mikael Stavöstrand - Can You See Thru My Eyes [Spectral Sound]
Matt John - Boeing Highfly (Let Me Hupe Mix) [Holographic Island]
Rework - Love Love Love Yeah (Chloé Remix) [Playhouse]
Dettmann|Klock - Places Like This [Ostgut Tonträger]
Robert Hood - And Then We Planned Our Escape [Music Man Records]
H.O.S.H. & Solomun - Milkyway [Diynamic]
Reboot - Be Tougher [Cadenza]
Exercise One - Intensity [Mobilee]
Booka Shade - Planetary (Dub) [Get Physical]
Melon - Nitzi (In My Mind, So Fine) [Innervisions]
Sascha Funke - Double Checked [BPitch Control]

Part two will begin with Double Checked where it left of here. After I post it I'll probably combine the two or something, but I might decide they're better left on their own.

Sascha Funke - Mango

Sascha Funke is either my favorite or my least favorite artist on BPitch Control. His personality comes through in his tracks, and we're given something that sounds like it was made by Sascha rather than generic-techno-house-producer-x. This doesn't mean, however, that he limits himself to using the same techniques over and over again to reach an effect, something that too many producers turn to lately.

The only problem is that he's not terribly consistent. The "Boy" 12" was great, "Auf Aix" was great, but sometimes his releases aren't the best to me (his BoogyBytes Mix, however, is so far the best in the series). Luckily for us, "Mango", his first LP in years, does not dissapoint.

"Bravo" had its faults. It had good tracks, alright tracks, and not so great tracks. You don't see this on "Mango". "Mango" is a good record as one piece, but there is also a lot of variety in it. Opener "Mango" is melodic and atmospheric until the guitar cuts the track open, adding a whole new element. Guitars are seldom used well, but here Sascha uses guitar sparingly and to great effect. Some of the cuts on the album bring the tempo down and add some melancholy, not necessarily the tracks you would spin at 3am, but perfect home listening tracks.

Yet, "Mango" also contains some real stunning cuts sure to get the dance floor fired up. "Double-Checked" sounds like ringing bells and sticks in this great groove until these odd vocals come in, adding a sinister element to the whole thing. These aren't the pitched vocals of R U OK or Charly, but something else entirely. "Lotre (Mehr Fleisch)" is also a killer dance floor track with a voice that comes in later that may or may not be saying anything. Regardless, it serves as more of another rhythmic element than anything else, which makes it both interesting and hypnotizing.

Gernot from Modeselektor said that this is the most mature music Sascha has ever produced, and I must agree with him. Sascha's tracks are sometimes too melodic, or sometimes they sound purposely a-tonal (when we all know he wants to throw in some swooshing synth). Here, he finds a perfect balance, keeping everything reserved and, in the process, creating tracks that are more than the sum of their parts.

Hercules and Love Affair - Blind

Was not so sure about what to make of this track a month ago. The hype was immense and, when I finally heard it, I was underwhelmed.

That's because I didn't listen to the "club mix".

The album version is very 70s, very disco, with a lot of hi-hats and sounding rather cluttered. The "Club Mix" (a term I personally hate because it's so vague), however, lets the song breath. It lets Antony's vocals soar, by removing the elements that weren't ever important to the song and giving it a more epic feel. His vocals are too good to clutter up, and placing them along a simple beat and spacing the song out makes what was an alright tune a real classic.

The horns are played around with, the disco bass is completely done away with, and it turns into a tune akin to the massive "Hang Around (Wahoo Main Mix)". I don't know how I'll feel about the album, which has gotten so much praise the past month, given my feelings towards the original. If it's more like Hercules' remix, however, we're in for a treat.