Various Artists ‘Souvenir Records / Tiefschwarz: In The City’

Various Artists / ‘Souvenir Records: In The City’

CD

Souvenir Records / Released May 1st 2011

 

What does it sound like?

The label that Tiefschwarz set up some five years ago finally getting round to releasing a compilation. Oh, and a 13-track mix provided by the head honchos, comprising archive materials from the last half decade. By now should you not be trying to find the nearest store in stock?

Those still here obviously need further details, so we will oblige. Disc one, which contains exclusive tracks from artists on the Souvenir roster, kicks off with the ever so addictive and smile-inducing-sample based Demon, from Ruede Hagelstein & Naneci. A bassy houser that lifts itself from low-slung beginnings onto a funk driven, jazz influenced plateau with some panache, it boasts deft production that proves to be the standard throughout this collection.

From here we are then fed several palatable delights. There’s Nico’s broken before becoming four-four based, dark but soulful and slightly Swayzak sounding Wicked Games. And Schoneline 25- Maher Daniel’s dubby tech workout built from shimmering synths and lunging low ends. On the other hand, Just For This, the stripped jacker courtesy of &Me, is worth noting thanks to its hummed chorus, and classic punchy drums.

Tiefschwarz’s mix moves from the electronically ethereal opener, Elle P & Iftah’s The Pink Panther, through Audiofly’s heavy, chugging and understatedly anthemic remix of World Keeps Turning (a Psychonauts ode to New Order), and onto Ruede Hagelstein’s tech-popper, Emergency. The journey is enjoyable, though somewhat homogenous, with nods to the pair’s old penchant for harsher, electro-leaning sounds barely audible over the slamming kicks of Just Dance Baby! from Sebbo, an outing that drops as the last third begins, providing the toughest moment on here before things find a familiar groove again.

Where would I dance to it?

Moderately sized gatherings, once social lubricant has been applied. As for the CD of individual efforts, pretty much anywhere with a soundsystem.

What highlights can I expect to hear?

From the separate tunes Re.You’s Dance is a cheeky retro workout of bouncy baritones and looped vocals, which should appeal to more than a few. Tiefschwarz also come up trumps on Stuck In My Head, a collaboration with Jaw that’s hypnotic, but also brings something of a carnival vibe to proceedings. Meanwhile those in appreciation of filtered male hooks, percussion, and basic pad patterns will enjoy Adam Port’s You Better, which is New York via an afternoon in Chicago. Whereas Ahmet Sisman’s After Rain Comes Sun is an alt-rave trip, with hallucinogenic lyrics, wobbly melody and occasional white noise that’s not too bad either.

Switching it up, the mix’s first drop is amongst its finest, a distorted piece of lo-fi downtempo electronica that could well be re-appropriated far from this context, and Vanessa from Sante Onno is a memorably squelchy, bumbling heads down number that’s part repetition, part atmospherics. And Flipflop Crash sounds like Ziggy Kinder’s Germanic take on computer music, working pretty well in the process though falling short when compared with Sleeper Thief’s remix of Phonique’s What I Fake, and the moment things diverge into eerier territories. As you can tell then, notable mentions abound.

Why should I pay for it?

It’s a quality release, and something of an event, so recognise the fact.

Where can I buy it?

Shops in the real world, Juno.


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