EP Review: Seneca - The Range

On Seneca The Range follows up his Disk EP from last year on Donky Pitch with another EP of incredibly dense and percussive dance music.

The Range came to my attention a few months back when he released his fantastic Promises Edit into the wild. It's a stunning rework of Ciara's Promise that feels deep, sweet and thick like treacle, creating a big electronic sound around the vocal with smatterings of drum & bass rhythms as the track builds. Unfortunately it doesn't feature here, due to it's unofficial status, but it's worth checking out.

Seneca - The Range

What we do get are three new original tracks and three remixes. PS 3 opens the EP, creating a spectacularly kinetic track of Asian-sounding melodies and flick-knife-quick rhythms. It's an impressively uplifting track, full of Eastern promise and clattering excitement - steel drums stuttering vocal edits and frenetic energy. It's pretty thrilling.

Greg Maddux Change Up is next, and whilst it retains the same complex, multi-layered rhythms it is downbeat in mood. Stirring, blue electronic melodies slowly play out in the background against brittle, cold keys whilst The Range's trademark pitched vocal samples sit high in the mix.

The final original track is Life Like This and it's probably more similar to that Ciara edit than the other tracks on this EP. Slower, though definitely not slow - it has just a little less energy than the other tracks here. Rapid drums and an Amen break still give the track energy, but it's also feels delicate and contemplative in tone - an observation of the non-stop chaos of life, perhaps.

Two remixes of PS 3 feature. Obey City create a slower track that plays up the Eastern elements of the original, adding strings, whilst Supreme Cuts deliver a deeper mix, full of sub-bass and a more minimal sound. Howse provides the remaining mix, this time of Life Like This, and it too is deeper, creating a thick, atmospheric track that still has complex rhythms but combines them with hazy melodies.

Seneca is out now through Donky Pitch, you can purchase the EP on Bandcamp. Check out that Ciara remix below:

EP Review: Slipstream / Pressure's On - Estate

Out later this month, this is the first release on Minneapolis' Bass Nites Recordings to appear on BlackPlastic.co.uk and it features local three-piece Estate, with remixes from Dirty McKenzie, DCUP and Sloslylove.

Slipstream / Pressure's On is a double a-side showing off Estate's funk and house influenced pop sound. They've toured with Yelle and Ellie Goulding amongst others and on hearing their sound it's clear why - this is polished, clean electronic pop. The band make a point of highlighting its appropriateness for both the dance floor and home listening, and it is unashamedly aiming to cross-over.

Slipstream / Pressure's On - Estate

Slipstream opens, a slick melodic number with yearning end-of-summer vocals, a crisp bass line, sparkling disco melodies and a series of warm pads. It's a little clinical, but the warm production and that bass make it a pretty enticing soundtrack to beers by a sunny pool. The vocal is fairly incomprehensible but in comparison to some of the populist EDM flooding the market state-side this is pure gold.

Pressure's On is a little funkier, but still fairly horizontal, with a loose bass line, snappy drums and filtered vocals. The synth melody picks out a soft melodic patter amongst the reverb of the percussion that gives the track a cool, relaxed feel.

The Slipstream remixes struggle to keep up with the original. Dirty McKenzie's Flutestream remix layers the vocals over a chugging funk bass and hands over the centre stage to a flute solo - neither do anything for me. It's a little campy but more importantly not really any fun.

Also remixing Slipstream is DCUP, who does what DCUP is known for, with the Australian taking the filtered disco / crunchy techno thing popularised by Ed Banger a few years back. It's a chopped-up, funky take on the original - unfortunately what it achieves in catchiness it loses in originality.

Finally Sloslylove gives Pressure's On a Ballearic overhaul - guitar licks emphasised, atmospheric chimes added and soft, off-time drums providing the smallest sense of forward momentum. It's the more successful of the mixes and helps Estate lose a little of that slickness that currently stops them from being great rather than good. 

Slipstream / Pressure's On is released through Bass United Recordings on 25 March.

Video: The Curve - Golden Void

Golden Void's self-titled debut from last year was a heady rush of bluesy psychedelia. The BlackPlastic.co.uk review featured a video for 'Virtue' but that was nothing compared to the band's latest video, this time for album highlight 'The Curve'.

Directed by Alexander Theodoropolus the video perfectly visualises the crazy distorted psychedelic sound of the song - giant gods, floating in space, nude yoga poses, deserts... It's got the lot.

Golden Void is out now on Thrill Jockey, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD and LP [affiliate links]. You can catch the band on tour (although provided a jump to the continent isn't a problem, sadly):

• Mon Apr 8 Prague, Czech Republic - Klub 007 
• Tue Apr 9 Berlin, Germany - Jagerklause 
• Wed Apr 10 Dresden, Germany - Ostpol 
• Thu Apr 11 Linz, Austria - Kapu 
• Fri Apr 12 Innsbruck, Austria - PMK 
• Sat Apr 13 Milan, Italy - Lo fi Club 
• Tue Apr 16 Lyon, France - Le Sonic 
• Wed Apr 17 Paris, France - Point Ephemere 
• Thu Apr 18 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix 
• Sun Apr 21 Tilburg, Netherlands - 013 venue (Roadburn Festival)

EP Review: Flex - Pool

When I reviewed their debut release Pool they were singing about videogames and I was pointing out their similarity to Alphabetical-era Pheonix. The subject matter may have moved on but the musical approach remains very familiar on this follow up release.

Flex - Pool

'Flex' is full of the tight guitar work and polished melodies that back a functional and bookish vocal. The slightly loose percussion and guitar riffs flecked with funk give this an infectious disco edge but it lacks just a little sophistication and emotion.

The dance floor sass of 'Flex' is countered by the more wistful 'Botox', with its chirpy verses and layered chorus. It feels a little deeper than the title track but in comparison to Pheonix's work, which often features obtuse lyrics that somehow still carry an emotional weight, this feels a little impenetrable. As a result the music is enjoyable but feels a little disposable.

Two remixes feature on this release in support of the originals. Stimming makes a return from the band's debut EP and offers 'Botox' up in the form of a deeper dub, full of dark grooves.

Aeroplane's remix of 'Flex' is the highlight of the EP and the best mix from (Aeroplane alter-ego, now it's a solo act) Vito de Luca I've heard in some time. It's a full 50 BPM slower than the original and adds some deep cosmic disco finesse to the original. The revision suits the vocals, creating a passionate track that more fully communicates the rhythm and desire it sounds like Pool were going for.

Flex is released on 18 February through 2DIY4.

Video: Diana - Shiny Darkly

Press play above for downright noisy goth garage from Shiny Darkly, new on Copenhagen's Crunchy Frog label (responsible for the Raveonettes and Iceland's Apparat Organ Quartet amongst others).

'Diana' is a dark take on garage post-punk, full of reverb and distortion. The video is also confrontational - a disorientating riot of urban desolation, group dance and some fairly graphic scenes. Slightly NSFW.

Video: Quinzhee (Building Us A House Out Of Snow) - The Voluntary Butler Scheme

Pretty sure I caught this new single from The Voluntary Butler Scheme on 6music the other day. At the time I was way too tired to contemplate remembering what it was (it would have been about 6:30 am at the time)... As such I'm rather glad it dropped into my inbox on Friday!

The press release likens it to the Beach Boys and a Christmas song recorded in the sun, which pretty much nails it. Wistful and festive and fun.

'Quinzhee (Building Us A House Out Of Snow)' is out tomorrow on Split Records with the album, A Million Ways To Make Gold, following in March 2013. You can grab the single from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 or 7" [affiliate link].

Album Review: Golden Void - Golden Void

Hot on the heels of Tame Impala's second album it's difficult for me to not hear their dizzy, psychedelic experimentation whenever I listen to Golden Void's new self-titled debut album..

Whilst the references are different and the approaches may vary the obsession with the past is a clear raison d'être for both bands. But Golden Void are hooked on a different beast - where Tame Impala are constantly reliving their wildest Revolver and White Album fantasies Golden Void take their lead from 70s blues rock and hard metal - traces of Deep Purple and early Hard Core.

Golden Void - Golden Void

Tame Impala's latest album used technology to realise a vision of the musical period they love that never quite could have existed at the time but Golden Void play their dedication straight. Unlike on Lonerism, nothing here sounds like it couldn't be 35-years old - this is a raw album, still itching with a warm, fuzzy sound that harks back to the days of valves and grooves. Recorded in San Francisco, it was recorded straight to tape with limited overdubs and that purity of approach comes through.

And that is basically what Golden Void is - a celebration of doing things the old way. Having played together across various bands for years there is a tightness in the interplay between the band's members, particularly Isaiah Mitchell's vocals and the bass and drum work of Aaron Morgan and Justin Pinkerton.

That tightness is demonstrated in the album's opening tracks. 'Art Of Invading' sounds as vicious as the title implies - a wall of guitar and bass whilst Mitchell howls. 'Virtue' is similarly unsympathetic, with the kind of chunky bass melody that Death From Above 1979 hung their hats on and a rhythm section that is basically Pinkerton locked into a full, pummelling drum-solo for five-minutes.

After letting off the gas ever so slightly for the album's middle-half and gloriously gloomy 'Badlands' the band once again open up on 'The Curve'. Mitchell's guitar work here is exemplary - furiously riffing one moment before a gentle, bluesy bridge sees a tortured solo in the style of Python Lee Jackson's 'In A Broken Dream'.

Due to the straight nature in which it is played those that think Tame Impala do nothing but revisit the past-glories of other bands will have even less to like here, but put aside such concerns and it's another well played and executed album.

Golden Void is released on Monday through Thrill Jockey, available to pre-order on CD and LP from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate links].

Check out the video for 'Virtue' below:

Video: The Waves - Villagers

It's taken me a while to realise just how magnificent this single is from Villagers. 'The Waves' is something like what I would imagine the love child of the Notwist, Can and an early 90s rave to sound like. The video, directed by Alden Volney, is totally sick too.

You can catch them on tour in February:

Friday 8th February                  SHEFFIELD                 Leadmill

Saturday 9th February              NEWCASTLE              Warehouse

Sunday 10th February              GLASGOW                 Stereo

Tuesday 12th February             LEEDS                         Wardrobe

Wednesday 13th February        MANCHESTER           Gorilla

Thursday 14th February           BIRMINGHAM           HMV Library

Saturday 16th February            BRISTOL                     Trinity

Sunday 17th February              BRIGHTON                 Old Market

Monday 18th February             PORTSMOUTH           Wedgewood Rooms

Wednesday 20th February        LONDON                    Village Underground

Pre-sale for tickets is on the band's site. The Waves is out this week with the album {Awayland} following on 14 January on Domino. Pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD or LP [affiliate links].

EP Review: Horizon EP - EJECA

Garry McCartney unleashes three tracks of 90s influenced dance on this new EP through Needwant under the pseudonym EJECA. Growing up in Belfast McCarthy's entry into dance music came through the house and garage popular at the time - a fact clearly evident on his new EP.

EJECA - Horizon

'Horizon' sounds like mid-nineties garage - tracks like Roy Davis Jr's 'Gabriel', released before the concept of a UK version of New York's "Garage" was even a concept. The bass is raw and hollow sounding, the vocals pitched slightly up and samples tweaked to perfection. If you were there at the time it's hard not to feel a twinge of nostalgia - you can almost smell the smoke machine kick in. On the flip side 'Dazed' is deeper but equally inspired by the recent past. Progressive keys build a gentle tension before a snappy house beat and driving chords.

Final track 'See Through You' is actually the most contemporary of the three, influenced as much by dubstep as 90s garage and house. The beats are more complex yet softer, the bass deeper but more rounded and the vocals submerged in layers of noise. It contrasts well to the immediacy of Horizon's opening in being a little less obvious.

Horizon is released through Needwant on Monday, available for pre-order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

Design: Disform 2012 Signage by Dani Wolf

Dani Wolf submitted these brilliant signage designs that he came up with for his final project at the Bezalel Academy of Design and Arts and they are absolutely fantastic. He put these together for alternative festival DISFORM 2012. In Dani's own words:

The signage system of the alternative music festival DISFORM 2012 has two purposes: to direct the audience, informing where each area is located; and to enrich the whole experience of the festival itself, by creating an engaging dialogue between the signs and their surroundings.

The animation and the editing are directly affected by the live music performances, using OpenGL technology. The additional layer of information is dynamic and updated in real-time in order to help the audience of the festival.

I love these designs on several levels - they look absolutely great and have an amazing amount of dynamism in the way they move in time to the music, something that is perfect for a music festival. I also really appreciate the detail in the way the signs communicate additional contextual information, with text highlighting which bars or toilets are busy and which have more capacity. No-one enjoys the toilet queues at a festival so this seems like one of those really obviously but ingenious touches.

Check out the video and gallery above to get a closer look.