EP Review: Taking Over - Joe Goddard

One fifth of Hot Chip, Joe Goddard has been teasing his EP for a little while now, having first snuck out the rather lush 'She Burns' back in May on Soundcloud. 

That track maintains much of it's crystalline beauty, Mara Carlyle's vocals wispy and delicate against Goddard's fuzzy melodic tinkering and unpretentious bass work. It's the rest of the material on this that interests me most though, and it's a varied collection of tracks in ambition and focus if not quality...

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Taking Over - Joe Goddard

Taking Over starts with 'Step Together', a collaboration with Boris Dlugosch, who… Is apparently still alive? And thankfully appears to be sens-Moose T. Which is a relief. Dlugosch seemingly gives the track it's Spanish influenced keys whilst Goddard lays down a vocal in his trademark under-stated and bruised fashion... It's enjoyable but undeniably the least interesting thing here.

The title track is more pop than dance, a spectral electronic ballad with gently picked guitar melodies and Goddard's softest possible vocal delivery. It's a beautiful track and it feels surprisingly personal, dealing with the love of the music as it starts to consume you at that moment in a night out when everything comes together… Mind altering substances optional, of course.

Immediately before 'Taking Over' and potentially from the same inspirational source but very different in terms of it's execution is 'Bassline '12'. The most heads-down track on the EP it's a slow building house track with a crescendo of stark metallic keys that expands over nine-minutes to make it the longest track here. Goddard manages to combine a sense of upfront danceability with the sort of melodic and melancholic depth Hot Chip are known for. Goddard's work with Raf Rundall as the 2 Bears was always more about the nightclub than Hot Chip but at times it felt laking in depth in comparison. 'Bassline '12' is a more considered and ultimately stronger offering, suggesting Goddard may have a lot to offer on his own.

 Taking Over is out now, available to order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link]. Stream in full on Spotify:

EP Review: L'Année Du Dragon - Hotel International

Franz Kirmann is a somewhat profilific producer but there's a good chance you haven't heard of him... At least not yet. That's in part due to the fact that he has worked under a number of aliases and the banner of many projects, but this new one as Hotel International also appears to be his most populist release yet.

Having previously used the Hotel International name to remix Eskimo Twins and Simple Minds' 'This Fear of Gods' it sounds like the inspiration of the latter has rubbed off on Kirmann just a little bit. 'L'Année Du Dragon' is a dusty and moody Ballearic track that riffs off of the sound of 80s new wave. The core melody is actually pretty much directly lifted from Don Henley's 'The Boys Of Summer', something Kirmann readily fesses up to, saying "I was jamming with a synth and started playing that line that basically sounds like a rip off of Don Henley's Boys Of Summer… In the end I decided to leave it on the track as it gives a nostalgic feel."

The track is aiming for something that's pop and yet cinematic and 'L'Année Du Dragon' achieves just that. If anything Kirmann's a little overly dour and dismissive of his own creation, labelling it cheesy despite enjoying its familiarity... But if there is a certain whiff of fromage it's really just down to the inspiration he has drawn on. This doesn't actually sound that far away from the sort of thing the critically adored Italians Do It Better label would release, and it would fit right in within Nicolas Winding Refn's ultra-violent Drive.

Two remixes feature. First up is Canada's Jokers Of The Scene, who draw the original out to epic proportions. The first few minutes lack any proper drums, providing a level of tension that ultimately threatens to boil over once the track kicks in proper with a solid four-four and a bubbling acid-line... The mix moves through three main acts and each of them almost deserves their own mix, it's 11-minutes long but justifies its own duration. The second mix comes courtesy of France's Morgan Hammer and she jetisons the main riff of the original to create a doped-up twisted take, complete with heavy reverb-drenched drums and fizzy bass melodies that give the track a much darker feel.

L'Année Du Dragon is out on Monday through Days Of Being Wild. You can pre-order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link] or listen and purchase through Bandcamp below:

EP Review: Dirty Glam Jams - Munk

Munk is best known for co-running the Gomma label alongside Mr. Telonius, but he's also always had a decent line of his own releases. His 2006 James Murphy / Nancy Whang collaboration 'Kick Out The Chairs' was one of his strongest tracks to date and in some ways the live sounding ambitions of this EP aren't a million miles from that.

The difference is that this is very much a disco EP, whereas some of that earlier work had a bit more punk. Munk sees this release as a protest against all the bland bleep-heavy deep and tech house that has flooded the market in recent years. Dirty Glam Jams is a refreshing antidote to the sound.

First track 'Munkysound' feels like a new calling card - a decadent slice of contemporary disco that places a bit of a focus on real instruments than many modern disco producers. It still isn't Random Access Memories, mind - it's modern in approach, but the liberally applied freestyle vocals and fiendish bass licks feel authentically disco.

On 'Nigerian Jam' Munk channels his inner Fela Kuti, with plenty of Afrobeat coming through on the big brassy kicks and a bumping dubby bass line. 'Coolo Bongo', inspired by the Boogaloo sound and 70s New York Latin funk, is a jerky number with some raw brass and a looped percussion line.

The final original track, 'Woman', is more heads-down and ass-shaking than anything else here, a focused bass forming the track's foundation whilst a strong vocal hook provides the chorus. The percussion is what keeps the track moving and we get more Latin-brass to keep the track feeling old school.

The EP closes on a remix of 'Munkysound' from German producer Moullinex. This mix is one of the standout moments on the EP, giving the track a more dancefloor-friendly feel with a bit of a French touch vibe to the filters. It's a little less creative than Munk's original, but probably a bit more fun to lose your shit to. The bridge is particularly fine, with a softer, more melodic hook before a large drop that is sure to do some wonderful things this summer.

 Dirty Glam Jams is released through Gomma on 4 July and you can preorder it from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 for just £1.79 [affiliate link]. Check out that lovely Moullinex mix of 'Munkysound' below:

here's an old school flavored remix i've done for Munk's latest release, out on Gomma!

EP Review: La Fique - Robosonic & the Adana Twins

The La Fique EP is a brand new two-track release from two duos into disco and house, Robosonic (AKA Cord and Sacha) and the Adana Twins. Coming out through 2DIY4 this continues the labels established pattern of strong and simple releases.

We're in a world of disco joy here. Opener 'La Fique' is a gently warming flurry of organs and Philly-esque strings. Smart vocal snippets are deployed to add some soulful moments but on this collaboration Robosonic and the Adana Twins also use vocals to create a slick body-popping feel. Some additional vinyl scratches lend the track a youthful trainers-squeaking-on-floorboards vibe. It's cosmopolitan and relatively classy but still cool and packed full of energy.

On the flip, 'Barracuda' is a grimy track that uses a heavy scuffed-up bass line to give it a sweaty basement vibe. Female vocals and some funky keys provide the disco whilst the guys lay plenty of reverb on the drum machine to create something that feels almost mechanical. As great as 'La Fique' is, 'Barracuda' is the more exciting of the two tracks - there's plenty of disco in both but the second side of the EP feels more unrestrained and full of abandon than the first.

La Fique is released on 2DIY4 on Monday, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Check out the Soundcloud preview below:

For years Robosonic have been building a reputation as DJs for murdering dancefloors worldwide - not only playing what they really feel, but also performing their own multidimensional electronic music. Together with the Adana Twins from Hamburg they made a hot new EP on 2DIY4.

EP Review: Disappearer - Avec feat. Jake Shears

Buy the radio edit on iTunes: http://bit.ly/DisappearerRadioEdit Premiered by Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, Avec is a new collaboration between Doorly & Dave Spoon, with the debut single featuring Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) on vocals.

Disappearer comes from Doorly and Shadow Child, who have formed a new partnership in Avec. Here they are joined by Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters, who applies his trademark falsetto vocals to an upbeat house track.

Shears and Scissor Sisters have never been my bag but this EP feels like a natural home for his vocals. The track itself is sunny disco house and as a result the vocals sit quite naturally on the melodic piano riff that makes up the track's central riff. It is only really on the chorus that the identity of the singer is obvious, and the main vocal hook is just a little too much for my taste.

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Disappearer - Avec feat. Jake Shears

Thankfully a total of five remixes are included on this release and so there is plenty of scope for a little additional subtlety.

The Hauswerks mix starts with a deep looping groove before applying a large drop with some snappy garage drum beats - it's a lot more intense than the warm summery original. Martin Brodin does his trademark disco thing and really takes the track up a level, working the vocal into the track so that the final result has a much better flow. The People Get Real mix is another disco house mix, but this one builds to a climatic pace whilst a head-nodding bass line provides an infectious rhythm and a series of drum rolls and crashes give a tactile feel to the percussion.

The Sona Vabos Pitched Down Jackin Dub is deep, dubby and slowed right down to create a weird strung-out and techy vibe that bears little resemblance to the original. Finally the Maos mix is laid back and dubby with some warm bass chords and slow synth melodies.

Disappearer is out now through Southern Fried Records.