EP Review: Dimension E.P. - Paji

This new EP from Germany's Paji sees him teaming up with Kitt Ball's Juliet Sikora and the pair create an approachable, refined take on house.

That title track is polished and refined, both Paji and Sikora's production styles demonstrating an attention to detail in the snap and crack of the drum patterns. Electronic chords give the track a deep, moody sound and  the vocal sparring lends the track a sassy edge. Dimention is minimal-esque in, the tough and slow sound cool but eminently accessible.

Lacerta backs the release and represents a solo production for Paji. A guitar lick gives the track a lightness that contrasts with some heavy beat work... And whenever I hear guitars in dance music like this I can never understand why they are so rare. Sexy as hell.

Dimension E.P. is out through Kittball now.

Album Review: Yahoo Or The Highway - Lockah

The second full-length album release from the Donky Pitch stable feels like an altogether different beast to the experimental beguiling and at times beautiful Nonfiction from The Range. The debut album from Lockah, Yahoo Or The Highway, is thoroughly irreverent in comparison to Nonfiction, and whilst both feel thoroughly contemporary Lockah clearly filters his sound through the lenses of someone reared on 80s pop and 90s R&B

Much of the album appears to be delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, as demonstrated by several of the track titles (Some Velvet Evening and If loving U Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Wrong). In other words, you can't accuse Yahoo Or The Highway of taking itself too seriously. It knows how to have a good time though - 44-minutes whip past in a frenzy of melodic synth stabs, chaotic rattling percussion and scattergun samples.

The melodic heart of this record beats to the sound of 80s movie and TV soundtracks yet Lockah splices his pieces together to create something that is generally fresh and unique. His music is unashamedly populist - tracks like the insistent Summer Jorts (Some Cats Still Do) scream for attention and Lockah's album cares not for restraint. It is the layered approach to production that keeps things interesting though - tracks like Ayyo Tricknology, whilst not new to this release, still feels cacophonous and rapturous in equal measure. This seemingly intricately planned messiness rapidly seems to be Donky Pitch's calling card and Lockah is at his best when he manages to control his own vision, as on the fantastic Contact High Wit Big Lockah.

Yahoo Or The Highway feels a little like a sugar high. It is an undeniable pleasure, but a slightly guilty one. With all the bells and whistles Lockah occasionally pushes against the boundaries of taste and decency, but much of this record is a joy - so who cares?

Yahoo Or The Highway is out now on Donky Pitch, available to order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Listen on Spotify below:

EP Review: Handprints / Glitterall - Eagles For Hands

@eaglesforhands is the newest addition to independent London label, Space & Time Records. Having scored attention for remixes of Laura Mvula, Naughty Boy and Sivu, Brighton-based Laurie James Ross is definitely making a name for himself. As he gears up to release what promises to be a brilliant EP (Handprints/Glitterall, due to drop 14th April) i-D are pleased to present the premiere of feel-good summer tune, Handprints. Turn it up and live it up! Head to the single launch party at the Servant Jazz Quarters, Dalston, London on 15th April. facebook.com/iDmagazineofficial 
twitter.com/iD_magazine http://i-d.co

Brighton's James Ross appears to have a bit of momentum, having already remixed the likes of Laura Mvula and Naughty Boy. Last summer he released two free EPs (Hot Telescope and Lisbon) but this double A-side represents his first official release, and it is an absolute gem.

Handprints is a glorious celebratory slab of percussive electronic music that layers vocals samples together to create hypnotic melodies. There is a lightness to the production, crisp drums and hollow bass giving the track a warm, inclusive feel.

Glitterall contrasts with a moodier soundscape, synths and crashing chords creating a more dramatic sense of scale. In contrast to the short-skirted pleasure of Handprints it feels epic, but it remains tasteful and restrained all the same.

Handprints / Glitterall has the unmissable sense of now that marks out The Range's best work. More please.

Handprints / Glitterall is out now on Space + Time Records, order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

FOLLOW ME AT: www.facebook.com/eaglesforhands www.twitter.com/eagles4hands www.eaglesforhands.com

EP Review: Dreamroof - Van Pi

This new release marks the debut from Van Pi, a collaboration between Peter Rutten and Ivo Schmetz of Amsterdam. Dreamroof was created in collaboration with Dutch actress and singer Anna Speller, who provides the smooth and appropriately dreamy vocals.

The original version has a slightly spacey feel - warm bass lines and sparkling synths, combined with the vocals the result has a slightly Ballearic, sun-kissed vibe. Dreamroof represents the first release in Basserk's Domestic Bleeps series, which is focused on putting out electronic music for at home listening.

Along with an instrumental version the EP features three remixes. The AuxilIary tha Masterfader remix layers the vocal with a thick 90s R&B style bass line and snappy reverb heavy drums to great affect, giving the track a punchy and sassy feel. Hamertje Tik gives the track a big room feel, creating a uplifting house track but stripping out most of the vocals - it's accessible but feels a little obvious compared to everything else here. The Kratos Himself remix also strips back the vocals but keeps the synths and adds a more complex rhythm to give more of a dub.

Whilst the overall package is fairly modest Dreamroof is a decent enough intro to the Domestic Bleeps concept and the Auxiliary tha Masterfader mix is a worthy reason to check out the release.

Dreamroof is out now through Basserk, available from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Check out the video below, and the Auxiliary the Masterfader remix further down:

Van Pi is the new project of Peter Rutten en Ivo Schmetz from Amsterdam. For their first Van Pi release they asked Dutch actress and singer Anna Speller to do guest vocals. The EP contains the original track, three remixes and an instrumental version. Each remix gives an interesting new perspective on the original track and the instrumental version shows there are a lot of great things going on underneath Anna Speller’s beautiful vocals. Dreamroof is the first release on Basserk’s new Domestic Bleeps series. This new series is focused on electronic music more suitable for listening at home.

EP Review: Rootwork - Trees

Charles Trees is allegedly something of a legend in the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where locals are said to often proclaim "I spent half my life waiting for Charles". And yet up until now he has remained something of a secret, despite releases for Ghostly International, Moodgadget and Fulgeance’s Musique Large.

This new EP, Rootwork, has been in the making since mid-2012 and it just might help to explain what the fuss is all about. Opening with the title track there is a Latin-jazz, Sun Ra vibe to proceedings as Trees pretty much throws an onslaught of beats and percussion against Dan Bennet's brilliant sax playing. It is organic, fresh and absolutely full of life, bumping along to its increasingly electronic and acidic climax - this is the sound of totally disperate genres playing together and it seems effortless.

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Exodus takes the baton from Rootwork and creates a calypso punk-funk stomp, house beats gradually dissolving as the track breaks into sunny funkadelic joy. On Get Advanced rapper and poet Intricate Dialogue casually flows over a loose rhythm, James Brown samples and a little 303 to create something intoxicating. Finally What's Left is cosmic funk, keys floating in space whilst some chunky bass lines create a sense of movement.

The EP also comes with two remixes, though neither feels quite as innovative as the originals. DJ F gives Rootwork a isolated and galactic feel with sinister keyboards substituted for the sax. Shigeto then extends What's Left to a nine-minute epic, a lengthy freestyle-sounding intro eventually giving way to a rapid, elastic and jazzy take on the original.

Rootwork is out on Monday through Lovemonk, available to order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Preview Rootwork on Soundcloud below:

Ann Arbor's Trees drops this wicked ep, six slices of lush, each on their own planet but part of the same galaxy, where techno, hip-hop and house rub up against jazz, Kraut-rock and African percussion. There's a saying in Ann Arbor that goes “I spent half my life waiting for Charles”. Charles Trees, because that's who people are referring to when uttering those words, is the local music scene's best kept secret. In a city literally brimming with talent (MC5, Iggy, George Clinton, Mitch Ryder, Recloose, Mayer Hawthorne, Shigeto, Dabrye, anyone?), Charles is one of the absolute heroes, a gem among gems, yet relatively few people outside the city limits have heard of him. Why? Well, probably because our man doesn't really care too much about fame, hipster blogs, online social networking or other forms of shameless self promotion. He just makes his music, and remixes, and spins his tunes around town, and sometimes even releases some of them, like his EPs on Moodgadget, Ghostly International, or Paris imprint Musique Large. Which is how we heard about Charles. He made us a brilliant remix for Pajaro Sunrise' “Old Goodbyes”, and after that we had the pleasure of meeting him in person. A deal was struck for an EP. It was the summer of 2012, and we were about to find out what the “half my life waiting for Charles” was all about. Fast forward to 2014, and lo and behold, habemus EP. And not just any EP. A HUGE EP. Six slices of lush, each on their own planet but part of the same galaxy, where techno, hip-hop and house rub up against jazz, Kraut-rock and African percussion. Sounds like a cliché, right? Uh huh, yeah. The title track starts out like a Sun Ra jam, with the brilliant Dan Bennett on sax. After the fist bass stab, the beat kicks in and we're taken on a jubilant ride towards the acidic finish. “Exodus” continues on a hypnotic house tip while the level of funk keeps rising. The slamming beat finishes things off quite nicely. On “Get Advanced”, Detroit rapper, poet and Egyptologist Intricate Dialect spits his rhymes over hypnotic and minimal percussion and some nasty 303-stabs. Dan Bennett returns on “What's Left”, a slow burning piece of space boogie. Madrid-based DJ F does a good job of remixing”Rootwork”, adding some eeriness by changing the beat and replacing Bennett's sax with trippy keyboards. And finally, the mighty Shigeto stretches “What's Left” to almost nine minutes, with a four-minute intro leading up to a more uptempo but equally hypnotic version of the original. https://soundcloud.com/charlestrees http://lovemonk.bandcamp.com/album/rootwork