EP Review: The Nancy Whang Casablanca Reworks - Nancy Whang

In a fit of hyperbole I once asserted that if you took pretty much any band or track in the world and added Nancy Whang, it made it better. Whilst I’m not entirely sure I can see that standing up if you were to route through the the catalogue of Beatles, David Bowie or Led Zeppelin it’s hard to argue with the touches of brilliance she has applied to the work of LCD Soundsystem, the Juan Maclean and Soulwax over the years...

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Casablanca Reworks - Nancy Whang

This new solo release for Gomma puts my theory to the test, with Nancy providing remixes of a handful of classic disco tracks, all delivered in collaboration with other producers. First up is her cover of Dennis Parker’s Like An Eagle, a track I have to admit I can’t help but feel I’ve heard too many times. Here Whang works with Audiojack to give it a robotic rework with autobahn-like rhythms and squelchy synths. Elsewhere Comme Un Aigle is an alternate take on the same song, this time sung in French and produced in collaboration with Etiene de Crecy. This latter version feels like a late-80s techno classic, and Whang’s vocals have more room amongst the analogue synths and 808s, conjuring up something that sounds both human and alien. In listening to this I can’t help but be reminded of Felix Da Housecat and Miss Kittin’s best work together. The slightly raw, minimal sound is fitting, stark and beautiful.

Donna Summer’s Working The Midnight Shift is given a cool reimagining full of rounded, tough basslines and Whang’s mournful vocals. Two versions with Bonar Bradberry are included - a disco version full of campy Giorgio Moroder synths and arpeggiated melodies complimenting the main mix in delivering another nugget of disco euro-trash joy.

Kiss classic I Was Made For Loving You is the new single and features here as a Semi Skimmed Version, in collaboration with Drop Out Orchestra. The result is a dizzy, slightly Balearic and slightly more debauched disco house track with loose, laid back guitars and a echo heavy drum beat. My first introduction to this track was the cover version by Queen of Japan on 2 Many DJ’s cult classic As Heard On Radio Soulwax - a mix so perfect for the lyrical content that when I heard the original it felt like it lacked bite in comparison. Whang gets as close to matching that feeling as is reasonable to expect.

The final reimagined track is Parliament track Flashlight, with disco re-edit master The Revenge working alongside Nancy to create a surprisingly abstract electro-influenced number, basslines bounce against clean synths whilst Whang’s vocals reverberate and swirl.

Nancy might not turn everything she touches to gold, but given the calibre of the source material here she certainly gives it a golly good go.

EP Review: Love Magnetic - Moullinex

Moullinex came to my attention almost a year ago when he provided the standout remix of Munk's MunkySound. Here he is back in the Gomma stable with his first new material since his Flora album.

Lisbon-based Moullinex has a lot on his plate, with this release, a new album in the works and a number of remixes lined up, including one for the currently hyped Röyksopp / Robyn collaboration... All this and he also runs the Discotexas label.

A two-track release, Love Magnetic opens with the title track and it pushes Moullinex's trademark sunny straight-up house sound. A sturdy beat backs up a track where the real fun is in the slight disco touches and Luis Clara Gomes' soulful vocal. It is approachable, funky and has summer printed all the way through... but sadly isn't quite as much fun as that Munk track.

And to be honest, neither is the second track - though it doesn't really try to be. In comparison to Love Magnetic, Time and Tide is a deep cut with throbbing bass and and muted pads that delivers on the cosmic front but never feels like it quite reaches the heights it aspires to.

Both tracks here do the job but neither feels quite fully realised - good, but not quite great, they will sit well in many DJ sets but you are unlikely to want to listen repeatedly at home.

Love Magnetic is out on 13 June through Gomma, pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

EP Review: Road Less Travelled - Tiedye

Tiedye first came to my attention when they remixed the excellent Feist featuring "I Feel Electric" by Rubies, a silky Balearic dream of a record that came out all the way back in 2008 but has stood the test of time. Road Less Travelled is the Swedish duo's first release for Gomma - it follows up on their debut, which came out (home of that Rubies release) Italians Do It Better last year, though I have to confess I missed that.

"Road Less Travelled" has a steely soulful disco-meets-west-coast sound that feels timely in this post-Random Access Memories world. It's a little more grizzled than I was expecting - distorted bass rubbing up against fuzzy clattering drums, a jazzy organ freak-out and echoey vocals… Nothing like the laid back noodly cosmic disco of the Rubies remix. It all sounds a little bit like Adam Freeland got his hands on some new material by Still Going: expect something that feels like disco fed on sunshine and ecstasy then wrapped in plastic. It's good, but you're not sure if you should really like it.

The label clearly thought the same thing because American duo Still Going actually provide one of the two remixes. It's a nighttime LA cruise of a record, dark buzzing synths saw through the vocals whilst the drums are pulled back just a notch to create a something deeper. It's still pretty pop but not anywhere near the daytime radio of the original. Sadly it doesn't quite hit the highs of Still Going's own material - the best bits are where the duo let the melodies of come through and the beat drops out, both at the bridge and at the track's close, to create something golden and dreamy. I can't help but suspect they are saving their best work for themselves, but it's been so long since we heard anything new it's hard not to be disappointed.

DJ Kaos & Sonns provides the other remix, which actually takes the middle slot on the release. It is a little tighter than both the original and Still Going's take - not as dark as the latter but restrained in comparison. There's a warm, jacking feel to this treatment with a heavenly synth that gradually fights its way through a baseline that bubbles with acidic charm. The vocal is used sparingly but Kaos & Sonns seem more interested in drum rolls and echo, and I can't say I blame them.

According to the press release Road Less Travelled is out now on Gomma. That's probably just the vinyl release - the digital release on Amazon.co.uk currently has a posted release date of 20 September [affiliate link]. Stream the DJ Kaos & Sonns Remix below:

Listen to TIEDYE - The Road Less Travelled (Dj Kaos & Sonns Remix) / Gomma Records by Alexandre | SONNS | Explore the largest community of artists, bands, podcasters and creators of music & audio.

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: Acido - Capablanca & T. Keeler

This new Gomma EP from Berlin's Capablanca & T. Keeler is a dark, cosmic disco take on Balearic house - both disorientating and electrifying at once. Following on from the duo's previous release for Gomma, the percussive debut No Hay Ritmo, this is a wilder, more adventurous beast altogether.

The a-side is the 13-minute title track and it melds disco, Italo, punk funk and electro into an extended struggle. Imagine the slow descent of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' as the drugs wear off, eventually grinding you into confusion. It's probably the most experimental thing I've ever heard from Gomma and Capablanca & T. Keeler pull it off with aplomb.

'Tropanado' keeps things a (tiny) bit briefer at eight-minutes and gives us a slower, scratchy post-punk track with hints of ESG, Gang of Four and Liquid Liquid. It's a heavy, dubby and elastic track and the freeform structure and loose bass make it even more captivating than the title track.

The release is rounded out with a remix of 'Acido' by Sweden's Name In Lights, who give the original a more overtly epic feel with layers of keys and a four / four beat. It's mainly about the break though, which kicks in just over halfway through to give the song a momentary soulful feeling and a building acid crescendo.

Frankly it is all too rare to hear a release outside of DFA that manages to balance experimentation with this much sheer danceability and Acido is a credit to not just Capanlanca & T. Keeler but also Gomma. Go grab it.