EP Review: Relish EP V - Various

This new release from Rob Insinna aka Headman's Relish Recordings pulls together four remixes of three classic and influential tracks, giving them  the opportunity to be shared all over again. All three tracks are cult classics and the remixes are all pretty sympathetic to the originals.

Relish EP V opens with a Headman remix of Masimbabele from The Unknown Cases. The original came out on Rough Trade 25 years ago, marrying the work of Cologne residents and Can collaborators and disciples Helmut Zerlett and Stefan Kracthen with African percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah to create an Afrobeat classic. Headman's mix retains an Afrobeat vibe and the raw electro edge suits his production style.

The Units saw something of a revival back in 2009 when their back catalogue was re-released and it's impact on the wider synth punk scene was re-evaluated. High Pressure Days remains their best track and included here the acidic synth melodies here shine as ever, glittering against the foreground of a song that details the more-relevant-than-ever mounting anxiety of modern living. Headman's dub is light in touch, reigning in the vocals and giving the track a little more room.

Concluding the EP are two mixes of Gina X's No G.D.M., one from Red Axes (it's their favourite ever track apparently) and one once again from Headman. The track mines a similar vein to some significantly more successful acts that followed, including Soft Cell, the Human League and much of the Electroclash movement of the early 2000s - expect plenty of vamping and androgyny. The Red Axes mix is loose and funky with a dubby undercurrent and spiky guitars whilst Headman's version is a little more straight... Bass guitar on lead and trademark Headman drums giving it much more pace.

There is no arguing with the three tracks here and whilst it is a shame to not get the originals included they are all under-exposed enough to warrant the revisit.

Relish EP V is released through Relish on 20 January. Preview Masimbabele and High Pressure Days through Soundcloud below:

Release Date: 20th January 2014 Cat No: Format: RR070 Format: Vinyl + Digital A1 The Unknown Cases: Masimbabele (Robi Insinna/Headman Rework) A2 The Units: High Pressure days (Headman Dub) B1 Gina X: No G.D.M. (Red Axes Remix) B2 Gina X: No G.D.M.

EP Review: Minos EP - Remote

The Minos EP came out this week on the Meant label and comes from French duo Remote, who are Eric Guillanton and Seb Fouble. This release quickly won my attention with its deep techno influenced sound that crunches together tight drum beats, dirty digital bass lines and a ravey atmosphere.

Remote have been active for more than a decade and have had releases on Kill the DJ, Zone and Foundation alongside Meant and it's clear their music would sit in the heartland of those labels. This is lovingly crafted analogue dance music.

Where "Minos" has the incessant sweatbox atmosphere described above, a distinctive Weatherall vibe, the remix from My Favorite Robot regular Fairmont is slower and more dense. It's an unsettling twisted and cinematic trip through ambient landscapes.

"Easy" is similarly analogue but less Weatherall, more Rework. It's a cyclical beast with hard edges and lots and lots of reverb, less upfront than the EP's title track but all the cooler for it. Headman provides the remix of this second track, turning it into a swirling acid  track with Headman's trademark rock-song type feel. There are arpeggiated synths and melodies that slide beneath themselves, a taught bass guitar riff tying it all together.

All in all a smart, focused and tightly executed release.

Minos is out now on Meant. Available on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].  Listen to "Minos" through Soundcloud below:

Remote - Minos ep on Meant

EP Review: It Rough 2012 - Headman

It doesn't seem like that long since I was reviewing Headman's Turning EP and noting that the Chicken Lips mix of  'It Rough' reserves a special place in my heart. It is therefore a pleasant surprise to now be faced with a brand new re-release of the track.

That Chicken Lips mix takes the lead, to the extent that the original mix doesn't even get a look in. It's as fresh and spartan as ever, a raw slab of bass and percussion, and whilst it felt incredibly of its time when released it feels remarkably current now, almost ten years on. It's the interplay of hard 808s and treble-heavy drum rolls that mean this track has lasted so well.

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It Rough 2012 - Headman

Two new versions from Headman then feature, the '2012 version' and the '2012 reprise'. Both of these use the same post-punk sound as a jumping off point but the inspirational reference points feel a little more rounded. There are more obvious no-wave tones here, along with a cosmic edge brought through in the heavy use of spectral analogue synths. The reprise comes from a similar place but with a cunning Moog bass line and some heavier drums. Whilst none of the additional mixes here feel as vital as that Chicken Lips one these updates feel like they really sum up a lot of what has happened musically since the original release.

The first new guest mix comes from Scott Fraser, who gives the track an acid overhaul to make it into a building peak-time electro workout. Finally Remain's mix is more analogue sounding, a soup of robotic machinery and sharp drum beats. Overall it's a smart package that revisits a track thoroughly deserving of it.

It Rough 2012 is out now on 12" through Relish with the digital release following on 18 January. Available to pre-order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

EP Review: Turning - Headman

It seems like some time since we last heard from Robi Insinna. Better known as Headman he has had a number of well regarded singles and remixes over the years. Whilst his last album, the Dieter Meier (of Yello fame) featuring 1923, was only released two years ago it feels like the limelight has shifted off of Headman a little.

And that is a shame because Headman makes just the kind of slightly scratchy post-punk electro that I happily lap up - place him somewhere between the discordant party noise of Soulwax and the punk funk of !!!. 'Turning', featuring long term collaborator Tara on vocals feels like classic eighties experimental electro breeding discontent. Tara's vocals successfully replicate early Human League's clinical approach with a "Head is turning / machine is burning" couplet whilst clattering drums and itchy guitar work attempt to strangle a warm, bouncing melody.

Aside from the original this EP also features three additional versions of 'Turning'. Insinna's own dub reworks things to give it a more stripped back and percussive latter third, out-shining the original in the process. Emperor Machine's mix is even better though, adding some space for a bigger bass line and some disco flourishes that make this into a real dance floor filler. The definitive version of Headman's biggest hit to date, 'It Rough', was Chicken Lip's mechanical, bass heavy synth version and so there is an element of history repeating itself here - Emperor Machine's Andy Meecham being one half of Chicken Lips. Scott Fraser's dub also takes things down a disco route but whilst the wandering bass is reminiscent of Moroder it lacks the impact of Meecham's version.

Also included are two remixes of previous single 'Be Loved'. The first, from Richard Fearless of Death in Vegas, is a typically sprawling acid psychotic meltdown - the aural equivalent of a boy playing in a toy shop. It has moments where the squelching acid work is a joy, albeit a somewhat unfocused one. I haven't heard the original but I'd wager it doesn't sound much like this. Murphy Jax turns it into a warm, laid back house record that unfortunately does nothing whatsoever for me.

Whilst the latter mixes are slightly hit and miss this is an overly generous EP in the first place - buy it for the first half and the exciting acid straight jacket that is Richard Fearless' input.

Turning is released on 11 May on Relish Records, available for pre-order on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].