Audio Love 21.4.14

Music

ZSA Gang – Beehive Rhythms EP (Off Minor)

Off Minor is the label set up last year by one half of the duo Juju and Jordash (the Jordash half) under his solo moniker Jordan GCZ. So far they’ve put together 3 excellent releases from Jordan GCZ, Magic Mountain High and some lost-but-re-found, fuzzy tapes of analogue goodness from Move D.

So here they are with their 4^th release and it takes the form of 4 collaborations between Jordan and Max D with Juju getting in on the action on the B side. The result is a varied EP which includes some lovely deepness mixed with some of the rawest stuff they’ve put out to date. The A side comprises of two relentless 909 jams, with the tough as fuck drums underpinned with unsettling, atonal pings of delay and texture. On the B side we kick off with a beautiful, melancholic house number, with a wash of lush digital strings and classic 80s flute action. Finally to round the EP off we’ve got the most abstract of the 4, with stop start kick, warbling key solo and an almighty sine bass. High quality, and highly recommended.

Out now – vinyl only

Dana Ruh – Naturally LP (Underground Quality)

Dana Ruh is a busy lady. Over the past few years she’s released a huge amount of music on labels including Ostgut Ton and Work them Records, and on top of that she’s been at the helm of Brouquade records. So it seems a fitting accolade for her to team up with Jus Ed’s awesome Underground Quality imprint which has been nothing but consistent in putting out only the best of deep, underground house music over the last few years.

The resulting LP fits in perfectly with the aesthetic of UQ – understated, deep, soulful house music. The production is nothing if not efficient, there no unneeded sounds involved. The full effect is achieved with the fewest number of components. Just a shuffle on a snare here, an organ lick there. Restrained but purposeful.

The whole LP is not one for fireworks so it’s hard to pick stand out tracks, they all just do their thing and exude quality. One track that really does the business for me is “Education” with its restrained energy. Also I absolutely love the dubby excursion of “Dirty Egg” and the utterly baffling title.

Out soon on wax and CD.

Legowelt – Los Alamos Motel (People’s Potential Unlimited)

Danny Wolfers can do no wrong at the moment or so it seems. He’s been going from release to release banging out his slightly wonky, idiosyncratic, electronic sounds to rapturous applause all round. This new offering on the Washington DC label People’s Potential Unlimited is no exception. We go from the upbeat house cut of “Puzzles in Life” to the dense atmosphere of “Videophone to Space”, chuggy electro with “Cruise till the Sun Shines” and finally the videogame-tastic “Los Alamos Motel”. All the tracks drip analogue nostalgia which would be annoying as hell if they weren’t still innovative, enjoyable and essentially, bloody good.

Out now on wax.

(Joe Europe)