Music Reviews
Breed EP by Terje Saether – Lucidflow
While a handful of Berlin ‘uber-labels’ may sometimes hog the headlines, there’s a rich vein of producers and label owners that can stake their claim as those worthy of attention in 2012. Lucidflow, born in 2009 by seasoned artists Nadja Lind and Helmut Erbritsch, has proved itself one of the city’s freshest new finds, with over two dozen releases that cover the deeper and more expansive reaches of house and techno, and has played host to EPs from Klartraum, Silicone Soul, Yapacc, Lind and Erbritsch themselves as well as nurturing some of the most interesting new talent from Berlin’s many artists.
Their first effort in the new year comes from Norway’s Terje Saether, and tipifies the label’s ethos of forward-thinking, atmospheric electronic music that confidently slips its perceived moorings, with three great original tracks as well as a pair of remixes from Klartraum. Breed is a superb cut of woozy techy house that builds from simple beginnings of analogue bassline and subtle percs to lush pads and stabs that swim in reverb as the spoken vocal fades in and out of the mid-range. The Ripper changes direction deftly, its taut percs and moody low-end played off against firm piano chords, an exercise in concentrated power. Full Focus sits somewhere in between the two, its funked-up bassline and choppy chords providing the most accessible moments of the EP, and showing Saether’s versatility. Two fantastic remixes come from Klartraum, stripping back Breed to a blocky, nervy techno workout, with much of the original’s elements restrained behind the stabs, while for Full Focus they transform the brash house grooves into a shuffling, edgy deep cut of techno, rounding off a an EP that shows Lucidflow is a force to be reckoned with in 2012.
Love In Me Remixes by Laura Jones – Leftroom
Laura Jones may be populating endless ‘next big thing’ lists for 2012, but the truth is, she arrived some time ago. The Leeds resident has been going about her business the right way: crafting her sound and taking time to release tracks, and the results over the last twelve months have been well worth the wait. With her Live A Little track on Visionquest breaking in Miami early in 2011, her follow-up, Love In Me, on Leftroom’s Extended Family Part 2 EP in May hit even greater heights, and further remix work on the label in August confirmed her as one of the Leftroom crew’s leading lights for the new year.
To further this, their first release of 2012 is an EP of remixes of Love In Me, with the three excellent reworks dovetailing hype charts at the close of last year and proving great companions to the original. Maceo Plex’s effort turns in rasping basslines and customary vibrancy, a muscular, beach fronted houser that finds all of the accessibility of his 2011 form. Chicago’s Kate Simko heads in a deeper direction, with flowing percussive elements, stripping back to the melody and giving the track a new focus, while Eats Everything brings a boomtpy, garage feel with jumping percs and booming bassline that nods to the Bristolian’s Chicago love.
