Deadbeat - Acid Wash Genes

Deadbeat - Acid Wash Genes (Exone, 21.03)

When Deadbeat launched his BLKRTZ label last year, with the excellent album Drawn and Quartered, it seemed that Scott Monteith was returning to a darker and more downbeat sound, so it's a pleasant surprise to hear him teaming up with Exercise One for a more dancefloor orientated 12". Never straying from his signature dub-techno blend, Monteith leans more on the latter aspect with strongly, well, acidic synths in contrast to his usual valve organ and Basic Channel-inflected sounds, underlain by a solid four-to-the-floor kick. At eight minutes long, everything from the bass to the bleeps is given a solid workout, and there's plenty of DJ tool potential in this solid solid roller. The Exercise One remix does little new, mostly content to blow away the cobwebs and strip the track down to a more straight-up technoid aesthetic. Neither track's really blowing my mind, and in comparison to the rich journey that was Drawn & Quartered, it's somewhat less exciting dub, but solid enough tools from two quality artists.

Pole - Waldesgeschichten 2, Dec 5th

Pole - Waldesgeschichten 2, Dec 5th

I was pretty excited by Pole's first release on his new label, and enthused about the new ideas he's been working with, so it's pleasing to see him gather momentum with the follow up 12". Warm and resonant subs underpin Pole's trademark glitchy sound and shuffling, rootsy structures, fusing the best of techno and dub with the kind of syncopations more often seen in the work of Headhunter, 2562 and Martyn. There's a far more distinct sense of narrative to Aue and Pirol than exhibited on the first Waldesgeschichten, with more evident build ups and breakdowns, despite being built around long, evolving loops. Equally, the tension between Aue's solid, bass-driven repetitiveness, and off-kilter two-step bounce of Pirol gives the EP a sense of structure with it's contrasting styles.

Continuing in the same Romantic vein as the first EP, the track titles are drawn from natural imagery - Pirol is a vibrant yellow songbird, whilst Aue roughly translates as grassland - and channel the same sense of vitality and organic growth. Betke's work has often focused on the mechanistic, fetishising technology and searching for the ghosts in the machine, but this change in direction is a welcome refresher, without losing sight of what make his work so special. A-Aue-Excerpt by pole original
B Pirol-Excerpt by pole original

Pole plays the following dates in December, if anyone wants to buy me a ticket to Berlin...

09.12.11 Santiago (CL) - Mutek Chile Festival

http://www.mutek.cl/

12.12.11 Montevideo (UY) - SOCO Festival

http://www.socofestival.org/

04.02.12 Berlin - CTM Festival

http://www.ctm-festival.de

KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS - CAMPUS MARTIUS EP [PLANET MU]

Greek synth experimentalists Keep Shelly In Athens have caused quite a splash of late, with hype from Pitchfork and The Fader among others. On December 5 they drop their first release-proper on Planet Mu, after a fantastic remix of Mouves by Tropics, earlier this year. The new EP is a 4-track 12" release featuring their majestic, Italo-influenced remix of 'Cub' by Solar Bears, plus three new tracks. Vocalist Sarah's beautiful melodies are drenched in (but never obscured by) reverb and FX, while the bands multi-layered synths and stuttering electronic percussion keep subtle, minimal time.



This release perfectly showcases the experimental pop side of Planet Mu, one of Britain's best electronic labels, and one that consistently pushes boundaries. Keep Shelly In Athens are a bold signing, because of their marvellously atemporal sound: they manage to balance forward-thinking production and science-fiction-feeling sonic motifs with clsasic songwriting techniques and melodies, which recall Cocteau Twins, Curve and Massive Attack.

This hits all the right notes - ethereal shoegaze vocals vie with pitch-bent synth lines and complex polyrhythmic drumpad patterns, combining to make songs that are both enchanting and technically impressive. It would be intriguing to know more about Keep Shelly In Athens and their approach to music - what kit and software they use, and where they see themselves fitting in the modern electronic scene. With this high-profile release on Mu, hopefully the band will come to even wider attention, and we'll get to know them better.

For now, have a listen to their Soundcloud page, which includes the magnificent 'Our Own Dream':

Latest tracks by Keep Shelly in Athens

Pre-order 'Campus Martius' from Planet Mu



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