DREHER & SMART
Wandertag
3000 GRAD RECORDS (GERMANY)

"There is for sure no lack of electronic music producers in the German capital, but in contrast to most of their colleagues, Dreher & Smart were really born in Berlin, which becomes obvious already after the first verbal exchange. In the beginning of February they left their urban sphere and headed towards day. Through snow-covered forests and past frozen lakes, they finally arrived at the cozy Dacha on the ground of Fusion festival where the Fortschritt3000 crew welcomed them very heartily. Little by little, more and more guests arrived and the evening became more and more frisky and social. And so, Dreher & Smart soon unpacked their music machines and serenaded the audience. They set all the experiences from their eventful day to music and so also the recording became very entertaining and exciting. On a continuously forcing groove, varied sound constructions unfold, which lead from trippy-minimal deepness over hypnotic melodies and through huge reverb rooms to distinctive percussive take offs. The unobtrusive reactions from the dance floor mixed into confer Wandertag its authentic live atmosphere and increase the anyhow very strong pressure of this recording." - 3000˚


IAN SIMMONDS
The Burgenland Dubs
MUSIK KRAUSE (GERMANY)

Relocated from Wales to Jena, Germany, Ian Simmonds (aka Juryman) is responsible for pure innovation on the electronic scene. He left London in 2005 and began a new chapter in the East German province of scenic Jena in Thuringia, recording The Burgenland Dubs in the old Castle Wendelstein in the middle of the vineyard region in Unstrut Valley in Burgenland Saxony-Anhalt. Working in an environment with faulty heating, rotting old windows, and two hard winters that set ice crystals in his beard, Simmonds toiled in his castle like a sorcerer in his spiritual craft, revealing an album filled with maritime dimensions, rhythmic, lyrical moments, dramatic beat wizardry, and orchestral presence. This album also demonstrates a swinging, acoustic flight of traditional instrumentation paired with modern electric sonic culture. He also doesn't shy away from soul and jazz, and possesses a smooth British breakstep sense and even the depths and straight lines from Detroit. His sound began on the bass with the extraordinary combo, Sandals (1992-1994), whose proliferation anticipated British-isle club innovation. As Juryman, Simmonds began to merge modern music with traditional. From there came unbeatable productions in the form of 12" remixes, albums on renowned labels like SSR, Ntone, Studio-K7!, Pussyfoot, G-Stone, Compost, and more. The Burgenland Dubs is pure beat-fiddling sound research plus orchestral radiance and moving, warm peak-time brush-strokes for the home or club.

    At Amoeba SF's electronica section, we've usually got at least four or five titles each month that we're extremely hyped on. Here's our current batch:



    First we've got Gui Boratto's Chromophobia on Kompakt. Boratto's Brazilian heritage gives him an edge when making his brand of tech-house, and that's an ear for rhythm. Straddling between minimal and electrohouse, Chromophobia avoids any LP pitfalls by working equally on a dancefloor as on headphones, it's got enough oomph to sound fantastic on a large sound system, but intricate enough that you notice small details while listening at home. I love his way with melody, particularly the swooping tones of "Terminal" and the bleep counterpoint in "Gate 7"; it gets quite emotional. The rhythms are key, though, and it's clear from the first track on that Boratto has a good grasp of syncopation and funk. Between the Hug and Field albums and now this, Kompakt are on a bit of a roll, again!



    Next up is We Are Together by Japanese producer Kuniyuki Takahashi, released on Mule Musiq. This is an album that is a unanimous vote amongst the electronica staff - everybody loves it (well, at least four of us). It's jazzy house music only in the loosest sense of the phrase, managing to perfectly walk the tightrope between noodly and stiff. The thing I like best about this album is its sense of space, the production on every track sounds so expansive and widescreen as to conjure up images of the music's physicality. In that sense it reminds me of the Burial album where there's a very conscious sense of three-dimensional space - it's a real "smokers delight". Check Kuni's MySpace page to hear more of this excellence.