...just because my friends!

Guido Schneider & Florian Schirmacher - Places Ep

Not so long after reviewing something including Schneider in the family name, and with an amazing Ep (probably to be reviewed) between the two brothers coming, time to give a proper referral to the main and oldest Schneider: Guido.

A wanderer in electronic music, Guido started his steps in the 90’s as part of a project called Neue Welten, an avant-garde experimental new disco sprinkled with nice trancy electronic details and reverbed basslines from (it’s a guess!) old machines such as the Roland TB303 or other similar vintage synthetizers and drum machines.

But, what mostly stands out from Guido Schneider path in electronic music it’s his capacity to metamorphose and edit through many and respected labels over here. We became aware to Guido’s productions back in 2004 when there was a tune that always played in one of the best after hours that ever existed in Oporto (It was a boat, btw) and was considered an hymn of those afterhours and given a status of mandatory: As Dry As I Can, released in Pokerflat, Unterwegs Mit Guido Schneider. So, considering this it’s even odd why we never rendered homage to such a name from the motherland of avant-garde electronic music, Deutschland.

From Deutschland as well comes Florian Schirmacher, member of Wareika Trio, label owner (FormResonance) and important player in the German scene with a gifted voice to such productions that tends to be quite familiar. Just to throw some clues in to the board, his magnificent interpretation of Riders On The Storm, the original from The Doors or his performance in Mountain Ride as part of Wareika just confirm all the previous words. Florian, also a synth player and a dynamizer who just cannot stand still, has a new project called Hatikvah along with Helmut Ebritsch that we’re just waiting for what comes out. If electronic music was pop music, Florian Schirmacher would be David Bowie, so many his facets and masks.

So, it was gladly with good eyes we saw such a combination within one of the best labels around, Moodmusic.

Places Ep is a dancefloor killer in all its majesty. Starting by Hanna, a hypnotically voice driven sampled track melted around a bubling hypnotical groove that is just delicious, we find the perfect sweetspot to any crowd pleasing goal from the performer. This track will make a lot of people dance and sing along into another level. 

Then we go to Lost and it seems the only one to be totally lost in the groove will be the listener! Because it doesn’t appear in any way that Mr. Guido Schneider has been lost when producing it, so many the amount of interconnection and details within it. This track brings us back to the better days, with a luscious rhythm and will to drive any human member or body extremity to go along with it, the drive. It’s a drive track, it’ll not stop, it’ll circle around you, grab your attention and leave with a bitter feeling that’s over. In a matter of seconds you’re just repeating again and again to another bumpy grooved trip.

Making use of Florian Schirmacher voice, we find In The Toilet, that we will not discuss it’s origins, but will attest that is a fresh and mandatory introduction into any dancefloor. It starts with a very specific racket rhythm streamlined along different kinds of sounds that fitted together, produce a masterpiece. It’s in fact very addictive and unforgettable since there’s a small history sang by Mr. Florian that will grab the attention of any crowd and pause any bassline attack into a happiness movement. It’s one of those tracks that takes us to places.

Philip Bader remix of In The Toilet works along the same vibes, adding a stronger bassline, a more darkened vision of the track, sampling it’s voice around and focus on a dubbier inspiration. If the Ep wasn’t complete yet, this is just the final statement.

Release vividly recommended to any bag, case or crate, it makes a difference in any performance that stands out.

Label: Moodmusic | Catalog: MHR063

Tracklist (On the web player)

Robag Wruhme - Olgamikks

Writing a review about one of our references it’s a real hard task. Maybe not because we love a specific music, bunch of tracks or the whole release, as it turns out to be the case, it’s mainly because touching on such a name that just inspires us in so many directions and it’s even one of the reasons why this blog exists (more on that later), well,  then we realize we’re in another league and we even feel afraid in every press we do on the keyboard.

We’ve been following Robag Wruhme for quite a while, since the beginning in fact. What to say about this true musician that keeps creating his own path? Nothing we can remember just right now, so we’ll give the short story version. 

Gabor Schablitzki aka Robag Wruhme is a producer and label founder fertile in pseudonyms, styles, soundscape innovations and variations. Being an active adolescent with positive attitudes towards music and feeling an inner appeal, he started Beefcake along with Volker Kahl, a positive project along harmonies, mixing between progressive beats with a bit D’nB influence from the 90's (golden years) and several experimentations, being Coincidentia Opositorium a good example of last words. Still today, Beefcake is praised on it’s scene. After a while, Gabor started his solo career as Dj Gabor, a name which appears to have a frugal appearance with the very sunnier Summertime on Freud Am Tanzen, label he co-founded with Bodner Sören. As if this was already a bit jaw dropping for Us, then there’s the appointment that precisely Bodner and Gabor are Wighnomy Brothers. He also edited as Machiste about the same time he started his career as Robag Wruhme and already with a consolidated name, he also released singles under biases as Themroc  or Rolf Oksen on Freud Am Tanzen. We even think he haves a finger (A big one) in one of the best new labels, or at least, the most avantgarde one the last couple years: Pampa Records.
Nevertheless, Gabor was always one of the forward thinkers of the scene for Us, so today is our little thank you with the proper release: Olgamikks, a collection of unreleased and released edits and dispersed tracks from Robag pseudonym.

Funny enough, one of the reasons this blog exists is precisely Robag Wruhme, when, after a magnificent party of Ricardo Villalobos in Sá da Bandeira, his first time in Portugal, after following him for a while, myself and Hugo just arrived at his home, without any will to sleep after so many energy spending and still with those tunes on our heads recycling around, we just started hearing to individual tracks that could have been played by him. And through some acquired tracks during those days before the party hearing the likes such as Pantytec – Elastobabe, we arrived, to Robag Wruhme, almost hidden. It was an instant reaction “Villalobos plays this sort of thing, this is recycled music”! And so, listening to tunes like Fittichklopfer or Jenna Makks was only a question of days. It’s the first name I retain and nowadays I can see clearly why.

So, getting to Olgamikks, what can we say? We already know how Robag’s tracks drive us in all sort of different ways. It must be absolutely referred that we almost had a review for Thora Vukk, one of his intimate works and masterpieces, we even got it from a promo e-mail but we just missed it due to problems at those times and lack of time, so, this time, with such a wonderfull release covering all frequencies of Robag Wruhme in small glimpses, even if late, this could not be missed, at all!

Olgamikks haves various edits from Audision, Marc Romboy, Claude Vonstroke and even Gui Boratto, and then there’s a name that stands out: Thom York, from Radiohead on Modeselektor track. 

We can assure this is a timeless release, one of the best this year's so far, round and absolutely complete where all the reverbed, recycled basslines from Robag say "present", matured like a good Oporto vintage wine refined with all his tricks and majestic ways of combining patterns and rhythms to seem exactly the opposite and just a recyclated mesh. Or the way Gabor just keeps in cadence in Wolluwe, for example. Olgamikks it’s beyond any description, we think all that’s been said about this magician of the innovative paths, reverbed sounds and basslines along with glitchy interconnected highs is pretty enough. It’s just a question of listening and get your own feelings about it, cause, one thing is sure about Gabor Schablitzki: If there is no path, he just creates it and is one of a kind, the kind of artists that keep opening breakthroughs in electronic scene with an immense gift turning themselves into icons of entire generations.

Thank you Gabor, it’s been a true pleasure to follow all your work since the beginning of this trip in our little land, the minimaland!

#Catalogue: NDCD01
Tracklist: Please check on the player below

Danilo Schneider & Eveline Fink - Numanthia EP

Not so long after reviewing something related to Danilo Schneider, in the Seidensticker & Salour – Say Here Extended Play, we had to squeeze a little bit Enough! label, on latest releases and never too late again, ask for some support for them in our Facebook page since it’s a project with lots of love in it. Even this “Love the Vinyl” attitude of releasing only in Vinyl, nowadays, is of great courage to us. Literally! Btw, you support, here!

The kind of sound and rythms that often comes from this label headquarters is something of just crying out loud for more and more. And this is a impressive fact for something that is just a baby in Germany effervescent electronic music scene. It haves cadence, it haves connections of intricate music fibers that hold together an amazing tapestry and role of sound textures, and this is generally a definition that goes along all Enough! releases. In a nutshell: It’s only love and they give it away in every release, it’s never enough for them!

Confirming all this words, every time we touch an EP from them we keep getting surprised on how the standards keep the same since the first EP they released. An even more spicy fact on this release is that Eveline Fink and Danilo Schneider share a passion that outcomes as some kind of aura in this release, being them the main dynamos behind Enough!, they would never let the fans down on their first official partnership. And they didn’t!

Plus, Schneider & Fink sounds really great as well, kind of Bonnie & Clyde of the electronic music scene!

Starting with Numanthia, the Schneider’s trademark bassline seems shy to appear on start, but this is only a minor thought detail to create expectation on a right foot blasting entering at 0:34, transporting the listener to a familiar place, Schneider’s bass land! All the rhythm suddenly starts to cristalize sweetness expressed by a tinkling melody, and yeah, welcome do Eveline’s fairy land! So, nothing so easy to define as the opposites that complement perfectly! In a fight along the track, surfaces the melody, then the rythmic bassline just seems to contradict the melody and then the doubt is installed on which is better. None, all just fits perfectly into a crystalline voyage!

Mahogany is hymn to cadence and rhythm keepers, swishing a corrugated mid frequency plenty of popping connections in the highs complemented by a grunting bassline, fitting properly any “keep n’go” moment. We must say we love the way a bumpy drum high keeps re starting the rhythm cycle every one step in four in the 4/4 tempo, along with the dub charism of the entire track, is just delicious!

Marc Miroir, needing no presentations between us, mastermind behind Paso Music Label, adopts a slightly homogeneic moisture for his interpretation of Numanthia, seeming to not outshadow the main achievement of Schneider & Fink duo, shuffling all the elements while maintaining the original spine rebuilding it all in a progressive direction meshed in a balanced and grooved bassline.

Suiting all rhythm enhancers and cadence keepers, this Extended Play is certainly a near perfect release within the dynamic electronic spectrum, focusing an essence with three tracks that complement very well within each other. If U’re seeking to have a special energy secret that marks something special in your roster, this one is for you. Isn’t varied in styles, but considering what’s aimed, nearly perfect, and normally, that’s the goal for an EP. It’s just a matter of time for the LP that’ll consecrate this duo without any further questions.

Release Date: 07/09/2012
Format: Only Vinyl
Catalog: Enough004
Buy it HERE (ONLY IN VINYL)

Tracklisting:
A1 - Numanthia
B1 - Mahogany
B2 - Numanthia (Marc Miroir Remix)

Moomin - She Said She Won't Be That Long Away

Moomin, or should we say, Sebastien Genz, is one of those cases where the releases start appearing, in a very subtle way, and even if the electronic market is crowded nowadays of new names, appearing every day, there’s a real line that defines and separates genius from average. Moomin has not crossed that line with this release, we’ve been aware to his talent since “Sweet Sweet” on Smallville Records. At those times I was just about to make a review but then, suddenly between all my lack of spirit and time at the moment I left it, but I remember pretty clear the thought “this guy will release something that will get an effective review from me in the next times”. Well, it was not needed to wait for less than a year and other releases confirming this. This AIM 008, “She Said She Won’t Be That Long Away” is a masterpiece in all frequencies and his productions assume kind of a “Nicolas Jaar” ambiance that, strangely enough, doesn’t get the same applause. Well, from us for sure it does, maybe is a hype thing that we’ll never understand... What’s really a fact is that my curiosity and the opportunity to see Moomin live, just to confirm this review, appeared at Electrosanne in Lausanne (Switzerland) this weekend in a deep small, hot, and underground club called “La Ruche” were, along with Cristopher Rau composing the duo “Roaming” they made a brilliant act confirmed in the sweat of happiness that fulfilled all the place.

So, getting facts straight, Moomin’s productions always have a glare of sweetness, happiness and deep emotion attached to it. This is probably the best description I can get for his productions, diluted somehow between deep dub mixed with a superior class of production. It can get you to states of deep happiness and deep introspection without ever getting boring or repetitive. It’s a own classy touch Moomin haves that one can fast realize in the first 30 seconds of listening. To any of his releases, and, of course, this is no exception but in fact a strong confirmation.

With 3 tracks, we start with Beautiful As You Are, which was released in youtube along with a very artistic video just before the getting to stores. Wow, it’s just impressive how it enters your subconscious emotions and gets a direct attachment to the listener. Kick straight and simple, mind games with cymbals and a lovely piano create a illusion of a beautiful place appearing in front of your eyes retinas and then a Sax.. yes, a Sax, this says so much of how high class this music is when all things just convey together, a masterpiece of deep origins. Better even, it can take you to some of your own origins or a special moment of your life, just of how touchy it is.

Then Don’t Fly If It’s Foggy, a bumpy and smooth ride within a magnificent built bassline. Yeah, this is so bipolar and I really hate the fact I don’t have a linearity in words to express something so clear and beautiful. And then another great mid sound just takes you again to another wonderful place where it seems Moomin definitely lives. I even have no more words, please, only listen.

To finish such a perfect release, a bit of variation within same melodious textures with She Said She Won’t Be That Long Away, naming the Extended Play. Thriving to a little bit of experimentation and alternative circumstances, it just closes a state of the art production, a release strongly recommended to listen alone. If you’re listening it with someone you think may fall in love, thrust our advice, you will for sure!

Within the sound area of deep dub this release is A class, confirming Moomin production style and fingerprint, making us just wonder when he’s going to stop getting a release better than the previous one. We just hope never! The sky is the limit, literally.

Release Date: 22/08/2012
Catalog: AIM008 | Format: Vinyl/Digital

Tracklist:

A1 - Beautiful As You Are
B1 - Don't Fly If It's Foggy
B2 - She Said She Won't Be Long That Way
Buy HERE in a limited 180 gram edition directly from label