[Review] Siriusmo - Mosaik

Siriusmo has been making his own brand of spinny hard hitting well, electro (I guess), for a decade now and never fails to deliver. Always seemingly just off the radar, bringing out great EP's now and then with people at your average discotheque remarking "TUUNNEE" without knowing who made it. Then he resides back to his Berlin music cave to make another. This time however, he has just released his first long play on Modeselektor's Monkeytown entitled Mosaik. He brings back some old favourites such as the trippy, head nodding High Together and the mellow, uplifting Nights Off. The rest is a mixed bag in terms of destroying genre boundaries and creating a 17 track hedonistic whirlpool where no 2 songs sound alike.

Where to start, hmmm... Well, the title track, like so many Siriusmo tunes, starts off like one thing and then ends a completely different song. What starts off as a bouncey spun out jumble of rising arpeggios and hip hop beats turns into a dubstep beat driven skank out.

The album can be abit demanding with the first 30 seconds of 123 being German ramblings from an old educational video (I imagine). But its worth the wait when it drops to exactly the kind of song that makes me love Siriusmo. It's like his previous tunes that have cropped up sporadically from his music cave such as Die Rockwurst or Das Geheimis that are just so on it, so infectious but are effortless, like just on the off chance he decided to make a song, not that its a big deal or anything.

There are a couple of hard electro tunes which are very suited to the dancefloor, (Sirimande and Feromonikon) and some, not-so-nice on the ears experimental bits (Peeved) and the beautifully named Feed My Meat Machine.

My possible favourite is the funkiest interlude known to man; the boucey, sample heavy Las Den Vogel Frei!. There's no way you can't nod your head violently like James Brown singing Sex Machine on speed.

To conclude, this is undoubtably the most original electro LP you'll ever hear. You could spend hours trying to pigeonhole it but it would be futile. You could listen to it and wonder how the gothic detuned 'Adams Family' synths can make you want to listen to it over and over. . Instead forget all I've just said and get lost in the wacky world of Moritz Friedrich.

9/10


"Mosaik" (MTR10) by Siriusmo

[MP3] CFCF- "Reincarnation" Mix

InsideOutsider favourite CFCF has just released a brilliant mix for Oki-Ni's mix series. It includes three unreleased CFCF tracks which are mind blowing Fever Ray-esque instrumentals. Its got some pretty strange tracks in the bag (see the tracklist), most notably the Steel Cathedrals by David Sylvian.

CFCF - Reincarnation Mix


Leroy Vinnegar - Reservation
CFCF - Gamelan 1
John Roberts - Glass Eights
Emmanuel Jal - Kuar (Olof Dreijer Remix)
These New Puritans - Hologram (Salem Remix)
Holy Other - We Over
David Sylvian - Steel Cathedrals
Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Reincarnation
CFCF - Zaar 2
CFCF - Canton No. 2
Leftfield - Swords
Trey Songz - Unfortunate
How to Dress Well - Ready For The World
Virginia Astley - Tree Top Club
Shriekback - Coelocanth

[Two For Tuesdays]

GAMES


One half of Oneohtrix Point Never, Dan Lopatin and Tigercity's Joel Ford joined forces last year forming the little known, Games. They released their debut EP That We Can Play last November on Brooklyn Label Mexican Summer. Disco, 80's electro freak outs, Miami Vice blah blah. It's nostalgia laden using 80's production techniques to reincarnate video arcades, commercial themes and laser quest. Sound pretentious? Well I'll leave you to make up your own mind.

This year sees them change their name to Ford & Lopatin and they have founded their own imprint via Mexican Summer known as Software. Expect a long play release this June.

Games - Strawberry Skies feat. Laurel Halo by Games

HOLY OTHER


Berlin based producer HOLY OTHER released this hollow, dark, eery tune last year. It is warm and enveloping yet will sometimes give you shivers. Haven't heard much from HOLY OTHER of late, lets just hope he's working on some similar material to this.

YR LOVE by HOLY OTHER

[Feel Good Sundays]

Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl

[Live] Dinky @ The Backrooms // Cardiff // 5.02.11

ENTER THE VOID



Photography: Sam Strivens

You enter the grand, pillared, grade-II listed building of the old bank to find nothing but a big empty space, the remains of what was once a busy Natwest. Walk through the space in the direction of a small side door and the low frequency rumble. Through the door you'll find white tiled walls and green neon lights, reminiscent of a mental asylum. Down the stairs is the vault; cages where riches were once kept have become a dance floor. At the front, Dinky is behind the turntables playing an unreal tech-house set.

If you haven't been to the Backrooms and you live in Cardiff, it's a must. Actually that goes if you don't live in Cardiff aswell. It's on only once a month and tickets sell out fast. It used to be a spot for illegal free parties and I don't think much has changed since its legalisation apart from it doesn't get shut down by the plod. Makeshift bars and few creature comforts are all signs and provide an atmosphere unlike any other club in Cardiff.

Next month its Levon Vincent, check the Facebook page

Dinky - Acid In My Fridge

[Video] Sanso-Xtro - Hello Night Crow

Sanso-Xtro - Hello Night Crow

Via [GorillaVsBear]

Two For Tuesdays

Range Rover


This teenage trio from San Diego have managed to produce a brand of lo-fi that is evocative enough to skim over the puddle of other bands who have similarly ridiculous names. How they have got away with naming their band after a 4x4 I'm not sure. There's Nothing For Me Here is a six minute, hazy, reverb bleached, delay soaked masterpiece. The glass not-so-half-full lyrical subject is a nice lullaby for any mid afternoon depression you may have... check it.

Range Rover - There's nothing For Me Here

Brokenchord


Now it's time for Lithuania's answer to dubstep. He's been featured on Mary Ann Hobbs and has been likened to Mount Kimbie. Not bad eh?

Dribble Drift by brokenchord

Star Slinger - Elizabeth Fraser (Live)

Star Slinger - Elizabeth Fraser.

Considering Liz is my favourite singer of all time (I approximate her voice to be that of God), I was a little dubious when I came across an IDM rework of the Cocteau Twins song Heaven Or Las Vegas. But then I underestimated Star Slingers talent, he is a master of the trusty MPC and the sound that emerges is mind blowing. How he ever got J Dilla hip hop beats and retriggers to work with Liz's angelic voice is left a mystery. The clip is of him playing live at his favourite comic book store (Hey what a narc!).

Star Slinger has just released an EP with Teams via Mexican Summer. Its disco crossed with hip hop and abit of glitch. Here's a nice ambient one off it:
Teams vs. Star Slinger - Close to Me

Feel Good Sundays

Ok so its not Sunday, but we still have to try and feel good on Mondays too eh? Diana Ross is a fox but she has an unhealthy obsession with pianos.

Com Truise - Colorvision

Yes I know he's spelt colour wrong and Com Truise is a ridiculous name in the first place but this is a tune. It's 80's synths galore but it has the funk behind it to discard any pretense. Different from some of this other tunes which are ultimately Chillwave (see Sundriped and Slow Peels) but I think variety is something we can expect off his forthcoming debut which will be released later this year.

Colorvision (WIP) by Com Truise

Baths - The Nothing

Cerulean was one of my favourite releases of 2010 (Check out the review here) and now baths is back with a new one. It's a 7" EP The Nothing / Nightly, Daily and is out in March. Check out the A-side below. I'm pretty sure I like it, but I think I expected more after Animals. I dunno, I think it's the vocals that are throwing me off.

Baths - The Nothing[Pitchfork]

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX

We're New Here



Gil Scott-Heron - NY is Killing Me (Jamie XX Remix)

Comeback err.. Granddad Gil Scott-Heron released his album I'm New Here this time last year after a 16 years hiatus. Regular attendance to prisons for drug charges kinda got in the way. A spectacular album I'm sure, more interesting however is that XX mastermind Jamie Smith is releasing a remix album of I'm New Here, entitled We're New Here. By now we've all heard NY is Killing Me and we've all agreed it is an absolute stonker. Like it's ridiculous how on the money that tune is, I couldn't think of a song better suited to the demands of the average Warehouse Project goer. It's almost enough for me to hate it, but I don't. The ghostly organ with that bouncy bass really does raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

The other big one off the album is I'll Take Care of You which is the polar opposite of the danceable aforementioned tune. It's a soulful, bluesy one of Gil's which is the main feel the original album. It starts off subdued with his raspier, age-weathered voice against a single piano and then it breaks into the trademark XX ethereal guitar. Midway through the song the vocals are chopped and it turns more dancey. The Crutch is an uptempo glitchy one contrasted against Gil's spoken word which actually does well not to sound out of place. My Cloud is a soulful lullaby that is beautiful in its simplicity.

The whole album, together with a few jazzy interludes is an interesting listen. You don't find many remix albums, especially not as debuts, so it is quite a bold move of Jamie's. It is varied and you could invent a different genre for most of the tracks. I think fresh would be an apt word to describe it. Amazing is another.

8.5/10

Release Date | 21st February

Benni Hemm Hemm @ Buffalo / Cardiff / 28.01.11

Last Friday I had the pleasure of seeing Benni Hemm Hemm live at Buffalo Bar in Cardiff. To some up the gig in one word: Melancholy (but in the best way possible). Who said melancholy is bad anyway, I like melancholy. Sometimes I'm melancholy and I even like saying the word, it sounds nice. The trio that make up the brass section looked bored to the point of tears, raising their gaze from the floor only to play a high note on the trombone or trumpet (The girl on the french horn only changed position to empty a globule of spit from the valve). The drummer however, he was great, he had the comedy drummer facial expressions down to a tee.

Front man Benedikt H. Hermannsson has a truly amazing voice and is incredible on the guitar. The number of members at his shows range from 3 to 40 so this particular event was towards the bottom of that spectrum. Between songs he showed himself to be quite the comedian, in his own melancholy way. The band finished the gig with a great freak out and quick exit. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was enthralled by the level of respect the population of Buffalo offered. Here is a beautiful video from their latest album Retaliate.

Benni Hemm Hemm - Retaliate .

Purity Ring

Two For Tuesdays

Toro Y Moi "New Beat" by carparkrecords

When I saw Toro y Moi in Cardiff last November I remember him announcing that he wanted to play a new song and proceeded to play a distinctly more funky, dancier number than the rest of the Causers of This catalog. Since then I have been trying to locate it and finally its here. It's called New Beat and it's taken off the forthcoming LP Underneath the Pine



The Kills - Satellite by DominoRecordCo

Thanks to that slag Kate Moss, we have had to wait 2 years for the new Kills Album. It was rumored that the supermodel threw Jamie Hince's laptop into a swimming pool resulting in the loss of 6 new kills tracks. It may also have something to do with the Dead Weather, I dunno. Anyway the new album is called Blood Pressures and this is the first sneaky taster from it.