Mark Hawkins

Melodic moments from Redshape and a pumper which is probably working the floor at berghain right now from Len Faki….

http://hardwax.com/55290/

“Excellent cross over between upfront UK garage/dubstep & dub techno”

self explanatory

http://hardwax.com/55033/

Now for something completely different… am trawling Hardwax right now, so hopefully will come up with some more treasures, my shopping list gets longer and longer…

New 2×12″ from boxcutter, real broad ranging stuff, from some reggae influenced moments injecting a bit of warmth into the usual dubstep sound, some more Drum and bass moments, and even branching out to melodic aphexesque electronica.. really really great to hear a so-called “Dubstep” artist branching out into different territory.. A3 “Bug Octet” is the one really doing it for me, but I imagine the others are growers… 

http://hardwax.com/55242/

Finally in the stores.. I NEED this record, seriously, this is what techno should be all about, edgy, new sounding, and not following old formulaes.. just when you thought everything had been done, he goes and moves the goalposts, ups the ante, and generally just pisses over everybody else from a great height.. yet again I feel like throwing all of my machines out of the window and giving up, but then after repeated listens, strangely inspired as the new universe has been laid out before me. this is a sick record, SICK SICK SICK, and I really can’t wait to hear it on a loud system.. as I say I NEED this record…

 there are 2 versions, the vinyl:

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/289982-01.htm

and the cd:

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/289982-02.htm

with slightly different track listings….

Wicked old skool acid.. I have another James T Cotton/Traxx collab in my bag right now, I forget what release it is though, but just that it’s, again, cool old skool acid…

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/289584-01.htm

My old Berlin homie is back for his yearly release.. I like his angle of quality over quantity…..

check it:

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/288668-01.htm

More old skool from Seb.. not sure if they did the recordings on Juno at the wrong speed, or if it’s just one of those John-Peel-Proof ”play at whatever speed you like” tracks…

http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/288405-01.htm

To tell the truth, I havn’t been to into Rush’s recent records as much as I’m into my battered old copies of “Maniac”, “The Breaks” and “Punch it” but one track by the name of “Underseige” on this record caught my attention of being something a little different.. yes it’s hard, yes it’s loopy, but it’s damn trippy! now i’m weighing up if I’m into it enough to buy a record just for one track, but it’s been stuck in my head for days now so it could well happen…..

http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/284300-01.htm

Some might say that Hawtin’s M_nus imprint is a load of hype, but given the quality of some of the recent releases I’m inclined to disagree, and in fact, I’m thinking that there are some people grooving away to raw and grinding yet deep and funky techno grooves under the impression that it’s this new “Minimal” thing when actually it owes a lot more to the kind of techno that Dan Bell, Landstrumm, Vogel and many others were making back in ‘96.. anyway, here’s the latest offering, I seriously can’t wait to have the money spare to go out and buy all this stuff I’m writing about, because after being stuck in a desert of mediocre releases it seems that there is suddenly an oasis of stuff I really want to buy….

JPLS is Jeremy Jacobs from Indiana, USA. This release will probably be in a lot of knobjocky’s DJ charts just because it’s on Minus, but I’m quite digging the sounds here… if the releases continue in the same league of quality as this and the recent “False” record by matthew dear then Minus could prove the playerhaters wrong.. Proper techno back for 2008? lets hope so! check it:

http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/288813-01.htm&highlight=minus

Just thought I’d put in a word about our man in Berlin, Oliver Chesler, techno’s nearest thing to a “Singer/Songwriter” - not all of it is my bag, some being a little too EBM/Synthpop for my tastes, although that can have it’s own cheesy charm, but there are a few crackers on there, and I have to hand it to Oliver for both having his own unique style, and damn slick production…. check it:

http://thingstocome.com/discog/HIT-009/index.html