Energy Flash May09 Chart

Looks like this chart business is harder to keep up with than I first anticipated. Here is what’s getting maximum rotation on the Energy Flash decks this month.

Ican – Make It Hot (Ican Productions)
This is one of the tracks off the El Quinto EP that seems to have gone under the radar, despite its raw energy and broad appeal potential. “Make It Hot” is fueled by a swirling organ pattern and tight bassline that create a hypnotic flow, but it’s how they break that flow with a quick pause and syncopation beatdown that makes this track’s groove so compelling. “Make It Hot” is bolstered by vocal samples from Midway’s “Set It Out,” with pleas to “really make it hot” and “don’t you ever stop” that give this track a sense of urgency and referential history. Oh, and did I mention the funk keyboard solo about 4 1/2 minutes in? What more can I say, this track lives up to its name.

The Florian Muller Project – The Fire Under The Ice (Logos)
Taken from upcoming album Blessing, this track is one of several that stand out. This unknown French artist takes his cue from jazz and funk imparting his music with grand melodic gestures and this track is no exception. Grounded with a protracted 3 note bassline the strings start to build, the pads layer over growing keyboard lines before the sky opens up with an epic synth progression that rises with every chord turn. Techno to get lost in.

Orlando Voorn – Power of Beauty-Tribute to mix (Divine Karma)
What turns out to be the planned first release on Voorn’s new label is also a perfect piece of deep house that he admits is an homage to the masters of the sound (Larry Heard, Frankie Knuckles, etc.) and is calling “soulfulmindmusic.” I’m not sure what style of music OV hasn’t tried his hand at and not hit out of the ballpark. Looks like the classic “Love Break,” his collaboration with Blake Baxter will also share pressing space on the A side with a few remixes.

The Moderator – Bump! (Eevonext)
I’m really not that familiar with The Moderator’s work even though judging by the fact he’s had releases on Eevolute and DJax from back in 96-97 and an EP or two on DownLow I really should be. So it took me awhile, but here I find myself falling for the gorgeously funky update of the Eindhoeven techno sound.

Marvin Belton – Feelin Good – SF Dub (Ferrispark)
Scott Ferguson has been kind enough to get some repress action going on with his Ferrispark label. The Bleed To Be Free EP from 2002 features Marvin Belton’s strong soulful pleads, channeling Marvin Gaye on the title track, but it’s Ferguson’s own dub of “Feelin Good” that gets me in the mood. Coming on like a Ron and Chez KMS joint, this is house music that is both deep without losing the dance floor direction. Look for the Dump Days EP repress as well.

John Carpenter – The President Is Gone (BBE)
One helluva slice of tension setting mood music, Carpenter’s short piece taken from his 1981 film Escape From New York, features on Ame, Henrick Schwarz, Ame and Dixon’s Grandfather Paradox compilation as well. I can remember being 9 years old and seeing this in the theater and just being mesmerized by the concept of NYC turned into a maximum security prison, Isaac Hayes as the Duke of NY driving a caddy with chandliers, and mines on the Brooklyn bridge. Plus Snake Plissken kicked ass. 

John Tejada – Better Days (Palette)
Good to see Tejada coming at music with the same stance that endeared him to me back when I first heard the Ebonics EP. Melodically rich, funky stabs and chunky bass, and ever advancing sound design. You can’t keep a good artist down.

Sheharzad - Yalla Yalla -Panoptikum Remix (Fine Art)
This remix takes the original, an acoustic middle-eastern song, ditches the vocals, infuses arpeggio bass and digital trills while hanging on tightly to the multiple string harmonies. Reminiscent of Kelley Polar’s string laden neo-disco-isms.

Cobblestone Jazz – Traffic Jam (Wagon Repair/K7)
Coming on less restrained and subtle than some of this trio’s previous work and with a more straight-on groove locked in, this track’s strength is in the group’s renowned rhythm swing with a thick layering of mutating bass curls driving it in a direction that seems like anything but rush hour traffic. But they still manage to interject their jazz chops with a sporadic keyboard riff that cements this tune’s place in many a set to come.

Energy Flash March09 Chart

The first in an on-going series of charts with descriptions, this will hopefully bring some much needed attention to those tracks that are hot, unique or just plain under appreciated (sorry no DJ Koze,  Johnny D or anything released on Get Physical featured for the forseeable future).

Tom Trago – Passion (Rush Hour)
Taking over where Yuro and Trago’s “Primary Roots” left off, this one starts with hints of French filter house before kicking off a thoroughly satisfying trip on the Detroit-Euro express: magnificent chord arches, wiggling synth notes and deep bass kicks. After the breakdown Trago even manages to fit a tight funk bass lick in for good measure before bringing it all back.

James Kumo – Dreams (Tribute to Delsin mix) (Ann Aimee)
Straightforward dance music that is aimed squarely at the floor. Building off a slowly burbling acid line and wood block percussion this has the makings of an updated acid monster in the vein of Kink & Neville Watson or 2 AM/FM. But an odd 3 minutes later Kumo changes direction and sends it into the techno-sphere with a series of sweeping synth vamps.

Agore – Blue (Logos)
Taken from Agore’s upcoming Reflection album, “Blue” is a gorgeous piece of jazz-inflected techno soul. Using nature sounds, loose breaks and jutting double bass “Blue” opens up into warm strings, a reflective melodic theme before unveiling the plaintive saxophone line that seals this track’s place in the lexicon of jazz techno fusion to come.

Matt Chester – Cold Restraint (11th Hour)
It was a toss up between this and the DJ3000 remix of “Kick It,” my other favorite track from the Endless Days 12″, but this one won out with Chester’s trademark melodic progressions really pulling you in. And with a fierce electro bassline, strong drum kicks and filthy percussive fills this one is worth tracking down.

DJ Q – Cheat (NRK)
Reminiscent of 69-era Carl Craig this single-sided release from Paul Flynn tugs at the heartstrings with rich minor chord harmonics and a looped up breakbeat before introducing a sampled excerpt of Chris Rock’s comedy routine on cheating. But it’s the rolling digital bassline oscillator that emerges later that is the touchstone to an era in techno that rarely sees the light of day any longer.

Orlando Voorn feat My Shorty One – Beat It Up (Voorn remix) (Voorn Kollektiv)
I believe this one only made it to digital format but music as catchy as this without T-Pain auto-tune vocals deserves attention. What you get here is whispered sensual vocals in the vein of the Yin-Yang Twins mixed with the melody from Vanity 6’s “Nasty Girl” grafted to a jacking stripped down house beat. Guaranteed to get even the ugliest DJ some action if dropped.

AEOD – Only In My Dreams (D1)
I’m a little late to this one for reasons unknown since I’ve been listening to his tracks via Myspace for the past 2 years or so. Joey Nicholson’s productions are completely unique with a raw underproduced feel at times, and the Sadness EP isn’t much different drawing on driving techno rhythms with strange vocal streams echoing. But with “Only In My Dreams” you get silky smooth deep house with a punch. The track is rather simple but the elements are all drawn together in an effective manner: a pitched up vocal sample running through it (going on about some “read to achieve” program), dramatic chord drops paired up with a funky 2 note bassline, and a strong rhythm beatdown.

Titonton Duvante – Rodeo (Frankie)
Continuing on with his exploration of the freaky side of dance music, Titonton Duvante’s recent The Way You Ride EP features “Rodeo.” Not quite as explosive as the earlier “Reverse Cowboy” but with a subtler interplay of cut up vocals and twisting bass notes until they all become central components of the rhythm themselves. And at first it appears that this is nothing more than a rhythm track but halfway through Duvante slowly teases out a shards of an echoing melody with an accompanying Rhodes keyboard backing. Tight stuff for those deeper jacking moments.