Real D – Stuck in the Realness [Waxtefacts]

Hailing from Bordeaux South West France, David Cabanne or Real D has gathered a huge amount of attention since releasing his debut ‘Rhodes That’ on Waxtefacts in the summer of last year. The record has over 400,000 plays on YouTube and sold out in a matter of hours on Discogs; copies have been advertised at a hard hitting £90 since. 

His hip-hop inspired dusty, low-slung house grooves simply cannot help but make you shuffle. Accompanied by some hand-drawn vintage artwork that reminds you of a scene out of Venice beach, his undeniable flair has set the producer a cut above the rest, leaving fans literally champing at the bit for more. Luckily he is not one to disappoint as this month we see his first EP drop.

‘Stuck In The Realness’ continues in the same strain as ‘Rhodes That’ with its tingles of piano, sculpted bass and beautiful melodic riffs. Slapping, signature hi-hats set the tone as the vocals oscillate between grunting gangster slogans and sweet female harmonies. It’s funky as hell and each track would work equally well in a dark club with plenty of fake smog as it would in a sunset set on a beach somewhere. 

The music has a unique pulse which has gained momentum in the capital with recent sets at The Nest and XOYO w/ Marcellus Pittmann and Mood II Swing. Catch him this Saturday for a one off small venue gig at The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington where he will be playing all night for Wolf Recordings.

Buy: Vinyl

Shanti Celeste – Party [Peach Discs]

Bristol darling Shanti Celeste has christened her new label Peach Discs with an absolute scorcher of her own. The two track-EP is enough to think spring’s been and gone, you’re already slap bang by an obscure lake in the Hungarian countryside taking in the sunshine, surrounded by a load of topless blokes who make you feel extremely small, but, all whilst taking in what are sure to be two incredibly popular summer numbers.

The record cries of a good time from start to finish. ‘Loop One’ on the A-Side smells of Seven Davis Jnr with its skittish percussion, steady breaks, and exuberant melody warming up for a lovely drop. Turn it over and ‘Selector’ is a straight up house number that goes well beyond keeping you interested. 2-tracks that should please any crowd come rain or shine.

Buy: Vinyl

S.A.M. - Pour Aisha [Delaphine]

In anticipation of his first full-length LP and to ease his awaiting followers, Delaphine’s S.A.M. delivers a brilliant EP that features two tracks off his forthcoming album. Both stand equally on their own and help give us a small insight of what is to follow, however, the pick for me is the wondrous ‘Pour Aisha’, an atmospheric and expansive masterpiece that comes in at just over 11 minutes. With no context given, the music can be fully appreciated but it does leave you wondering who or what ‘Aisha’ might refer to.

Buy: Vinyl

Sixth June - Virgo Rising [aufnahme + wiedergabe]

Whilst UK dance music community has come to take a retrospective interest in Electro after its 30+ year marginalization in the wake of the popularity of its older brother techno, on the continent (especially Germany) the over-saturation of techno’s popularity has given way for another retrospective trend, although one of distinct European origins focused around genres like EBM, Industrial and Cold Wave. 

Founded in 2011, the Berlin-based label aufnahme + wiedergabe (in English, ‘Recording and Playback’) has become a key player in delivering sensational ‘cold’ music within the emerging revival. Categorizing the label’s vast diversity would be impossible, but safe to say releases tend to remain in the darker territories from the likes of cult figure, Ancient Methods and the growing names of new EMB style techno, Phase Fatal and Codex Empire. The latest release ‘Dahinter das Gesicht’ by Schwefelgelb is a good insight into the revival of destructive, cold, machine-sounding beats which have a firm place in the city’s history of post-punk music. 

However, their 15th LP brings a lighter tone with the emotive sounds Serbian synth-pop duo, Sixth June (Lidija Andonov and Laslo Antal). Lidija’s delicate, ghostly voice is the key that manages to relieve the built up anguish that can torment ones mind. The psychedelic ‘Tatjana’ is captivating with its mysterious plodding beat, subtle percussion and elevating chord progression, whereas ‘Knife in the Water’ is an up-beat groover with lovely dainty synth notes. Comprised of elements of cathartic jazzy chords, a wide range of warping synth sounds and drawn out guitar trills, the album is perfectly smooth bedtime listening.

Buy: Vinyl / Digital

Ten Fé - Twist Your Arm (Roman Flügel Remix) [Electronic Beats]

Following on from the release of Hit The Light, the debut album from hotly tipped London duo Ten Fé (Spanish for “have faith”), is a five track EP with remixes from James Lavelle of influential electronic group UNKLE, Ewan Pearson, Tom Furse of The Horrors, Norwegian producers Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas and by one of our favourite Germans Roman Flügel. The soft rock originals selected to remix have been twisted into their individual electronic alter-ego’s to make up a well rounded package, but it is Mr Flügel's euphoric jugger that takes the plaudits here.

Buy: Vinyl / Digital