Etienne Jaumet - Repeat Again After Me

Etienne Jaumet, "Repeat Again After Me" (YSI link)

While y'all are out dancing and partying and drinking and kissing, I'm home, watching Revenge of the Nerds and trying to talk myself into buying the Marc Jacobs derby shoes from his Spring line (if you work for MJ and can get me discount, holler at a kid) Most importantly, I'm home getting back in the swing of things here at Pound for Pound. We got through this week, barely, hope you missed me.

Let's start back with a great new techno track out of Europe from newcomer Etienne Jaumet, "Repeat Again After Me." This is his first release and it's a doozy, this slow-building, kinda ominous, kinda acid-y techno track that stretches out to 13+ minutes. Add in some non-jazzy horns and you have yourself a really sick track.

Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler Remxes

Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler (Kevin Saunderson remix)" (YSI link)

Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler (Jesse Rose remix)" (YSI link)

Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler (Shackleton remix)" (YSI link)

I'm still working on the end of the year stuff, but in the meantime I'm gonna put up some things that I had wanted to get to at the end of last year. It was a big year for Simian Mobile Disco, as they dropped their first album, Attack Sustain Delay Release, to critical acclaim and toured the world. Ironically, one of their first singles, "Hustler," which dropped all the way back in the year 2006, continues to thrill and get the remix treatment.

The most recent batch of remixes fit in perfectly with some of our recent foci here at Pound for Pound - techno, dubstep and fidget house. With the focus this week on Detroit, we've got a lead off with that Kevin Saunderson remix. I mean, Kevin Saunderson, people! Belleville 3! Dude does not disappoint here, dropping a sick, filtered techno remix that turns the original a little darker and more menacing. Those insistent kick drums start things off, taking center stage while a acid-y bassline works its way around the beat. The pace picks up, the drums get a little more jackin' until some vocal snippets and video-game synths come in around the halfway mark. My favorite part, though, comes around the four minute mark when the kick drums drop out for a bit, leaving only these filtered, wobbling synths and hi-hats. Wait for it, here comes the kick drums again and away we go on a similar, but off-kilter vibe to the first-half.

Shackleton brings the delays out to full effect, creating a molasses version. It almost seems like you are hearing it underwater, especially when those massives horn like sounds come in every so often, I almost expect to see a tugboat coming down Kent Avenue. The Jesse Rose remix might be the pick of the lot, keeping more of the sound of the original, but turning up the dirty and nasty with a fuzzed bassline and jackin' house beats. This one should destroy dancefloors.

If you haven't already copped the SMD LP, you really should do so now. It's been making the top lists for all of the major dance magazines, definitely an album you need to own.

Model 500 - No UFO's

Model 500, "No UFO's (vocal)" (YSI link)

Model 500, "No UFO's (instrumental)" (YSI link)

I hinted at a new theme this week and it begins now. We're gonna pay tribute to one of the great American cities and one of the spiritual homes for Pound for Pound, Detroit. I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't done this sooner, but the extra time has given me a chance to dig a little deeper into the music that has come out of the city in the past two decades. I want to dedicate all of these posts to one of its native daughters, JH-B, and all of the people who haven't run and still live in that city and try to bring it back to its former glory.

I can't think of a better place to start our exploration than with one of the most important artists in the history of electronic & dance music and a Pound for Pound legend, Juan Atkins. Considered by most to be the driving force behind the development of the Detroit techno sound, Atkins' vision and drive would envelop the entire city and change the face of electronic music forever. We'll hopefully discuss this more in time, dig deeper into the early history of Detroit techno. If anyone out there would like to add on or provide some guidance for me, I'd love to hear from you.

Atkins recorded under many aliases, but the Model 500 one might be the most influential in techno terms. Originally released in 1985, "No UFO's" was the first release on Atkins' own Metroplex and the second 12" Atkins put out under the moniker. I feel like techno is the most intimidating of electronic genres; I mean, it has always been for me. I imagine hard, relentless beats and a sexless world, overrun by microgenres and stoicism. For anyone else who has always felt intimidated, this might be a good starting place, at the roots. The vocal version is a classic, futuristic music that takes you like 40 years in the future when we are all flying around and have personal robots. A lifeless voice talks about paranoid conspiracies, while a sick, rubbery bassline melts your face.

Let me end with a cool quote about Detroit and its history from Atkins that I came across in this brief, but brilliant, interview:

"Berry Gordy built the Motown sound on the same principles as the conveyor belt system at Ford's. Today their plants don't work that way -- they use robots and computers to make the cars. I'm probably more interested in Ford's robots than in Berry Gordy's music."

Claude VonStroke - Essential Mix 11.10.2007

Claude VonStroke, BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix November 10, 2007 (YSI link)(Sendspace link) tracklisting in comments

We're coming up to the final few days of 2007, the time that we look back and list our favorites and wrap up a year of posts. For me, one of the biggest names of the year was Claude VonStroke, the man behind Dirtybird Records and some of the biggest dance tracks and remixes of the past two years. From his original productions to his remixes to the monthly party he and and the label began at New York City's APT club, the dude has been an essential part of my soundtrack this year.

It's fitting then that he would make an Essential Mix for the BBC Radio 1 program, capping off a big year. While it's super rad to see CVS get his due with this invite to the big leagues, it's way more rad that our man killed it on this one. Unlike the Mixmag mix I put up a few weeks ago, this 2 hour mix gives us a look much more into the man's influences, which I always love. He covers classic Chicago house, a lil' booty stuff, lots of new stuff from the techno and house worlds, edits, even a little hip-hop. Check the tracklist if you need to, but honestly, I'd just download and listen. This one is siiiiiccccckkkkkkk, like goosebumps and smiles and memories of past dancefloors and dreams of future ones. This dude has become a big Pound for Pound favorite in 2007, I cannot wait to see him solidify his lofty standing with an even bigger 2008. Yeah!

Battles - Tonto +

Battles, "Tonto (The Field remix)" (YSI link)

Battles, "Tonto (Four Tet remix)" (YSI link)

The end of the year is nearly upon us and I have a feeling that the Battles LP, Mirrored, will make on a few end of the year releases. Perhaps to keep them in the mind of the blogosphere's voters, they recently released the Tonto + EP with some remixes, live songs and a DVD.

Not surprisingly, the band chose interesting remixers for their song "Tonto," eschewing the typical new-electro guys like MSTRKRFT for two artists that seem more comfortable with the experimental side of things. The Field is another of 2007's biggest names, responsible for one of the biggest techno LPs of the year on Kompakt. Here, he delivers a glitchy remix of the original, taking out the guitar picking, adding a bass drum and stuttering, noisy, swirling synths. The repetitive sound actually slowly moves, great stuff. The Four Tet remix sticks a lot closer to the original (the guitars and weird vocals are back!) Four Tet, a.k.a. Kieran Hebden, adds a rumbling bass to the mix, some bubbling, space-y effects and a generally more consistent sound and pacing. I feel like this one is a good way into Battles music for those coming from the electronic/dance side of things.

Grab a copy of this EP/DVD at Turntable Lab, but I'd recommend buying the LP first and digging into the band's post-rock/jam band-y music, as it's well-worth the time and money. Will it end on the Pound for Pound end-of-year list? Actually, that's a really great question, imaginary reader. I have no idea what that list is gonna look like.

Jack Master - Basement Trax Volume 1

Jack Master, "Bang The Box" (YSI link)

Jack Master, "One Trac Mind" (YSI link)

It's been a less-than-stellar trip back this weekend. As Mr. Dylan once sang, "I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough." While I'm in transit, I want to leave you with two songs that also look to another city, the birthplace of acid house, Chicago. While one might think that this is just another unheard masterpiece from Trax Records, what with the name of the artist, the song titles, the sounds and even the design, don't be fooled. Jack Master is actually an alias of Richie Hawtin, techno's Zelig, an ode to the jackin' style of Chicago done by a Canadian who I always thought was British. Originally released in 1993 on Jack Records, an offshoot of the Plus 8 label, this one is a phenomenal record, another example of the skill and diversity of Richie Hawtin and his music.

The songs may have sprung from a desire to pay respect to a classic sound, but they easily rise above simple homage, especially on the opening track, "Bang The Box." On this one, you get a male voice repeating the word "bang" over and over, a la so many classic Trax joints, but the heavy, static-y drums give it a less-stripped down sound than the originals. While "Bang The Box" has gotten the attention from this release, " the B side should not be overlooked. "One Trac Mind" is a nice mental

P.S. Richie, you named the label Jack, took the alias of Jack Master? I mean, we already love you! It's awesome that you want to make it onto Pound for Pound, I just don't think you need to be that obvious.

Plastikman - Krakpot

Plastikman, "Krakpot" (YSI link) 256

Plastikman, "Elektrostatik" (YSI link) 256

Okay, I know you are thinking, "Didn't you say you were going to melt your face off with acid Friday?" One may think that I didn't achieve this because I was taking advantage of the weekend and livin' it up, but oh no, au contraire. Honestly, I was looking out for you, my dear reader, as I wanted you to be able to have a great, productive, fun weekend, the calm before the holiday storm in a sense. One listen to Plastikman's "Krakpot" and "Electrostatik" will melt your face and mind, leaving you incapable of traveling home for Thanksgiving, talking to relatives, going out on the big Wednesday night party scene, just generally trying to live your life day to day. The creeping, haunting acid line will burrow deep in your brain stem, it is not for the faint of heart.

Plastikman is better know to us as Richie Hawtin, the legendary Canadian producer who has made classic electronic music for the better part of two decades. We're going to say more about him in the coming weeks, from his own releases to stuff on the labels he founded Plus 8 and M_Nus, but for this blog, there's no better place to start than the music he put out under the Plastikman alias, especially as we take a look at acid house.

Above is his first release under that moniker, the Krakpot 12". Originally released in 1993 on the Nova Mute label, it's some of the best, most frightening music I've ever heard. The 11+ minute "Krakpot" returns acid to its minimal roots, featuring an acid-y bassline that snakes its way around your body in a slow, methodical way, combined with an insistent, heavy kick drum and some effects (blowing wind?). It's hard to believe that Hawtin could hold one's attention for so long with so little, but that's the magic of acid I guess (or more likely the amazing talents of Hawtin). While "Krakpot" may be better known, "Elektrostatik" is every bit as good and nasty. It all seems a little more frenetic, from the drums to the bass. You need to listen to these two on headphones, I seriously just want to freak out right now like a crazy person. You absolutely need this in your life, end of story.