LP

And we're done. It's been too long since we posted the last bit so without further ado, here's the list of our favorite LPs of 2013:



Rhye – Woman (Innovative Leisure)

Woman is an extremely sensual album. Just take the heartbreakingly lovely single ‘Open’ with the funkiest bass line and stellar vocals, which promptly could make a hardcore Satanist godly. All songs are, however, luxury produced smooth operators on a plate, which leads you back to the 80s at a luxury spa break for the soul - and who the hell do not want it? The girl behind the vocals appeared to be a man, Mike Milosh from Canada, and the guy behind the dreamy and feather-light-soul productions is a Dane, Robin Hannibal.

FaltyDL – Hardcourage (Ninja Tune)

Hardcourage album has become one of my favorites even though there are many other much more hyped cats on the scene. Lustman’s album is calm and focused balancing somewhere between bouncy two-step or flicking through the pages of classic house.  Hardcourage was definitely a fresh sonic approach to electronic music. ‘She Sleeps’, with vocals from Ed Macfarlane is an absolute highlight on the album.

DJ Koze – Amygdala (Pampa)

Second proper album from German Stefan Kozalla, arriving on his own Pampa Records, includes collaborative tracks with Caribou, Apparat, Dirk von Lotzow, Hildegard Knef, Matthew Dear, Ada and Milosh. Although the album is 1.2h long, it builds anticipation and never puts listener to sleep. Amygdala is indeed a dance music record, but we think that there is much more to it than a standard bass line and some hand claps. Everytime I listened to this record, I was left with a sense of satisfaction. ‘We need to eat, we need to sleep and we NEED music’.

Quadron – Avalanche (Epic)

Avalanche was the album I listened most in 2013 (and I still do!). Danish duo’s decision about moving to LA back in 2009 was probably not a bad idea. Cause in Los Angeles’ warm wind currents, they were not only able to meet Prince, but also put a track on Jay Z’s The Great Gatsby soundtrack, hang out with Tyler, The Creator and others from the Odd Future. Amazingly, after Hannibal’s huge success with Rhye (duo with Mike Milosh), Robin Hannibal and Coco managed to meet all the expectations of their second album. The album has got the unsurpassed pop-catchiness that melts together with the discreet electronic soul universe.

Eddie C – Country City Country LP (Endless Flight)

I’m pretty sure that this album makes it top 13 is because of it’s diversity and unpredictability. Canadian producer and DJ (residing in Berlin) is mostly known and respected of his stellar disco/soul/boogie edits, yet Country City Country LP is an absolute treat, cycling thru 16 dusted and mostly downbeat or mid-tempo groove aces operating just beyond the dancefloor. This record passes away into some cool hip-hop instrumentals full of haunting samples easily loop in your head, but you will also hear Funk, Cosmic, Boogie, House, Balearic, Disco deepness.

Lapalux – Nostalchic LP (Brainfeeder)

First full length album by UK artist, Stuart Howard, aka Lapalux. Signed to Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder, which is renowned for its forward thinking take on music, the album Nostalchic has certainly lived up to Brainfeeder’s reputation. Lapalux brings several interesting concepts together, creating very emotional sounds that are deeply layered with texture. Music on Nostalchic seems to be cobbled together from scattered bits and pieces, finally fusing into very well finished tracks. The album is actually bursting with feelings, what was most important for me when listening to Nostalchic. 

Space Dimension Controller - Welcome To Mikrosector-50 (R&S)

Artists try to make concept albums based on catching certain moods,  soundscapes or places but a full feature film on a double LP? Nah, ain't nobody got time for that. Well, SDC is back in time with a mission of groove, accomplished his duties in style and made the most fun record out there. Paying homage to every 80's shade of galactic funk, electro, proto-house and techno SDC blasts them straight into the 2013 (dance) music landscape. Cut-scenes and radio ads just add to the fun. For more four-on-the-floor jams check the album follow up Correlation EP, just as good.

Yosi Horikawa - Vapor (First Word Records)

We've predicted great things for Yosi Horikawa in 2012 and our favorite Japanese beatsmith didn't dissapoint. Vapor's extensive use of field recordings take the listener for 16 different journeys in style, mood and texture, yet all share the same attention to detail and melody. In the organic-meets-electronic category we can't really find a worthy rival in 2013. And we're praying for a vinyl release, Yosi please!

Vakula - You've Never Been To Konotop (Selected Works 2009-2012) (Firecracker)

Konotop? Nope, never been there. But is it really true? Instead of pouring millions on tourist advertising, cities should give Vakula time to work his magic and then distribute it through Firecracker. The Slavic Spiritual Warrior paints the picture where everybody in town's into oddball jazz, soulful Chicago house packed with layers upon layers upon layers of  abstract keys and synths and experimentation is just how it goes in Konotop. A very rewarding, yet surreal trip. 

Shigeto - No Better Time Than Now (Ghostly)

No Better Time Than Now demonstrates that the road from being a beatmaker to a proper musician requires lots of hard graft. Zach really matured on this one, the tracks hit the next level when led by sheer emotion not constrained by the structural hip-hop background looming to this day over many artists in the beat scene. Still instrumental hip-hop? Nah, it's the ritual rowl for soul searching.

Jessy Lanza - Pull My Hair Back (Hyperdub)

The iconic bass label Hyperdub has in the beginning of 2013 signed the Canadian singer Jessy Lanza. On her outstanding debut album 'Pull My Hair Back’, she, together with Junior Boys ' Jeremy Greenspan searched the minimal border between pop and r'n'b with electronic input from disco and house. With this album, Lanza joins the increasingly long line of singers who over the last few years have had their unique vocals played against more or less sophisticated electronic soundscapes. In the tension field between Grimes and Jessie Ware, Jessy Lanza manages after all, to establish her own elegant take on the modern bass influenced r'n'b. 

Letherette – Letherette (Ninja Tune)

Letherette is no longer UK’s best-kept secret duo as their first full length self-titled album reaped the Wolverhampton duo much critical praise. Their blend of hip-hop, house and ’80 funk & soul and an impressive palette of rich sounds and textures makes Letherette LP one of the hottest dance floor releases from the past year. Each track on this album is a technical masterpiece, where the guys take a series of long-form compositions and round them off so perfectly that they fly by like a bunch of short beats on a mixtape.

Classixx - Hanging Gardens (Innovative Leisure)

In the perfect world Hanging Gardens would get as much airtime as Random Access Memories. Guess Classixx's signature take on disco isn't for masses, just for the connoisseurs of the LA electronic music scene. Hanging Gardens are the summertime affair of 2013, breezy, sometimes balearic blend of disco, funk with a little hints of house. And by no means throwback, great songs or long-ish instrumental interlude disco-bliss shouldn't be considered retro.

Dam-Funk feat. Snoop Dogg/ Steve Arrington - 7 Days Of Funk // Higher

You just knew it was inevetable that one day Dam-Funk would team up with a g-funk legend and funk pioneer like Steve Arrington. 7 Days Of Funk are the best, blast from the past postcard sent directly from the g-funk era to happen in the last few years. Snoop effortlessly glides on Dam's beats who just knows how to filter modern-funk into heavy-hittin' hip-hop. Higher however is way more experimental, by no means a cheap shot at recreating Slave classics. Steve Arrington's on top of his game while Dam-Funk steps aside a bit and lets him do his thing.

EP

There’s perhaps nothing better than a good extended play (EP) album and as the good, old saying tells us ‘Great things come in small packages’. We’re pretty sure, that nowadays an EP album can work as effectively as a long play, whether it is to tease an upcoming album, release gems that don’t fit on other albums, or just to get rid of loose-ends before artists finally get the chance to shine on an LP. Saying that, we simply couldn’t overlook the shorties that caught our eyes this year. Some of these mini-releases are serious beasts. Here’s Beatscapes’ 13 EP picks of the past year:

Andras Fox ft. Oscar S. Thorn - Embassy Café (Dopeness Galore)

Golden piece of machine-soul  from the Down Under, treat Erskine Falls 12'' as the more danceable supplement to an already timeless record.

FKA Twigs - EP2 (Young Turks)
Elusive FKA Twigs teamed up with Arca once again to produce the best deconstructed, bass heavy pop in 2013.

Tropics - Home & Consonance (Five Easy Pieces)

Another year and Tropics is still in our recap. This time thanks to a smooth 4-tracker, we're always eager to hear more from this dude.

Atu - Pictures on Silence (Soulection)
Best songwriter in the Soulection crew. Still didn't get a keynote or a finely chopped R&B sample wrong, kudos.

Sampha - Dual EP (Young Turks)
The most personal EP we had the pleasure to listen in 2013. Sometimes it's the simple things - a great voice, a piano and we're golden.

Dukes Of Chutney - Domino (Beats In Space)
The record after hearing you wanna go on a Round The World Trip. Exquisite selection of field material and great imagination how to use it.

Vaib-R - Intl EP (Nous)

Our pick from the stellar stream of releases Moon B has put out in 2013. Heavy duty boogie for the dancefloors.

Dirg Gerner - Dirg Gerner (Eglo)

fLako won our hearts with his special approach to soul music with a modern twist, curated by Eglo nothing could gone wrong.

Pomrad - This Day (Earnest Endeavors)
While most of the players in the Modern Funk scene scooping for vintage synths, Pomrad sets the bar in the newschool camp.



Mo Kolours - Tusk Dance (One-Handed Music)
Third and supposedly the last of the EP's, but still fresh as the first one.




Inkswel - Unthank004 (Firecracker Recordings)
Another winner on the Modern Funk scene in 2013, stellar releases all year round, but the Firecracker 10'' keeps heaviness, lo-fi, grooves and experiment ratios just intact.

Invent - Hey You (U Know Me)
Sending love to everyone in Poland, but Invent made the best EP last year. From the idea to execution - more than solid, banger even.

KRTS - The Foreinger (Project: Mooncircle)
Uplifting stuff from KRTS who just moved to Berlin. Sunrise over Warschauer somehow brings back memories..

12''

We've bought waaaay too many great slabs of wax this year only just to select a few dope tracks like on last years' recap. It'd be too disrespectful to all those great labels which still put out superb releases on the black gold (and a special shout out goes to The Very Polish Cut Outs for their vol 1 Sampler that finally graced Krystyna on wax despite being released in 2012). We're going the 12'' route this time and selected an ensemble suite, ambient techno, an unearthed gem from Trinidad & Tobago, killer-peak-time-disco-bombs, some german house with funny names and a few more. So without further ado - here's our 13 favorite 12'' reflecting what was spinning most in the Beatscapes HQ in 2013:


Max Graef - The Love Tapes (Melbourne Deepcast)
Pedro

Floating Points - Wires (Eglo)

Saine - Halftone EP (Odd Socks)

Traces

V.A. - Box Aus Holz 007 (BAH)

Graef & Seibt - Kotschleuder

Kaytranada - At All 10'' (HW&W)

(add. s/o for the Remix EP)

Genius of Time - Luv Thang (Verktyg/Aniara)

Stephen Encinas - Disco Illusion (Invisible City Editions)




Luvless - Turning Points EP (Rose Records)
Better Days

Todd Terje - Strandbar (Olsen)
Strandbar (disko)

Admin/Typesun - Boogiefuturo 002 (Future Boogie)

Last Home (DJ Nature Remix)

Ben La Desh - Rebound Round EP (Sleazy Beats)
Bohicon Bossa

Terekke - Yyyyyyyyyy (L.I.E.S.)

Amaze

Eltron John - Bomby EP (S1 Warsaw)

Vaib-R - Intl EP

Here comes Athen based label, Nous, sophomore release. The first release from this label brought us some decent standard deep house styles from Militades. The second release is not so much different, especially in terms of good music. Wes 'Moon B' Gray, who is adopting a new moniker in Vaib-R presents Intl EP, a collection of 3 brand new productions kept in four-four kick lo-fi funk style, each being more propulsive than the last. Budapest's Route 8 and local Greek name, Retrograde, do their job on the remixes. 12" vinyl is still available online. Grab it while it lasts.

Tracklisting:

A1. About Freedom
A2. Winds
B1. Intl
B2. About Freedom (Route 8 Daytime Mix)
B3. About Freedom (Retro:grade Restruction)

DISSECTION: Invent - Hey You + Space Stacker

Hey You! 

A new installment of Dissection is finally here. This time we teamed up with Invent - turntablist, dj and now turned producer. His debut Hey You EP dropped last month on U Know Me Records and it just had to be featured here on Beatscapes -  it's really that good. We couldn't decide which track to feature so Invent was kind enough to lay down the techniques behind both. Ladies and gentlemen: Invent - Hey You & Space Stacker, let the man explain how it's done:

I took Hey You EP really personally as a way of showing my musical journey as a DJ and producer. With hip-hop background on one side, and electronic and dance music music on the other, I tried to combine that oldschool vibe with more modern sound. Following this key I've selected the artists for remix duties - A-Side (Hey You + Azari & III remix) is an oldschool hip-house (one would argue it's nudisco/electro, although in today's climate it's just tags and semantics) and on B-Side (Space Stacker + Hey You Lunice Remix) it's pure hip-hop/electronic from AD 2013. 

Having the opportunity to record with KRS-One and to send to send tracks to remixers of this calibre, I tried to make it as authentic as possible, especially when music has a really short lifespan and is considered being "fresh". That's why I opted to exclude on Space Stacker trap drum patterns, bass-kicks and 808 Snare-Rolls and KRS-One is rapping on a 113bpm 4x4 beat, quite unusual if you ask me. 

Both tracks were made mainly on MFB-503, Roland MC 303, Microkorg, Jumbo 61 R6 and dusty samples. 

Hey You" EP traktuję personalnie jako ukazanie w czterech numerach drogi jaką przeszedłem dotychczas jako DJ i producent. Z jednej strony hiphopowy background, z drugiej natomiast elektronika i muzyka klubowa, na której od dłuższego czasu już jestem skupiony. Starałem się także połączyć oldschoolowy vibe, do którego zawsze miałem słabość ze współczesnym brzmieniem. Według tej filozofii nagrałem moje tracki oraz dobrałem remixerów - strona A (Hey You + Azari & III remix) to staro szkolny hip-house (niektórzy już nazwali to nudisco, czy też electro, co chyba nie ma w obecnych czasach większego znaczenia), z kolei strona B (Space Stacker + Hey You w remixie Lunice) to hiphop / electronic AD 2013. 

Mając już okazję nagrywać z KRS-One i wysyłać ścieżki do takich remixerów, starałem się zrobić wszystko jak najbardziej oryginalnie, szczególnie w momencie kiedy muzyka ma bardzo krótki termin ważności. Dlatego własnie przy "Space Stacker" omijałem szerokim łukiem trapowe patterny, bass-kicki i 808-snare-rolle, a KRS-One nawija na bicie 113 bpm 4x4, co chyba nie jest często spotykane. 

Oba utwory powstały głównie na MFB-503, Roland MC 303, Microkorg, Jumbo 61 R6 i starych samplach. 

HEY YOU 

The title track is based on a chopped, super-stretched snare drum and a bassline making half the bussines done. Intro was arranged manually and supressed to make ground for the bass drop and drums. The main loop gradually unfolds until Kid Daytona's verse.

Tytułowy track oparty jest na pociętym samplu, czyli rozciągniętym wszędzie gdzie się da, długim werblu, oraz linii basowej, która robi połowę roboty. Intro wbiłem ręcznie i stłumiłem, żeby przygotować pole pod mocne wejście basu (#jebs) i podstawy perkusji. Główny loop rozwija się stopniowo o resztę perkusjonaliów aż do wejścia The Kid Daytona.

While arranging I was inspired by oldschool house (the main motif is present through the whole track) and hip-hop dynamics (strong openings for succesive instruments and synths as well as the lack of build up traded for a short, soothing breakdown preparing for the drop w/ KRS-One hitting the track). You can hear different hi-hats, 808 sound in the form of the world's best cowbell (after applying a short echo and adding a little "melody" on it) and rim shots, chopped arpeggiator and a floating synth (space echo). All mixed to keep that dirty, oldchool sound intact.

Aranżując całość, inspirowałem się starym housem (stąd właśnie główny motyw przewija się przez prawie cały numer) i hiphopową dynamiką (zdecydowane wejścia kolejnych instrumentów i synthów oraz brak build-up'u na rzecz krótkiego, łagodzącego track i przygotowującego pod dropa z wejściem KRS-One break downu). Tak więc dalej można usłyszeć kilka różnych ścieżek hatów itp, 808 sound w postaci najlepszego na świecie cowbella (na który nałożyłem krótkie echo i stworzyłem delikatną 'melodię' zamiast pozostawić go jako zwykły element perki) i rim shotów, pocięty arpeggiator i rozpływający się synth (space echo). Całość jest zmixowana tak, żeby pozostawić brudne, oldschoolowe brzmienie. 

SPACE STACKER

From the beginning it was meant to be a massive hip-hop/electronic sound, but as I said earlier I didn't want any trap sounds in it. Some of you may look suprised but one of the inspirations was a track by WWO - Mogę Wszystko (although in the end both don't have much in common). To get that massive, clean electronic sound I frequently used the reverb, space echo etc. I used MFB-503 and Roland MC303 for the drum patterns. Kick interchanges with a puntual, delayed bass and the hi-hats got tweaked using the slightest touch of flanger effect. I also added channel-split clicks and the vocal sample.

Od samego początku miał to być massive hiphop / electronic sound, ale jak już wspominałem, nie miał on wchodzić na obszary trapu. Pewnie niektórych to może nieźle zdziwić, ale jedną z inspiracji był numer WWO - Mogę Wszystko (chyba jednak w efekcie końcowym nie mają ze sobą wiele wspólnego).

Żeby bit miał w sobie sporo powietrza oraz masywny, elektroniczny i czysty charakter, często posługiwałem się reverbem, spece echo itp.

Do stworzenia perkusji posłużyłem się MFB-503 i Rolandem MC 303. Stopa wymienia się z punktowym, lekko zdeleyowanym basem (Microkorg), na hihaty nałożyłem bardzo mały flanger oraz dodałem rozbite na kanały kliki i sampel wokalny. 

The rest of the track consists of 2 arpeggiators. First one - low, is recorded on half-time 41bpm, cut a bit and faded at the end by space echo (this time from Pioneer DJM 900 Nexus mixer), while the second has really stretched frequencies and is floating between the channels. Until the chorus the arrangements are typpically hip-hop'ish, but the second got a little more electronic, but all the tracks interplay rather nicely.

Dalszą częsć tracku tworzą dwa arpeggiatory, pierwszy, niski jest nagrany na half-time 41 bpm, lekko przycięty i rozmyty na koniec frazy kosmicznym echem (tym razem z mixera Pioneer DJM 900 Nexus), drugi natomiast ma szeroko rozciągnięte częstotliwości i pływa pomiędzy kanałami. Do refrenu, aranżacja jest typowo hiphopowa, druga połowa Space Stackera ma charakter bardziej elektroniczny, a wszystkie ścieżki się wzajemnie wymieniają. 

The Space Stacker chorus is a classic, chopped pitch-down based on the acapella of a house classic - Junior Jack - Thrill Me (Such A Thrill).

Refren w Space Stacker to klasyczny, pocięty pitch-down oparty na acapelli housowego klasyka - Junior Jack - Thrill Me (Such a Thrill).
                             Let's pull it back together and see how it sounds: 

Harvey Sutherland - Nexus

Today's retro vibes come from melbourne's Harvey Sutherland. The track Nexus is an intstrumental take on the 1983 italo disco classic "Stand Up" by Nexus. I was more than happy when I without any problems was able dig it up the original tune on youtube. I will say that Harvey has done a very good job of reworking it. The vibe in NEXUS is perfectly balanced making it a top shelf rework.



Nexus is actually one of the three tunes recently released on a very cool casette, the so called "cassingle" (the label is This Thing). Nexus is accompanied by lo-fidelity Roland sketches "Q3" and "Pale Blue" on the B-side.

Harvey Sutherland is in fact better known as Mike Kay - a synth nerd, producer, keyboardist, DJ and boogie enthusiast.



His excellent Low Altitude has been given a 12" re-release via good some good folks at Peoples Potential Unlimited (still available, just hit their webstore). Modern boogie at it's best, the title track is a funky 808 driven dance floor filler. You can stream it below:

B.Bravo & Teeko pres. Tempo Dreams vol.2

  

We covered the split Starship Connection/K-Maxx 7'' earlier, but Tempo Dreams vol.2 for Bastard Jazz is out and it's too good not the write about it. B.Bravo & Teeko have been pulling the strings in the modern funk scene for a while so it was quite easy to get the best cats on the comp. The Bay is represented by Bayonics, K-Maxx, Rojai & E.Live and Mugpush. The One finally got the vinyl treatment and from my perspective I'll be able to finally spin Pomrad's Dans from wax :) (shipping costs in Belgium were too damn high when Vjotles dropped first time round). Guys also didn't forget about Cherries Records who've pushing their quality 7'' since last year.

The Verdict? - Great soulful vibe through out the whole record, immaculate selection must say. The previous volume was quite a hit, so it should be easily available from your favorite retailers or just go directly to Bastard Jazz Bandcamp, will you?

J1, Rest in Peace somewhere in the funkmosphere ! 

Nadia Ksaiba - Virtual Lover

Usually I don't dig in the wave/synth crate in my local record store, but Nadia Ksaiba's Virtual Lover single cover looked soooo 80's I just couldn't pass. Like the artwork everything else is also vintage - Virtual Lover ticks all 80's pop/funk boxes - spaced out retro synths, sweet vocals and crispy playful bass. Most 80's singles had (dub) versions on the flip and it's no different this time - we get a stretched out 6-minute spaced out affair. Last but not least Jimmy Edgar returns to 2013 with his spot on Detroit electro remix combining old, new & robots, lots of robots (and echoes too). Released on Phantasy Sounds, the 12'' is available in most record stores so grab your copy at least for the cover, perfect for an instagram sleeve-face photo. 

Beatscapes pres. 'Put On Your Dancing-Gown'

First in-house Beatscapes mix is finally here! We've overcome the laziness and put out a 55 minutes set of  disco, slo-mo, house and boogie straight from vinyl. Definately "feel good" vibes and favs from 2013 were the ideas behind the selection process, but we've still added a few older gems here and there. Hope you dig it! 

Put on your dancing-gown by Beatscapes on Mixcloud

Sons of the Morning - The Way Winter Passed Us

Warp beatmaker and glitch-hop godfather Guillermo Scott Herren aka Prefuse 73 launched his very own imprint Yellow Year Records. His plans with the label are quite fascinating as it will release Speak Soon, a twelve-volume series of EPs that will feature Prefuse 73 collaborating with beat scene masters Teebs, Nosaj Thing, Lapalux, Synkro, Nathan Fake, Dimlite to name few (Pitchfork). 

The first big move is Sons of the Morning,  the new duo comprising Brainfeeder artist Teebs and of course Prefuse 73. "The Way Winter Passed Us" is an instrumental masterpiece, with flowing melody powered by rolling percussion. As Herren speaks himself (Spin): 

"On a musical level, Teebs taps into really simple hardware and pulls off consistently beautiful music. He's kind of like the Erik Satie of the SP-303, which is a cheap sampler. I'm inspired by his effectivness with what he works with and the sincerity that comes out in his sound".

On Point Summer Sampler 2013

So, we've reached mid August and most of the summer '13 is behind us. I therefore call On Point Summer Sampler 2013 a late summer compilation. Freekwency, Jazz Neversleeps, Billy Palmier, The Essence and Seiren, are all brought together on one 12" delivering perfect tunes to close summer season with. Watch for the 12" when it comes out! 

Starship Connection (B. Bravo & Teeko) “We Can Go All Night”

Two of the Bay Area's finest future funk personas, Teeko and B.Bravo (Brownswood, RBMA) are back with an ode to going all night long. "We Can Go All Night Long" is a brand new track released on 7" earlier this week by Bastard Jazz ahead of their Tempo Dreams compilation series (in fact compiled by B.Bravo and Teeko). B side features another San Francisco producer and vocalist K-Maxx on "Dreamin' Of You". This 45 is a must have, purchase it here.

Pathetic Waste of Talent – Triburbia

This duo going by a quite sarcastic name, Pathetic Waste of Talent, is hailing from Heidelberg, Germany. In case of their new track Triburbia, there is no speculation about waste of talent whatsoever. Triburbia can be downloaded for free... and I guess you're already in the process of downloading it.