The 2×12 of Remixed on the 24th of July is out now. Very good it is as well.

I particularly like the gritty Theo Parrish remix, the Pepe Braddock remix,

Charles Webster’s own Presence remix and the Jimpster one. Already had the

Herbert one, but it’s great too of course.

Also got the Times Like These… 12″ by James Duncan on Le Systeme. Sounds a

lot like the disco-y material on Ferris Park, or Pal Joey in cut-up mode.

Really subtle, funky and quite diverse and coherent.

Going through some of the other semi-relevant purchases of late, I’ve been

really impressed with the new Cai ‘Calling Out EP’ on Out of the Loop, or at

least the a-side anyway. The first Cai did not please me nearly as much, and

the b-sides of the new one seem a bit less imaginative, but the a-side is

pure class. Woke up yesterday morning with it looping through my head,

making my start to Tuesday much nicer than Monday. 😉 It reminds me a lot of

Norma Jean Bell’s ‘Dreams’, especially that wonderful feeling of seeing her

open with it at the 2nd DEMF. Takes me right back.

A lot of people seem to be getting really lazy with their Theo

Parrish/Moodymann comparisons. There is a whole lot more Detroit house out

there than those two, and while I love them, the overuse of them as ‘style

markers’ is becoming nearly epidemic! Apologies for the rant, it’s just that

it’s almost like these two fellas have become marketing icons in the

underground, and it cheeses me off a bit to see a record like the above

lazilly lumped in with them when it clearly sounds a whole lot more like

NJB.

Sonar Lodge & Max 404 : Celsius – picked this up for the Domu mix, but was

intrigued by Max 404’s involvement all over it. Have to say his hand in it

is not such a selling point. I love his older stuff, but this really doesn’t

touch it in any way. It’s not to say that Max 404 hasn’t occasionally been

cheesy in the past, but this is certainly not a revival of his finer

moments. The Domu mix, however is yet more severe funk from the man who is

on an unstoppable roll. Definitely worth seeking out for the Domu devotees.

Also got a copy of the forthcoming debut on 11th Hour from Shawn Rudiman. On

receipt, I played the A2 track on a fairly loud system and it sounded very

nice! On further listens in headphones, that track has not done quite so

much for me though. Think it needs to be really loud. A1 is good, but

doesn’t stand out quite enough for me to listen repeatedly, and the B sides

are total winners. B1 is an almost Aril Brikha-ish track, but with signature

Rudiman all over it. Drenched with melody and slick beatwork, this one

should be tearing up a dancefloor near you soon (or near me at least). B2 is

a thick electro cut reminding me of a cross between Shawn’s epic melodies

and the same from UR. The beat is pretty devastating too. I think the big UR

electro fans will probably go for this one most. Matt’s label should be

churning out some more goodies down the road, so keep your eyes peeled for

more 11th Hour tastiness!