Copenhagen Mixtapes #4

Matthew Dear - Fighting Is Futile Remixes

As one of the stand-out tracks from his Beams LP, Matthew Dear's "Fighting Is Futile" falls prey to four very diverse remixes from friends new and old. Seth Troxler kicks off proceedings with a purposefully creepy take that plays off a horror-inducing synth line droning and tripping over a minimal shuffle to devastating effect. KiNK is in a more carnival mood, bringing an effervescent cocktail of drums to the main groove but also feeling confident in pulling the track down into stripped, bassline-and-vocal-only moments of drama. Benoit & Sergio are comfortably locked into a liquid funk with phasing bass and clean chords, while Dear's vocals come out through a distant vocoder. Laid Back finds a slow staccato groove over which to let undulating layers of acidic strangeness waft out, while also cheekily re-voicing the lyrics to a resolutely successful end.

Waifs & Strays - I Saw Yo Girl

The Bristol duo Waifs & Stray smash it with "I Saw Yo Girl", an influence of house, acid and 90s hip hop makes the bouncy vocals compliment the massive bassline. A potentially huge club night track, its definitely one to listen out for. Release January 18 on Futureboogie.

Smash TV - Steroids To Heaven Made For Eachother (Smash TV Backdoor Dub)

Smash TV aka Holger Zilske and Kai Preussner give us a Dub version of their summer success. Adding a darker atmosphere and toe tap-inducing groove. The percussion is kept light, as everything else sinks in deep. The vocal sounds like a siren and then pulled back into the kick. A mix made for the heavy, early morning sessions the boys are known for.

Fritz Kalkbrenner - Sick Travellin' Album

Four yaers after his big breakthrough "Sky and Sand" (with his infamous brother Paul Kalkbrenner) and two years after his stunning debut "Here Today Gone Tomorrow“, Fritz Kalkbrenner takes the next huge step in his career with his second album "Sick Travellin“. Coming hot on the heels of his "Suol Mates“ compilation in March, a mixtape infused with an eclectic variety of genres – from Soul to Funk, from Hip Hop to House, Fritz now takes all these influences and ideas, fusing them together to a sound that is ever so powerful and distinctively his own.

The thirteen tracks on the new LP, produced in the only recently finished Suol-Studios in Berlin-Kreuzberg, have a more organic, mature sound than those on the debut. More vocals, more live instruments like Rhodes, Bass and Guitar, recorded by some of the best studio musicians around, and Fritz‘s trademark grainy, "breathing“ samples. Basically, a whole lot of Suol! Pardon me: Soul.

"Sick Travellin“ playfully guides the listener from bittersweet melancholy and classical songwriting to loose, dreamy dancefloor moments. Vocal tracks like "Get A Life“, "Little By Little“, "No Peace Of Mind“ and last but definitely not least, his cover version of Gil Scott-Heron‘s „Willing“ (recorded in the same session as Fritz‘s Bill Withers-Cover „Ruby Lee“ for the Suol Mates compilation) once again showcase Fritz Kalkbrenner‘s extraordinary talent as a vocalist and his incredible gift for embedding Pop songs into beautifully crafted House music frames. But that‘s not all: the albums more forward tunes like "Square Heart“, "Monte Rosa“ or the club anthem „Hummin‘ Hills“ will trigger waves of euphoria on the dancefloors all around the globe.

Copenhagen Mixtapes #3

David Garset - September 2012 Mixtape by David_Garset on Mixcloud

Witzansky & Babak vs. Gravity by Shhh.... Radio on Mixcloud

Terranova - Question Mark feat. Tomas Høffding (KiNK Mix)

Like no other project originating from that stylistic jungle that became known as the Nineties, Terranova has shown a strong focus besides genre definitions, with studio members Fetisch and &ME being true wanderers between worlds and times, holding 2012's dance floor in a tight choke. There's certainly a bassdrum beating in their chests, and even the elegic strings from "Question Mark", that beautifully sung intro to Terranova's latest album "Hotel Amour", can barely hide a core made out of pure sweat and beats. The remixers assigned to "Question Mark" saw that too, and that's why they don't try to reinvent the wheel but keep it rolling: KiNK adorns his rework with the massive, yet elegant boldness he's become known for, and one has a hard time imagining the "Tiger from Sofia" sitting calmy in a chair while producing. Running around town with a big red "K" on his t-shirt, we're convinced that KiNK is in fact a secret super hero saving crowds from desperation and ye olde rave from heavv traffic. He doesn't just produce, he kicks the ball out of the park on a regular basis. That's also where we meet Adam Port, noted for his unique take on raw hypnotic house and label fellow to &ME over at Berlin's infamous Keinemusik outfit. Just as KiNK, Adam didn't want to do without the original's bittersweet vocals courtesy of WhoMadeWho's Tomas Høffding, and - knowing his way around the house pretty damn well - wraps them in percussive bliss sure to have many an adventurer getting completely lost in sound. Welcome to the Bermuda triangle.

Copenhagen mixtapes #1

David August - You Got To Love Me

At the tender age of 21 years old, David August is one producer already displaying all the makings of an international superstar. Well under the wing of Diynamic boss Solomun, David August gets set to unleash his long-awaited third EP on the label, the irresistible "You Got To Love Me" EP.
Title track "You Got To Love Me" takes hold with a driving, vocal line that will circulate your mind for days, an oscillating bassline, lazy congas and subtle disco claps keeping yougrooving all the way to the sprawling, accapella breakdown. "You Got To Love Me" is a guaranteed dancefloor bomb to spawn more August addicts.