For those of you cocooning in the fall and winter months, don’t let cold weather prevent you from enjoying the best ‘choons our proud city has to offer. These recent releases are just a couple in a long line of bomb CDs from local artists, sure to warm your insides – especially if your bastard landlord hasn’t turned on the heating yet (note to my landlord: the gas-thing is working now, thanks).
Refuel 1, compiled and mixed by Rise Ashen (Fossil Fuel) Tribal, dubby, housy and breaky, Ottawa’s Ashen threads together long-playing versions of Canadian organic electronic classics by himself, Trevor Walker, Miguel Graca, Fred Everything, Legion of Green Men and more. Heavy on vocal content by Rise, Wawe, Blissom, Beautiful Nubia and Judah Singer, Ashen’s mixing style lets the tracks play out, creating a deep, ponderous groove that will appeal to fans of house looking for something deeper, chiller or earthier. Though the liner notes make reference to our land as a "half-frozen country," these are beats and soundscapes that, like those of Graca for example, somehow transport the listener to a tropical place of lush greenery, squawking toucans and playful monkeys.
Inside Out, by Mateo Murphy (Epsilonlab) Having achieved global recognition with numerous releases for Default, Turbo, Joel Mull’s Inside records and Christian Smith’s Tronic, and being remixed by huge techno names such as Umek and Chris Liebing, Mateo has little to prove in the realm of big-room techno. With Inside Out, Murphy conquers new ground, building on a long-time association with sound and visual collective Epsilonlab to create a soothing, melodic tech-house album, further establishing his talent and diversity as a producer. Warm synths and distant, echoing sonic musings establish a mood of lonely solitude, not completely devoid of funk, and displaying, as always, the precise, almost scientific rigor with which Murphy constructs his songs and DJ sets. Strongly recommended.
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On the other hand, if you’ve got the nerve to venture into the elements, there’s no shortage of appealing events sprucing up the club calendar. Stereobar rejuvenate their lineup with two fresh nights this fall: Consigned Recordings team up with Chill-Out Promotions to present Remedy bi-monthly, featuring Consigned recording artist Noah Pred, who is in my opinion the city’s best producer of deep, trancy techno. Noah is joined this Friday by Nivoc, head of Montreal-based success stories Ascend, Default and Consigned, long-time resident of Sona, and a damn fine techno, tech-trance and house DJ in his own right ($8). Beginning tonight, Oct. 9, and running bi-monthly on Thursdays, Escale brings together Trigger Recordings’ Francois LeBaron and local house stalwart Steve GotSoul for a night of tight mixing and sensuous grooves, complemented by entertainment sideshow The Pink Ladies ($6).
Other key events over the next week include the always-popular Soiree Risquée, showcasing the best of our world-class minimal techno scene with Deadbeat, Stephan Beaupre and their tandem project Crackhaus, along with Vincent Lemieux, at O Patro Vys (356 Mt-Royal E., $5, Oct. 10). The illustrious Sean Kosa appears at Blizzarts’ Chemistry, Oct. 11. As well as performing in avant-electro trio Evening, Kosa has released EPs for Turbo sub-label White Leather, and is one half of the nebulous Marlon Jacksons, whose hit single Steal Your Bike is tearing up dance floors internationally.
An ambitious collaboration between hip-hop enthusiasts C. Brown and Meta4ce has produced the Best Island: Best from the West mix CD, featuring tracks by Meta4ce, DJ Twitch, Eye 2 Eye and J-Seven, all of whom have gained respect in their own right over the last couple of years. The duo’s release party, Oct. 11, features West Island-based breaking crews Illmatic Styles and 8 Count, DJ Mr. Goodvibes and live performances by featured artists. As an added temptation, each attendee receives a free copy of the CD while supplies last ($5 at Club Bed, 2362 Hymus Blvd.).
A special night at Les Folies, Oct. 12, unites DJs Pero, Endless, Noah Pred, Mossa, Eloi Brunelle and Baya with vocalist Athesia for 14 hours of fun (4 p.m. to 6 a.m.), functioning as the launch for both the Les Folies compilation CD and the club’s new Night Service, which sees them keeping the food and tunes flowing until 6 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (701 Mt-Royal E.).
