12”

The return of the semi regular, ‘randomly selected platters from my record bag that I’m really feeling right now’ blog post, maybe it needs a catchier name…

Joy Orbison – BRKLN CLLN/J.Doe [Doldrums]
Two 12”s, a few remixes and all the hype in the world. His first release on his own label, Doldrums, shows he deserves it too. BRKLN CLLN is the subtler cousin of Hyph Mngo, just as catchy and full of blissful energy. J.Doe takes the diva samples and throws it down old school house style.

Geiom & Shortstuff – No Hand Signals/Wardenclyffe [Planet Mu]
Tag team antics from two heavy weights, Geiom’s music is always special and Shorstuff makes some of the most exciting stuff around and together we get hyper coloured house variants built to move you. There is something grimy about Wardenclyffe, its like eski-acid house. No Hand Signals picks up the tempo but keeps the funky bump.

ASC – Porcelain/Focus Inwards [Nonplus+]
More Nonplus+ I can’t get enough… having missed the d’n’b boat entirely this is the first label that’s getting me excited about the sound. Super smooth half stepping d’n’b that’s so minimal it sounds like electro being fed through a wormhole. The flip takes in dubstep a tempo, big up the multi tempo 12” crews for pushing DJs to think and ride that pitch shifter!

Headhunter – Prototype (Modselektor remix)/Sex At The Prom [Tempa]
This 12” sounds massive: Modeselektor return the remix favour and make their own take on dubstep, which sounds like big room techno with a dark edge. Sex At The Prom goes deep with acid bubbles and hypnotic bass. It’s like Berlin and Bristol are tearing each other a new one on the same 12”.

Starkey Ft. Badness – Ok Luv/Ok Luv (instrumental)/Multidial [Planet Mu]
Taster of things to come from Starkey’s next album ‘Ear Drums and Black Holes’ due March 2010: super smooth hyper soul with grimy undertones and epic colourful melodies. Multidial, heads right to the dance floor with robo-bass and energy surges, killer.

V.I.V.E.K. – Kulture/Meditation Rock [Deep Medi]
Big room material from V.I.V.E.K., dub techno undertones pulled off in a very Deep Medi way, your soundsystem will shake. Things get ravey with Kulture,the filtered stabs re-live the hayday and make you want to loose it in a field outside the M25. But there is something else here too, an eerie blissful dub vibe... Which is where Meditation Rock picks up from.

Joker – City Hopper/Output 1-2 [Tectonic]
These tracks aren’t even the catchiest Joker tracks this year but I still can’t shift them from my head. He keeps it grimy and techy for Tectonic, Output 1-2 especially. City Hopper makes you want to roll around the city with your windows down, swaggering funk and irresistible melodies that somehow remind me of the circus.

Instra:mental/Skream – No Future (Skreamix)/Minimalistix [Nonplus+]
Minimalistix is THE one here: Skream takes it into tech infused stripped back and subtle roller territory while No Future tears the dance a new hole. It’s like the evil twin of his Zomby Float remix and will have to do until that drops fingers crossed…

Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo/Wet Look [Hotflush]

The debut release for newcomer Joy Orbison on the superb Hotflush label has caused quite a stir. Much has been said about Hyph Mngo already, there’s a buzz around it and rightly so it’s an epic hands in the air end of the night euphoric anthem but I really can’t be bothered to go into the whole Wob Vs. Hyph argument here about the state of dubstep today. So lets talk music…

Hyph Mngo is a bright shining track that takes simple elements and shapes them into a track grater than the sum of its parts. An organ riff, cut up female diva vocal snippets and skipping bass heavy drums combine to make a simple and effective dance floor anthem. An epic intro gives way to all these elements that just build and build in a dance floor glow. It’s hard not to raise a smile it has that end of night euphoric I’ve had to much MDMA, shit eating grin sort of vibe to it. In the right hands at the right moment this track will create some joyous dance floor moments.

Wet Look takes things on a darker deper tip fusing garage-esq bumping beats and sweeping, glowing synth pads that get filtered and tweaked into energetic shapes. The mantra ‘I’m falling…’ echos out, repeats and eventually resolves itself in ‘I’m falling and I can’t hold back’, which gives this roller a slightly lonesome melancholy feel that really works with the colourful synth shapes. Hyph might be getting the headlines but Wet Look stands its ground with ease and makes sure that if the hype means that Mngo gets rinsed the 12” will have endless playback value. There is no doubt, plenty to come from Joy Orbison he’s certainly got the skills his beats are a breath of fresh air.

Download: Joy Orbison's Doldrums Mix

http://www.myspace.com/joyorbison