quête:stratos
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Among guitar aficionados, they don't come much heavier than acid-drenched enigma Eddie Hazel. A founding father of Funkadelic and responsible for the blazing "Maggot Brain" solo, he released just one album. A concentrated dose of guitar-driven psychedelic soul and loping funk-rock, Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs(1977) was co-produced by George Clinton and features the full Mothership crew. Despite impeccable credentials, the album sank and dropped out of print for years, becoming a sought-after collector's item for funkateers ever since. Mercifully addressing the dubious legitimacy and quality of previous reissues, Be With Records present a worthy and welcome 180 gram edition, limited to 500 copies.
Possessing a rare ability to be showy whilst maintaining subtlety, Hazel took Jimi Hendrix's style to his own new level. Here, his fuzz-tinged wah-fuelled guitar licks shimmer across seven brain-bending tracks, showcasing highly inventive virtuoso playing and searing riffs. The LP famously opens with the most soaring, soulful version of "California Dreamin'" you've ever heard. Eschewing the structure of The Mamas & The Papas' hit, Hazel slows the pace, adding a pronounced longing to create a truly emotive reworking. Virtually unrecognizable, Hazel's exquisite arrangement recalled Hendrix's rendering of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" and his delicately distorted guitar work propels the track into the stratosphere.
The much-sampled "Frantic Moment" - sumptuous head-nod G-Funk a full 15 years early - is essentially a Parliament song whilst "So Goes The Story" showcases Bootsy Collins' rubber-band basslines. The incredible, grooved out version of The Beatles' masterpiece "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" even manages to evoke early Sabbath. Using the original as a template to jam off, he turns the classic sideways into a monster guitar freakout, tossing off lick after lick with enviable nonchalance. The wild "Physical Love" follows, allowing Hazel and the sizzling Bernie Worrell to strut their stuff before funky instrumental "What About It" ignites pure dance floor fire.
Eddie Hazel was a pioneering guitar genius, but his troubled lifestyle led to a dearth of recorded material that demonstrated his strengths. It's a wonderful thing, then, that this lost classic is available on vinyl again. Possibly the finest slice of P-Funk you've never heard, it's a record that will make your brain dance and one every funk fan needs.
Following up his appearance on Part 4 of our Strength In Numbers compilation, we are ecstatic to present some fresh material from no other than DJ Slip. A name that has been on the tongue of anyone entrenched in the US techno scene since the early 90's, DJ Slip has entranced audiences for years with his brilliantly bizarre take on sonics. Remix duties this time around come from Berghain resident DJ and all around musical powerhouse, Answer Code Request.
Planting the listener on some foreign stratospheres has always been DJ Slip's expertise, and 'Highland' comes as no exception. Echoed synth stabs detune into the dark while a barrage of claps and clangs provide an onslaught of percussive cleverness that is a signature of the Slip sound. 'Aerial' comes at you like a plane colliding with the earth, a kamikaze of dissonance spiraling downwards and then
in reverse. It's driving tempo, surreal drones, and thudding toms cascade into an intense peak time experience. Answer Code Request provides the perfect counter as a remix, smoothing out the edges into a refined, psychedelic expedition that breathes and shifts as it tunnels deeper. All three tracks together create a diverse and gripping package with something suitable for all times of the night.
Kicking off with acid-soaked stepper 'X ', DA05 sees the UK imprint continue to explore the darker recesses of the dancefloor. A bottom end as deep as you like combines with razor-sharp percussion on this basement techno workout. The sound design of 'black science (version)' warps the bleep techno blueprint into a swaggering half time roller before 'black science' itself arrives. This dramatic piece merges tense, Millsian atmospherics with stratospheric strings to create a timeless piece of expansive sci-fi techno. The filth-ridden 'debris', a bottom-heavy groove for those of a serious disposition, rounds off another killer four track salvo of techno futurism from this on-point label.
Limited promo stock !
Containing 4 highly refined techno transmissions, da003 is possibly the finest release yet from Dark Darts. No mean feat considering the first two have received widespread support from heavyweights such as DVS1, nd_baumecker (Ostgut Ton), Mr C and Nick Dunton (Surface).
'North from here' is a startling mission statement - jacking drum manipulation slowly becoming engulfed by a hypnotic, reverb-soaked lead line and razor-sharp percussion - killer techno for underground spaces.
'From The Sky' is a deadly space-house jacker. The metallic, rolling groove is dense, but make no mistake, there is a real lightness of touch here provided by galactic sweeps and shards of melody. This will spread the message to the darkest recesses of the warehouse.
From the farthest corner of the stratosphere comes 'Fragile' - weightless dub pressure is under-pinned by a huge, intricate technoid stepper. Droplets of digitized melody complete a unique, widescreen track - driving but as deep as you like.
'String Theory' is a gripping tracky burner. The strings grab you immediately before the rugged sub-bass-led groove takes over, completing an EP that simply demands your attention. A label going from strength to strength. All tracks by S Crosbie.
As the US retire each of their space going shuttles it appears that exiting the stratosphere is more difficult than ever. Yet there is one pilot who still makes aural excursions into the cosmos, Roland Sebastian Faber. Since the beginning of Aube Records RSF has been serving up his brand of analogue astronomy, creating lush interplanetary sounds and otherworldly vistas.
