Check out some of the Beatz-related reviews happening over on the main Stylus site:

Lindstrom & Prins Thomas - Reinterpretations

V/A - Soundboy Punishments (on Skull Disco)

The definitive low point of this year’s Winter Music Conference was standing outside the venue for the Get Physical event and being told that Booka Shade were about to wrap up their live set and the door fee had just doubled to $40 a head. At 4:30 AM. This almost makes up for it, though.

“Tickle” could be an addendum to last year’s amazing Movements LP, with those itchy little tapping sounds and swooning ethereal pads the duo favor so much. Their use of percussion in particular seems to have gotten even richer, with oscillating drumrolls and filtered beats sounding both metallic and static-fringed. Tickle? Indeed it does. Even sweeter to these ears is “Karma Car,” balancing a crunchy sawtooth undercurrent with chime and bell-like tones. The wood-circle faerie dance of alternating melody lines that starts close to the two-minute mark gets even tastier with the addition of finger snaps and one of the boys singing wordlessly along. It’s rare to find a track that combines a clean, ultra-modern aesthetic with a great sense of humor, but this is definitely one of those moments. Simultaneously classy and joyous, as we’ve come to expect from this lot.

Get Physical Music / GPM 0706
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[Mallory O’Donnell]

Peter Chambers: Lopazz has always positioned himself (or been positioned) between the airbrush-smooth electro-house that Get Physical mastered (and transcended) and its others: Trevor Jackson’s cool-hunting Output inprint, and the spectre of Playhouse, first with the Villalobos remix of “Migracion,” and now the inclusion of an Isolée remix.

There’s always a danger to having a gifted freak remix your work, even if you are one yourself (witness Villalobos’ showing Beck up on the stellar “Information” remixes). “Share My Rhythm” is a case in point. The original version is a lovely, sparkling electro-disco-house number with that “greet the sunshine” vibe that Metro Area or Danny Wang managed to infuse their tracks with. You listen to it, you don’t think you’re missing out on much: “This will do nicely,” I thought. Then I heard the Isolée remix… It’s just like the original, but all the frequencies are stuffed full of that magical squawk, fuzz, and grit that he seems to have an inexhaustible supply of. Every sound has been lovingly treated in such a way as to bring out both its personality and Isolée’s (sigh). I’m gushing, I know. It’s unbecoming. “Gimme Gimme,” the B, is another serviceable track in the same sound-vein. Again, it’s tidily produced and sounds nice, but after hearing the Isolée mix, it sounds like a thin approximation of something far richer, deeper and more interesting.

Mallory O’Donnell: While it might be tough to pin down the Lopazz sound, it’s oh-so-easy to enjoy. “Share My Rhythm” is no exception to this, boasting a starry, sparkling melody coupled with a stiff tech-house beat and warm, swirling pads. It plays a perfect middleman to introspective and deep-house styles, having a bit of the best of both worlds to offer, with none of the genre-inclusive traits that tend to drag. Isolée turns in a typically fine remix, drawing out the bassline and dubbing up the accents blacker than dread. It’s definitely a chilly take, but one that’s refreshing, like a skinny dip in Autumn waters, rather than the numbed-senses bath of the minimal icebox. B-side “Gimme Gimme” ups the thunkability quotient considerably yet retains the sensuous elan of the title track. A complex, well-rounded EP from an artist who we’ll continue to expect big things from.

Get Physical / GPM 064
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DJ T, one fire-breathing component of the many-headed hydra that runs my favorite Berlin label, usually busts out with tracks on the more minimal, hypnotic end of the Get Physical spectrum (see last years’ “Stalker”), and this is no exception. While labelmates Booka Shade and M.A.N.D.Y. are more likely to use a bass-driven tidal wave as their calling card, DJ T’s tracks are like mini tug-of-wars between a persistent group of minor-hued sounds, interacting to create sensuous unrest with microtonal variations.

“Lonely Bastard” is an exceptionally sparse and tech-y example of this style—a melody pushes towards the front and almost seems to develop, but the threat never materializes. Instead, waves of percussive clicks batter the little dinghy of a tune back out to sea. An outstanding example of what I usually think of as a “bridge” track. The Prosumer and Dub Mixes understand this admirably well and present useful manipulations of the formula—the first sunnier and sparser, the second a bit darker and more coagulated.

Get Physical Music / GPM 065-6
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[Mallory O’Donnell]