next up on duskys renowned 17 steps label is the return of long term pal kiwi. having supported the lads on 9 of the 17 steps tour dates and having also provided the 15th release in the label catalogue - the fellow londoner now readies his oooh ep which comes backed up with a remix from feel my bicep affiliate hammer. kiwis sound is one defined by positive, kinetic feeling joining the dots between detroit techno, soul and balearic. with previous releases on futureboogie, life and death and moscomans lauded disco halal imprint, hes garnered several accolades including reaching number #85 in mixmag s top 100 tunes of 2017 and sitting at #1 in the genre chart for a total of 9 weeks with his orca ep back in 2016. now continuing on his ascent, kiwi lays out a pair of rapturous, gooey house jams that lands right on time for the festival season. on oooh vocal lines swirl over a largely beatless backing track. a rich, balmy feeling unfolds behind synth chimes and layered delays which work together to form an irresistible summer dj tool. andromeda then follows up and blends 80’s soundtrack-tinged stabs with crispy drums and thick sub bass before being accompanied by a pulsating synth line that carries the track to a delectable crescendo. hammer then closes things up with a somewhat hallucinogenic take on oooh with lfos, analogue sweeps and blobs of acid bleeding together to cap off an altogether warm and woozy trip.
this is a homage to childhood years spent in the scottish highlands. to mountain biking in fort william. to nights out in glasgow and edinburgh. to the scene and the people. to cha deoch-slaint, i gun a traghadh. its no health if the glass is not emptied. this is alex warrens little nod to scotland. disco halal is delighted to add another genius dancefloor master to the family, kiwi. pine marten opens the ep up, contemplative and majestic, like highlanders preparing for battle. following up, daubentens bat is a bonafide disco halal anthem with indigenous vocals and psychedelic woodwinds. to close the ep, kiwi reworks pine marten into a peak time, italo-infused roller. the highlanders drop their swords, head to panorama bar and jig with reckless abandon.
kiwi aka alex warren, returns to futureboogie after 2016s well received orca ep (which picked up support from the likes of dj harvey, pbr streetgang, manpower, kate simko & many more) with the cinematically sprawling amityville ep.
maurizio cattelan and photographer pierpaolo ferrari’s renegade art publication toilet paper returns to the vinyl factory to team up with nike lab, releasing four propulsive club tracks from across the world, united under the title fast forward. toilet papers latest visual treat appears as a hyper-real gatefold, featuring new music by dj tennis and sebra cruz (italy), t&p a.k.a. tim sweeney and lauer (usa/germany), fantastic man (australia), and kiwi (uk). curated by nomadic online broadcaster automat radio (who rolled into london last year for a party with phonica records), the selection is aimed at showcasing the contemporary dance scenes of each producer’s respective country. toilet paper’s latest visual treat appears as a hyper-real gatefold, featuring new music by dj tennis feat. sebra cruz (italy), t&p a.k.a. tim sweeney and lauer (usa/germany), fantastic man (australia), and kiwi (uk). curated by nomadic online broadcaster automat radio (who rolled into london last year for a party with phonica records), the selection is aimed at showcasing the contemporary dance scenes of each producers respective country. limited to 1.000 copies, you can order your copy of fast forward here and see the stunning artwork in more detail below.
following dusky’s ubiquitous ‘cold heart’ ep 17 steps presents kiwi’s ‘marmora’s theme’ ep - the london producer’s debut on the label.
having recently released on tastemaker labels such as futureboogie, correspondent and optimo music, kiwi’s distinctive sound is a physical mix of italo disco, techno and electro influences.
carried by a pulsating italo bassline, lead track ‘marmora’s theme’ is a cosmic epic that rides crisp piano melodies and sci-fi synths - and is already garnering support from gerd janson, dj tennis and annie mac.
transporting the original’s piano euphoria into darker, rave referencing territory, the tuff city kids remix calls on growling reese bass and ’92 hardcore style pianos.
offering some alternative vibes are the deeper, dirgy warehouse grind of ‘oth’ and the beautiful, reflective electronica of ‘reservoir’.
white label with hand-stamped. in a world over easy-come-easy-go overnight success stories, artists like kiwi are a rare find. steadily refining his skills as a dj and producer since the mid 00’s, whilst amassing a back-catalogue with labels such as optimo, disco halal and futureboogie, his trajectory encompasses an eclectic range of influences, making him something of a sonic wild card. with shards of disco, techno and fuzzy electronica always present, it’s seems fully logical that he can count the likes of erol alkan, andrew weatherall and dj harvey as fans. now, making his debut on moda black, kiwi delivers a surreal trip that balances raw energy with e-moment goosebumps, perfectly backed up by remixes from cult favourites lord of the isles and willie burns
london’s alex warren, aka kiwi presents “throwdown”, a cover version of carmen’s cult and in demand 1986 electro funk hit. it comes in two versions, a 4/4 club mix and at the suggestion of jd twitch, an updated take on a latin freestyle mix. both versions feature full vocals from ciara haidar and have “summer hit” written all over them.
boundary pushing ep from kiwi, regular side kick & friend of duke dumont, on duke s re-launched label blase boys club. london based dj, producer and wonderkid kiwi steps forth as duke dumont s blase boys club imprint announces their next club ready ep.
londoners kiwi and ashworth return to sneaky for a follow-up to dawn ep, the warm, dusty and at times experimental release, championed by the likes of daniel avery, eric duncan and tiefschwarz. the past few months have been busy for both halves of the duo, with kiwi signing to duke dumont s blase boys club and remixing for house music super-labels bpitch control and get physical, whilst ashworth has signed music to tomoki tamura s holic trax and needwant. second ep takes a new format, with two original tracks alaska and na am on the a-side, backed up by a nicholas & marcoradi remix of cux3 and ranacat s remix of zubr. alaska could be described as an amalgamation of the inspirations that lead to the first sneaky release, combining the pumping house beats of cux3, the comforting wurlitzer of zubr and the ethereal movie-soundtrack dusk. na am is something totally different, existing mainly as a collage of recorded and found sounds, avoiding the usual structure of house music in favour of something reminiscent of the weirder side of the chemical brothers. strange though the track may be, the climax would undoubtedly move a room full of pilled up ravers to a state of frenzy. the b-side remixes both hint to dance floors of the 90s, with nicholas and marcoradi making you wait and wait before dropping an unforgettable piano hook, whilst sneaky s ranacat lifts zubr out of context and into peak time territory.
sneaky music maintain the pressure that the labels debut release from silk 86 built up, welcoming london pairing ashworth & kiwi into the fold with the dawn ep. south london based kiwis music combines influences from disco, funk and house and has notable released on needwant and deepshit, whilst east londoner ashworth debuted on balsaal, garnering support dixon, dj t and josh wink and recently teamed up with citizen for waze & odysseys label w&o street trax.
the 2nd release on deep shit - the label curated by edwin congreave from foals and jack savidge from friendly fires - is the debut ep from durrr resident kiwi, aka alex warren.
deep and vitamined odysée through the industrial and dark universe of the detroit early techno and the chicago acid rains, cyclop ep is the first 4 titles ep of kiwisubzorus, launched out on vielspass. designed as an ode in tr808, devil market and uncontrolocodeur blow the dark and getho athmosphère of kiwis mythology whereas on the other side winterdream and west renegade is more jack and deep.
the second release from canal auditif confronts an original track made by english artist robot needs oil to its alternative versions remixed by patrice baumel, resident dj for the trouw in amsterdam, the italian duet discodromo, in charge of the cocktail d’amore parties in berlin, the parisian dj and producer timid boy, founder of the french label time has changed records, the wankers from nîmes, aka seb genre & freaky justin, synthetic jacques, our resident dj already known for his collaboration with kollektive turmstrasse, and canal auditif founder dj yohm.
exzellente compilation mit den jahreslieblingen der britischen rough trade-shops. trotz der pandemie und weiterer herausforderungen bescherte uns das jahr 2020 fantastische, neue musik (oftmals politisch), die hilft, das leben etwas erträglicher zu machen. eine spezielle ehrung het an andrew weatherall, der seit den späten 80ern stets freund und inspiration für die gesamte rough trade-crew war. featuring andrew weatherall, jane weaver, the avalanches, jeffrey lewis, viagra boys, bob vylan, soccer96, bright eyes, jockstrap, dry cleaning, u.v.a. 20-track-doppel-lp.
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