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Posted: 2/11/09 11

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A lot of people are down on promo music these days. Not least DJs. During one ADE panel discussion a DJ remarked that 80% of demos are shit.

Henrik Schwarz chimed into say he doesn't listen to promos because they're all shit. It's enough to make plowing through a stack of free music seem more like a painful chore than a joyous journey of discovery. Happily, the naysayers are exaggerating. Not all of the music shoved at me by eager label reps is brilliant, but a lot is good. Here is a quick-fire guide to a dozen of the artists whose promos are definitely worth a spin.

Dosem Dosem
Despite Ibiza being ground zero for dance music, homegrown producers are thin on the ground. Lucky there's Marc Dosem, a doe-eyed almost-local boy (he hails from Girona) who makes music that belies his years. Part of the Sino label family, his sounds runs from super smooth techno like ‘Bailable's Dog' to ‘Silent Drop' which sounds suspiciously like trance. The former is a visceral thrill, the latter is at least preternaturally polished. It all mixes up beautifully in his effortlessly engaging DJ sets though.

www.dosem.net
Julien Chaptal Julien Chaptal
Finally! I can put a name to the producer of distinctive post-tribal cut ‘Mamdaye' that has been bouncing past my ears all summer. Manning the channels is Amsterdam-based Parisian Julien Chaptal. He's put out a string of raw-sexy house hits on 2000 and One's Remote Area label, his set at Kehakuma at Space was one of the talking points of Ibiza 2009 and he has just signed to 2020 Vision. Hopefully that means more music, soon.

www.myspace.com/jchaptal
Tom Lennox Tom Lennox
Born and raised in the Isle of Man, Lennox fled his small island for a larger one, heading to London where he got stuck into the music scene. He's been hard at work there for a decade, releasing records, spinning at his Freaks ‘n' Geeks residency and remixing the likes of Colin Dale and Terry Farley. Like these techno heavyweights he makes big, ambitious, peak-time techno with a distinctive old school edge. His new ‘Northern Soul' EP on Forbidden Fruit Recordings is speaker-shattering stuff.

www.tomlennox.co.uk
Silvouplay Silvouplay
Silvouplay's rep gave me the CD along with a cocky grin and a promise that I would instantly recognise it as something special. He was just about right, too. French (as you might have guessed) act Silvouplay do shouty, kid-friendly electro-rock as pioneered by Digitalism et al. Despite the stupid vocal hook ‘Nod Your Fucking Head' from their new ‘Something Stupid' EP has an irresistible bassline and title track is stupid in a good way.

www.silvouplay.com
Gimikk Gimikk
Gimikk by name but not even the fact they recorded their latest album ‘Untitled Concept' in just seven days can make them ‘gimmick by nature'. The Dutch-based duo - aka Daniel Sanchez and Eelco Augustijn - have whipped out a dark, groove-ridden confection of a techno album that will have slower-working producers gnawing their knuckles with envy. If they're this good under pressure here's hoping their imprint, Remote Area, keeps the heat on ‘em.

www.myspace.com/gimmikkmusic
Pitto Pitto
Youngsters like Pitto are raise the prospect that someday the Netherlands won't be instantly associated with lanky, overpaid trance DJs. And what a glorious day it will be. With the likes of Joris Voorn leading the way, a new wave of Dutch talent is set to wash through the clubs of Europe. Pitto, with just a handful of releases to his name, already promises to be one of the vanguard of the new musical revolution. His latest 12" ‘The Feeling' is so instantly catchy it borders on cheesy, yet is delivered with such a deft touch you can't help but be won over anyway.

www.myspace.com/pittolive
Rulers of the Deep Rulers of the Deep
Move over Romania, Croatia, et al - the Estonians have arrived! Rulers Of The Deep, aka DJ Meri and Priit Juurmann - are about to unleash their LP ‘Untitled Secret' and thereby boost their native land a rung higher up the electronic music ladder. Laced with moody, prog-centric synth lines and big, bubbling kettles of kick drums it sails close to the line dividing ‘comfortable' and ‘predictable.' Rulers get it exactly right though, and the result is a user-friendly album brimming with energy.

www.rulersofthedeep.com
Shinedoe Shinedoe
Dutch techno stalwart Shinedoe used to be a dancer before she became a DJ and her passion for rhythm is evident in the slick lines of her latest album, ‘No Boundaries'. She effortlessly meshes minimal atmospherics with slinky ripples of sound that don't so much blow up on the dancefloor as sidle in and send sparks flying in a subtle chain reaction.

Check out the melodic ‘Finding A Balance' and the glorious ‘Higher'.

www.myspace.com/shinedoe
Hacksaw Hacksaw
It took a couple listens for Hacksaw's ‘The Dawn' to grab me but, with Justin Robertson on remix duties, it wasn't long before I succumbed. The tune is more big than clever but it does what electro should do - give you a playful clip around the ears and urge you to get your arse on the dancefloor.

They have a new EP out on Forbidden Fruit Recordings called ‘Uber' which packs an even bigger punch.

www.myspace.com/tcmonckton
Bart Skils Bart Skils
If I were to organise this list in order of preference Bart Skils would be jockeying for the top position on the basis of his fantastic new ‘Voltt 1' mix compilation. With compilations increasingly focused around single labels, or simply used as a clearing house for painfully obvious commercial records, it's a real delight to hear a mix brimming with musical verve. Simon Baker's ‘Get Out of My Head', Joris Voorn's ‘Empty Trash' and Salvatore Freda & Volta's ‘Tiramisu' are among the highlights.

www.myspace.com/bartskils
Dual Overdrive Dual Overdrive
Dual Overdrive are a Dutch-Venezuelan duo, based in the Netherlands, who won over Dave Clarke's ADE Demolition Derby judges - including Detroit legend Stacey Pullen, Jonty Skrufff and Tommie Sunshine. The Demolition Derby consists of the Clarke grabbing demos out of a box, playing a minute or two, and then letting the distinguished panellists have their say. After hearing 10 raw cuts they chose ‘Kubrical', by Dual Overdrive as their favourite. You can imagine Clarke playing the accomplished, inventive, slightly unnerving as an intro to one of his blitzkrieg beats.

www.myspace.com/dualoverdrive
J U G J U G
Aussie J U G has already cropped on I Voice for his contribution to Mark Henning's surpassingly excellent ‘Bubbleboy' EP.

Henning
returns the favour by featuring on ‘The Difficult Word', released on Autoreplay. It's pert, plump techno persuasive enough to finagle itself into the main room or - pitched down - to after-hours shenanigans.

www.myspace.com/2444

 

Amsterdam Dance Event 2010:  20 till 23 October

 Words by Cila Warncke

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