Euro meets Americano [DFA + Supersoul]

Leap-frog

We here at Hey Student! are not shy in expressing our love for German house and techno.  Already numerous articles have been written on household names Kompakt and Bpitch Control, and in keeping with that theme, take a gander at the new compilation released by DFA's sub-label Death From Abroad, Nobody Knows Anything.  Compiling the works of upstart Berlin-based Supersoul Recordings, this compilation kicks, containing hot dance tracks and sensitive bangers that encompass the best elements of acid house, euro-crunk (a la Modeselektor), detroit techno, electro and minimal techno.

With this release, DFA has helped in bridging the gap between the always dynamic European techno scene and dance-rock of the U.S. underground.  I hope DFA continues to release compiliations like Nobody Knows Anything, not just because the music is killer, but also to expose American listeners more to techno.

Two tracks are posted below, which could not be more different from each other.  The first one, "Deuteronomy Brown (l-f Edit)", is an absolute dance-floor grinder, while "Stropharia" is a sensitive banger, more suited for 5 AM rides home from the club.  Kick it.

Walter Jones - Deuteronomy Brown (l-f Edit) [Nobody Knows Anything Compilation, 2008]

Max Brannslokker - Stropharia [Nobody Knows Anything Compilation, 2008]

Euro-Cruuuuuunnnk!!! [Modeselektor]

Modeselektor have been churning out some of the more exciting techno and electronic music these days. Their debut album, “Hello Mom!,” was a collage of sound, piecing together differing styles of electronic music to create a well-varied but ultimately disjointed piece of music. Filled with IDM, glitch-hop and emotive techno, “Hello Mom!” was very enjoyable but never felt like a true album. Enter Modeselektor’s second work, “Happy Birthday!"

While the Phorks will disagree, “Happy Birthday!” is a cohesive body of work, sounding more interconnected than Modeselektor’s first album. The multiple electronic influences are still there, but they have ultimately been filtered through the group’s now more nurtured, unique “Euro-crunk” sound. Fusing the best elements of dirty techno with the grittiness of hip-hop, Modeselektor and their signature sound are defining themselves in an oversaturated European techno market. Much of this development has been nurtured on Modeselektor’s label, BPitch Control, which is well known in electronic circles as pumping out some of the grittiest, dirtiest and crunchiest electronic music in all the land, with standout artists such as Ellen Allien, Smash TV and the MFA. You can get further enlightened on Bpitch at my blog here (shameless plug!).

I have posted a couple of tracks from “Happy Birthday!” that define Modeselektor’s signature sound, “2000007” and “Let Your Love Grow Moderate.” “200007” is the successor to the excellent “Dancing Box” (also posted) from “Hello Mom!,” employing cut-up vocal work from rapper TTC. “Let Your Love Grow Moderate,” on the other hand, can be best classified as a “sensitive banger,” coupling a propulsive rhythm with emotive synths and Paul St. Hilaire’s tongue-twisting vocal work.

One final note: Thom Yorke is on the album. Cheers!

Dancing Box feat. TTC [Hello Mom! LP, 2005]

200007 feat. TTC [Happy Birthday! LP, 2007]
Let Your Love Grow Moderate feat. Paul St.Hilaire [Happy Birthday! LP, 2007]