These next weeks should be fun. While Montrealers observe Mother Nature’s and Father Time’s heated dispute over when winter is supposed to end, we lust after Miami. With the annual Winter Music Conference in full effect, the Floridian city can only laugh at the rest of us as they monopolize electronic music for a few weeks. Thankfully, artists like Nina Kraviz and Huxley are in town to lessen the blow, as well as the myriad live sets that should be coming through the interwebs as you read this. Do us a favor, before you go looking through your favorite forum, check out the tracks we’ve got lined up for you this week.



     I have the distinct feeling this song is telling a tale. I haven’t given it enough thought to postulate on whether the hero lives or dies, but the message is clear: Bedrock Records is awesome. Despite his advanced age relative to his profession, John Digweed still has the musical prowess that has kept his label at the forefront of the house scene for years. The evidence is in Oniris’ and Pat Brooks’ latest, “The Rebirth.” The nine and a half minute marathon song is populated by a shy bassline, multiple piano and violin tracks and the quaint percussion sounds of wood blocks and maracas feigning wind. The tune seems to be separated into different acts, an alignment more complicated than the usual song structure. There is an intro, an outro, a breakdown and a climax, but the track seems to be divided in such a way that a narrative should be present. Enough of this storytelling mumbo jumbo; it’s just conjecture anyways. Have a listen and I hope you understand what I mean.

Oniris ft. Pat Brooks – The Rebirth (Original Mix)
Released on March 11th on Bedrock Records
Beatport

Oniris, Pat Brooks - The Rebirth (Original Mix) [Bedrock Records] by Gonzo Bim


     Germany has played an integral part in the development of electronic music. From the influential tunes of Kraftwerk, to the beginnings of trance and to the rich techno underground of today, Deutschland seems to have an important inspirational effect on its inhabitants that manifests itself in the most beautiful of ways. Adding his genre to the short register listed prior is Rowpieces, a Drum & Bass pseudonym of Munich’s Robert Schmidbauer. “I Got a Story to Tell” is a wonderfully soulful piano-driven track who’s summery feel seems to perfectly coincide with the alleged end of winter. D&B is one of the genres that I am not a big fan of. However, when I do find such a tune that I enjoy, I worship it. This happens to be one of those rare occasions and I simply cannot get this track out my head.

Rowpieces – I Got a Story to Tell (Original Mix)
Released on February 18th on Fokuz Recordings
Beatport – Juno Download




     I’ve been a fan of Craving since their first release on First State Deep. In the past, I’ve preferred their remixes to their original productions as their tweaking of “Craters of the Moon,” “Right Back” and “Timide” easily overshadow all else. After a long absence from the studio the Russian duo is back with “Legacy,” an epic return to form with a balance of traditional and 2.0 trance aimed at the dance floor. Like in their rework of W&W’s “Manhattan,” Craving opted for the relatively tame intro, breakdown and outro to overload with contrast the overly climactic drop. The piano synths and pulsing bassline explode at the 4:45 mark as they join the more electro elements to drive home the feeling of exhilaration the track is obviously going for. This is a great release that I sincerely hope to hear at this year’s Bal en Blanc.

Craving – Legacy (Original Mix)
Released on March 18th on Beat Service Audio
Beatport

Craving - Legacy (Original Mix) by Ahmet K.


     This happens way too often; I was slated to go see Hot Since 82 last week, but a teensy snafu with the ticket office and an error of judgement on my part made me miss his visit. I heard it was a solid performance, which did nothing but sour my mood. With all the free time I have nowadays, I consulted a few forums and decided to teach myself how to use the djay app for iPhone with a selection of tracks from his recent sets. In doing so, I revisited his Hot Jams Volume 2 from a month ago. Below is “Don’t Be Afraid,” who’s eerie synths, dark spoken word and simple bassline make it my favorite from the release.



Hot Since 82 – Don’t Be Afraid (Original Mix)
Released on February 11th on Noir Music
Beatport – iTunes

Hot Since 82 - Don't Be Afraid by Hääääänk

     RiFF RaFF fascinates me. The Houston-born rapper is one of the most eccentric figures in today’s music. I won’t pretend to know anything about rap or about him, but from my vantage point, he seems to be a male Caucasian, probably born and raised in the suburbs that displays a strong desire to emulate African American hip-hop culture and style through “bling” fashion and generally accepted “thug life” guiding principles. For those wondering, that’s Urban Dictionary’s definition of “wigger.” Pursuant with these types’ general disliking among “normal” people, I find his popularity and record deals utterly incomprehensible. Here’s an interview Pitchfork conducted with JODYHiGHROLLER in August of 2012.




     I just had to give you a link to his Twitter feed; it’s as nonsensical as he is.