Me and Oldsy have been discussing the possibility of an exclusive Box Musique mix series since the beginning of time. Seriously, we sat there on the council with Zerb, Vultar and the Great Creator and theorised spicing up the annual Gods meet with a bit of funky music, but just never got round to it. Well, the time has finally come and I am now proud to present the first installment in our long-awaited series, compiled (like a boss) by Astor Bell head honcho Socket Science. Dubbed the Elegant Decay Mix, it comprises just over an hour of minimal goodness that, right from the slightly unsettling vocal snippets of the introduction, will have you glued to it like you were actually glued to something. From the euphoric landscapes of Max Cooper’s ‘Heresy’ through the quirky bounce of Klatraum’s ‘Lenny’ to the melancholic vibes of Ryan Davis and Transistor’s ‘Nature is The Law’ and the genius of Pig & Dan’s ‘Haai Jack’ remix, Elegant Decay is an orgy of lush, rhythmic indulgence that you should download immediately. If you don’t I’ll tell Vultar and you know what he’ll do, I mean, look what he did to Betamax and Enron. Exactly.
To check out more Socket Science, and offerings from the rest of the Astor Bell crowd head over to their official site and be patient, for new releases are on the horizon. Also, keep your eyes open for Socket’s upcoming collaboration with Giuseppe which should surface in the next couple of months and will certainly appear here at some point.
Listen to mix via Mixcloud below or download it here. The tracklist lies after the jump.
Astor Bell are a particular favourite of ours (and maybe yours). Not only are they a label that releases consistently dope electronic-based music, they release it all for free. ‘Consistently dope’ is the key here because, unlike most of the time in life, the fact that it’s free doesn’t make it shoddy and won’t hook you into some lame promotional bullshit. Sucks though because I can’t say anything like ‘you really get your moneys worth’ or whatever. My perception of reality is based on monetary value and this is blowing my mind.
But I digress, Klangblid is all about the relationship between sound and image. Kind of pointing out the obvious with that one but still, this little EP is pretty epic. The 4/4 in the opener with some sparse piano work is real boat-floating stuff and ’2seiten’ adds a lovely bit of funk for the old folk. The low frequencies dominate all 6 tracks, creating the foundations for a ”colorful and dreamy world of synthesizer driven synesthesia”, none more so than the during the languid string meanderings of ‘Harmonium Pump’. Food goes in one end and comes out the other, but which end am I talking out of? My head hurts. Silence is music. Reality is absurdity.
‘TreiToTrei’ down there happens to be the best track but the soundcloud quality doesn’t do it any justice. It’s only there in case you’re too lazy to click through or you don’t believe me. So it’s all been in vain then? Unbelievable.
The man from Sweden has done it again. I’ve spent a large portion of the last year pimping Socket Science’s previous two mixes to everyone that has working ears and now he’s dropped another; my pitch shall only get stronger! Featuring beautiful tunes from the likes of Extrawelt, Thomas Bjerring and Kollektiv Turmstrasse, this 80 minute instalment is every bit as enchanting as its predecessors. From the subtle yet luscious depths of ‘When Love Feels Like Crying’ to the emotionally downbeat territory of ‘Sinina’, the whole thing will have you jauntily tipping your hat and saying “Cor blimey guvnor” like an injured cop on The Bill…before it was cancelled.
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If, for whatever reason, you’re getting ever so slightly bored with general minimal house/tech releases of late then listen to this absolutely gorgeous mix. I’m not getting bored as such, I just seem to spend most of my time either wandering about aimlessly or being stuck with my head in the bloody sand. Just taking a different perspective you know. It’s how I came to the conclusion that fascists hate ambient music.
Point is, if you haven’t guessed, this mix is refreshing. Like watermelon. Apart from there’s no seeds. Only deep, bouncy minimal tech house goodness. It’s been put together by Sebastian Mullaert of Minilogue fame and nestled in there are also two brand new Minilogue tracks. Stand out track for me has to be ‘Trust the Drum’ though because this woman shouts ‘Africa!’ and then it drops and then it’s amazing.
In all honestly, nobody explains the LP better than kompakt.fm when they say ”this mix cd is live mix without computer. The seemless computer mix is sometimes good for home listening but live mix definitely have more soul and emotion. CD1 kicks off by Sebastian’s own track and he mixed his favorite psychedelic ambient house like new release of Donato Dozzy on Mule or his friend “Kab” and “The Mole”. CD2 is faster and bit pumping and clubby sounding like a Minilogue’s dance track”.
Turns out you that’s the best place to buy it too. Apart from your local record store. Represent. Check the mad player widget gizmo after the drop…
I like Minilogue, I like Extrawelt and I also think Leopards are pretty fucking cool. Basically, this track has all the components it needs to leapfrog the other crap I rifle through and firmly position itself at the forefront of my existence. I guess the fact that it’s an amazing tune also helps…although not as much as the leopard thing, they sit in trees a lot and sometimes they eat monkeys. Monkeys are basically stupid people with cute faces.
Anyway, spacious and impelling, the distinctive clarity of Extrawelt’s percussion enhances Minilogue’s ambient leanings, giving birth to the reason I think minimal is sick. This song is better than the time I found a bucket and spade in Cornwall and spent the day building sandcastles with my childhood friend Elijah, who definitely exists because I have lots of friends…honestly…loads…
I have no idea how old this is, chances are it’s pretty ancient but it’s still worthy of a post. Listennnn!
I don’t know what Socket Science eats for breakfast but whatever it is, it’s the perfect fuel for producing ridiculous mixes. His latest melange of electronic goodness was strung together exclusively for Belgian blog SSSSound, and appears as the 7th incarnation in their SSSSoundtrack series. Entitled ‘The Subway Edition’, it’s a characteristically diverse blend of captivating tunes from the likes of Joy Orbison, Four Tet, Astor Bell colleagues Caribou and Bubble Shield and, amongst others, Socket Science himself. Beginning with the jazzily beguiling ‘Minimal Elvis’, it soon becomes clear that proceedings are going to enchant more than Cinderella with a pumpkin on her head and, well, they most certainly do. Gui Boratto’s remix of Simian Mobile Disco’s ‘Bad Blood’ marks my personal high point but the whole thing is through and through quality. Mmmmm delicious.
Bang it on, punch a nun, have a barbecue. What more is there to say?
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