Jay Tripwire - Ika (Harmonious Discord)

This fall, sonic crevasses are filled with the unnerving sounds of spook and spoil. The once unsettling tones provide a feeling of nostalgia and a platform for music to tap into those sentiments. Arguably, one of the canonical artists when it comes to the witchy and abstract world of techno and house music is Canada’s Jay Tripwire. He is a household name in techno circles and has been producing music for over 25 years on powerhouse labels like Nordic Trax, Nervous, Viva and most recently through his own imprint Witching Hour. Harmonious Discord is happy to welcome Jay to the label with a very special release offered both digitally and via limited vinyl pressing (200 copies).

Ika is a collection of tunes with a common abstraction. Mature enough for a headphone listen but still relevant on the dance floor. The project starts out with “Wokd,” a dizzy concoction of slippery sound design and abrasive percussion. Next up is “Wormholes”, a penetrating acid house sonnet with whispered conversations and bin-rattling bass. Austin’s Jeff Scroggin reworks “Wormholes” into a tightly-shuffled — yet melodically-driven — selection for lighter moments in your warehouse adventure. Jeff’s take combines the haunting undertones of the original with powerful house essentials. The main event are two tremendous techno versions of “Ika” (the Japanese word for squid but sometimes used for certain cuttlefish). The RAW OG Vinyl Mix is a headstrong, percussive techno masterpiece reminiscent of earlier minimal techno selections. Everything is carefully placed, and tones bounce off each other while creating a syncopated space that moves the selection along. The additional “Ika” revisit plays off the same sampled themes of the original but with a formulated bass foundation giving it a pronounced strut missing from the original. These selections will take one on a journey into the uncharted mind of artist Jay Tripwire.

Haris Custovic (Laus Music) – “Top gear from a top man such as Jay!”
Christian Martin (Dirty Bird) – “Sick EP! So groovy.”
Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance Records) - “Solid EP with all cuts working well. Will rotate and support.”
Ivaylo (Bogota Records) – “Always deep power from Jay. Love this.”
Magnus Asberg (On The House Records) – “Oh yes! Tasty. We like this one.”
Andrew Duke (Andrew Duke In The Mix – “Great to have this superb new material from Jay.”
Harry Avers (NOICE! Radio Show) – “If Jay is not an Electronic Music God, he is at least a minor deity. Really nice work here.”
Taigo Onez (Bane Le’ Dex Radio) – “This is so righteous! Full support.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) – “Some lovely late night vibes here. Scroggin’s mix coming out on top by a whisker, and all are deeply enjoyable.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) “Jay always nails it, and here is more proof of his talent. Absolutely killer!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, Bandcamp, And Spotify.

Steve Balance - Shade One (Harmonious Discord)

Harmonious Discord’s first selection of the year is from Austin-based tech-house producer Steve Balance (Headset, Bunchlox). Steve is a foundational pillar of the vibrant city’s underground. His humble nature and thoughtful approach have always been front and center in his music. Shade One is Steve Balance’s first project with Harmonious Discord and features remixes from Jeff Scroggin (Denied Music) and newcomer Ajay Kapoor.

The clever “Wander Ring” starts the release, a syncopated, tracky number with finely-enveloped synth washes. The disorienting nature of the musical components are well-tempered with the playful nature of the accompanying drums. Bearded Viking-prince Jeff Scroggin returns to the label to remix “Wander Ring” into a Detroit-style mindful tech masterpiece. Jeff uses vocal sampling and reverb tails to drift from section-to-section while sonic elements dance back and forth.

“Shade One” shares the syncopated structure but adds a dash of jack. Pervasive, almost chanting, drum collisions roll into a muddled cascade of arpeggiated synthesizers. Ajay Kapoor joins the label as a fresh-faced talent with an evil disco sound. Ajay borrows the synthetic structure of “Shade One” on his rework but plays with the pitch to create a harmonic, moaning cadence. Coupled with the heavy disco drums, this remix occupies a unique hour in the night.

The release closes with “Resplendent,” an industrious, dark, and troubled love song. Steve Balance flexes multiple muscles in this handy dance floor expedition.

DJ P-REZ (Not So Fast Records) – “Some good stuff for those naughty late nights.”
Lee Jones / Country Gents (Buslife) – “Ajay Kapoors mix is really cool.”
Haris Custovic (Laus Music) – “Lovely deepess…”
Deepshizzol (Deepvibes Radio) – “The Jeff Scroggin remix is nice.”
Kosta (Vibe FM) – “Intense and flexed music on this one.”
DJ Hal (EQ Magazine) – “This is a solid release.”
Nico De Ceglia (Hyena Stomp) – “Nice one!”
Andrea Rraqi (Black Angel Promotion) – “Wonderful!”
Sharlese (KEXP, Seattle) – “Fun Tech house & synth grooves.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Infectious & haunted folklore”

Available Now From: Beatport, Juno Download, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Pablo del Monte - Stay All Night (Harmonious Discord)

Texas-based Harmonious Discord celebrates its 50th release with Pablo del Monte’s “Stay All Night” EP featuring two originals by del Monte and remixes by Litex (Eric Reeves) and Jeff Scroggin. Harmonious Discord solidified its force in the Texas underground music scene since 2001 with releases by Pezzner, Brett Johnson, Deepchild, Morgan Page, Arthur Oskan, PointBender, and Dorian.

“Stay All Night” is a peak time driver produced by London native Pablo del Monte, radio pilot for Brick Lane Radio and label head of famed East Recordings. His productions range from classic sounding house music to edgy, provocative tech house projects.

Pablo collaborated with Dallas vocalist LaVoyce for the original title track, a precise mixture of well-spaced percussion rooted in a stronghold of bass with deliberate accents and fills. Its samples and synthesized accents provide a navigating principle that syncopates firmly as the song progresses. This future hallowed house classic is sure to satisfy both DJ aficionados and dancefloor revelers.

Label co-founder and Grey Music Project artist Litex (Eric Reeves) remixes “Stay All Night” with dynamic synthesizer programming and tightly controlled FX while mild hints of progression deepen the original elements earmarked by pad resonance and drifting delays. Jeff Scroggin navigates un-charted back roads with another dubbed-out wash remix of “Stay All Night.” Urban, rough-and-tumble, and perfectly crafted, Jeff accents the original parts with hypnotic dub chords and a driving sub-bass. Pablo del Monte’s B-side “Emperor” reigns with clinical drum programming aligned with sound design and synthetic manipulations. The track commands force of music while offering itself to its loyal listeners.

The “Stay All Night” release belies expert production sure to reign the sweltering dancefloors of summertime.

Nick Warren (The Soundgarden / Hope Recordings) – “All mixes are great!”
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) – “Chugger!”
Lupe Futentes (Inhouse Records) – “Nice work Pablo!”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “Very nice Jeff Scroggin Dub.”
Severino (HorseMeatDisco) – “Cool vibes.”
Harry Avers (NOICE! Weekly Show) – “A solid EP.”
Ian Rejekt (The Rejekts) – “Jeff’s dub is DOPE!”
Enne (Electunes) – “Really nice stuff, thanks.”
Soundkrampf (Cloud Of Silence) – “The Jeff Scroggin dub is great!”
SimonG / Deep South Audio (Volcano Radio) – “Title track is quirky with infectious beats. The Emperor as a B side comes on thick deep and ready for the floor … nice house music that will get things moving.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Jeff Scroggin - Deep Knows (Harmonious Discord)

In February of 2016 Harmonious Discord celebrated its fifteen year anniversary. Over that span, the collective has gone from a gang of scrappy young adults pressing vinyl with their collective tip money to a label known for pushing the boundaries of house and techno music with releases from some of the most highly acclaimed musicians in the electronic landscape. 2016 will bring a string of new projects for the label as they embark on even more journeys to bring the sound of the discordian underground to the masses.

This latest release features Austin, Texas, native Jeff Scroggin with three superb moving techno compositions. It's led by "Deep Knows", a warehouse jam with ample funk pressure. Complex beds of percussion and synth stabs dance together to create a highly musical techno selection. Vancouver-based industry powerhouse Jay Tripwire makes his debut on Harmonious Discord after his successful 2016 album 8 Channels. Jay applies his years of savage noises to the rework and takes the old school elements straight into the realm of the outer world. Next up is "One Note Acid", a seemingly simple construction with surprising variations that take the simple cadence into more complex territory. The progressive movement builds into a menagerie of carefully placed synthetic elements, driving towards darker moods as the piece evolves. Denied Music label boss Daniel Allen also premieres with Harmonious Discord on this release, delivering a Miami-style deep shade version of Jeff’s original. There is plenty of high resonance automation to ensure that the build drives the dance floor insane just until the music spirals into a disorienting pitch drop. Jeff rounds out the release with "New Dubs", a heady percussion-driven and deep, pulsating concoction complete with dub influences, as the title alludes.

Anthony Pappa - Cool EP. The Jay Tripwire remix is the one for me. l will support it."
L.A. Williams - "'Deep Knows' hits the heavy into the deep."
Louis Osbourne (All Night / Made To Play) - "Really nice EP. All tracks are very good. Jay Tripwire's mix stands out though."
Spettro (Get Physical Music) - "I love the bouncy vibe on Jay Tripwire's mix."
Lil' Mark (Leftroom) - "'New Dubs' for me … nice tracks."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "A truly excellent EP here, with all involved doing damage. The originals are the ones for me, with the bassy building vibe on 'One Note Acid' really working well."
Terry Mullan (Coin Slot) - "The Daniel Allen remix of 'One Note Acid' … solid track."
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite / Dialtone Records) - "Right trippy. Should do some heads in for sure."
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "Feeling 'New Dubs' … very, very tasty. Phew!"
Tee Cardaci (Low Down Grooves / Sine Qua Non) - "Really impressed with every track on this one … massive!"
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Superb. I love the diversity in style across these … each one is simply fantastic. 'One Note Acid' … what a journey!"
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing Radio Show) - "Seductive deep techno … definitely the good stuff."

Available from Beatport.