Kohib & Kahuun - EP2 (Beatservice Records)

Phase two of the Bergen-Tromsø house alliance! For the second time on Beatservice Records, Kahuun and Kohib – two beardy and nice chaps – have put their heads together to collaborate, but not as a duo as one would expect. It's the same procedure as their first shared EP: one track each, and then a remix of each other's respective track.

Kahuun is a part of the electronic scene in Bergen. He released his debut EP in 1999 on Paper Recordings, and has released a string of EPs on various labels. His early tracks were in a jazzy broken-beat style, but lately he's been leaning more towards four-on-the-floor house and techno. "Sangefjell" is a potent four-on-the-floor groover, complete with a solid bass foundation, layers of percussive elements, and a rising 303-ish filtered synth line. After hours night club funk, indeed.

Kohib is an important member of the Tromsø electronic music scene, equally as a club organizer, DJ, and producer. His debut was on the Prima Norsk 3 compilation in 2005, followed by an album, a remix-album, and a string of highly regarded EPs and digital singles. Kohib's contribution, with the un-Norwegian title of "Pittsburgh", moodily moves through synthesizer swells and pulsations as reverbed percussion and stereo effects populate its sonic space. The tension is eased by a pleasant, almost theremin-like lead line.

The remixes are playful reinterpretations, with Kohib accentuating the funkiness of "Sangefjell" through heavy hand claps, a tighter entwining of the bass and 303 lines, and a dreamy vocal phrase. This one's got maximum boogie appeal. Not to be outdone, Kahuun surprises with a tough drum n' bass rendition of "Pittsburgh". More than half the track is taken up by its intro – which, upon listening, seems the perfect length – before the breakbeats come in over the throbbing bass and swirling, melodic psychedelia. It's a brilliant cap to this EP, and shows how these two producers continue to inspire each other in wonderful, off-beat ways.

Larry Tee - "I'm loving this!"
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "So good!"
Flash Atkins (Paper Recordings / Into The Valley) - "The two handsomest men in Norway deliver four damn fine cuts."
Sleazy McQueen (Whiskey Disco) - "Icy techno!"
Hardway Bros (A Love From Outer Space) - "Great stuff!"
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "I love the build on 'Sangefjell' … in fact both originals are tickling me in all the right places."
Anthony Mansfield (Roam Recordings / Hector Works) - "Deep and chuggin' … this is my jam!"
Atish (Desert Hearts / Robot Heart) - "Nice subtle acid touches on 'Sangefjell'."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "Superb vibes. It's really tough to choose just one … all four cuts are sonic joys!"
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "I'm really feeling both original versions and loving the retro vibes of the Kohib remix. Looking forward to playing these out."
ROBOT84 (Paper Recordings / Under No Illusion) - "Oh, yes. Superb."
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing Radio Show) - "So groovy and complex … I could listen to this all night."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Awesome again from these techno futurists … lethal!"

Available now from Bandcamp, Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.

Mørk - Tour de Senja Remixes (Beatservice Records)

Mørk is Benjamin Mørk from the island Senja in the northern parts of Norway. As an artist, Mørk is actually two-headed. Mørk's first incarnation was as a piano-based jazz quartet, which released the two brilliant albums Karasho (2013) and Meantime Lifetime (2015). But lately, Benjamin Mørk has been playing around with analogue electronic equipment, and the solo electronic version of Mørk saw the light of day with the track "Tour de Senja", released on his own label in the autumn of 2015.

Mørk has now moved his captivating electronic music project to Beatservice Records. "Tour de Senja" has now been remixed for nightclub antics by the duo of Kohib and Kahuun, contributing one mix each. Kohib has kept the original vibe of the original while expanding it and adding some discrete dance floor tricks and that Kohib magic. Kahuun, on the other hand, has radically tweaked the track to a deeper and more leftfield place.

Tensnake - "The Kohib remix is massive."
Vanilla Ace - "Nice disco grooves."
Danny Ashenden (C90s / Earl Grey) - "Kahuun smashes this!"
Rayko (Rare Wiri / Eskimo) - "Very nice!"
Phunktastike (Spirit Soul Music / Undertones Gang) - "Great release here … I love it."
Larry Tee - "Nice one!"
Nadia (Phantasy Sound) - "I like the Kohob remix."
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings / Electriks) - "Tough to call but I think its Kohib mix which scores best here. Lovely slick production on both cuts though (as to be expected)."
Kobana (Proton Music / Hear The Colours) - "Both tracks are amazing."
Taigo Onez (The Essence Radio Show) - "That Kahuun remix … woooooo!"
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Class, both mixes are excellent. There's such a sense of funk and fun on the Kohib remix."

Available now from Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

Kohib / Kahuun - Kohib & Kahuun EP (Beatservice Records)

Bergen-Tromsø house alliance! Two beardy and nice chaps have put their heads together to collaborate, but not as a duo as one would expect. Instead Norwegian producers Kohib and Kahuun have provided a track each, and then have remixed each other’s respective track.

Kahuun is a part of the electronic scene in Bergen. He released his debut EP in 1999 on Paper Recordings, and has released a string of EPs on various labels. His early tracks were in a jazzy broken-beat style, but lately he's been leaning more towards four-on-the-floor house and techno. His contribution -- "Superduplex" -- is a wonderfully sprawling electronic composition that builds and builds with creeping layers of melody and percussion.

Kohib is an important part of the Tromsø electronic music scene, equally as a club organizer, DJ, and producer. His debut was on the Prima Norsk 3 compilation in 2005, followed by an album, a remix-album, and a string of highly regarded EPs and digital singles. "Dynamo Rex" is a prime example of Norwegian techno in Kohib's inimitable style. Filtered synths, motional rhythms, metallic percussion, and hypnotic patterns all give this track a trippy, late night quality.

The exchanged remixes show Kohib and Kahuun applying their individual production techniques to each other in an engaging manner. Kohib lends his icy precision and uncanny ear for melody on his remix, while Kahuun adds his rhythmic intricacies and knack for a mesmerizing, long, effective build. Together they've delivered an EP that is both unique and noteworthy, and a fine addition to the catalogs of the artists and the always dependable Beatservice Records.

Larry Tee - "Very cool."
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Dope. I really love this."
Anthony Pappa - "Some nice tracks here that will be used."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "'Dynamo Rex' is hot!"
Rocco (Real Tone / Foliage) - "The Kahuun remix of 'Dynamo Rex' … nice one!"
Chrissy Murderbot - "This bangs!"
Hardway Bros (A Love From Outer Space) - "Fantastic as always!"
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit) - "The original mix of 'Superdelux' is pretty cool."
DJ Tonka (Tonka Tunes / Southern Fried) - "Five stars for 'Dynamo Rex'. I love this tech-Italo / cosmic disco blend." Ulysses (Neurotic Drum Band) - "'Superdelux' is epic, but all four tracks are keepers."
DJ Enne (Electunes / Karmaloft) - "That Kohib remix of 'Superduplex' is nice."
ROBOT84 (Paper Recordings / Under No Illusion) - "Superb release … every track is killer."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "When techno, (acid) disco, and house meet together in Oslo. This EP is fire!"
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Dramatic and futuristic, techno from this part of the world has always been special and this is further proof. Addictive sounds across all these but 'Dynamo Rex' tops this extraordinary selection."
Joshua Jacobs (Music You Need blog) - "Kohib and Kahuun deliver us some fresh house goodness with this release. Serving up dark and deep vibes, with great synth overlay, penetrating bass, and ominous sound effects, these tracks are sure fire dance floor crushers during late night sets."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.