Flunk - SKL RMX (Beatservice Records)

Eskild Trulsen - also known as SKL - has been in the fringes of Oslo's electronic music scene for decades. He’s a long time collaborator with Flunk, remixing the band for fun and friendship since their earliest days. And the fun continues, as SKL unveils four evocative new remixes of Flunk favorites.

The first tune getting the SKL treatment is “Queen Of The Underground,” and the Norwegian producer delivers a deliciously moody version that’s both sexy and ominous. Its driving mid-tempo Italo-throb perfectly compliments Anja’s lovely vocals. This remix fittingly appeared at New York Fashion Week but is only now getting an official release. SKL’s version of “Lost Causes” is next, shimmering, sleek, and ready for the coolest of late night dance floors. “Love and Halogen” gets an atmospheric remix, filled with sonic layers that build and peel away to reveal the beauty of Flunk’s song. Then SKL adds an old school touch to “Subway,” applying drum machine breakbeats, synth bass, and bouncing pads in a manner that recalls classic Pet Shop Boys. Both SKL and Flunk shine on this EP, and it’s not to be missed.

MadameFLY (mmRadio) – “Very welcome remix work for long time fans of Flunk … deep and delicate.”
Kosta (Vibe FM) – “Top Shelf. Love the moodiness. Sexy tracks!”
Ulysses (Neurotic Drum Band) – “Nicely done.”
Bruno From Ibiza (Ibiza Global Radio) – “What great remixes!”
Chrissy (Smart Bar) – “This is dope.”
Andreas Kinzi (Aromabar) – “Otherworldly combination. Well done.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel, Sydney) – “Beautiful and moody music right through. I’m leaning towards Subway for dj’ing but enjoying all of them.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Great dark wave vibes.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) – “A lovely collection. Some beautiful moments, and some hypnotic retro production too. Smashing!”
Nedj (The Electronic Underground) – “What a delicious voice! The remixes add that little edge to elevate them on to our horizon.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Barabass & The Happy Few - Arizona (Happy Few Records)

Barabass & The Happy Few was a musical collective from Bergen, Norway. Now defunct, the band consisted of a standard DJ-keyboard-drums-bass-guitar line-up, but they could easily be fronted by a bluegrass-guitarist one moment and a jazz trumpet player the next. Barabass & The Happy Few’s aim was to make instrumental music where humor goes along with improvisation, while keeping things funky and focused on the dance floor, especially in their wild live shows.

The Arizona EP was originally released on very limited vinyl in 2002 and has been unearthed and unleashed digitally for the ears of 2018. The tunes combine laid back instrumentation with cool breakbeat rhythms and heaps of melody. The title track is jazzy and smooth, featuring falsetto vocal phrases and a spell of human beatboxing. “Hobbies” is more upbeat, containing sweet keys, cool drum programming, and stoner dialogue snippets. “Whole Lotta Beats” is a cheeky affair, made to instantly enliven the limpest of parties. And “Get U Gone” meshes big retro beats with fun synthesizer and organ riffs, imagining a lysergic roller rink escapade.

Murray Richardson (Electrica Salsa) – “Nice EP, perfect for my upcoming tour.”
Rory Hoy (Super Hi-Fi) – “Anyone who loves the likes of Mr. Scruff will really dig this release - Highly recommended!”
DJ T-Bird (Los Chicos Altos) – “Norway’s gone Funky!”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) – “Get U Gone rocks.”
ALTZ (Altzmusica) – “I love the groove on Hobbies.”
DJ Wash (Funk The System) – “Great release, all of these tracks are tight!”
Zach Van Lue (91X) – “Refreshing and Groovy.”
Clairvo (Tilos Radio 90.3) – “These tracks show some serious creativity. Full support.”
Jeannie Hopper (WBAI FM, NYC) – “Funky bad ass vibes.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) – “Well, this has certainly stood the test of time. Sounding unmistakably old school, but still current.”

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

Josiah Fontenot - Unseen Forces (Harmonious Discord)

Harmonious Discord staple Josiah Fontenot (AKA El Natured, JB Fontenot) has a knack for creating wide reaching projects that display a precision for the foundational aspects of dance music with a propensity for boundary pushing. Recently Josiah has been busy with projects on imprints like Denied Music and Colour and Pitch. His productions have the city of Houston, TX, clamoring to find out more about this talented and mysterious artist. On remix duties are Signal Deluxe, who bring a seasoned tenure to the project, and multi-faceted Dallas, TX, artist Wanza Dover (Blixaboy, Black Dots, and Jack Dover). Wanz features his rough and rumble alias Jack Dover, giving listeners a comprehensive variety.

“Unseen Forces” starts with dulcet chimes and disorienting effects. Growing steadily, synthesizer elements begin to collide with dusty drum machine patterns. The track progresses into abject calamity, with distorted acid lines and circuit bent squeals. Signal Deluxe muddies the waters keeping subtlety at the forefront. Their remix widens the sonic landscape and plays tricks in the ears of the listener, instilling a bit of confused delight amid a playful mixture of elements.

“New Paranoia” rattles nerves with expertly executed musical framing. Wrought with tension and growing in complexity this tune introduces a fever to the dance floor that can only be followed with more well-tempered weirdness.

Picking up the pace, “Distant Ally” sits squarely between a techno banger and an electro spectacle. Synthesizer placement and construction are remnant of early electro recordings, but the drum progression is all techno. As with the rest of the project a hint of acid permeates, giving the desired fluidity that only a TB-303 can provide. For the remix, Jack Dover brings a Detroit discipline with big drums, looped-crescendos, and playful percussion.

This fall the Harmonious Discord camp is falling for the weirdness with upcoming features that continue to challenge ears and excite the senses.

Spettro (Get Physical Music) – “I get goose bumps listening to Unseen Forces. The chord progressions and groove are amazing!”
Nick Warren (The Soundgarden) – “Unseen Forces is dope!”
Salah Sadeq (The Crate Radioshow) – “I like the release, and nice work by Signal Deluxe.”
Steve ‘Griffo’ Griffiths (Freak Da Funk radio show) – “Brutal stuff! ‘New Paranoia’ is my fave so far … dirty acid workout! ‘Distant Ally’ brings to mind Dave Clarke’s Reese inspired Red series.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Yeah Acid!”
Henderick AKA Thelonious Funk (Thelonious Funk Sessions) – “Liking the original productions and the Jack Dover mix.”
James Kidd (Thoughtless Music) – “Gorgeous synth tone on Unseen Forces. Both mixes are good.”
Lunacybot (FNOOB Techno Radio) – “New Paranoia is saucy as hell.”
Lcaise (Tanztone Records) – “Signal Deluxe mix for me. Nice minimal house trip.”
Taigo Onez (Bang Le’ Dex Radio Show) – “This is lovely. Signal Deluxe Remix is a sure fire cut for me. Great body of work on the whole EP.”

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

Gilligan Moss - What Happened? (AMF Records)

What Happened? That’s the name of Gilligan Moss’s new EP and it’s also a question that’s worth answering. In the three years since the release of their debut Ceremonial – which was followed up with a delectable buffet of remixes for Tegan and Sara, Glass Animals, and other notables – original songwriter and producer Evan has been joined by Ben, a childhood friend and musician who has brought a new dimension into the electronic outfit.

The two share a similar Venn diagram of music: one that moves from early forays into the likes of Outkast and UGK, through to Radiohead and back out the other end into electronic luminaries Daft Punk, Four Tet, and DJ Koze, with groups like Animal Collective and Caribou somewhere in the middle. On paper, those selections sound like – and they are – a diverse mix. But they’re also a good representation of the Gilligan Moss sound: a smorgasbord of propulsive club music, experimental pop songwriting, and trippy ambience, all spread across a foundation of electronic music.

Carrying on in the grand tradition of electronic music, What Happened? features guest vocalists and samples pulled from years of crate-digging. For the guest vocalists, British singer Betsy features on “Heartbeats”, with her vocals pitched down, giving the track a gloriously Cher-like effect.  Meanwhile a mystery British band were involved with “Want U So Bad” while a friend – Ross, who is doing a PHD in ethnomusicology in London and is part of a group called Burhou – joined in on closing track “Movement”.

As a collection of songs, What Happened? brilliantly showcases Evan and Ben’s ability to move between sounds, tapping into the synapses of many a different brain and drawing an inclusive circle upon which anyone can enter. They make music for the club, the house parties, the long-drives in cars and the solo listens in headphones on early commutes or late night sojourns on a metropolitan transport system. The place where the music is played doesn’t strictly matter. What makes this new record from Gilligan Moss such an interesting, special prospect is the way it moves between those scenarios and the experiences people have within them.

Gilligan Moss have just been tapped to support Chromeo on selected upcoming tour dates, so be on the look-out for an opportunity to hear What Happened? live.

Rory Hoy (Howlin’ Records) – “Really cool release with some great tunes.”
Daz-I-Kue (Future Soul Records) – “I really like Want U So Bad.”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) – “Fever is outstanding.”
Tony H (Viva Recordings) – “What Happened? Is for me. I love the vibes on that one.”
DJ Mark Cooper (Bedford Falls Players) – “Fabulous!”
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) – “These tracks are dope!”
Dr. Best (Radio Z 95.8 Nuremberg) – “All in all a solid release from Gilligan Moss. My favorites: "Heartbeats" (feat. Betsy), "What Happened" and "Movement" (feat. Ross).”
Cherokee (Cherry Global Radio Show, Australia) – “This EP is awesome! All tracks are spectacular.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel, Sydney) – “Cool and varies EP, realling liking Fever and Movement.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT radio show / Fluke) – “Some lovely moments here. Outstanding production on some wonderfully memorable tunes.”

Available Now From: Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, And Deezer.