Hku - Soukha

Hku said:
"I have been trying to create songs like a short movie, each one telling a different story. There is also an accompanying text for each songs, which are a synospis aimed to explain the kind of mood I wanted to give them. All songs have been composed between Paris, Buenos Aires and Barcelona."

Trentemoller - The Last Resort

Anders Trentemöller has the taken the underground scene by storm over the last few months with such incredible tracks as 'Beta Boy', 'Polar Shift' and 'Sunstroke', not to mention his remixes of artists ranging from The Knife and Yoshimoto through to the Pet Shop Boys. He's become one of the leading producers in a considerably short space of time, and now is due to release his debut artist album 'The Last Resort' on Poker Flat. Due for release in October, and preceded by lead single 'Always Something Better', this is one to mark on the calender as it is definitely not to be missed.

He is a unique talent in the current music world. Danish producer Anders Trentemöller took dance floors all around the world by storm last year with funky minimal techno-tracks like 'Physical Fraction’ and ‘Polar Shift’, and subsequently was voted “Best Newcomer” by many of his peers and music fans alike.

Now Trentemöller returns with his debut album on Poker Flat, ‘The Last Resort’ – a beautifully crafted, astonishing masterpiece that will leave you breathless. The 13 instrumental tracks together form a wordless musical story, almost like the soundtrack of a movie. It manages to capture a whole range of emotions in subtle melodic miniatures, dreamy ambiences, dusty beats, deep dub-tracks and driving groove-excursions. An ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours and moods, ‘The Last Resort’ without a doubt contains Trentemöller’s best work to date.

Although it’s definitely an electronic album, it also incorporates live-drums, some guitars and other acoustic instruments like celesta, glockenspiel, melodica and even DJ scratching to create a more organic feel. Most tracks were recorded over the course of last year, often in the time between sessions for his 12” singles and remixes, which as Trentemöller himself says “Making these tracks was like having time-off. Moments to totally space out and let the music flow.“

It may come as a surprise that on ‘The Last Resort’, Trentemöller moves away from the dancefloor and instead produces an introspective album that’s especially great for home listening (or listening in the car, or on your i-Pod), but ever since his first release, it was clear the young producer from Copenhagen was able to fuse great melodies and chord progressions with subtle, yet driving beats.

His excellent remixes for Yoshimoto (‘Du What U Do’), Röyksopp (‘What Else Is There) and Pet Shop Boys (‘Sodom’) show yet another side of his multi-faceted talent, while his first releases on Audiomatique (‘Physical Fraction’) and Poker Flat (‘Polar Shift’) suddenly propelled him to dancefloor fame. But, as Trentemöller says now, he doesn’t see himself as someone who just produces dance-tech.

“I have always made all kinds of music. In the studio, I never think about which genre it is or what target group it is for, I just make the music I feel like. What came out of the recording sessions for ‘The Last Resort’ was a very personal album. It reflects my life, my thoughts, my needs, my insecurities, my longings, and it was a challenge, he to express these feelings and moods without words, only with music.” - Anders Trentemöller

It’s for this reason why he decided not to put the two vocal tracks he recorded during the ‘Last Resort’ sessions on the final album. ‘Always Something Better’ (featuring Richard Davis and the first single to be taken from the album) and ‘Moan’ (with Copenhagen-singer Ane Trolle) are featured on a second bonus disc of the limited edition version of of the album. The second CD nicely complements the first one, not only because of the two vocal songs, but also because it contains all the great tracks Trentemöller produced last year for Audiomatique and Poker Flat.

“When I listened to the final sequence of tracks, it felt as if I was listening to the soundtrack of a movie that unfolded before my eyes. For me it was important that the music would tell the story.“ - Anders Trentemöller

Together these two discs show the two sides of Anders Trentemöller – the introspective melancholy man versus the outgoing, funky techno-minimalist. A fantastic accomplishment from one of the greatest producers of this new century.

Koom.H - Koom.H

Koom.H is a Sicilian project manned by DJ's Salvo Borrelli and Massimo Napoli, resident DJ at Mercati Generali in Catania, with die-hard producer Salvo Dub. Working together, they unify their different musical origins giving life to an original sort of techno-jazz style. Their debut album opens with "Rain", an intense tune with deep atmospheres. A jazz trumpet mute converse with a classic piano, although almost in contrast. The same melancholic feeling starting the album resurfaces in the last track, which is a rework by The Dining Room of the same song "Rain" where the beat is more marked by the drum. The second tune is a cover of an Archie Shepp composition. The style is nearly lounge and could be associated to those collections of jazz classics remixed by contemporary producers. The third track "Mr. Cool" just displays how detailed the production is on this album. It is a thumping funky bass that trespasses the tune from cool ambient into acid jazz. It is almost visible the scene of Mr. Cool attending a party in France's Cote d'Azure at sunset. "Ghost In Paradise" starts with a jazz drum kick but sound effects and piano chords make it quite cinematic. It could be a spy movie chase-up in the streets of Paris, on the contrary the title suggests rather different moods: the ethereal and spiritualistic ambience of a ghost going around in paradise. "Come to Me" is the fifth track of the album reaching the peak of yearning as represented. Ambient meets jazz courtesy of the touch Marco Bianchi on piano but also from the emphasis in the singing style. The rhythmic texture is remarkably interesting as highlighted by percussions and bass. The following track "Home" was written with Stefano Ghittoni (The Dining Rooms/Double Beat) and is a piece of bastard jazz mixing together Detroit techno, batucada flavours and epic drum solos. Their first single "Move your funk" is track 7 in the album; a tune based on their Afro and soul background with influences from funk and breakbeat to spiritual voices. "Estate" is a tune that spreads all the heath of the season to which is dedicated. The feeling is relaxed. It's a track inviting imaginary moods where sound effects transcend, from the skilful touch of Paolo Fedreghini. "Don Vito Corleone" is a piece paying homage to a hugely popular, Sicilian character of literature and cinema. "Just for a while" is the second last track in the album, before The Dining Rooms' re-work of "Rain". Jazz colours melt into resonances that virtually recall Trip-Hop, a trumpet solo transcends remarkably but delicately.