Deep Impressions

Norwegian producerPrins Thomas drops his third album, entitled – wait for it – III this week. Prins kick started his career by releasing a couple of albums with his compatriot Lindstrom along with an extremely commendable Live At Robert Johnson mix (be sure to seek that out if you’ve missed it), a spate of remixes for the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Luke Solomon and even a cover of Ricardo Villalobos’ ‘Fizpatrick’, all before unveilinghis self-titled debut solo album back in ’09. Prins Thomas has continued to experiment and develop his sound throughout his discography and III is no exception. Laden with 70s and 80s synths, the album possesses a less polished psychedelic aesthetic than some of his previous output. “There’s no great concept, no specific theme, no scheme, no plan,” Prins said of his third LP. “No space disco but still plenty of space.” Grab it while it’s hot, space cadets.

Continuing the Norwegian motif, HAHA will be following on from its bash headlined byDJ Fett Burgerearlier in the year by hosting the Fettburger’s brother, DJ Sotofett,atGoodGod Small Club on Friday May 23. Sotofett heads up Sex Tags Mania, a cult record label that is extolled by the club cognoscenti. With its records only available via mail order placed through their website, which is located at the provocative URL of ‘shitfuckyou.com’, Sex Tags Mania has been singled out for praise by auteurs such as Omar-S. Sotofett also oversees the (even) more obscure techno label, Wania. Renowned for possessing an eclectic sonic palette encompassing techno, disco, Chicago house,” low-slung left-field psychedelia” (and the rest), Sotofett will be given carte blanche to give GoodGod a thorough working over He’ll be supported by the HAHAlads, along withLorna Clarksonand Mad Racketeer Simon Caldwell.

Chris Clarkwill deliver a 33-track DJ mix, LittleBig 10, as one half of a double CD compilation released by the Berlin-based LittleBig agency, home to heavyweights such asAphex Twin, Fuck Buttons and Oneohtrix Point Never, all of whom are represented on the release. A man who is renowned for his productions and live performances rather than his DJing, Clark signed to Warp Records when he was still at university and promptly released a debut album, Clarence Park, which drew comparisons with some of the label’s finest, namely Autechre and Aphex Twin. On the back of this auspicious entrance onto the chinstroker’s radar, Clark has carved out a niche on the periphery of the electronic canon courtesy of his ’08 album Turning Dragon, a release that showcased a forceful take on techno and minimalist soundscapes, and its follow-up Totems Flare, an LP that was staunchly supported by the likes of James Holden. Clark’s LittleBig 10 mix traverses cuts from Planningtorock, Jon Hopkins and Alex Smoke, and looks well worth tracking down once it is “distributed” in May (yes, the LittleBig folk were somewhat cryptic when discussing whether their compilation would be released commercially, but that should only enhance your desire to track down LittleBig 10 – the Internet is full of possibilities, people).

The next installment in the Watergate mix series will arrive in May courtesy ofSanna Engdahl, better known as La Fleur. The Swiss DJ is a resident at Watergate nightclub in Berlin and also runs the Power Plant Records label, through which she has released a number of her own EPs. Watergate 016 features six exclusive tracks alongside a few bonafide classics – MCDE’s remix of DJSprinkles’ ‘Grand Central (Deep Into The Bowel Of House)’ always sounds fresh, while closing with Laurent Garnier also seems like a fairly decent way to round things off. “The making of the mix has been an exciting journey as it’s my first compilation,” the Swede stated bashfully. “I’m very happy with how it turned out.” You can judge Engdahl’s glowing self-appraisal when her Watergate 016 compilation drops on May 26.