Deep Impressions

UKluminary A Guy Called Gerald, the insouciant acid house pioneer, will headline a masquerade ball warehouse party on Sunday June 8; the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Best know for his 1988 cut ‘Voodoo Ray’, Gerald was also a founding member of 808 State, who were responsible for the classic track ‘Pacific State’. A chap who has collaborated with the likes of Derrick May and Frankie Knuckles over the course of his three-decade career, Gerald remains a formidable force in the club world, releasing recent EPs on Zip’s hallowed Perlon label. He has also remixed everyone from David Bowie and The Stone Roses to Can and Roman FlЯgel. Berliners will tell you it is Gerald’s face that was painted beneath the slogan “How Long Is Now” on the side of the sadly defunct artistic community Tacheles. Having won over Sydney dancers on many occasions previously – the Subsonic Music Festival 2011 being the most recent example – Gerald will return Down Under to plenty of well-deserved fanfare. “I just need a good sound system and I’m there,” he said in an interview on his last tour, exemplifying the perfect philosophy to drive a party.

A Guy Called Gerald afterhours mix available here.

Swedish techno producer Axel Willner, best known for his work as The Field, has just released an eight-track remix package of tracks lifted off last year’s LP Cupid’s Head on Kompakt Records. The album was Wilner’s fifth, and recorded without any session musicians or guest vocalists, the Swede preferring to use only hardware as he explored a “darker and slower pace”. A formidable cast of remixers feature on Cupid’s Head Remixe, with John Tejada, SONNS, Vatican Shadow, Tim Hecker and Barker & Baumecker all providing reworks along with Kompakt co-founder Wolfgang Voigt under his Gas moniker. While some of these reworks have been available on vinyl, the release of Cupid’s Head Remixe means they are now available digitally for the first time. Therefore the technological constraints no longer apply and there’s no excuse for not listening.

South American techno figurehead Pfirter headlines a warehouse romp on Saturday June 21 for Trench’s first birthday. The Argentinean has released on labels like CLR, Stroboscopic Artefacts and his own MindTrip Music imprint, while his DJ sets explore the various subgenres of techno and feed into his studio output. “How?” I hear you ask. Well, as the man himself proclaims, “For me there’s no bigger inspiration than playing in a club. After that, I always get much more energy and inspiration in the studio.”

Lauded Tokyo-based record label Mule Musiq will release a double-CD compilation entitled I’m Starting To Feel OK Vol. 6 at the end of June. The forthcoming album follows the recent release of Mule’s excellent third ambientcompilation, Enjoy The Silence, which comprises of atmospheric left-field tracks from a chin-stroker’s dream lineup including John Roberts, Lawrence, Petre Inspirescu and Terre Thaemlitz, AKA DJ Sprinkles. Needless to say, it’s essential listening if you haven’t already immersed yourself in it. The tracklist for I’m Starting To Feel OK Vol. 6 looks similarly immaculate on paper. Curated by Mule founder Toshiya Kawasaki, the compilation features 24 new tracks from the likes of Axel Boman and Fred P – who recently showed off his DJing wares at Mad Racket – along with Lauer, JD Twitch, Naum Gabo and the oft-overlooked Kontra-Musik artist Porn Sword Tobacco. Mule mainstays KZA and Kuniyuki head up the hometown contingent, which showcases deep house of the upmost quality. Along with the other compilation Mule released this year, I’m Starting To Feel OK Vol. 6 is essential listening for discerning fans of electronic music. Which of course means you, dear reader.