A New Renaissance?

Hello everyone,

I’m Emmanuel and I’m the latest addition to the MildWild crew! So I thought for a first post, I’d introduce myself properly by showing you the sorts of things I’m finding truly inspiring right now in the brimming world of electronic music. Hopefully it’ll be a taster of what’s to come and will whet your appetite for more juicy tunes in the future...

For a while now, I’ve been hot on the trail of the kind of dubby tech and electro house being produced by the likes of Jesse Rose and Oliver $. Always fresh, always twisting through unexpected crevasses, these artists have helped bring the fun back into house music – for me at least! This is the kind of playful philosophy that Jesse and the gang have used to help shape the dynamic of his pioneering imprint, Made To Play. In these uncertain times, I’m finding myself becoming more and more attached to certain record labels as I can trust them to deliver release after release of quality, forward-thinking music. With acts such as Duke Dumont, Idiotproof, Jan Driver, and Riva Starr in their back catalogue, Made To Play is definitely one of them.

John Acquaviva, Olivier Giacomotto & Jonny Lexxs - Too Cool 4 Skool (Riva Starr Rework)
Frantic, bouncy and relentless. Riva Starr leaving his bold mark on this one

In the same way that we’re all tightening our belts nowadays, there seems to be an increasing aesthetic shift towards stripped-back productions that still deliver on punch and, most importantly, FUN. Coupled with the drive of tropically-influenced DJs and producers such as Brodinski, the search for this kind of innovative style has again led me in the direction of some lively labels, including Institubes’ fledgling little brother, Sound Pellegrino. Having already released a debut EP featuring the likes of Zombie Disco Squad, Solo, and Mowgli from London’s bristling midget tech scene, Sound Pellegrino seems to have set itself right on the crest of this particular zeitgeist. With upcoming work from French-born-yet-Argentinian-residing (?) Douster, Harvard Bass and Finnish innovators Renaissance Man on the agenda, I for one can’t wait to see where these guys will take us. It's cute, new, fresh, fun and totally exciting!

Zombie Disco Squad - Esperanto (Original Mix)
Fun-filled stonker of a house track. Sure to get you smiling as well as dancing!

At the same time, Worthy has been patiently carving out a similarly interesting vein in the US with his ever-exciting Anabatic Records. Taking on a more minimal approach, Anabatic has come to specialise in bouncy, driving compositions that never fail to enthral whilst, at the same time, proving dance-floor killers in the right hands. Again, the label-boss seems to be looking in the direction of the sort of tropical tech that’s been getting increasing attention in recent times, having just signed Momma’s Boy (a new, stripped-back upstart for Mikix The Cat). In fact, Momma’s Boy has also got an EP coming out on Sound Pellegrino in the near future and has remixed Douster’s For Weirdos Only coming out on the same label later this month. What a happy family! But anyway, here’s a track from the newest addition to Anabatic, London’s own Tom Flynn.

Tom Flynn - Spaced Out (Original Mix)
Cool, warping, spacey tech track, sure to turn some heads.

Meanwhile, progressing as ever, Tartelet and its close-knit Danish kin remain a bastion of all things fresh in the house world. Whilst they may not be the most prolific of collectives, every release is right on the money and worth every penny. Get ready for a brilliant new EP from the Copenhagen duo Kenton Slash Demon, out later this month!

Tomas Barfod & Fredski - March On Swan Lake (Original Version)
Tartelet label-bosses Fredski & Tomboy make a foray onto Get Physical for this slow-to-reveal yet uplifting piece of Tech House.

On calmer shores, Germany’s Kindisch and Diynamic labels have been kicking up a storm recently with a string of exquisite releases. Taking things into hypnotic, organic territory, I can always trust these imprints to warm my soul as well as my dancing shoes.

Stimming - Una Pena (Original Mix)
A standout track from last year on Diynamic. Step on board the organic rollercoaster ride...via some enchanting female vocals...

So that’s all for my first full contribution to the MildWild community and I hope you've liked it! (and I promise my upcoming posts won’t be so all over the place...)

And in the future? I hope to share with you the best in pure house, minimal and dubby techno. Let's bridge the gap between what's mild and what's wild..!

~Emmanuel

Remember, if anything in particular has tickled your fancy, please leave a comment and tell us what you’d like to hear more of. Don’t forget to support the artists by following their progress, going to see them live, buying their releases or downloading their tracks from your favourite digital download site. Beatport works a treat!

-MildWild