It’s a good job the music on the 12 tracks on this compilation more than outweigh this early candidate for ‘Most Unispired Title’ of the year; musically, 2010 looks like a very good year for Soma Recordings indeed.
The long-running label that masters in the house/tech-house/techno vein that was founded in 1991 and is mostly known for artists like Slam, Funk D’Void, H-Foundation, Percy X, Silicone Soul and more recently, The Black Dog (see Further Vexations) revival.
That said, they still manage to stay ahead of the game and Soma Compilation 2010 sees a healthy mix of the old and new with guys like Itamar Sagi (with the opener ‘One Million Oaks’) and Sweden’s Samuel L. Session getting the Slam remix treatment.
And on the subject of the remix, Slam themselves get the once over by Joris Voorn (he of last years’ top mix CD, Balance 014) and their classic ‘Positive Education’ is represented on the compilation by a D’Julz remix (also check out the other remixes by Fergie and Marco Bernardi).
The killer tunes for me on here are a trio stuck in the middle, the jazzed up ‘Tijuana’, an electro-ish ‘Machismo’ and the ever brilliant Christian Prommer on the remix of Master H (remember how good Hell & Christian Prommer’s ‘Freak It‘ was last year)
It’s a surprise to see WARP veterans Autechre end the set with a remix of The Black Dog’s ‘Tunnels OV Set’ with a subtle electro belch of broken beat ambient (I suggest the ‘dance’ equivalent is the dub version of ‘A Raven Wheeling Overhead’ – great title) but its Ripperton’s massive remix of Silicone Soul’s ‘Dust Ballad II’ with it’s industrial mini drop-hammer beat, minimal vocal and deep house synth strings that steals (or should that be ‘steel city’) the day.
You’re always going to get a strong selection out of Soma (also see Soma Coma Vol.1: Out of Body Electronica. Soma Compilation 2007, Soma Coma Vol. 2) as Glasgow’s finest does it again.
P.S. props to Ewan Leckie for the cover, apparently he won a competition but it is particularly good.
Reviewed: Various – Soma Compilation 2010 (Soma Quality Recordings)
Cat. No: SOMACD082 Release date: 1st February 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Itamar Sagi – One Million Oaks (6:42)
2 Funk D’Void & Sian – A Raven Wheeling Overhead (Sleazy Dub) (5:26)
3 Samuel L. Session – Can You Relate (Slam Remix) (6:52)
4 Slam – Ghost Song (Joris Voorn Remix) (5:46)
5 Safras, Broom + Kuipers – Jelle (6:23)
6 Slam – Positive Education (D’Julz Remix) (6:25)
7 Gary Beck – Tijuana (6:55)
8 Let’s Go Outside – Machismo (4:34)
9 Master H – Magic K (Christian Prommer Remix) (8:12)
10 Harvey McKay – Disturb The Bird (Gary Beck Remix) (6:09)
11 Silicone Soul – Dust Ballad II (Ripperton Mix) (5:58)
12 The Black Dog – Tunnels OV Set (Autechre Remix) (7:35)
Links:
www.myspace.com/itamarsagi
djulz.com
master-h.com
garybeck.co.uk
ripperton.com
autechre.info
www.somarecords.com
