Jackmate (aka Michel Baumann) it the owner of the Stuttgart based Philpot-Records and Phil e. The Phil e sub-label was set up as to release “techy” productions ranging from ambient and drones to experimental forms of techno.

I was attracted to ‘Malawi Dub’ purely on the strengh of the title and it doesn’t disappoint as it’s all cow-bell, heavy percussion and tense scene building synth-tech. If your into Ray Okpara’s ‘Loving Moonbuah’, ‘Malawi Dub’ is the next step. I see that Tobi ‘Secretsundaze Presents’ Neumann is a fan (“ach herrlich! gute musik von jackmate. ich finde die grooves einbißchen statisch aber insgesamt doch sehr schöne stücke. support!”) as is Karotte (Cocoon/Great Stuff), “Malawi Dub kommt in meine top 10 im oktober. absoluter hammer.”

Perversely, the track ‘In Flux’ has more of a hint of dub about (with a melodica theme and a Christmas Box it twinkle) whilst ‘S…. Out’ is a clicky electric piano piece in sort of ambient jazz vien (suggest it’s a great intro track for a mix tape).

Bauman started off as a hip hop fan but was ‘converted’ when he heard the original Chicago, Detroit and NY house and techno productions of the late 80s. You may know him better as Supatone or more recently Soulphiction (as in ‘Love Thang’ that was on the Rainer Truby & Jazzanova compilation Beats, Bites & Öxle and ‘Used’ on Sonar Kollektiv - Ten Years, Who Cares?. Worth finding his SoulPhiction Xclusive Soulsearching set that he did for Michael Rüttens Soulsearching Radio show (now 11 years old so Gilles Peterson tells us this week).

These are the types of tracks that will appear on future Secretsundaze and Need 2 Soul compilations so why wait, get them now!

P.S. Not forgetting it’s Radio 1 International Week this week as, along with Kissy Sell Out in Paris, Gilles Peterson in New York and Kutski in Berlin, Mary Anne Hobbs features the Lake Of Stars festival in Malawi (to ‘listen again’ see www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/documentaries/internationalradio12008).

Reveiwed: Jackmate - Malawi Dub (Phil e) Cat. No: phile2008 Release date: October 2008
Tracklisting:
A Malawi Dub (6:06)
B1 In Flux (4:38)
B2 S…..Out (3:45)

Links
www.myspace.com/jackmateakasoulphiction
www.myspace.com/soulphiction
www.last.fm/music/Jackmate
www.philpot-records.net
Bloom & Lake of Stars Christmas Party: Sat Dec 6th, London - Not long now until the reunion/Xmas bash at the brilliant Horse and Groom pub on Curtain Rd. Bloom Festival take care of dowmstairs whilst we’ll be hosting the upstairs nonsense. Expect plenty of festive cheer as we look back at LOS 2008 and ahead to LOS 2009…www.lakeofstars.org