Music in November: Matias Aguayo, Rodamaal feat Claudia Franco
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Music wanderings take us into left-field hedonism this month via the German dance scene with its Spanish house vocals amongst others. Album and playlist of the month as well as a featured favourite album classic
Album of the month: Matias Aguayo, Ay Ay Ay (2009)
Once again the Germano-Chilean Matias Aguayo, who lives between Buenos Aires and Paris, has shaken up the sometime rigid boundaries of electronic music. With Brazilian electro producer Gui Boratto - of the Cologne-based bastion of standards and open-mindedness that is record label Kompakt - his stork delivery to us comes a little early this month in the form of Ay Ay Ay. His second solo album, dominated with recorded vocals, is by touches brilliant and rich. His back-up is a technique picked up during many fruitful years of collaboration with Kompakt, most notably as a part of Closer Musik (with Dirk Leyers). He utilises it precisely to attack what remains of the minimal aesthetic, as his 2008 manifesto already declared in the form of his 2008 single Basta ya de la minimal ('Enough of Minimal'). A captivating, generous album which remains without complexes in its class. This is the good stuff
Samuel Ronsin
My favourite album: Daft Punk, Homework (1997)
Redone, rehashed, and revamped by everyone from The Chemical Brothers to Janet Jackson, nothing beats the original. It's a damn funky blend of techno and house that never gets old, and the French electro duo's debut still has the power to make the entire club go wild. Or at least have you dancing in your seat on the bus to work
Watch the Roman Coppola-directed Revolution 909 video for the album's fourth single here
Tim Mac an Airchinnigh
Top 5 tracks this month from Copenhagen-Berlin
Clem Snide, I'll Be Your Mirror (2003)
Awesome Velvet Underground cover from the NY indie rock team
Rodamaal feat Claudia Franco, Insomnia (2005)
The theme song of a party 'reihe' (series) that friends are doing in Berlin is a house track by the Portuguese trio and guest singer. Listen!
Gene Pitney & Marc Almond, Something's gotten hold of my heart (1989)
The 1967 original was reworked by the British artist the year that the Berlin wall came down
Frankie Knuckles, Your Love (2004)
A very very old electro, super cheesy house track from the American DJ which was made famous by Grand Theft Auto
Danny Tenaglia, Music is the Answer (2008)
Superclub memory from the NY DJ, who ranks up there with European counterpart and British DJ Carl Cox. Watch it here
Lassë Jensen