For Seven Plays, each week one of our contributors will keep a personal music diary for seven days, then hands the feature over to another Truant at the end of the week. The idea is to keep sharing great music with our readers, but with a more individual touch than our more objective posts and reviews. Our latest installment comes courtesy of Matt Gibney, jumping from Parisian techno, electro bangers to dark speed garage and a lot more in between.
Saturday: Tail Spin – All Massive
“Speedfreak Recordings didn’t have a particularly long run at things. Set up by Wes and Nigel Clarke in 1997, the label released two twelve inch singles before packing things in a year later. Wes ventured off into altogether different territory and would go on to work with Hed Kandi, Ministry of Sound and Danni Minogue. While I can’t tell you what Nigel’s been up to since the only thing you really need to know is that both of the label’s releases are well worth your time. This one is from the first Speedfreak release and is an absolute stormer. It’s speed garage at its absolute best – dark and rugged, with a weighty bassline that is just primed to cause carnage on the dancefloor.”
Sunday: Bintus – Point Counter Point
“I’ve spent a lot of the last week listening to Bintus; the latest solo project from Milo Smee (a man probably best known for his role in Chrome Hoof). Heavily inspired by the acid and techno music Smee listened to in his youth, these heavy hitting hardware workouts are perfect club weapons. “Point Counter Point” is my personal favourite; a quick, clanging and unnerving dose of mutant electro which I’m really hoping to hear out on a big system soon.”
Monday: DJ Gunshot – Wheel N Deal
“For one reason or another I’ve never spent much time exploring jungle. I’m not sure whether it’s a case of simply preferring dance music at slightly slower tempos but I’ve found a lot of what I have listened to be almost jarringly quick. This track from DJ Gunshot just does something to me though. Pearson Sound finished a five hour set with it when I saw him back in February. Luckily my mate was on hand with the ID and it’s no exaggeration to say I’ve listened to it almost daily since. Today was no different.”
Tuesday: Syclops – Where’s Jason’s K
“Maurice Fulton is quite simply the man. Whether he’s producing one of the nineties biggest bangers or putting together one of my favourite mixes, the consistency to his craft very rarely wavers. This slick little groover was produced under his Syclops alias and it’s been on heavy rotation lately. While it may seem a very simple track – certainly compared to other Syclops productions – that bassline is just ridiculously infectious and more than enough to have me drawing for it time and again.”
Wednesday: Fango – Wek (Despejado Mix)
“Fango first came to my attention when Joy Orbison started playing the Italian producer’s remix of Batongo’s “Aguirre” in his sets last year. That track’s relentlessly frenzied drums instantly piqued my interest but somehow I forgot all about it until Jackmaster included it in his recent Essential Mix. I’ve since worked my way through Fango’s entire back catalogue and there’s some really great stuff there. Details on the man himself remain a bit sketchy though I wasn’t in the least bit surprised when I learnt that he’s a professional drummer; the percussion on this mix of “Wek” is every bit as captivatingly fierce and abrasive as “Aguirre”.”
Thurday: Antigone – The Fugitive
“Parisian Antigone is one of several exciting techno producers to emerge from France in recent times. Run by Zadig, the Construct Re-Form label has crucial in developing this new wave of talent and helped to bring producers such as Voiski (check out his contribution to the Truancy Volume series here) and Diotime to my attention. Antigone’s “As I Walk To You” EP dropped on the label back in February but it was only this week that I gave it a proper listen. Tracks like “And When The Sky Was Open” exhibit Antigone’s range as a producer but for me he’s at his best when constructing take-no-prisoners techno tools. “The Fugitive” is a perfect example of this – just make sure to turn your speakers/headphones up loud.”
Friday: Vakula – Touch
“Tonight all roads lead to Sankeys. Selective Hearing are throwing a Dimensions launch party and inviting Ben Klock, Rødhåd, Vakula and John Roberts along for the ride. Vakula completely blew me away when I saw him spin in March last year so I’ve been looking forward to this one for some time. His productions are equally special. Today I’ve had the Saturday EP on repeat and it’s been getting me in the mood nicely. While all four tracks are on the money, “Touch” is the one for me. Vakula’s work takes inspiration from many musical spheres and a jazz influence strongly pervades this serene piano house number – perfect daytime listening.”
Read our previous instalments of Seven Plays here and make sure to catch the next edition coming from OG Truant Sindhuja Shyam.
