Tune: Rogue Audio - Custom Made

Remember Dave Seaman's excellent Essential Mix in late 2004? Remember the opening track by Cass & Luke Chable, "Opiate?" Remember its warm, nostalgia-laden production? Ahhh. Tune.

Well after waiting for nearly 4 years for the track to be released, the track has finally seen the light of day. A downtempo remake of the track is featured on the recently released Afterhours 3 compilation on Global Underground, and is also for digital download in unmixed format on Beatport. The track is apparently part of Cass' upcoming Rogue Audio album.

You can listen to the track by selecting it below:

Luke Chable on JJJ's Mixup

Last month Luke Chable did an exclusive mix for JJJ's Mixup and I've managed to snag a recorded copy (thanks to DancingDI on the inthemix board) for your listening pleasure. Here's the tracklist:

1. Gary Gecko – She’s Hardcore (TV Rock Remix) [Toolroom]
2. Ampere - Frontsteps [Klang Gymnastik]
3. Groove Rebels - Touch It (Dejonka Remix) [Hammarskjold]
4. Etienne De Crecy - Fuck [Different]
5. Paul Woodford & Bobby Peru - Erotic Discourse [2020 Vision Recordings]
6. Audiojack - Robot [Leftroom Limited]
7. H-Man - Manga (Thomas Schumacher Remix) [Giant Wheel]
8. Hustler
9. Luetzenkirchen - Knight Moves (Luetzenkirchen's Steam Mix) [Great Stuff]
10. Timo Garcia - Squeal (Wonky Mix) [Berwick Street Records]
11. Trentemoller - Always Something Better (Trentemoller Mix) [Poker Flat]
12. Johannes Heil - The Magician (Thomas Schumacher Remix) [Klang Elektronik]
13. Stephan Bodzin - Cucuma [Herzblut Recordings]
14. Etienne De Crecy - Someone Like You (Fast Track Vocal Mix) [Different]
15. Cicada - Cut Right Through (DJ Delicious Remix) [Critical Mass]
16. Shiloh - Vice (Luke Chable’s Frock Rockn Socket Remix) [Floppy Discs]
    

Luke also had some interesting things to say at the beginning of the set regarding his change in sound over the last year and what we can expect from him in the future. Here's a transcript (sorry if I missed some of the Aussie slang):

... I started out doing one sound and then I moved on to another sound, and while I was in Holland, I was one of the prog producers that refused to give into prog's dying. I [said] "No, you got to really rock it and play the best tunes out there," and I did, and I did that all year, and I did enjoy it, but there was a time when I was making music that I decided that I couldn't handle it anymore because I had been making prog house ever since I started, and I just could not handle it anymore ... By the time I got back here I was well over it, and was almost ready to give up the whole plot as far as music and Djing. So what happened is I just started tweaking on a certain sound and I heard some things from Thomas Schumacher and Oliver Huntemann, basically the German crew. and these days I'm pretty much torn between, not torn, but equally love good German techno and also good house as well ... Not the handbag house ... none of that funky guitar stuff. Just more on the electro tip without being, funnily enough, prog-electro. That's what I view electro that sounds like a prog producer trying to do electro.

I've got quite a few projects. One of them is sort of going back to the prog-trance I used to do, but I'm not going out with my own name. Well there's one release going under my own name. The first one's a Chable presents Quest which is an old name and the rest I haven't decided yet. But that's all coming out through Armada which is Armin Van Buuren's label. The other stuff, I've just sort of been working on a bunch of things. One of them is an album project with Shiloh from Canada, and that album's name is Tracker. What was done there is basically we're overdoing progressive dance music. We want to do something completely different for us. Not to ignore everyone else but musically with the synthesizers and the melodies and stuff like that we're using a certain synth and a certain sound for the whole album. Basically, if you grabbed Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk and meshed them all up in a ball, that's what Tracker is, and with a dash of Prodigy.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?5zordhwwm5x

Review: Shiloh - Vice

Label: Floppy Discs [FLOPPY001]
Release Date: November 30th, 2006
Rating: 10/10

The Canadian Shiloh brothers debut their brand new imprint, Floppy Discs, with an oustanding 12" featuring some of their finest production to date backed with an out-of-this-world Chable remix on the flip. The original mix is a bottom-heavy, buzzing electronic anthem that smacks of Shiloh's production brilliance. The perfect end-of-the-night tune. Luke Chable's remix takes the track in a completely different direction with a brutal, punchy electro bassline and a huge breakdown that builds to what can only can described as melodic robot heaven. Simply brilliant stuff from both Shiloh and Chable, and a fantastic way to kick off one of the most promising new labels in the industry.

Review: Luke Chable & Danny Bonnici - Hiddenform

Label: Hiddenform Recordings [HDFCD001]
Release Date: September 20th, 2006
Rating: 8/10

Luke Chable's Addicted mix for Platipus earlier this year was one of my favorite mixes of 2006. So needless to say, my expectations for this were rather high. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. Chable (along with Nubreed's Danny Bonnici) create a seamless mix of dirty electro, banging tech house, and groovy house. To say that this compilation is well mixed is an understatement. Chable and Bonnici are able to flawlessly meld each track into the next creating a journey that's quality is greater than the sum of its parts. In particular, the transition from Robert Babicz's groovy "Mister Head" into Lifelike & Kris Menace's anthemic "Discopolis" will give you goosebumps. While you're not going to hear anything ground breaking here, you shouldn't expect to. This is simply an exceptionally well-done compilation by two of Australia's brightest stars. If you dig the dirtier side of electro, your time will would be spent to seek this out.

Review: Chable & Bonnici - Ride

Label: Alternative Route [ARR014]
Release Date: 2003
Rating: 10/10

Perhaps THE biggest track of 2003, and already considered a classic in the progressive house genre. Chable & Bonnici's "Ride" is a massive peak-time anthem with all the elements of a great dance record: an incredibly infectious melody, a rocking bassline, and a massive drop that has and will continue to turn dancefloors upside down whenever it's played out. The Have A Break mix is a distorted breakbeat version of the original. Not quite as effective as the original, but a nice alternative nontheless.

Shiloh - Vice on Floppy Discs

Shiloh has announced that their single, "Vice", will be the first release on their new imprint, Floppy Discs. The original mix was featured on Luke Chable's Addicted compilation and can also be heard on Shiloh's June 2006 Promo Mix. The flip will feature a massive remix by Luke Chable himself, and is already available to listen to on Chable's MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/lukechable). I loved the original, and the remix is quite good too. No release date has been confirmed as of yet.

Chable & Bonnici Mix Compilation: Hidden Form

Luke Chable and Danny Bonnici (of Nubreed) are set to team up on a single CD mix compilation for Hidden Form Recordings, aptly titled: Hidden Form. After Chable's excellent Addicted disc on Platipus, I'm definitely looking forward to this. We'll see what Bonnici adds to the mix. A track list and samples are available on the Hidden Form website at hiddenform.com.

Review: Sunset Squad - Ton Pei

Label: Trojan Records [TRJN301]
Release Date: June 28th, 2006
Rating: 6/10

Sunset Squad (a cheeky reference to Fox's Futurama) are Luke Chable and Dan Mangan. This is not a new group for Chable and Mangan though (who only recently came together as label heads for Trojan Records). "Ton Pei" was originally written in 2003, but remained unreleased. When word got back to Mangan and Chable that the track had been leaked, the two decided to release the track as a free download.

Listening to the track, you can tell it was written in 2003. There are little to no electro or tech house sounds that are all the rage today. Instead, we have subtle, progressive house that screams Luke Chable circa 2003. If you're familiar with his early Quest productions, you know what you're in for. That said, this is a little brighter then most of his productions from that era. The track has a fairly standard 4/4 beat with dark atmospherics and several layers of minimal, echoing melodies. A decent, well-produced track that stands up fairly well with today's releases, but is really hardly anything special.

Free Track from Luke Chable & Dan Mangan

Luke Chable and Dan Mangan have released their 2003 track, "Ton Pei" (as Sunset Squad) as a free download. The two decided to give the track away after discovering it had been leaked. Check Dan Mangan's MySpace for a link to the track, and check out my review here.

Review: Lostep - Because We Can

Label: GU:Music [GUMU003CD]
Release Date: April 4th, 2006
Rating: 6/10

The long awaited LP from the Melbourne based super-duo of Lostep (Luke Chable and Phil K) will wow some and probably disappoint just as many. The amount of buzz the duo created with only two singles is certainly noteworthy, but the quality of those tracks speaks for themselves. "The Roots" and "Burma" were massive progressive breaks epics that have rightfully become classics in their respective genre. Both tracks gained maximum exposure from the biggest in the business with Dave Seaman featuring the former on his Melbourne compilation while Sasha had the latter's release delayed almost a year so he could remix it and include it on his Involver album. Those expecting a recreation of those tracks into full length album will be slightly disappointed. While the quality is still there, Luke and Phil productions are decidedly experimental. As such, on more then a few occassions we find mini tracks that feel more like under-developed filler than actual album material. While I think the filler material here serves a purpose in bridging the gaps between the albums different sections, the album still feels a little light. "6AM Sedna" starts the album off quite effectively with trickling ear candy and distance breakbeats. The spine tingling "Theme From A Fairytale" (a collaboration with Habersham) follows sounding similar to the warm downtempo you'd hear on a Boards Of Canada release. "Construction Of A Deep Space Station" and the beginning of "Naughty" sound like a ambient Future Sound Of London productions before the latter develops into a storming rock track with a slightly tribal beat. "Because We Can" sounds like nothing you've ever heard before. It's basically devoid of melody and buzzes through all the frequencies of your stereo system. At first, it's annoying, but after a couple of listens it satisfies on a deeper level. "Computer Crash" closes out the albums experimental introduction as we dive into the driving fury of "Little Peaking", which again, eschews melody in favor of pure electronic intensity. While this works in "Because We Can" and "Little Peaking", "Dr. King's Surgery" stretches the theme too thinly and quickly grows repetitive and annoying. "Shortcut To Granuland" turns the madness down and brings back the experimental vibe of earlier parts of the album, serving as a brilliant set up for a slightly modified "Burma". While on some levels, I can appreciate the decision to include the track, it's hard for me to appreciate the track like I did two years ago. "Villain" is probably what most Lostep fans were hoping to hear when they initially decided to give this album a listen as the track's is a melodic breaks epic has a similar production quality to those early Lostep productions and remixes. Although certainly nothing ground-breaking, it's an easy pick for track of the album. The album ends on the strange bleeps and blops of "Family Tennis". With creating this album, Luke and Phil stated that they hoped they would change the way people listen to music. Through their experiment, we are presented with several good tracks, but a disappointing overall album. After several listens, the album still leaves with me an unsatisfied feeling. While some individual tracks are pleasing in one respect or another and the album overall is fairly well put together, it fails to deliver the journey we'd hoped for when first hearing "Burma" back in 2004.

Review: Luke Chable - Unreleased Vol. 1

Label: Trojan Records [TRJN602]
Release Date: June 12th, 2006
Rating: 6/10

Trojan Record's second release for 2006 is a collection of unreleased Luke Chable remixes that weren't "quite right" for the label. The first is Chable's alternate remix of Mads Arp's "Slow It Down". It's a laid back buzzing electro track, with a cut-up/resampled vocal laid over top. Pretty good. I prefer it to his first remix, and recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Chable's remix of Group Therapy's "Faith Again".

"Swedish Meatballs (I Don't Know)" is a remix of a Lost Language track that Chable ended up releasing as his own original production after some confusion with the label. Storming, off-kilter, electro house is what you'll hear, with a playful bassline and rhythmic synth work to go along with it. This is certainly the most eclectic we've heard Chable be, but that was sort of the point of this release I suppose.

Two decent tracks, nothing amazing really, but certainly worth checking out if your a fan of the more eclectic side of electro.

Review: Shiloh - Bleed

Label: Baroque Records [BARQCD004]
Release Date: June 12th, 2006
Rating: 9/10

Literally years in the making, Bleed, Shiloh's highly anticipated debut album on Baroque, has taken quite a journey getting to us. Originally set to be released in 2004, the album saw two full years of delay before finally seeing the light of day. In some regards, this is a blessing as the album is extremely polished with almost no filler. On the other hand though, the album has a distinctly dated flavor. But dated isn't always bad. Good music is good music regardless of age. So despite having what some might call a slightly stale feeling, Bleed is a masterpiece.

CD1, titled Red Cell, is the more subdued CD with a focus on Shiloh's down-tempo/breaks sounds. Long time fans will recognize Shiloh's first single, "Will U Ever Come Around", presented here in slightly updated form. The track has lost none of its magic, and remains as majestic and fascinating as ever. The album's self-titled track emits a nice, feel good vibe with its warbley bassline and wonderfully uplifting melodies. "Face" though, may disappoint some with its tougher, more urban breaks oriented sound. The track's cheesy, rap-like lyrics end up sounding more silly then anything. The track does provide a nice segue into "Mana"; one of Shiloh's many progressive breaks masterpieces. A classic no doubt that continues to enchant with its perfectly arranged melodies and mesmerizing atmospherics. "Undo" follows in the same vein, this time with a 4/4 beat and a deep, rolling bassline amid the filtered melodies and light, yet emotional vocals. "Outsider" calls upon vocalist Antonia Lucas who turns out a great performance giving the track just the right edge to blanace out its smooth, laid back groove. "Sanguinate" provides a wonderful transition into the down-tempo reprise of Shiloh's collaboration with Benz & MD, Fall. The original always sounded a bit incoherent to me, but the reprise is much tighter. "Melt" is another quality track featuring a signature twinkling Shiloh melody that loops throughout the track to great effect. Shiloh's trademark breaks opus, "Dream On", again, as massive as ever, follows creating a deep soundscape with its despondant vocals, bubbling melodies and deep bassline. "Reaction" rounds out a near flawless CD with its huge, growling bassline and slamming synth stabs.

CD2, titled White Cell, features more club oriented tracks with several collaborations and remixes. Starting off in a huge fashion with Luke Chable's absolutely storming remix of "Dream On", the Moreh brothers don't waste anytime pushing out the peak time club tracks. Chable, ever on form, transforms the quirky original into a massive big room anthem with a huge breakdown and an out-of-this-world drop that will effectively massacre any dance floor it's played on. Michelle Chiver's lends her vox on the effortlessly smooth "Vista Cruz", before we're given the first of two Chable collaborations. "Sentrino", once again, is absolutely devastating with it's huge, chugging beat and roaring bass-melody intertwined with bits of Shiloh's style quirky melodies. Simple, but oh so effective. Shiloh's next collaboration features Arizona LP who contribute a reworking of Shiloh's 2003 single, "Baby". "All Those Things", with it's slamming breaks and amalgamation of motifs create a brilliant juxtaposition behind the track's familiar vocal. Furry Nipples (Sweden's Ozgur Can and Stian Klo) offer a techy reinterpretation of "Face", to fairly decent effect, though it's a track that seems a bit out of place on the CD. David West's big room breaks remix of "Reaction" takes the track to new heights of euphoria with its pulsating bassline and epic melodies. Even more impressive is how effectively West incorporates the vocal, which felt a little akward in the original. The next two tracks, for whatever reason, fall short of the quality displayed on the rest of the album. "IMOK" and "RUOK" just sound unpolished and underdeveloped. Here Shiloh explore the trancier side of the progressive spectrum. You can here the potential in both tracks, but at the end of each you can't help but feel underwhelmed. Fortunately, the CD closes in magnificent fashion with the second Luke Chable collaboration, entitled "OZ". Here the elements of trance are effectively in place, and the pay off is huge. "OZ" is simply an amazing piece of production that shows why trance music, when it avoids the common pitfalls that usually produce the banal, cheesy music we all love to hate, can be great music too.

So while you might not be floored by Shiloh's innovation on Bleed, you'll still appreciate their masterful craft and fantastic production. CD1, despite featuring several older tracks that may sound less fresh then most other music released nowadays, is still a tightly arranged, coherent album featuring fantastic music. CD2, despite a little bit of filler, unleashes several incredible club tracks that will undoubtedly go on to become classics of the genre. This album is really a no brainer. Fans of all genres of electronic music will find something they like here. Indeed, the long wait was worth it.

Review: Luke Chable & Kosmas Epsilon

Label: Platipus [PLAT136CD]
Release Date: June 12th, 2006
Rating: 8/10

As the story goes, Platipus discovered two "addicts" in Luke Chable and Kosmas Epsilon after the two performed remix duties on the Platipus classic "2 Full Moons & A Trout" earlier this year. The two admitted to being Platipus junkies in their former years, so the label decided to have the two, also up and coming DJs aside from their usual production and remix, create a double mix CD for the label. The result is Addicted, one of the best mix CDs to be released this year.

Luke is up on CD1, and he goes straight to the deep end with some of the filthiest, dirtiest tech house around. With funky grooves and thundering basslines, Luke doesn't mess much with melody. 8-Bit Kid's remix of Man In The Cupboard's "I Don't Care" and Bush 2 Bush's "Piano Track" are some early highlights, both featuring some unrelenting techy bass stabs that you'll be hard pressed to keep your hips from shaking along to. Things roll into the funky of electro of Thomas Schumacher's "Inside" and Dan Mangan's "Resorcerer" (of Chable's own Trojan imprint) before going slightly minimal with Sons Of Slough - Real People (Phil Kieren Remix). Chable flawlessly mixes this into the thrashing electronica of LoStep's "Because We Can", which will no doubt give your stereo system a frequency check, whether you wanted it or not. Trentemoller's effortlessly catchy remix of Royksopp's "Remind Me" follows before Chable finishes the mix of with a huge tech house production from Shiloh. "Vice" is all at once rocking and emotional. I can honestly say this is a fantastic mix from beginning to end. Much better then Chable's Therapy Sessions outing.

Next up is Kosmas on CD2. Things start off great with a couple of tough, melodic tech house grooves including the fantastic "She's Scared" by Elias Tzikas and the funky electro of Yannis PK's "Playin' With Marilyn", but Kosmas lets the mix slip after this. A couple of boring tracks, namely Nutrunner's "Open Spaces" (Oliver Koletzki's Ellen James Remix and Kosmas' own remix of FC Kahuna's "Hayling" really slow the mix down. It's not that the "Hayling" remix is poor, but it really doesn't fit here, and we've already heard the track before (used in much better fashion in my opinion) on James Holden's Balance 005. Not bad music, but the songs don't mesh. Kosmas picks up pace again with the very cool "Out Of Curious" by Minilouge, and from here 'til the end things roll pretty smoothly. Some great tracks including a very cool Can Kosmas track, "Che Malakita"as reinterpreted by D-Nox & Beckers. Kosmas ends his mix on a perfect note with Balcazar's almost trancey "Boots & Skirts". Although weak in some spots, this a very good DJ mix CD debut for Kosmas Epsilon.

So there you have it. Two great DJ mixes from two of the hottest producers around. Be forewarned, these are electro/tech house mixes through and through. Don't expect to hear anything you would associate with Platipus. That aside, this is one of the best compilations of 2006.

Trojan Records New Release

Surfing around the Juno website I discovered some promo releases of the new Trojan Records release. It's a collection of unreleased Luke Chable remixes. The first being his original remix of Mads Arp's "Slow It Down", and the second being a remix of Lost Language track that was rejected by the label. Okay, so not exactly headlines per se, but I think new productions from Luke Chable and a new release from Trojan Records are a pretty big deal. Release date is still unannounced. Here's a review of the promo release.

Review: Shiloh - Bleed 12" Sampler

Label: Baroque Records [BARQ060]
Release Date: May 22nd, 2006
Rating: 10/10

The first of two samplers from Shiloh's first album, Bleed. The A, "Oz", is a massive progressive trance workout that will tug your heart strings. This isn't the slightest bit cheesy, it just works. It starts off with a huge 4/4 beat and slowly introduces layer after layer of euphoric pads. The beat slowly fades into the background before being suddenly reintroduced in a huge eruption of emotion. It's hard to describe how good this track is. It's easily one of the best productions produced by either Shiloh or Chable.

The flip is a remake of Shiloh's 2003 track, "Baby". Here the brothers team up with Arizona breaks outfit LP, and they create a monstrous breaks workout that is somewhat reminiscent of early Shiloh productions. A huge droning bassline and techy synth stabs give way to more melodic loops and some excellent vocals. If you like this, you should check out the original "Baby" productions.

The Baroque ads were correct in stating that this is a fantastic reflection of the quality of Shiloh's album. Two fantastic cuts, and instant classics. "Oz" might be my favorite track so far this year.

Review: Shiloh - Dream On (Luke Chable Remix)

Label: Baroque Records [BARQ057]
Release Date: March 20th, 2006
Rating: 9/10

Apparently one of the most eagerly anticipated releases in Baroque's history, Luke Chable's massive remix of Shiloh's "Dream On" finally gets released months after we first heard it on Chable's Kiss 100 mix back in August '05. The remix is in classic Chable style as Luke takes the original's jittery melodies and loops them over a huge four to the floor beat. Several minutes in, the beat drops out and we're left with a huge breakdown that eventually picks up with a huge rumbling bass synth line that screams peak time madness. This is one Chable's finest, and that's saying a lot considering the sheer quantity of quality remixes and productions this man has released in the last few years.

On the flip is Shiloh's original, which is still a great tune in it's own right. Very atmospheric, with a snappy bassline and Shiloh's signature vocodered vocals. The best part is the jittery melodies that come between the choruses. One of Shiloh's best.

The Luke Chable Remix has been a favorite of mine for months now. Hopefully we'll continue to see huge remixes like this from Luke Chable.

Review: Quest - The Shepherd

Label: Vapour Recordings [VR12031]
Release Date: 2004
Rating: 10/10

Of the 70+ productions/remixes Luke Chable has given us in the last three years, this has got to rank in the top 5 for sheer quality and brilliance. Released under Luke's alias Quest, "The Shepherd" is just fantastic. The two minute intro is hazy and atmospheric, but wait until about the two minute mark when the high hats drop suddenly, and a whirl of sweeping playful melodies frame a sole thundering kick drum. The sound is all at once deep, beautiful and epic. This is quintissential Luke Chable, and maybe his finest original production after "Ride".

Review: Steve May - Open Day

Label: EQ [Grey] [EQG12018]
Release Date: April, 2004
Rating: 10/10

Steve May's "Open Day" ranks among the best releases of 2004. The original is a simple, uplifting piece that frames multiple looping melodies around a driving bassline. The track climaxes when all of the melodies are layered in a frenetic fusion of driving progressive house with playful, breakbeat style melodies. Fellow Melbourne native Luke Chable provides the remix; a thunderous breakbeat mix that is equally, if not more engaging than the original. The track starts off with a massive Chable-esque breakbeat, but the real beat doesn't actually drop until nearly five minutes in. Watch out when it does too, cause it's massive! Que the swirling bubbly melodies, the hoover bassline, and some lush breaks and you've got another classic Luke Chable remix on your hands. A very impressive debut for the Aussie Steve May, and yet another amazing reinterpretation to toss on the pile from our good friend Luke Chable.

Review: Sasha - Cloud Cuckoo

Label: White Label [SAS001]
Release Date: December 30th, 2003
Rating: 10/10

Luke Chable's remix of Sasha's "Cloud Cookoo" is THE quintissential Luke Chable remix. Luke took the cold, brooding, breakbeat original and transformed it into a massive, euphoric house anthem. Right out the gate, this beast is devastating. As the track progresses, a vacuum-esque bassline is introduced, and slowly, layer by layer of understated melody is piled on top until the track is just brimming with intensity and emotion. Then, all of the sudden, the beat stops, and the main melody from the original is introduced. It repeats for a couple of lines, stops, and then the massive beat resumes with only a trace of understated melody left behind. And I have goosebumps. Who wouldn't? The music I'm listening to right now is that good. The track moves on to greater euhporic heights, and by the end you're elated (and exhausted) from an epic 10 minute journey to heart and soul of what progressive house and really electronic dance music is all about. I absolutely love this remix (if you couldn't tell). After hearing this the first time I became a Luke Chable fan, and have subsequently collected a great majority of the rest of his productions and remixes (would you believe there's over 80 now?). He's got a fantastic discography filled with too many amazing songs to mention, but this track still holds a place at the top of my list.

The flip? A gritty breaks reinterpretation of the James Holden co-produced classic "Bloodlock". Jacob Todd is at the helm here, and doesn't do a half bad job. He brings the darker elements of the original to forefront, and throws an absolutely nasty droning bassline underneath. Flashes of the original's gorgeous melodies bubble to the surface eventually, but what you'll hear here is mostly just dark, dirty and scary. Good stuff, though it's tough to hold a candle to the amazing original.