Could this be 2006's final YSI?

Probably, but I'm really enjoying these two records in particular, both released in the week before Christmas. The first is My My's remix of Duoteque's My My's remix of Duoteque's "Amarcord" on Boxer. If you've heard the My My LP you know what to expect hear, if not, check this out, what starts off quite agitated gives way to some of those Detroit style melodies that have been popping up a bit more commonly in the last few months. While this is great, there really is a fine line between minimal meeting Detroit and just becoming boring electronic house. I've never been into labels like Galaktika or Déssous, apart from when the latter drafts in a decent remixer, and there are a slew of producers making vaguely US tinged Euro-house for the last few years and plodding along with production after production, none of which are ever great, these guys are probably just waiting for a chance to inflict their lounge compilation grooves on the world! So not too heavy on the US sounds please Germans, and the rest of the world...a little lushness is a dangerous thing.

The second track I'm linking dovetails nicely with this last point, it's by Marc Antona whom I've not heard of before, and is no Freak N Chic. I find myself checking Freak N Chic pretty regularly these days, having at one stage thought of it as sort of quaint acid house revivalism. This is the third record of 2006 I've really enjoyed on the label and that's better than many labels manage.

Perhaps the time is just right for Freak N Chic, aswell as lushness like My My seeping into minimal there's also been a return of more abrasive jacking rhythms, like the Jamie Jones release I recently blogged about, and of course Samim/Haze and co.

However I've also noticed a lot of tracks incorporating some of that weirdly organic feeling you get from certain early Chicago records. I mean organic in the sense of the music sounding sort of tropical or tribal. Kemi and Amox's "Natas" was a perfect example of this which I linked to a while back. "Happy Martians" by Antona also has this vibe, just listen to that bassline, so primal, you can practically see the steam rising from the trees. Of course it still sounds quite trendy and minimal and "now", but can the return of the bongo be far ahead of us? Beardo house?

And is this all just part of an endless process of recycling? Perhaps the future of house and techno is just continuing unfinished ideas from various points in the past, sometimes several at a time.

(As always if you like the above try and pick up the 12s or give the labels and producers some money in the future...)

Tags: minimal, house music, downloads