Hotter than a chili contest, “Kickstart My Love” is set to be the soundtrack of the current heatwave sweeping over Europe!

» Move Me So « starts rather simply, with just a guitar and a vocal, but you can hear a moving bassline and distant rhodes chords creeping up from the background. Two minutes into the track and there’s still no kick drum, although the level of excitement produced by the magnetic groove is almost unbearable. A filtered drum break finally gives way to a four to the floor beat that should turn any dancefloor into a frenetic party. The track builds with high energy, as the pounding bassline seems to be directly lifted from an early 90’s Hip-Hop classic. The breakdown sees the vocal/guitar loop being played differently until the second part shifts gear and brings more surprises in the mix with the intro rhodes chords coming in and out. But just as you think this jam will stay on the same vibe until the end, the now-famous “Session Victim twist” appears and this time the boys conclude the track with gorgeous keyboard chords that slowly mellow the whole thing out, as if the song has reached serenity after so much action.

» A Wooden Mind«  begins with a rather off-beat percussion and bass loop, but a very comfortable analog groove sets in after a while. You’ve just embarked for a fantastic voyage…until a quirky rhodes motif steers the song into a somewhat more hypnotic direction, with a catchy but faint melody playing from a distance. A new part reintroduces the chords found at the beginning while the quiet melody gets pushed to the forefront in its full pop glory. “A Wooden Mind” finishes rather splendidly with elements of the melody appearing at will while the chords gently fade away…

» Secrets « is the EP’s closer and the first 100% Hip-Hop instrumental ever released on Retreat! Starting off in true old school fashion with only a drum workout, the track then releases a Leslie-fuelled organ loop as well as scratchy guitars. Enhanced by vocal snippets emphasizing the importance of being original, “Secrets” is a veritable showcase for Session Victim’s ever-evolving talent and a perfect conclusion to this well-crafted EP.

A1 – Move Me So
B1 – A Wooden Mind
B2 – Secrets

Release: June 30th 2010
(Releasesheet)

Groove #124 – Mai 2010

Net reviews:

Resident Advisor  review
Sleazy Beats review
Jetset records

Frank, I spent so much time on this tee, using my non-existing drawing skills to the max...you better wear it!

Phew, it really feels like eons since I’ve sat down and wrote some nonsense for our blog…then again, it’s not like I’ve been lazy: I’m known as der Pressemann, the one in charge for all the release sheets, party infos, Reels descriptions and basically every written text that is related to Retreat, so there has been some stuff to rant about, but fair enough, my last proper blog entry was in November. Back then, I was moaning about the tough Berlin winter but now, believe or not, the sun came back! My brain still has trouble processing this new information and I was indeed training to live in this Ice Age for the rest of my life (dressing up with 5 layers, being really cautious not to slip on the road, mumbling instead of talking so that my lips don’t bleed)…but hey, the ice is gone, the birds are singing and the days are getting longer so I guess I can ditch those adamantium gloves.

So what’s new at  Retreat HQ? Well, in case you didn’t notice, we have a new record out entitled “Treats Vol.2″ which is getting some major airplay. It’s a hot split EP with two cuts from Session Victim and 1 track from myself. You can read about it here and there but also just make up your own mind by listening to it. Session Victim are now busy working on RTR06 but if you’re a fiend for their groovy cut-up approach, i would strongly recommend that you check out Matthias Reiling‘s excellent “Das Gespenst Von Altona” on Giegling. This Mini-album from the talented producer who makes up 1/2 of Session Victim has Funk stamped all over its 3 House tracks and 5 Hip-Hop Instrumentals. Being the ageing b-boy that I am, my preference goes to the 5 little gems: intricate yet bouncy beats that seem to be tailormade for MC’s like DOOM or Kool Keith. Hot ish! In fact, if you’re in Berlin tonight, be sure to check Matthias out at Farbfernseher, it’s about to become pretty steamy in this little place!

That’s it for now peeps, more news and the usual q-nonsense will follow shortly…

SESSION VICTIM start things off with the magical »Danish Daughters«, a slow groover that begins in a gentle but assured way, sparking your interest with its infectious guitar and piano loop until the beat kicks in and makes you irrepressibly shake that thang. Adding a synth line here or a bell sound there, the duo keep the pace of the track steady until a startling guitar riff breaks it down, giving way to the original loop to return in its full glory, complete with extra organ dashes!

Closing off the A-side is the sweaty »Midnight Hour«, an ode to down and dirty Soul music, complete with gritty guitars, rhodes licks, smoky vocals and those sweet SVM chords. The track is masterfully arranged, with each sound taking the right space at the right time although always leaving room for the unexpected. The biggest surprise of all comes in a subtle but definitely Dj-unfriendly ending. Prepare to ride that pitch knob!

On the flipside, we find QUARION venturing in new territories with the boogie-influenced »Pepper Candy«. The first part consists of a dense mixture of House stabs, shuffling hi-hats, a piercing synth pad and a seldom but devastating sub bass. As the tension reaches its apex, »Pepper Candy« suddenly evolves into a Boogie tune, with gorgeous rhodes chords, a liquid bassline and loud handclaps!
But as soon as you’re about to get carried away by clapping along, the track switches back to its original state, this time with more pressure and some mysterious percussion. A few minutes in and the song breaks down once again for another dose of sweet boogie, this time with an extra melody thrown in for good measure!

A1 – Danish Daughters
A2 – Midnight Hour (I Feel It Fade)
B1 – Pepper Candy

Release: March 17th 2010
(RTR_releasesheet-05)

Thanks to Gesine, we managed to get a few pics during our latest promo action.

As usual, we stamped every one of the 60 Test Pressings with the Retreat logo (three times!) and a small “RTR05″ banner. Alongside evidence of our unadulterated geekiness,  you’ll also have an exclusive peek on the brand new sleeve design!

“Here’s a little mix I did for the ‘Reels’-podcast-series of my buddies at Retreat. It contains some of my alltime favorite 12″s, some tracks i went nuts on the past few years, two fantastic edits done by my dear friend Jool (under his ‘Edit Piafra’ moniker) besides some later records and tracks from 2009 and 2010.
Thanks to my mate Baaz who allowed me to use his spaceship-like-lookin’ cd-player for this mix.
I hope the quality is not too bad and you guys like it – even this mix is a little genre-rollercoaster in it’s first half.”

As you might have noticed, I generally leave the writing to Yanneck and take care of the administrative stuff at Retreat HQ . But  I just returned to Berlin after spending three weeks in the sunshine in Sydney and felt the need to thank all my friends and music lovers down-under for looking after me.  Special thanks to:
Jimmi, Ken, Richie and Adam for the excellent Mad Shuffle Party. Chad, Nathan and Jay from Future Classic for hospitality, great times at the beach house (and forcing me on the surf board) and hooking me up with some gigs.  Sinclair and Simon Caldwell for inviting me to your radio shows.