MFR167 Various Artists 'Best Of Year 9'

My Favorite Robot is proud to welcome the return of DJ and production duo Slow Porn with a stunning new compilation album. After releasing a critically acclaimed EP on the Canadian label back in December 2015, Slow Porn now come back with a fantastically curated 18 track compilation that proves the richness of their sound goes way beyond their studio and the dancefloor.

Made up of Meant Records label boss Remain, and fellow Frenchman and La dame Noir label head honcho, Phred Noir, the duo have shared many DJ booths over the years leading to this collaborative project. This new compilation, which also includes Slow Porn sounds, is an expert experiment that finds them delivering "a filthy groove and slow-paced mood music for confidential and undisclosed dancefloors."

Taking in a delicious and diverse selection of artists such as label regular Fairmont, via machine music maverick Richard Norris and numerous other luminaries such as Rodion, Rework and Vosper, this is a carefully constructed mix where a libidinous and spaced-out mood is king.

Things start exquisitely with the spacious and lush 'Lost In Love' by Amevicious before touching on broken disco with French spoken words, percolating kosmische, languorous and slow motion deep house and synth-tactic steppers that gently nudge up the BPM. Mixing beautiful drones with heavenly chords, leggy drums with pixelated pads, Slow Porn plot a journey through space that is wide open and inviting, laid back but vitally engaging.

Their own cut 'Silver and Lust' is rugged yet colourful, with aloof female whisperings and modulated synths really getting under your skin. From there trippy synths continue to squelch and fat bottomed drums hold a constant groove before things warp up perfectly on the malfunctioning disco sounds of Kieran Holden.

The aural pleasure seekers, that are Slow Porn, truly come correct with this wide ranging and absorbing selection.

Cabaret Nocturne - Moon Invaders

Demian - Residual Memories

For the latest My Favorite Robot Records release, the label turns to one of their key artists to serve up their 153rd release, namely the assured scene stalwart Sid Le Rock.

The Canadian talent is a music making machine who has turned out many albums and EPs on top labels from Mute to Landomat. He runs his own Beachcoma Recordings (alongside Fairmont & Metope) and his music is not only a firm favourite with top DJs, but also radio stations and TV shows around the world. More than a decade into his career he now comes correct once again with three fierce cuts of steely and synth laden tech.

The excellent ‘Echo Canyon’ is first and is a rib-rattling number with rugged bass and vamping synth blasts that are macho and sleazy. All married to a slithering groove, this is the sort of atmospheric track that gets the whole club locked on.

Then comes the inventive ‘Elasticity’, another heavyweight and meaty track full of tension and suspense, with its well programmed synths, tumbling toms and dark sweeping filters. Operating somewhere in a post apocalyptic world, it really sucks you in.

Last but not least is ‘Franz Gutentag’, a brilliantly reserved but high impact track that is tough and bouncy yet stern and unsettling. Chattery claps, frazzled sine waves and curious melodies all make for a stark sci-fi vibe that chugs along with real menace in its bones.
This is a clever and cinematic EP from one of the best in the game.

Sid Le Rock - Franz Gutentag

My Favorite Robot - Think Anymore (Original Mix)

The next EP on My Favorite Robot Records welcomes two new artists to the label in the form of Portuguese born, Dutch national Nuno Dos Santos and fellow Dutchman Falco Benz.

Dos Santos, head honcho of Something Happening Somewhere, has long been putting out underground house and techno. Besides classic tracks like ‘Hamming’ and his recent ‘Trigonometry of Love’ EP on his SoHaSo label, he has done remixes for Christian Löffler and Hunter/Game as well as for labels such as Planet E and D Edge. Benz, meanwhile, is a synth lover who favours soulful chords and melodies, disco beats from drum machines and 21st Century modernism and has ties to Magnetron Music.

First up here, the pair offer the excellently quirky ‘Saupaulo’, a warped deep house tune with gloopy bass wriggling away underneath crisp percussion. The drums are stiff and the whole thing has a freaky, after party vibe that really gets into your brain, especially  thanks to the manic melodies that rain down the face of the whole thing.

On the flip, ‘China Queen’ is even deeper and more stripped back, with drums and bass joined by panning sci-fi sounds and circling spacecraft. It’s curious and intriguing and unfolds with a real sense of narrative that occupies your head as your feet tap away.

This is a brilliant brace of tracks that offer something new and exciting from the My Favorite Robot label.

Nuno Dos Santos & Falco Benz - China Queen

Fresh from their recent nomination for DJ Mag’s top North American label, My Favorite Robot is delighted to welcome an exciting partnership for its next EP: Body Language is the work of German techno titan Timo Maas and acclaimed UK producer, composer and sometime UNKLE associate Aidan Lavelle. In addition, Re.You comes correct with a remix that seals this fine deal.

Maas’s longstanding involvement in the scene sees him still at the top of his game in 2017. His own Rockets & Ponies label continues to set the techno agenda whilst he has seen multiple Grammy nominations and has collaborated with musical legends such as of Paul McCartney, Brian Molko (Placebo) & Kelis. His partner here, Aidan Lavelle, is a UK composer and producer who has worked with the Crosstown’s Rebellion label and Get Physical, has done many film scores and has also collaborated with Gorillaz, Ian Brown, Queens Of The Stone Age and many others.

Over the course of seven minutes, the essential ‘Body Language’ is an all consuming deep techno cut with absorbing atmospheres from the off. It is characterised by spinetingling melodies that rise up the scale with real poise and serve to take you higher. The drums are warm and underlapping and the whole thing really sweeps you off your feet as grinding bass, crisp hits and sci-fi pads add colour in subtle but effective ways.

Berlin based Re.You from labels like Cocoon and Connected then steps up to add his own spin. The live show specialist flips the track into something more freaky and subversive, with eerie synths and stretched vocals filled with suspense and tension. It’s a sparse track underpinned by broad bass and languid synths and is one to really get in your head.

This is a stellar new single which is sure to prove a huge release for all concerned.

Timo Maas & Aidan Lavelle - Body Language (Re.You Remix)

My Favorite Robot welcome the collaborative outfit of Rodion & Local Suicide for their next EP, which comes boosted by
remixes from Los Mekanikos, Moscoman and Fairmont, as well as artwork that is made up 3D prints of the act.

Rodion is an Italian classical piano player and acclaimed producer whose albums and EPs for the likes of Gomma, Nein
& Nang have helped to reshape modern disco. Also one half of Alien Alien and boss of the Roccodisco label, he is a real
studio visionary who for ten years has mixed up classical, trance and psychedelic sounds. He makes everything from
chamber music to computer game soundtracks, has remixed Giorgio Moroder and counts the likes of Tim Sweeney, Erol
Alkan and DJ Hell as fans. Berlin-based duo/couple Brax Moody and Vamparela aka Local Suicide have been
collaborating together since 2007, either as a DJ duo, in bands, or as remixers and producers. They have played all over
the world and are in favour with the likes of XLR8R, Thump and Mixmag for their fusions of slow techno, post disco and
acid.

These original analog tracks were recorded between 2014 and 2016 in Rodion’s vintage studio in Berlin. They came about
when they all met following one of his gigs just after he moved there, and after being in touch online for a while. During
one of the nights, Rodion brought friend, producer and singer Ali Bey (part of the Belgrade DJ collective Beyond House
and a famous record digger) to contribute.

Impressive opener ‘Abu Dhabi’ includes samples from field recordings from all over the world. The most prominent is the
recording from an airport in Bangkok—where Brax Moody and Vamparela were waiting to catch their plane to Saigon—
and it ended up being the main vocal hook. The alluring track is a wonky feeling number with gurgling synth lines and
gentle releases of white noise lulling you into the groove. A searching synth line and distant siren add urgency and the
whole thing feels urban and futuristic.

Comprised of Mexico City producers Max Jones and Eddie Mercury, Los Mekanikos combine raw hypno-rhythm tracks
with pumping grooves that pay homage to Chicago, Detroit and Berlin. Their special remix is another late night and
unhinged number that encourages you to freak out amongst the panning and paranoid synth patterns and robotic grooves.
Then comes the brilliant ‘True Love Floats’ with Ali Beys singing and Vamparela’s vocoded vocals. The interplay between
the two is tense and alien and makes for a perfectly inhuman groove with popping bell sounds, undulating pads and spooky
deep space ambiance.

Remixing this one is Berlin via Tel Aviv artist of the moment and Disco Halal label head Moscoman, whose raw machine
grooves have impressed on labels like ESP Institute, Correspondant and I'm a Cliche. His slow and purposeful version is
deep and psychedelic with disorientating vocals and blistered synths wallowing in a menacing urban landscape. Buy it
digitally and you will also get a fine remix from label regular and Canadian Fairmont. He runs the Beachcoma label, has
worked with cult outlet Border Community over the years and mixes up dark disco and goth into his own fresh sounds. His
remix here is more direct and driven, with powerful drums and well sculpted synths making it another great rework.

This is a unique sounding package featuring plenty of heavyweight names and marks another cultured outing from the
always considered My Favourite Robot label.

Rodion & Local Suicide - True Love Floats BEATPORT EXCLUSIVE (Fairmont Remix)

Cult duo Rework are next up on My Favorite Robot with a five track EP that shows off their brilliantly inventive house and tech style.

The production outfit of Daniel Varga, Michael Kuebler deal in left of centre and freaky house with a mischievous afterparty slant. They have been active for more than a decade now and have credits on great labels like Visionquest, Items & Things, Meant and the institution that is Playhouse.

The brilliantly sleazy ‘Talk It Off’ opens things up with popping drums, playful lyrics and a steely sound that is designed for wonky basement parties. ‘Valencia’ goes deeper with warm drums and synths surging along next to an elastic groove that is propped up by energetic and incendiary chord stabs. It’s a subtle but high impact track that will raise the energy levels on any ‘floor.

‘Think About You’ has vocals coated in echo and delay and trippy synths that are lively and off kilter. It makes for a track that is brilliantly loose and undulating and cannot fail to get under your skin. Final track ‘Attractive’ heads in a much more techno direction with surging drums and hypnotic slithering synths that burrow deep into your brain and seep into the night. It is trance inducing for sure, and shows another side to this accomplished outfit. Buy the EP on Beatport and you'll get bonus cut ‘How To Say’, a slick upbeat house cut with euphoria-inducing chords and dreamy vocals all making for a smooth and breezy groove.

This is a versatile EP stuffed with killer cuts for many different moments in the night, and each is as standout as the next.

Rework - Talk It Off (Original Mix)

Villanova are back on My Favorite Robot Records with two more tantalisingly tense techno cuts.

The French duo formed in Paris in 2012 and last appeared on this label in 2014 with the second of two EPs. Since then they have been on Off Recordings and Rebirth and have honed their freaky, edgy sound to perfection. Here they demonstrate that across a brilliant brace of tracks.

The unsettling and dark energy of ‘Polly’ kicks things off. Tense, dehumanised vocal stabs are looped over one-finger synth notes as squelchy, otherworldly bass sounds and shakers flesh out the steely groove. It’s a head-wrecking late night tune for basements and after parties.

The second sizzling cut is ’Choice,’ with skewed and spraying synth lines sounding perfectly unhinged. Pinging drums are taught, and rumbling, brain frying bass completes the most abstract and synthetic feel of this one.

These are two fantastically ‘floor facing tunes that slowly but surely send you wild from the inside out.

Villanova - Polly (Original Mix)

It’s been two years since Stefan Z last released on this label, but the three tracks he serves up prove the wait has been more than worth it.

The Berlin based Canadian is the boss of the Rhombus label and is a top electronic production talent. He makes his sounds stand out with slick vocals or moving melodic elements, most likely because of his formally trained piano and trumpet playing skills. He’s had support from the likes of Sasha, Solomun and Adriatique, and his label parties in Vancouver were key in developing the city’s underground scene.

The super title track goes first and is a freaky number with spacecraft circling the groove, building tension in the melodic riffs and futurism in the drums. It’s a dramatic track with heavy, lumpy kicks and one to jolt the floor into action.

‘Borni’ is another long and involving tune, this time with more mystery and suspense in the way it builds. The drums get you marching as synths and ghoulish motifs pan about to creepy effect. It’s a real set building track that keeps you on edge.

Lastly, ‘Cipe’ is the toughest of the lot, with stiff hits and withering cosmic chords speaking of an intergalactic war. Underpinned by warm bass, it’s a widescreen cinematic affair with real beauty in the pads that eventually take over the show.

All three tracks here are mini epics that really take you on a trip.

Stefan Z - Borni

Established Finnish artist Jori Hulkkonen is back on home label My Favorite Robot with ‘Don't Believe In Happiness’, another fantastic full length.

Hulkkonen’s last album—of nine so far—came in 2015, with one before that coming in 2012, both on this label. Each one shows him to be a real synth master who can craft devastatingly emotional tracks that are infused with elements of dub, pop, nu-wave and techno. Following the release of the title track as lead single, the full album reveals itself to be another moody but beautiful affair that has evolved stylistically once more.

The icy and churchy chords of ‘Tintån Terdel’ kicks things off, with mid-tempo drums down low making for a brightly lit tune full of feeling. After the single comes ‘We Will Tear Love Apart Again’, a suspense-filled track with no drums but whispered vocals that drift above gentle synth turbulence. More cosmic tinged grooves come from ‘Lowlife Crises,’ while ‘Reach Out to China’ is a celestial affair with glowing chords and ambient smoothness. ’I Think About Your Car When I Drive Mine’ is an inventive track with echoing ‘80s chords and pained vocals above percolating clicks and pops.

The second half of the album journeys through pop leaning tracks with heavenly chords and well sequenced synths; abstract affairs where modulated sounds bring computers to life and then more dance floor orientated tracks like ‘Moon Is Real’ which surges along on a silky, celestial techno groove. ‘Just A Phase I’m Going Through’ is an edgy and energising retro-future pop cut, and the whole absorbing and artistic album comes to an end with the blissful layers of chords, pads and zoned out vocals on ‘New Ideologies.’

This magical album is another subtle development of Hulkkonen’s style that goes way beyond the dance floor and makes for a truly rewarding listen.

Jori Hulkkonen -  I Am The Night

Jori Hulkkonen -  Breen Fantasy

My Favorite Robot’s final EP of 2017 comes from Entschuldigung, and is a suitably impressive offering to end another fine year.

Entschuldigung is an exciting collaboration between two musicians from the electro pop music world, namely French house pioneer Guillaume Atlan & Stephane-Lebenson. They love old school pop and minimal retro sounds and use vintage drum machines to craft their productions as showcased on their well-received last single ‘Gina Cecello’, which dropped earlier this year.

Their first superb single here ‘Lekeleu’ is five fresh minutes of slippery electro. With dehumanised vocals stitched into the groove and sci-fi synths darting about, it is full of energy and futurism. Always on the move and encouraging you to be the same, it is the sort of track to electrify any club.

The fantastic ‘Farenheit’ is a slower, more edgy affair with darker drums. Gurgling bass and arpeggiated chords bring an intergalactic feel and keep you on your toes until they resolve and the kicks carry you away. It’s a bright, shiny affair with a pumping groove and great sense of melody.

These are two tasteful tracks that prove Entschuldigung are all set for a huge year in 2018.

Entschuldigung - Farenheit

www.myfavoriterobotrecords.com
My Favorite Robot Records has been a strong force in underground electronic music since 2008.

The Toronto based label is an offshoot of the act “My Favorite Robot” formed earlier in 2002 by Jared Simms and Voytek Korab.

The label has managed to consistently release quality music by some of the electronic dance world’s most renown producers such as H.O.S.H, Kenny Glassgow, Jori Hulkkonen, Eric Volta, Sasse, Fairmont, Tiger Stripes, Tim paris, Chymera, Sid Le Rock, Tim Green, Clarian, and My Favorite Robot themselves just to name but a few and there is no slowing down for them!