Tune #109: E-Razor - Mantra

Though an overlooked tune, Mantra by E-Razor belongs to the best tunes of its genre.

E-RAZOR - MANTRA

E-Razor was a music project by Oliver Laib and Martin Eyerer. The partners in crime were frequent collaborators within 1997-2003, producing under various aliases, such as Dixon Hill, Nervouz Boys, Van Helsing, among others. They surely adopted the classic convention of 90's producers by using different pseudonyms according to the music genre they represented, whether it was trance, techno or minimal!

E-Razor alias focused on the hard trance sound, flavored with acidic elements and seamlessly interchanged with different styles of trance (progressive or goa). It was also their most successful project, featured on two Global Underground mixes (Mantra in GU:007 by Paul Oakenfold and India in GU:008 by Nick Warren) and licensed in several DJ mixes and compilations.

What makes Mantra a trance masterpiece is how the deep bass is interchanged with the melancholic piano pads. Though it is a hard trance composition, it creates a feeling of calmness. Mantra was released as a single (with Yeti on the B-side) in 1997 by Technogold, a German label which re-released mostly techno and trance classics between 1997-2003.

So, what are they up to now?

Oliver Laib (often confused with fellow German Oliver Lieb) still works as a producer, but for other artists. On the other hand, Martin Eyerer is a successful label owner of Kling Klong (along with Rainer Weichhold) and a versatile composer of electronic dance music, extending his rich heritage for more than 25 years!

Tune #108: Underworld - Born Slippy

At first glance, you may believe that this post is related with the classic bomb called Born Slippy. Well, that is not exactly the case. The track that you have in mind is the NUXX version, which was and still is honored in either massive party events or local parties held in houses. I was always amazed by the catholic acceptance of this track, especially by non-listeners of electronic dance music (yeah, I know that Trainspotting movie is the reason, but its popularity is anyway remarkable).

A common misconception regarding Born Slippy is that the NUXX version is considered the original one (of course I was also a victim of this false impression). I guess that all started after the release of Trainspotting (1996), one year after the release of the track. Born Slippy was released as a single in 1995 by Junior Boy's Own. The A-side of the single is the actual original version, as presented below:

UNDERWORLD - BORN SLIPPY (ORIGINAL VERSION)

As you can listen, the composition shares no similarities with the well-known version; absence of vocals, different pounding beats and a never-ending melody are the key components that produce a techno-flavored breakbeat track, which is an absolute banger. 

It's a pity that the original version does not enjoy considerable recognition by the advocates of electronic music. However, Underworld have been compensated with commercial and artistic success with Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1994), one of the most influential studio albums in electronic dance music.

Underworld exists as a group from the late 80's, led by Karl Hyde & Rick Smith and focused on synth-pop music. Partnered with DJ Darren Emerson in 1991, they changed their sound to a techno-ish dance approach and achieved huge success ever since. In 2000, Emerson retired from the group in order to spare time to DJ all over the world and run his independent label (Underwater Records). The group continues as a duo, alive and kicking with astonishing live performances.

If I am not mistaken, they were scheduled to perform in Greece the past July, but the corresponding music festival was cancelled (COVID-19 had  different plans). Their latest Greek (non-)presence was in 2007 and certainly not a pleasant one, since Rick Smith was injured by a brick! 

Let us hope their next performance would be bloodless!

Tune #107: Mama - Dancing Wheels

Following the appreciation for electro aesthetic music of Greece (as per previous post), today's track follows the same 80's vibes:

MAMA - DANCING WHEELS

"Δεν κατάλαβα, γιατί μας την βγαίνετε έτσι άγαρμπα;"

Mama is an alias of Manolis Zografakis, an electronic music producer with Cretan heritage. His first encounter with music was in 2000, when he was a guitar player for punk rock band Squareheads. Amazed by the unlimited boundaries of electronic music, he began composing his first tracks varying different styles (from tech-house to downtempo electronica). In the meantime, he performed as a DJ in several nightclubs of Athens. In 2006, he drew the attention of Greek label The Sound Of Everything, which curated the Hellectronic compilation, featuring the newcomers in electronic and dance scene of Greece. Mama contributed to the compilation with his track Have A Nice Trip. 

Two years later, the label released his first studio album called Blue. While the album presents in general a deep-house orientation, several elements from other music genres are blended together (minimal techno, IDM, tech-house and progressive house) to create a diverse output, which was well received by the public.

At the same period (according to Manolis), he composed two electro-flavored tracks for a new EP (1985 and Dancing Wheels), heavily inspired by the 80's culture (traces for his nostalgia can also be found in album track For The 80's). The EP was previously unreleased, until he uploaded the two tracks a few months ago in his Bandcamp page. The second track (presented today) includes rough electro beats & cold basslines, combined with vocal excerpts from Greek 80's movie "Όταν Οι Ρόδες Χορεύουν" ("When Wheels Dance" -> "Dancing Wheels"). Even the video clip, which features edited scenes from the movie, transforms the naive style of the direct-to-video film to a dark punk motion picture.

Unfortunately, Manolis Zografakis has not released any new material (at least under this alias). During the last years he has been focused on Digital Marketing and Creative Strategy through his main project Broke In London. However, his latest audiovisual touch is a neat example of the 80's revival music.