Mathew Jonson - Blurry Remixes (CRM118)

A true techno auteur, Mathew Jonson earlier this year released his second solo album, ‘Her Blurry Pictures’ on Crosstown Rebels, encompassing a new evolution in his rhythmically complex and timeless approach over eight fluid and rich compositions. Now soon to drop is a package of unmissable ‘Blurry Remixes’ featuring a trio of first class reworks by Dixon, Tale Of Us and Akufen.


Innervisions boss and Berlin luminary Dixon turns in a storming reimagining of the atmospheric, electronic matrix of ‘Level 7’ - where straight-talking techno does the driving as layers build, get stripped back then steered onto a more melodic path underpinned by a rumbling deep bassline.


 Next up, the unstoppable duo Tale Of Us transport one of the more playful ‘Blurry’ cuts ‘Kissing Your Eyes’ into a brooding dubby sound bed of live sounding drums combined with rippling echoing synth melodies. Berlin based Carmine and Matteo aka Tale Of Us, first rose to prominence on the Visionquest imprint in 2011 and have since released on Life And Death and M_nus.


Glitchy tech meets raw rolling drum beats in Akufen’s ‘Body In Motion’remix. As hypnotic, as you would expect from the Canadian mastermind, Akufen lures you into a trance and keeps you guessing, progressing from dextrous minimal textures to full on fluid jazzy piano interpretations.

• Label: Crosstown Rebels
• Cat no: CRM118
• Web: www.crosstownrebels.com
• Distribution: Above Board
• Released: Mon Nov 25th, 2013

LINK TO THE TRACKS

Mathew Jonson - Her Blurry Pictures (CRMCD023)

IN BRIEF 

For many the ultimate visionary and sonic wizard, Mathew Jonson delivers a rare solo album for Crosstown Rebels with ‘Her Blurry Pictures’,encompassing a new evolution in his rhythmically complex and timeless approach over eight fluid and rich compositions.

Although distinctive as Jonson´s production style, ‘Her Blurry Pictures’ marks the end of a phase for the Canadian in which he used music as a tool of escapism and looking within. Predominantly made in his studio in Berlin in 2012 (alongside some older choices from his hometown of Vancouver) ‘Her Blurry Pictures’ maps his coming into focus, moving into a new chapter of reflection, remaining present and finding a deeper connection.

BACKGROUND

o Rising to prominence over a decade ago, Mathew Jonson has cast shadows on others in his field through a distinctive voice that offers a rare fusion of populist intensities and nuanced musicality, spanning elegant electronica, emotive techno and the universal laws of house. 

o+ A past cover star of DJ Mag UK and Groove Germany Jonson is one of the most well-respected names in electronic music with past releases on M_NUS, Perlon and his own Wagon Repair label.

o+o His first output in three years, the album follows two solo singles on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels imprint in 2012

o+o+ Jonson has recently focused on his Cobblestone Jazz outfit (an improvised live 3 piece collaboration techno project) and the extended fourpiece, the Modern Deep Left Quartet as well as Midnight Operator (a raw, rough, uptempo partnership focusing on dancefloor bombs), each of which have earned him widespread success.

MATHEW JONSON ON HER BLURRY PICTURES

“My solo material is introspective and I go deep into each feeling and direction. With Cobblestone Jazz it’s more like a conversation between players. Midnight Operator is nothing less than an all out attack on the senses.

In the studio I keep an intuitive way of working where there is freedom outside the laws of musical training. Tracks can be produced anywhere though - the first album track was made during soundcheck at Free Your Mind festival for example. The last few years my life has seen a transition from darker states into something filled with light. This has led to the release of my latest album."

• Label: Crosstown Rebels
• Cat no: CRMCD023
• Web: www.crosstownrebels.com
• Distribution: Above Board Distribution
• Released: Tue Jun 11th, 2013

TRACKLIST

1. Level 7
2. Illusions Of Control
3. Sahara
4. Touch The Sky
5. Kissing Your Eyes
6. Body In Motion
7. Lightweight Champion
8. Her Blurry Pictures

Mathew Jonson - Automaton (CRM110)

Honourary Rebel Mathew Jonson will soon be unleashing his long-awaited second artist album on Crosstown Rebels but first a slice of the Canadian minimal house pioneer’s inimitable style with two tracks of distinct tonal contrast both with the unique stamp of a Jonson production. 

Killer A-side ‘Automaton’ is a powerful trip with a solid yet nuanced drive, intricate tribal beats with an almost syncopated African influence combined with gnarled bass sequences in a never-ending groove. 

B-side ‘In The Stars’ enters a more abstract realm, with celestial synth melodies melting into a sound bed of futuristic bleeps and a soporific groove of percussion and a heavy bass beat.  In the breaks, vague jazzy chords fuse with an echoing voice descending from space.  

The Mathew Jonson sound is instantly recognizable. Rhythmically complex and with a truly timeless fluid style, Jonson has a propensity for epic, dark and dynamic sound scapes that leave a dancefloor helplessly enthralled. Canadian born but residing in Berlin for the past decade, Jonson is widely considered a figurehead in the minimal house and techno surge of the early 2000s. Also part of the ground-breaking live techno project Cobblestone Jazz, Jonson is part- founder of the illustrious Wagon Repair imprint as well as his own Itiswhatisis  Recordings and has appeared on heavyweight labels such as M_nus and Perlon. ‘Automaton’, Jonson’s second release on Crosstown Rebels after the runaway success of ‘Dayz’ in 2012, is a precursor to the hotly anticipated forthcoming album ‘Her Blurry Pictures’ – due on the label in June 2013. 

• Label: Crosstown Rebels
• Cat no: CRM110
• Web: www.crosstownrebels.com
• Distribution: Above Board Distribution
• Released: Mon Apr 29th, 2013

LINK TO THE TRACKS

MATHEW JONSON - DAYZ (CRM085)

 

Crosstown Rebels iconic catalogue knows no bounds and without relenting for a moment, the label now bestows the next masterful creation from none other than Mathew Jonson. ‘Dayz’ is a trip down epic electronic pathways; tunnelling deep bass atmospherics and closing with a heavy-duty rework by bass don DBridge.

It is with immense pleasure that Damian Lazarus has bagged Mathew Jonson, one of his all time favourite producers to deliver a full solo release for Rebels after he provided the astounding, genre-busting remix to Hiem´s ‘She’s The One’ back in 2004. A-side ‘Dayz’ is classic Jonson. Meandering, modulated synth lines build into an epic electronic orchestra of warm fuzzy strings and ambient melody all padded with an intricate carpeting of shimmering percussion and molten bleeps. Intricate digressions keep the listener rapt but for all the complexity of ‘Dayz’, Jonson creates a theme that is beautifully simple. It’s impossible not to be swept away on his sonic wave.

B-Side ‘Cold Blooded’ has a stomping bass beat and funk strutting bassline punching through the spacey sequencing and swirling synth strokes. Resounding sub-bass darkens the mood, engulfing the backdrop of rhythmic drumming; this is a real heads down warehouse masterpiece that will hypnotise the crowd.

Drum and bass pioneer DBridge was a mutual choice of remixer for Lazarus and Jonson both being huge drum and bass fans back in the day. Dbridge is now known for his excursions in hip-hop and electronic dubstep and here, the London born producer transforms ‘Cold Blooded’ into a deep and languorous trip into dubby 2-step terrain. The mood is soporific and heavy with the spiralling motif of the melody whistling through the misty atmospherics. Whispered vocals add to the spookiness but the overall sound is full of 90s tripped out nostalgia.

Mathew Jonson needs little introduction. A legend with one of the most distinctive voices in the industry, whose made forays into jazz, house, fusion, techno and all aspects of electronic music, the Canadian born, Berlin based producer epitomises refined musicianship, stylistic innovation and artistry. Co-founding the Wagon Repair label and participating in the Modern Deep Left Quartet and Cobblestone Jazz, Jonson is responsible for some game-changing tracks including ‘Marionette’, ‘Symphony for the Apocalypse’ and most recently, the revered come back ‘Learning To Fly’ on m_nus. Jonson is still proving he’s in a class of his own.

Label: Crosstown Rebels

Cat no: CRM085

Web: www.crosstownrebels.com

Distribution: Above Board Distribution

Released: Mon Nov 7th, 2011

Link to the tracks