These two twelves mark a departure for Ground Control. The label’s focus on up and coming talent has been shelved, as has its emphasis on 1980s electrofunk. In place of these musical staples, the light has been shone on “larger” acts with more in the pipeline. It is debatable as to whether such big names, and in particular these releases, have lived up to the high standards set by the lesser known artists who have been at the heart of this imprint. Yes, there are flickers of quality within these releases; yet these glimmers pale into comparison when it comes to the what past Ground Control EPs have achieved. A departure is fine, but the destination needs to be remembered.
Electro has grown and developed since its earliest incarnation. Nowadays it is many things. It is a sound associated with space treks and the cold glint of distant moons. Stained with acid it morphs into a bitter and twisted brutalist, sawing and slicing through speakers. That youngster, the electro of the 1980s, was a much more innocent creature. Hip hop centered, vocoders became the robotic voice of and 808. Electrofunk was the style. Today it still exists, there still is a following and there are labels pursuing its groove and energy.
Ground Control is Dominance Electricity’s sub-label devoted to all things laser funk. To date the focus has been on new artists and musicians who were active in the mid to late 1980s. The latest pair of 12”s change tact, drafting in some seriously big names to give their own unique idea of electro funk.
Daryl 88 debuts with a king, or perhaps that should be pharaoh, of the Miami Bass, Egyptian Lover. The track on offer takes its cue from the Lover’s infamous “Freak-A-Holic,” released in 1986. “Keep It Freaky” is a freshly shaved cut, clean and to the point. Lyrics explore a common theme, Egyptian Lover’s prowess with the opposite sex, but the style pursued by Daryl 88 toes a different path. A slow deliberate rhythm is supports grandiose synth lines as a male female dialogue is played out. The vocals are more effective in the Dynamik Bass System remix. A stalwart of Dominance Electricity, DBS adopts breathy Tour De France samples, hard hitting beats and stabbing keys to galvanize the original. An Instrumental of the Daryl 88 is sadly not included with a far less interesting scratch tool Acapella opted for.
Zukunfstmusik brings together two powerhouses of German electronics. U69 rose to fame with their techno mega-hit “Das Boot” while Wolfgang Flür was, for fifteen years, a member of the biggest electronic music group in to ever exist; Kraftwerk. The two combined forces in 2018 to produce this track with the influence of the infamous Dusseldorf electro band being immediately apparent. Clean chords are met by crisp beats as questionable vocals tell a tale of a dystopic future of ultra consumerism and machinery. The instrumental version sheds the debatable lyrics and allows the bright hopefulness of its unmistakably Kraftwerk melody to truly shine.
These two twelves mark a departure for Ground Control. The label’s focus on up and coming talent has been shelved, as has its emphasis on 1980s electrofunk. In place of these musical staples, the light has been shone on “larger” acts with more in the pipeline. It is debatable as to whether such big names, and in particular these releases, have lived up to the high standards set by the lesser known artists who have been at the heart of this imprint. Yes, there are flickers of quality within these releases; yet these glimmers pale into comparison when it comes to the what past Ground Control EPs have achieved. A departure is fine, but the destination needs to be remembered.
Keep It Freaky and Zukunftsmusik are available on Ground Control.
