01 Sex In Dallas and Biladoll "Wir sind nicht romantiques"

02 Richard Davis "Unrealistic or the truth"

03 Taylor Savvy "Treat him like a lady (sometimes)"

04 Spyritual "Offtune soulseeds"

05 Raz Ohara "Hymn (Hardman rmx)"

06 Tarwater "Her body is alive"

07 Maximilian Hecker "Help me"

08 Jimi Tenor "Going for the gold"

09 Litwinenko "Funk limiter"

10 Rhythm King and her friends "Fifteen"

11 Rechenzentrum "Der See"

12 Gold Chains & Sue Cie "Crowd Control"

13 Jay Haze "Appreciate"

14 Kante "Baron Samedi"

15 Laub "Gonzales Wake Up rmx"

16 Kante "Im ersten Licht" Mr.Bird & Partner Version

17 Rhythm King and her friends "Get Paid" RKAHF rmx

18 Peaches & Gonzales "Hot pink hot sex"

19 Preed "Brooka Toira Noi"

20 Gonzales "Gonna get off right away"

21 Louie Austen "Danger (feat.Shake)"

22 Raz Ohara "Where is my mind"

23 Tarwater "Doppelgänger"

24 Sex In Dallas "Lost in Playa"

25 Rechenzentrum "Planet Janet"

26 To Rococo Rot "Testfeld"

thats what i think about va - team kitty-yo (2lp)
() aus www.leonardslair.co.uk

Ten years is a long time for an independent record label and Kitty-Yo celebrate this fact with a two-CD set. It doesn't seem like half a decade since the Freischwimmer five year compilation but in that time it seems that the Berlin-based label has further enhanced its electronica and hip hop roster and this being a collection of unreleased and exclusive tracks, it's doubly impressive that the quality level rarely drops. There's room for bedsit melancholia (Richard Davis, Tarwater), German-spoken hip-hop (Kante and Laub), Portishead-type meldodrama (Louie Austen) and some excellent instrumentals (Spyritual, Rechenzentrum). Yet it's hard to know whether Jimi Tenor's super-seedy 'Going For The Gold' is intentionally funny or not. But with such a varied and talented bunch of artists, what price a twenty-year celebration in 2014?

thats what i think about va - team kitty-yo (2cd)
(-) aus www.tohellwith.co.uk

for a decade, with an extravagant flourish, german record label kitty – yo have provided a gateway to some great music from all around the world. with ten years in the business most other people would sit back, stuff their faces with cake and compliment themselves for past glories. but kitty-yo are far from your average label, and have decided instead to look to the future with a cd featuring an array of unreleased tracks and extracts from albums due out latter this year, a future best of, so to speak and judging from the contents it looks like 2005 may be the labels best year yet.

from the two-step inspired hip-hop of gold chains and sue cie to the cuban jazz instrumental of kante’s “baron samedi” the album is a great showcase for kitty-yo’s broadening tastes and output. with too much to mention lets stick to the highlights; like opening track “wir sind nict romantiques,” with its spiky beats and layered vocals it shows that since their great debut “around the war” parisian born trio sex in dallas are flourishing in the berlin scene. whilst the bass lead electronica of rhythm king and her friends track, “fifteen” sharply pops the bubble of euro cool pretender in its tension filled tale of late night meetings backed by razor sharp snare drum beats and wind up chimes. new signings spyritual and richard davis also suggest good things; both bringing lashings of string filled instrumentals but where davis uses them to boost his house track spyritual intertwines them within a slow burning jazz groove producing different but equally as inspired tracks. familiar faces also crop up, offering some surprisingly new sounds; taylor savvy gives us a smooth ride on “treat him like a lady (sometimes)” that brings a funky soul edge to savvy’s suave delivery; but its tarwater and maximillian hecker who provide the surprise hits of the package. although simple tarwater’s “her body is a alive,” is sublimely beautiful, with a deep spoken word delivery it comes across like smog attempting dance music but somehow works really well gradually building up into a emotional state; whilst maximillian hecker pulls out all the stops for “help me” which is quite simply stunning. equally as simple as tarwater’s track but filled with emotional piano notes gradually breaking over hecker’s hushed tones, with shades of sigour ros in its dna it’s a beautiful piece of music.

ohh and for those wondering about kitty-yo’s regular big hitters check out the free bonus cd, featuring more of a traditional best of which shows what made the label is today. laub, louie austen, to rocco rot, sex in dallas, rhythm king and her friends and gonzales, to name a few, all make an appearance.
kante’s “im ersten licht mr bird & partner version” should get special mention in proving good hip hop can be found throughout the world; as well as raz ohara’s version of the pixies classic, “where is my mind,” which sees mexican trumpets and bouncing beats and frankly something i’m still making my mind up about. elsewhere peaches and gonzales prove their mutual love with the typically saucy hot pink hot sex whilst preed provides some dark and frantic electronics.

all this for the price of one cd! really, its their birthday and yet we’re the ones being given the presents. so kitty-yo, only ten years old and already so big, happy birthday and here’s to another ten years.