Firstly I want to mention that this is not my definitive ten favourite tracks from Perc Trax. That would be impossible for me to choose. Instead it is 10 tracks that sum up the label’s recent history.
1/ Perc & Randomer – Flooring
Working with Randomer was something I’d never planned on doing but after a few sessions the tracks started to emerge and our collaborative sound was born. When a label has been around for as long as Perc Trax it is important to keep surprising the label’s supporters and this EP did that perfectly.
2/ Truss – Kymin Lea
Perc Trax occasionally displays a melodic side, which people often forget about and this track is a great example of it. Truss always has a great range to what he produces, and obviously his partnership with me in the studio and when gigging together has been a great thing for both myself and Perc Trax.
3/ Ansome – Poldark
Ansome has brought a new energy to Perc Trax through both his music and personality. His debut album ‘Stowaway’ has been one of the highlights of 2016 for Perc Trax and this track is a great example of his attitude to sound design and arrangement. Remixing ‘Bad Blood’ for the recent ‘Stowaway Remixed EP’ was one of the most enjoyable remixes I’ve worked on in years.
4/ AnD – Detonate
An AnD release on Perc Trax has been a long time coming but I’m glad the label got the EP it did. The release was one of those times when the music, artist and artwork all seem to be perfectly in sync.
5/ Sawf – Menete
Sawf has been a part of Perc Trax since 2009 and is one of the label’s more mysterious artists. From the first demo I heard, his percussively-minded tracks grabbed my attention and they always sound great in a club. I could have chosen one of many tracks by him, but this one — which hints at an EBM influence creeping into his work — is a favourite of mine.
6/ Perc – Hyperlink
This track is taken from the ’10 Years Of Perc Trax’ compilation which was released in 2014. I remember working on this track as all the other artists submitted their tracks and not being sure if it fitted in with the other tracks or even if it worked as a track on its own, but as time has passed I have grown to love it and it is one of my own tracks that I play the most in my sets. It is simple but effective and I often find myself coming back to it when I am struggling with any new tracks that I am working on.
7/ Forward Strategy Group – Elegant Mistakes
Forward Strategy Group’s 2012 debut album ‘Labour Division’ sums up their sound perfectly. From deeper, dubbier tracks to 4/4 club tracks and broken beat rollers (like this one) they cover a lot of ground. Hopefully there will be another EP from them on the label in 2017.
8/ Scalameriya & VSK – Haka (Bas Mooy Remix)
This duo bring a forceful yet clean sound to Perc Trax. The music still has a rough edge but the sounds are also very clearly defined. Their debut EP for Perc Trax earlier this year did well and it was great to have Bas back on the label for this remix, which has to be one of the most played Perc Trax tracks of the last few years.
9/ Drax – Low Machine
I’ve mentioned it before but Thomas Heckmann was one of my first techno heroes and continues to inspire me today. To have him on Perc Trax with the first new Drax material in years was a great honour. ‘Low Machine’ fits on Perc Trax well and proves there is more to the Drax sound than just big analogue riffs and twisting acid lines.
10/ Yuji Kondo – Something For Those That Wait
Perc Trax has a history of working with Japanese artists, with producers such as Salmon (RIP) and Gonno appearing on the label’s early releases. It’s great to see how well Gonno is doing recently and Yuji Kondo represents the next wave of Japanese talent on Perc Trax. He somehow mixes precise glitching edits with more brutal industrial sounds to create a very detailed, but powerful sound. All of his solo tracks and releases as half of Steven Porter have really appealed to me.