Luomo will stand the test of time as one of the greatest producers of dance music ever.

He’s playing this Sunday at the Enormous Room in Boston.

You can buy his monumental Vocalcity CD here. Or download whatever scraps you can via Soulseek. Whatever you can do, you’ll be happier.

Because Luomo makes music that makes life better.

It’s a funny situation, as we film Speaking in Code (9 Minute preview coming soon) seems each week we learn of a new place we want to go. The documentary, which details stories from the electronic underground in crucial scenes here and in Europe, is quickly filling up our free time.

I suppose it’s part of the hazard on making a documentary about current movements and sources, but we have kept focus on those organizations which will remain for years to come and the artists with staying power.

Of course, we can’t get to all of the scenes, but lately one has consistently drawn our interest: Scandinavia. Most recently within a lengthy article by the trendmakers at XLR8R magazine, who’s newly redesigned website should be bookmarked immediately. It comes complete with mp3 downloads, updated news and new reviews.

Trentemöller

Denmark’s Trentemöller has been jamming the file-trading class with remix after remix. His rework of Yoshimoto’s “Du What U Du” is astounding:

Yoshimoto - "Du What U Du (Trentemöller Remix)"

Martinez

With tracks like “Minimal Deepness” and “Moonglow” you know what to expect with Martinez. And the fellow delivers. Coming from Copenhagen, Denmark, Martinez has a label Out of Orbit Recordings, which in just a few releases has become a must have for the discerning DJ.

Both Martinez and Trentemöller join forces to complete the best Danish cut in recent memory. The stutter at 4:32 is emblematic of their sound:

Martinez- "Shadowboxing Compressed (Trentemöller Remix)"

The Field

Probably the most refreshing sound is that of the unheralded Axel Willner, a k a The Field. With a 12” on the venerable Kompakt label (lifted from what must be the greatest demo pile in the world), The Field took everyone by the ear. Little is known of Willner aside from his labels fascinating website.

Some of these demos are on the Internet, one of which is “Sun and Ice”. I am not kidding when I say the first time I heard this track, I had to pull over to the side of the road. It’s dangerous when it’s turned up; a woozy, swaying sound begins to fuzz your ears. It’s like watching the sunset, and as the sun hit the horizon, the whole landscape changes.

In the perfect pop ambient sound of Kompakt, with a vicious dissipated bass kick. Like Kompakt’s respected leader, Wolfgang Voigt and his Gas project, it’s music to be turned up and smothered in.

The Field - "Sun and Ice"

We may not get to Sweden, Norway and the rest of the Scandinavian scene, but rest assured they’ll certainly be around, and Speaking in Code will be there to watch it develop.

As we make our movie, one of the many things sQuare Productions has learned about the intricacies of the scene is that for techno purists, vocals are unnecessary, garish and take attention away from the all-important beat. In fact, for many old ravers, vocals are straight disgusting, an instant reminder of top 40 remixes and diva house music.

Of course, like many of the old techno paradigms, this is shifting. Just as rockers are coming around to jacking beats, some of the surviving techno purists are coming around to melodies and vocals. This is best exemplified in the work of one of the mystery artists of techno: Rex the Dog.

Rex came from a demo sent into Kompakt marked with a single paw print. From there he released two singles, “Frequency” and “Prototype.’ Two slabs that went to the top of playlists world-wide (both of which are available from the Kompakt MP3 store).

On the strength of these two singles, Rex (in fact an old techno purist himself) was offered remix after remix. The top dance acts in the world came calling: Depeche Mode, Prodigy, Mylo, Soulwax, etc.

All of these acts used vocals, but there was one remix that eclipsed the others — a remix of a Swedish brother/sister duo called The Knife.

Here’s where vocals are most effective in techno music. When the melody is eager and passionate. First the original song from the The Knife themselves: a plaintive, padded synth-heavy track reminiscent of 80s kinky-brunette pop.

The Knife - "Heartbeats"

Rex is called in and gives it a dancefloor rework: speeds it up, adds rumbling stabs and teasing vocals clips that go off like TNT.

The Knife - "Heartbeats (Rex The Dog Remix)"

But where the melody really shines is on a cover version by José Gonzales, a Swedish songwriter quite popular with the O.C. crowd. Gonzales takes his timbre and cue from Rex, but includes the bridge from the original. Point being: a melody like this, in a techno track, a rave-enabled remix or on a simple acoustic set, works each and every time.

José Gonzales - "Heartbeats"

Some of the Boston Phoenix columns here:

DJ Kon
Negroclash
Certainly, Sir
Boy In Static
Skippy White