Review: No whimpers, all bangs... Monika Kruse's Terminal M brings another four Richmonds our way, as the label celebrates its silver anniversary (25 years) of releasing. Ignacio Arfeli and Kaspar bring Portuguese fire and German glaciations to a unipolar techno A-side each, with 'Never Look Back' shooting a hideous glower at Orpheus especially with a "don't you ever look back" jet-breakage of the sound barrier, precipitating a massive techno drop, of course. A felt sense of continuation is heard on the strobing 'Masterpeace' by Chris Bekker, before 'Alhalma', where Drumcomplex and Frank Sonic lead us to a cruddy close.
Review: Ari Bald & CJ Scott are "Stockholm pals and soulmates" who have made waves on the legendary Studio Barnhus before now and here return to another local imprint in Baenger. Across the four tracks they delve into feel-good sounds with a hint of nostalgia that are perfectly in time for summer. The sample-heavy EP opens with 'Cloudy White', a thumping house cut with poppy synth magic and r&b vocals that swell your heart. 'Pan Riche' taps into filter house with sugary leads and 90s house drums that will have you rushing in an instant. The flip side starts with more contemporary disco-house fusion gold and finishes with 'Dime Girl', a funky and low-slung groover.
Crackazat - "Can't Blame A Soul" (Mana dub) (5:51)
Beatsbyhand - "SARS" (6:24)
Review: Kid Fonque presents the sixth instalment of his label Stay True Sounds' compilation series. Showcasing the best of South Africa's dynamic musical talents, this 15-track volume of intense deep house and Afro house cuts is not to be passed over. Highlights on this 12" sampler edition of the wider comp include 'We R 1', a technologically driven, syncopated, trippy Kalahari jam by China Charmeleon and Hypaphonik; and 'SARS' by Beatsbyhand, a hollering ambient amapiano mystery.
Review: New York's Joe Claussell offers three blistering takes on 'So In Love' by Black Rascals, the early 90s project from Blaze. This red-label 7" is a pricey one, but the contents justify it: deep house from the source, reworked by one of its most spiritual selectors. 'Rough Mix 1' leans into swirling vocal loops and expansive FX, full of Claussell's signature dynamics, while 'Rough Mix 2' dials back the drama slightly for something more floor-focused. Flip it for 'Drums', a stripped-down tool that reimagines the track as raw percussive hypnosis. Essential NY house lineage, revived in style and pressed loud-just don't expect it to hang around.
Review: Christian Rinderman, aka C-Rock, has been a key figure in Frankfurt's house scene since the 90s, consistently delivering deep and funky tracks regardless of fleeting trends. His first release in 1995 included the club favourite 'Funky Dope Trakk,' which quickly gained support from local and international DJs. Ricardo Villalobos, among others, played the tune relentlessly for decades. In 2012/13, C-Rock's own label Lo-Fi Stereo remixed and reissued the track, but those versions have since become rare and sought-after. Now, 'All That Jelly' is reissuing the four original versions, freshly remastered from the original DATs, ensuring they'll remain dancefloor staples for the next 30 years.
Review: Gaston Cabrera, an Argentinian producer on the rise, delivers a captivating four-tracker for Exarde. 'Romance Electro' sets the tone with pulsating synths and driving percussion, conjuring a dark and hypnotic atmosphere. Cabrera's sound blends house and techno with a touch of Italo-disco, creating a unique sonic tapestry. 'Baile Y Drama' picks up the pace, its infectious groove and swirling melodies leading the listener on an exhilarating journey. On the flip, 'Atmosfera Yonki' is a masterclass in sonic manipulation, its haunting textures and disorienting soundscapes evoking a descent into the depths of a Buenos Aires nightclub. The EP closes with '7AM', a melancholic yet uplifting exploration of intricate rhythms and introspective melodies. With its diverse sounds and undeniable dancefloor appeal, this EP is a testament to Cabrera's talent.
Review: Blending vapourwave haze with Balearic ease, while dipping into Italo house and post-disco playfulness, the debut Bar Part Time EP delivers four tracks that feel nostalgic but entirely fresh. 'Bath Bomb' with its cheesy synths and 80s flair are softened by lush pads and a groovy, laid-back rhythm. It's a hip, shimmering introduction that balances irony with sincerity. 'Morning Dew' is more club-friendly, mixing jackin' house energy with ambient textures to create a track that's as dreamy and driving. On Side-B, 'Blurry Moon' adds urban flavor and depth, led by a bouncy bassline and island percussion. Its gorgeous keys and loose funk make it a highlight. 'Wine 69' ends things with a tropical mood. African island-inspired rhythms, chant-like vocals and a shuffling groove lend it a transportive quality. Together, these tracks form a cohesive and adventurous debut.
Spectrums Data Forces - "Darkness In My Head" (6:04)
EC13 - "Profundo" (Interludio) (0:49)
Wicked Wes - "X1000" (feat Space Frogs From Saturn) (5:48)
Review: Granada's Cosmic Tribe know the definition of "electro" in its broadest sense; their new Xtrictly Electro comp keeps the dystopian sound endemic to the genre's most present incarnation, but refuses to restrict itself to one tempo: the standard 130-ish that has sadly infected the otherwise genius genre as a necessity. An international splinter cell of spec-ops and mercenaries are recalled from retirement here, as we hear Calagad 13, Nachtwald, EC13 and many more mechanoid ilk lay down all manner of slick utilities, making up a morbid multi-tool. 5zyl brings further lasery Lithuanian steeze on 'Vilnius Bass', whilst Spectrums Data Forces betrays the existence of a sinister corporate entity, whose business model works towards the object of instilling 'Darkness In My Head' through giant, killer mozzy basses.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
System Check (Melchior Productions LTD remix) (10:18)
Destino Caminante (Flabbergast remix) (6:42)
System Check (Flabbergast remix) (5:51)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Minimal house legend Thomas Melchior and Montreal's Flabbergast duo bring their skills to remix Calcio Club's cool System Check EP. Melchior is one of our favs when it comes to silky, deep, minimal house and here delivers a remix that retains the original's groove while smoothly transitioning into lush synth vibes. Flabbergast's Guillaume Coutu Dumont and Vincent Lemieux have a sound just as distinctive and offer two remixes that push micro-house's limits. Their tracks feature mind-bending effects, Moog-style synth hooks and a burst of percussion that all lead the remixes to a new level of dance floor ecstasy.
Review: Germany's Caldera makes his debut on Space Lab and it's an exploration into a mythical realm where deep, organic textures intertwine with intricate rhythms. The EP also continues the label's commitment to psychedelic sounds and seamlessly blends fluid percussion with atmospheric sound design and hypnotic grooves that prove Caldera has a knack for supple deep techno and bass-driven electronics. Rich in detail and thrilling in execution, these are four cuts packed with evocative mental imagery and the sort of refined rhythms that get headier crowds going wild.
Review: Not everyone 'gets' house. First, there are those who dismiss it as mindless 4x4 schlock; then, even amongst those who ostensibly enjoy the moods that the genre lays down, there are still individuals who fail to appreciate the subtleties that glue the spaces between the beats, or the musicality that holds the tunes together as opposed the lacks thereof that might make them flop. Whatever the case, Calisto's Definitive Classic (TM) 'Get House' is an ahead-of-its-time house pioneers' artifact, coming as an early example of what some might call tech house, albeit nowadays most would simply assume is acid or breakbeat. Indeed, to truly be able to appreciate the differences betweem genres, you have to just, you know, kinda, just 'get it'.
Shining Of Life Flutemental (unreleased version) (11:01)
Shining Of Life Flutemental (Lambros Jahmans remix) (5:15)
UNDUB (Space Ritual dub) (10:40)
Shining Of Life Flutemental (Space Ritual dub) (11:15)
Review: Some 20 years ago, Japanese producer donned the K.F alias (the initials of his given name, Kiyotaka Fukagawa) and delivered the astonishingly good 'Shining of Life', a sun-soaked Balearic house treat shot through with Japanese nu-jazz musicality, gospel-influenced vocals and expansive, life-affirming piano solos. This EP offers up previously unheard 'Shining of Light Flutemental' takes. Calm's own 'unreleased mix' retains some of the key elements of the 2004 original while adding morning-fresh flute solos and starry sounds seemingly inspired by Detroit techno. The 'Lambros Jahmans Sunset Mix' is a dreamy and immersive interpretation underpinned by an Afro-house style beat, while the 'Space Ritual Dub' is an almost entirely beat-free soundscape. On 'Undub (Space Ritual Dub)', the same producer wraps echoing flute and piano motifs around a tactile, hand percussion-driven rhythm track.
Review: French label Cairo Xpress debuts with a first-ever vinyl outing and a fine one it is too, with six stylish house outings from an array of fresh talents. Wilt's 'Beoyon' has lovely gloppy drums and bass looping under harmonic chords - it's simple but effective. Hermit gets more full-bodied with his textured 'Who Dunnit' and DOTT strips it back to bumping drum track workouts on 'Twitching Softly.' There is more irresistible bounce to Lucho's 'Mesh', Artphorm layers in some old school pianos to 'Daown' and HATT D shuts down with maybe the best of the lot, 'Contrasts In Life,' which is a broken beat, analogue sound with celestial energy.
Review: Exemplary nu-disco wax from the German Kaskadeur crew, lending a much-coveted plodders' energy to two sonic units by disco's twin queens. The slow churn of 'Kaskadeur 08', the eighth in the eponymous series, is characteristic of much contemporary techno-disco, betraying a capacity to urge foot, leg and hip movements in the listener and yet still without so much as a hint of histrionics: a must if you want to leave so much as a scent of cool in today's scene. The mysteriously named 'AN' and 'NE' play back like electrochromic disco hits of yore, though their source material is various, making this a special case of not just editing, but remixing: the A's 'Hearts Run Free' by Candi Staton and the B's 'No Mountain High Enough' by Diana Ross are make for great uses each.
Review: Two techno knights in shining armour, Joseph Capriati and Indira Paganotto, rise to a collaborative challenge on their latest split vinyl single. Brought to their resident Artcore Records, 'Ananda' and 'Mantra' are spiritually intoned yet no less hard psy-tech towerers. Paganotto is said to have laid down the exotic vocal chops on 'Ananda' directly and the final product hears these laced through a blossoming, emu-synth rising action and a stuttering pre-drop. Perfect fits for the larger club or festival stage, these twin tracks work the careful balance of grave and utopian sound.
Review: Don Carlos should by now be known to most house music crate-ologists as Carlo Troja from Verase, Italy -not Euvin Spencer from Kingston town. Alas, confusion still runs rampant over the ambiguity surrounding the Don Carlos name; if only they'd heard just how great this new EP from the former North Italian nuff-sayer truly was, they'd never forget the difference, of course! 'Italian Paradise' is a fresh, still dripping-wet house EP out via Groove Culture; its lightweight organ triplets, electric piano smears, and lens-fogged sunglass strings are what makes it *it*: a more than suitable release for hammock skygazing and/or wooly garment shedding.
Review: Anorax has got a vital 10" here featuring a stone cold classic Balearic house tune from Don Carlos in two different mixes. First is the Paradise mix which is as Ibiza as house music gets - the swirling pads, the subtly joyous feeling in the piano chords, the blistered bassline. It all immediately transports you to the White Isle and gazing out to see as the sun sets and the party ratchets up a gear. On the flip is a Lute Mix which brings some more mellifluous melodies and makes the drums a little more bouncy. Both are brilliant.
Review: This is a four-track sampler taken from parts one and two of the One Hundred and Fifty Steps VEP series which is all about exploring the rise of 150 bpm dubstep, a sound that characterised by fast basslines, broken rhythms and heavy halftime pulses. From VEP pt. 1, L.A.'s Carre delivers pacey wobblers and then Berlin's Formella debuts with playful breaks and more wobbly bass on 'Dripstep'. VEP pt. 2 features Leipzig's Old Man Crane with their intricate, syncopated style shinning through on 'Grey' and Valencia's Andrae Durden then shows class with a Kryptic Minds-inspired low-end powerhouse.
Review: Originally released in 2023, this record quietly turned heads with its singular blend of UK-rooted rhythms and forward-leaning sound design. Now reissued, it finally gets a second life and the wider attention it deserves. The producer, a longtime figure in the scene with more than twenty releases under different monikers, brings a depth and precision that only comes with years behind the boards. 'Fathom' opens with a fast broken beat that feels equal parts urgent and submerged. The textures are mechanical and murky, like a deep techno transmission beamed up from under the floor. 'The Cusp' follows with a completely different angle. This one leans into the IDM side of things. It's spare and skeletal, filled with deep bass swells and a structure that feels more like a shifting sculpture than a club track. On Side-B, 'Markers' blends fast dub mechanics with intricate programming. There's a trace of Autechre here, but filtered through a system more grounded in soundsystem culture. It rolls and unravels in unexpected ways. 'Trooper' closes it out with cinematic flair. Strange melodies stretch through space, evoking science fiction landscapes and distant worlds. It's not just club music. It's sound architecture for curious minds and adventurous ears.
Review: Tom Carruthers returns with a fresh drop on Syncrophone Records, comprising the fresh analogue jams 'From Within', 'Zone', 'No Frequency' and 'Malfunction'. All hitting hard with an old-school, sequencer-happy flavour, one which requires no second-guessing, our faves here have to be the basal FM roller 'Zone' and the brash, trashyard B-fronter 'No Frequency', both of which make deft use of the same bassline, yet each to drastically different effec.
Last Night (feat Harriet Brown - MAD vocal mix) (7:11)
Last Night (6:27)
Phone Sexting (5:23)
New Life (5:19)
Review: One-man dance music production line Tom Carruthers - a regular contributor to L.I.E.S and the man behind the admirable Nonstop Rhythm label - makes his bow on Make a Dance's M.A.D imprint. Fittingly, the fast-rising duo kick things off with their take on title track 'Last Night', delivering a vintage-sounding house cut featuring sublime lead vocals from Harriet Brown that sits somewhere between Frankie Knuckles' turn-of-the-90s productions and Larry Heard's late 80s deep house jams. Carruthers' gorgeous instrumental original mix follows. Over on side B, 'Phone Sexting' sees Carruthers blur the boundaries between proto-house and early Chicago jack tracks, while 'New Life' is a picturesque slab of deep techno loveliness.
Review: Tom Carruthers takes the baton for Clone Jack For Daze here and in doing so offers up more of his irresistibly jacked-up jams. Each one distils plenty of classic tropes next to a keen eye for futurism with no-nonsense sound designs and hints of bleep techno all colouring the airwaves. 'Analysis' opens with a blend of bristling analogue beats and smooth chords, 'Confidential' has warped synth bass adding a dark edge and 'Lurk' is another menacing sound with eerie pads. 'Optic 2X' is a thumping closer with mystic atmospheres encouraging deep thought.
Review: This new collection offers up a quartet of tracks that are all tailored for slightly different moments on the dance floor. On side A, Dani Casarano kicks off with deep, hypnotic grooves that make for an immersive atmosphere before transitioning to punchy, bass-driven energy with other cuts. Side B introduces a new alter ego from Felian and Bruno Schmidt and the pair explore a robotic, looping groove with incidental breaks and nostalgic synths in the euphoric third track. Closing the release in style, Omar Akrhif & Lucretio present a minimalist masterpiece that is aimed at heady after-hours sessions.
Review: Rico Casazza is Italian-born but currently based in Prague. Here he returns to the Moving Pictures label with another new electro and techno exploration full of his trademark sound designs and high-speed grooves. 'Climax' opens with deep, dobby drums and fizzing static that snakes around the mix while chords bring melancholy and 'Remind Me Pls' twitches with acid deftness and more optimistic chords. Moving Pictures founders Roman Rai and Taino step up with their own remixes. The former flips 'Climax' into deep space trip with lush layers of silky synths and emotive breakdown,s then Taino reconfigures it as a hot stepping house cut with choral vocal swirls and a rubbery bassline that brings the bounce.
Review: The third edition in Ten Lovers' Coin series hears Marcello Cassanelli, Caruso and Helen McCormack fuse churnout disco, chicken pickin' guitar and Rhodes solos, in an extravaganza of fresh, sartorial dance music. Never pressing too hard, Cassenelli's 'Starlight' and 'Tropical Breeze' go easy on the master channel, with unhurried pan flutes, roiling strings and twizzling G-synths stuck loosely to a soft but firm electro-tropical backbeat. 'Dream Horizon' is a brilliant outerlude on which to close the side. On the flip, Caruso & Helen McCormack allude equally to the Manchester Street Soul scene of the late 80s with 'Have & Hold', whose razor-edge r&b vocals and low-slung progression lend the record a surprise twist. Their 'Love You More', meanwhile is lushness personified, before Caruso's 'Central' chugs magnficently towards the run out groove with oozing synths and glitterball glamour.
Review: Jackies Music Records celebrates a successful first year with a new special edition vinyl record, featuring five iconic numbers from the back catalogue. Retrospectively looking back, we're met with five still-fresh ones from their ambitious 2024, includeing handpicks from Todd Terry, Piem, CASSIMM, Angelo Ferreri, and DJ W!ld. Embodying the mood of mid-dance tension, at which point we're likely well into the mix and sweating our glands off (such paradoxes are not impossible), the best of this pick have got to be Terry's 'Heartbeat', a swarthily knocking groove complete with an angelic, cardiovascular vocal, and W!ld's lo-fi hip slip, 'Underdog', the lyrics on which we'll be spending at least a good week trying to decipher.
Review: Topping up the Rotterdam techno label TH Tar Hallow comes Casual Treatment (Melvyn Ortega), a newcomer to the imprint based in Berlin. Essentially a mini-album, this 27th addition to TH Tar's Hallowed annals makes clever use of sentimental track titling with ultra-mechanical, nigh unfeeling sequencing and sound design, to rather ironic effect. For example, 'It Warms My Heart' opens with a totally frozen-over aortic groove, while the closer 'Remember Me' transmits equally cold sounds to distant polar receiver-markers. In all seriousness, though, this is a great release, one which opens up properly in the latter half.
Review: Since making her production debut last year, Courtney Clarke AKA CC: Disco has released a handful of inspired and colourful singles which the boundaries between styles. The Lisbon-based Aussie is at it again here. She begins with the sun-soaked ambient shimmer of intro track 'Feel The Peak', where decidedly Balearic classical guitar flourishes catch the ear, before heading towards peak-time dancefloors on the wide-eyed dancefloor synth-pop flex of 'Touch The Vibe', which sounds Pet Shop Boys' Chris Lowe after a fistful of happy pills. She lays down another atmospheric interlude before going darker and moodier on the psychedelic nu-disco throb of 'Me Gusta Is Dead (Period Pain Mix). The new beat-meets-proto-trance throb of 'Yes Papi (Miami Daddy Theme)' completes a fine EP.
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