Review: Bristol producer Borai (Boris English) and London's Denham Audio (Peri Ashwood) pulled off a remarkable feat with 'Make Me/No Good', an unequivocal release put out on Higher Level Records in 2019. Repurposing the unmistakable hookline from Donna Allen's g-funk jacker 'Serious' from 1986 into a fully re-recorded sample all their own, 'Make Me' set alight the feet of the breaksy raver, striking serious gold in the classic formula of easily-recognised old-school-soul vocals and sculpted tearout heft. As anthemic as its original B-side, 'No Good', the original latter half of the record now comes substituted by Big Ang's Rave To The Grave mix, whose blooping trooper sound design and mains-hum Reeses provide an ecstatic alter. A can't-go-wrong reissue by the Room Two camp.
Review: London trio Damos Room serve up their take on dub-inspired bass music on this new EP which emerged from a rare collaborative session in Elijah Minnelli's loft. 'Commencement' opens with a deep, droning bass groove that's topped with a stream of conscious muttering to create a moody and hypnotic sound. 'Mineral Blend' brings a laid-back dancehall vibe with dreamy echoes of past sessions and remixers Gonjasufi, Lewi Boome, Dome Zero and Polyop individually infuse the tracks with dub techno, acid and experimental twists best highlighted by Gonjasufi's haunting transformation of 'Commencement' into a misty, immersive bit of sonic menace.
Review: .German low end collective Bass Come Save Me unleash a new 45 with a strong Portland portrait as Boomarm's Gulls makes their debut on the label with a warm beat that will keep the chills at bay this winter. Add Jamaica's Wayne Daniel on the vocals and another Portland native Madgesdiq on the conscious bars and there's a vibe that sits somewhere between Roots Manuva, YT and Wyclef. Yeah it's that toasty. Stay blessy.
Review: Let's get a little slimy this season... Hooversound regular DEFT invites Manni Dee over for some superb slo-mo sludge. All flexing around the 100 mark, there's some serious swagger to be savoured across the five cuts. Highlights include the incessant insectoid buzzes of 'Busy Bee', the sudden jolt of euphoria of 'Charged' and the gut-wrenching twistedness of 'Creep'. Elsewhere 'Witchlead' pushes the drama buttons while 'Greedy' ends on the slowest tip of all as we dip down to 90BPM and get mangled to some faraway cries. Swampy is as swampy does.
Review: DIGWAH marks its tenth release in style, maintaining its signature mystery while delivering two standout cuts that embody the British label's underground ethos. Side-A's 'Wayside' is a clutch tech-house banger that has finesseiclean, classy and an irresistibly groovy. A crisp breakbeat underpins a funky rhythm, while a strong vocal hooks you in, giving the track a timeless yet fresh feel. This is underground house at its best, effortlessly balancing sophistication with dancefloor heat. On the flip, 'Demeanour' leans into ghetto tech-house territory, with a weighty bassline and infectious r&b vocal samples. The groove is deep, the funk is undeniable and the track's raw energy makes it an instant mover. Another essential release from DIGWAH - stripped-back, hypnotic and built for those who know.
Review: Destination Venezuela: self-styled Raptor House craftsman DJ Babatr unlocks the cage and lets the pack loose right here on International Chrome. 'To-K' takes the lead with a Balie funk style stomp and old school stabs before 'Soundmind' takes over with a more rampant, electro rasp to the vibe while Amor Satyr takes 'Soundmind' in a much more technoid direction with his remix. Flip for more snappy action 'Butta' enjoys a superb, switchy remix (with nary a piano in sight) and the brilliantly titled 'Dance The Squast' closes with EP with a little hard dance panache. This slays.
Review: UK garage goes increasingly wonky on DJ Jackum's latest EP for Time Is Now. Working in Skrillexy sound design - nasal growls, puffy metal snares, thin but heavy mixes - the enigmatic Jackum makes a real racket of a debut here, delivering four genre-poking bangers of a difficult-to-peg style. 'Vibe' is especially anthemic, being a rare example of a garage tune centred largely on the second and fourth beat handclap and not the kick; 'Push Dat' veers more into hooligan rave territory, pushing the to bass bus to redline; and the final 'Pimpin'' offers a crazed shuffle and vocal sample; this is a bold and creative expansion of an existing sound.
Review: As the man behind so many of the beats for Jurassic 5, not to mention an in-demand producer in many other places, Nu Mark has got chops for days. Roaming free on his own Hot Plate label, last year's Run For Cover was loaded with crisp, seriously funkified gems, and now two of the best have been pressed up as a tidy 7" for all those who love their platters compact. On the A side, 'Everybody Everybody' throws some tropical tones and exuberant organs into the blender with tough boom bap and plenty more besides, making for one sunny blast of a tune. On the flip Danny Drive Thru pops by to add some irreverent vocal madness into the mix on 'Break Ya Neck'.
Review: DJ Plead & rRoxymore make for a fascinating duo and take aim squarely at the floor on this new outing, Read Round City, for Smalltown Supersound. Opener 'Celestial' is a loose-limbed rhythmic jumble with hand claps, trippy xylophone patterns and deep bass that lulls you into a trance while 'Read Wrong' is a more reggaeton-inspired sound with snappy snares and warped synth sounds. It's gluey and gloopy and subtly colourful. 'Round Echoes' is a third and final cross blend of techno, dub and house that picks up the pace and heads off into the cosmos but retains an organic feel thanks to the marvellous wet hand claps.
Review: New York City-based DJ, producer and impresario DJ Spun aka Jason Drummond has been involved in many different live bands over the years but also knows how to kick out the jams in solo electronic mode. 'Tribal Toilet' is a twisted, percussive techno tune with abstract motifs, bells, warped bass and layers of vocals that make it evocative and unhinged. 'Hear My Mega' is a throwback tune that rides on dusty breakbeats with old-school rap samples, whistles, helps and everything you need to get the party going off.
Review: The revered DJ Stephano delivers his signature unconventional style on this blistering new outing for Kiteforce and manages to skilfully blend and bend genres while maintaining a razor-sharp focus on fierce and innovative jungle beats. He is already well known for his unique use of samples and experimental formats, and again here Stephano manages to pay homage to old school jungle but also adds his own fresh twist. The result is Love, an EP packed with creative energy as well as plenty of clout for jungle heads old and new.
Review: Dogpatrol returns to Sneaker Social Club with four more tracks of gritty, genre-bending rave damage. Despite hailing from Offenbach in Germany, his sound blends UK influences like breakbeat hardcore, dubstep and garage and that results in a mutant style that's uniquely his own. '1200kcal' features jagged UKG drums and cosmic bass arps while 'Baby Flame 'channels warehouse electro with a heavy synth splat. 'Ya Playin Yaself' delivers a dubstep roller with playful keys and 'Offgenbach HBF Riddim' adds a breakbeat twist with echoes of The Blapps Posse. Dogpatrol's irreverent, misfit approach to rave shines again here.
Review: The Not An Animal label, which rose out of the "debris left uncleaned from London's infamous Bad Passion parties" arrives at release number 20 here and a fine one it is too from Donald's House and DJ Chrysalis. They open up with the prickly percussive prog of 'Pound Bend' with its warped lines and glistening snares. The Apiento remix is a snappy one with more synth patterns layered in before 'A Curious Warmth' strips it back and gets a little more deep and dubby with a mix of abstract sounds and aching vocals. 'Tingler Ring' closes down with a Balearic late night feel.
Review: Double B is Barry from 2-X-Treme and is surely the most famous rave producer to have come out of Portsmouth. The dance floor don wrote this one at the same time as his celebrated 2-X-Treme EP so brings back plenty of the scone pleasures of that ear. Now pressed up once more it blends breakbeats and UK hardcore across five unrelenting cuts that very much chime with the current leanings of the underground scene towards harder, faster sounds.
Review: Dreamlogicc and SW are two standouts in the outlier world of leftfield house music, and they find a perfect home on the equally out-there label that is Kimochi. This is the first time they have been on the same bit of wax (though both have been here many times as solo artists) and hopefully, it won't be the last. There is plenty of unusual rhythm work here with wonky grooves that are enriched with a world of superbly futuristic sound designs. All of these hard to define cuts are serious curveballs that bring a great element of WTF to any set, so do not sleep and add them to your arsenal ASAP.
Review: Cold Diggin' kick off a new series here that is designed to acquaint you with the talents of 'The Dude Ya Love To Hate. We can't find out much information about he, or she, or them, but can only assume more is to come given this 7" has its own catalogue naming convention. This first limited one-off pressing comes on one-sided black vinyl with a silk screen print. 'I Like Your Stye' is raw and irresistible jungle, library and funk fusion from front to back. A great one to cop, and a great new artist to keep tabs on for sure.
Review: The good folks at Baroque Sunburst are back with a 12th EP that once again takes minimal and tech house into new realms. Jay Duncan is at the buttons and 'Bitten Dream' opens up with dark moody and abstract sound swirling around a cosmic world. 'Via Tekh' is another out-there sound with beautiful ambient pads and warped, sparse bass keeping you afloat. 'Shrine' keeps the sophisticated sounds coming with more deft designs and original drum sounds and 'Catharsis' then closes down with a smooth and absorbing fusion of synths and drums from a reduced palette.
Review: Fierce electronic mavericks LNS & DJ Sotofett deliver a thrilling two-tracker that's built for serious warehouse action. The A-side is a teeth-clenching, bassline-driven beast that is raw, gritty and euphoric with static rhythms, stabbing synths and a halftime arpeggio breakdown that erupts into dreamy pads. On the flip, DJ Sotofett's 'Buzzy Breaker' starts minimal with just kicks, stabs and dubs, then morphs into a breakbeat monster with polyrhythmic tension and soaring pads underpinned with jungle-inflected drops. Both tracks harness deep, hypnotic repetition while sounding bold and system-ready so make for techno with real weight but also edge and purpose that results in high class DJ and dancer tackle.
Review: FCLR revisits tunes from Joseph Malik's solo 2023 LP Proxima Ebony on this new 12", the originals of which feature co-writer Daniel Walls aka Digital Liquid exploring Joseph Malik's early memories of being brought up around sex workers. Here we get two cuts 'Front Room' and LoFi Back Room' which are both served up as vocals and then instrumentals and feature emotive lyrics delivered over compelling acid-laced leads with drums that will blow up any floor next to dark and gnarly synths.
Review: AD 93 is fast approaching a century of releases and helping them on their way is this fresh 12" from TSVI and DJ Plead. It brings plenty of bouncy to the party with elastic opener 'Triple It' layering up big kicks and hits with playful bass. 'Swanky' is another blend of Afro rhythms and UK funky, fizzing synths and heavy bass and 'Gallop' picks up the pace with a more lithe and loopy groove. 'Breath Work' flips the script with Eastern string melodies and percussive beats and 'Twos & Fours' is a fourth and final fantastically inventive sound that will stand out in any set for all the right reasons.
Review: Fresh off the back of X-Ray Ted's debut album Moving On comes this instrumental/scratch tool version of 'Get Loose', one of the record's best-loved non single tracks. Prior to the full album's making and eventual completion, The Bristol-based DJ and producer had spent years honing his craft and refining his signature sound, which drew heavily on soul, funk, hip-hop and breaks; all of which were styles heavily indebted to the street battle breaks culture found in 90s New York and other major cities. 'Get Loose', the seventh track on the record, features British rappers Dr. Syntax and Elemental and is a fiery exploration of what it means to loosen oneself; the track features here in full original form, alongside its locked groove and acapella versions, the former of which samples an oldskool comedy set characteristic of the kinds of sources battle DJs would sift theirs from.
La Lune Se Bat Avec Les Etoiles (Transition 2) (2:29)
Forest Power (3:50)
Media Luna (4:33)
Review: Deep Forest's third studio album, Comparsa, released in December 1997, presents a vibrant blend of world music and electronic elements, with a strong emphasis on Latin and Caribbean rhythms. Now available on translucent green vinyl, this album showcases the group's signature fusion of global sounds, featuring contributions from musicians across Cuba, Belize, Mexico, and Madagascar. Comparsa's 13 tracks are a journey through diverse musical landscapes, with highlights like 'Noonday Sun' and 'Tres Marias' highlight the album's dynamic energy. The group's founders, Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez, craft lush soundscapes that are rich in texture, combining whispered vocals with rhythmic beats and vibrant instrumentation. Tracks like 'Madazulu' and 'Radio Belize' illustrate the duo's skill in blending traditional sounds with modern electronic production, creating a sound that is both innovative and accessible. Comparsa remains a well-produced and exhilarating listening experience, perfect for those seeking a musical escape to far-off lands. Now on translucent green vinyl, the album's rich textures and global rhythms are given new life, making it a noteworthy addition to any collection.
Review: Principe continue to rep the realest of Lisbon's dance culture with this sophomore adventure from long-standing resident and batida beatsmith Lycox. Often lending vocals to the tracks himself, he continues to build on that warm, relentless signature of his: Gutsy sample hooks wrapped up in traditional Latin instruments and motifs then blasted with gritty ghetto attitude. The results pummel and massage in equal measure... From the relentless kuduro turbo of 'Pedale Ku El' to the contemplative swells and graces of hypnotic tracks such as 'Guetto Love' and 'Energia', the whole range is rolled out right here in a way that flips between ghetto dreams and global reality. Ferociously fine.
Review: Stereophonk hit gold with volume one of this series so no wonder it now presents the eagerly awaited Bunch Of Funk Vol. 2. This one features 18 unreleased tracks making their vinyl debut, including two exclusive cuts created in collaboration with the talented Medline. Iconic breakdance figure DJ Marrrtin is known for his hard-hitting breaks played at major events and always makes sure he serves up music that invites listeners to express themselves on the dance floor. Here he infuses a powerful, organic sound that honours breakdance heritage while innovating for future generations.
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