Review: This isn't Interstellar Beats' first rodeo for the UK's OGE Music. This upstart Cheshire cat also made an earlier self-titled four-tracker in 2023, and now comes fresh on its heels with a glassy glamp housing four more beady beds of sound. 'Space Loops' and 'Small Talk' are twin siren songs of sfumato funk and house, not treading too lightly nor too heavily. 'Room Service' and 'Do It Again' follow as jankier, verging on bluesy blowouts, their titles giving vibes of a luxury hotelier's idealistic fantasy. The B2 is especially gritty and echoes the more streetwise garage house sounds of old, though we've come a heck of a way to minimal.
Review: Slothboogie bring the good times here with a welcome return from Reykjavik's finest beat maker Intr0beatz. These groovers are all a perfect mix of party starting goodness with sophisticated produciton techniques and classy melodies that work both body and heady. 'Concentrate' is a dusty and nostalgic opener with well swung drums and 'Homage' then sinks into a smooth and soothing deep house groove. Things stay classically inclined but with a hint of new school freshness on the bumping 'Use What You Got' before deeper cut 'Don't U Ever' and closer 'Line' close out a stylish and very useful 12".
Review: Intrallazzi and Dario Piana have been friends and Milanese scene contemporaries since 1981, when they both fell in love with the distinctive Afro-Cosmic sound of local DJ (and later Piana collaborator) Daniel Baldelli. Since then, they have both made records aplenty under a variety of aliases, but this EP on Leng marks their first joint release. The headline attraction is opener (and lead cut) 'Out of Control', a dubbed-out cosmic disco chugger propelled by echo-laden percussion and a deep, low-slung bassline, smothered in psychedelic synth and guitar sounds. Fellow Italian producer LTJ Experience remixes, offering up a stripped-back and acid-flecked interpretation. Elsewhere, 'Lazise' is a TB-303-sporting cosmic shuffler and 'Saocraffen' is a Baldelli-influenced fusion of Afro-cosmic funk and ethereal Balearic sounds.
Review: First released way back in 1982 but exceedingly hard to find ever since, Intrigue's 'I Like It' is a classic slab of Brit-funk era UK boogie whose lyrics playfully muse on craving cash when you have very little ("I really want your love but I'd rather have the money and I like it"). This Backactcha Records reissue features both versions from the original 12" - the EP-leading full vocal mix and the longer, more club-focused flip-side instrumental - as well as what appears to be a previously unreleased remix. This builds up brilliantly via drums and short rap sections before introducing the killer basslibe, pianos, synths and lead vocals. It's a fantastic and arguably more club-ready take on a much-loved but previously impossible-to-find Brit-boogie classic.
Review: In 1997, the Spanish CD compilation Calambre Techno featured a track called Utopia, created by the electronic duo INTRO, which was brothers Francisco and Nacho Sotomayor. Originally released in 1994 as part of an EP, the track is a simple yet perfect techno-trance anthem that is retro-psychedelic but ahead of its time. Now, UFC reissues this classic on vinyl accompanied by new remixes. The MFA's '94 On The Floor Remix' blends IDM and experimentalism while Promising/Youngster's 'Electric Shock Remix' fuses powerful electro with IDM. Brassica's 'Psytalo Remix' mixes techno, breaks and psychedelia, and R.I.P. Bestia's 'FutureCosmicalAscension Mix' leads to euphoric heights.
Introspekt - "Work Me Gahdammit" (The Theme song) (5:09)
Introspekt - "Work Me Gahdammit" (D-Dubz 96 dub) (4:47)
Jay Ward - "How U Want It" (4:56)
Jay Ward - "How U Want It" (Yosh remix) (5:04)
Review: Oi oi garage crew, get locked into this one and you won't be disappointed. Introspekt and Jay Ward take once side each with the latter going first. His 'Work Me Gahdammit' is all scuffed up beats, rolling kicks and well placed vocal chops. The D-Dubz 96 dub brings a more brazen and old school feel with classic melodic motifs rinsing down. Ward offers the bump n grind of 'How U Want It' which then becomes more heavy, dark and late night with the Yosh remix. Solid and reliable garage sounds.
Review: The influence of trance on techno continues to grow throughout Europe. Introversion embraces that on the first track on his new 12" for Arts. It's build on classic techno drums but overlaid with bright chords that are subtle yet infused with euphoria. There is a similar sense of heart on sleeve emption to 'Heavy Heart' which makes an art form out of high speed melancholy. The title track brings more fizzing texture and trippy synth patterns that bring their own sense of tension and 'Error' closes down with the most paranoid melodies of the lot. It all adds up to a captivating and emotive take on techno.
Review: Yet again, Helena Hauff's Return To Disorder label brings us a new talent from the world of electro production, this time in the shape of India's Investigations of a Dog. The four tracks here contain a lively, energetic feel sure to tempt the reticent onto the dancefloor, matched with a dreamy optimism that gives them an ultra pleasurable head-in-the-clouds celestial feel. 'Heliocentrism' has echoes of classic LFO's naive melodicism, '11 July' is sunny and gently bubbling in the same vein as Aphex's first 'Ambient Works' LP, and the rest is generally infectious and loveable yet employed with a touch of subtle restraint. We look forward to further Investigations
Review: Leibniz's return was always going to be interesting given previous work and so it is. Each of the five news cuts exemplifies the power of simplicity with grimy, hypnotic mantras that showcase Leibniz's mastery of the genre. Stripping away unnecessary details, he focuses on what truly matters to cook up a minimalist sound that hits hard. These sounds really emphasise the notion that less is more, with each one full of refined technique and ability to cut through the noise. It's a masterclass in minimal techno that proves what to ignore is just as important as what to keep.
Review: In 1994, Vienna-based project iO, which was composed of Patrick Pulsinger, Erdem Tunakan, Umberto Gollini and Gerhard Potuznik, released a series of 12"s titled 'Attack', 'Decay', 'Sustain,' 'Release' on their iconic label Cheap Records. Known for their minimalist, Detroit-inspired techno, one standout track, 'Claire', broke the mould with its mid-tempo beat at around 110 bpm, jazzy chords, sample-based groove and sharp 909 drum sounds. It bridged techno, trip-hop and house and caught the attention of Mo'Wax Records in London, who re-released it to great acclaim. Embraced across genres, it quickly became a DJ favourite and remains a beloved classic to this day which is why it reappears here.
Review: By now a very well-recognised trailblazer of the minimal house and techno circuits, iO Mulen (Aleksandr Voznichenko) shares his third album, Rock Like This, through his own Mulen imprint. Refusing to fall back on heavy-handed press notes, the eight tracks on this perfect composite storm are enough to bewitch us of their own accord. These house and techno retrofusions play out like the kind of sounds that the impossible dangling contraption depicted on its front cover might generate; 'Rock Like This' throws back to Chicago deep house and jankout acid trance, magicking up a shockingly good fusion of disparate styles in a bionic mode, while the rising actions of 'How Do You Say' and 'Emergency' teem with twin enjoyments of and reverences for 90s Euro and acid techno. There are cosmic-trancier subplots on there too, such as 'I'm Waiting For', which selects its constituent sounds with an aesthete's ear, striking a difficult balance of the raw and the fine. Voznichenko refuses to privilege one referent genre over another, and it results in a respectfully done, carefully made and truly exciting dance record, unafraid of cheese nor sophistication, and reconciling the two.
Review: IO E Palmieri has cooked up the sort of anthemic and festival-friendly techno tune that will be heard all over the world as soon as the sun comes out and the big tops get erected. It has simple but effective rolling beats, some neat and rising melodies and a celestial Italian vocal that will get hands in the air as people march along. Naples-based techno star Debora De Luca then steps up to remix and quickens the groove and tightens up the synths so that are a bit more forceful. It's another effective cut from this big-time circuit favourite.
Review: Manifest drumcode signee Mha Iri shares her latest 'Neon Storm', where geometric blitzes and "get-down" vocals excoriate the dancefloor. The lead track screams with colossal, sinking-feeling synth design, as though a War Of The Worlds tripod were heard stomping on skyscrapers a city away, and that this could possibly an exciting, not terrifying experience. 'Moving Machines' firms the bio-mechanoid vibe, with its added chord crimps, glottal mids and ultra-processed kick centres.
Review: This EP marks a rather monumental milestone for Swedish label Drumcode: it is the 300th release but out by Adam Beyer's agenda setting big room stable and it still bares all the hallmarks of the label that first emerged decades ago. Namely that is big drums with a weighty dose of concrete funk, earth-shattering hits and flashy strobe-like snares. A female vocal is also daubed throughout this one to add a little extra spice. On the flip side of Mha Iri's Bombay EP is 'Existence' which is another one that will rattle walls of any club and blow away the dance floor with its sheer techno power.
Review: While the Melodeum label is based in Chicago, many of its releases take cues from rubbery tech-house, minimal techno and early 2000s style German 'digital disco'. There's a flavour of the latter sound, pioneered by the Force Inc label, on 'New Chapter', the lead cut from Iron1's first EP for the imprint. All elastic beats, jazzy synth-bass, playful samples and dreamy chords, it's tech-house-funk for the nu-disco generation. The Argentinian producer opts for a spot of tech-house/synth-jazz fusion on flipside opener 'Gossip', before going deeper and woozier on the sample-rich deep house funk of 'Jameson'. As debuts go, it's impressively assured and genuinely ear-catching.
Review: Carl Hardy's Animals on Psychedelics label doesn't rush things. It has put out a small number of relays over several years but each one is a classic. Swiss-Tunisian producer Ish is behind this next one and offers three mind melting jams. The epic adventure that is 'The Mind Is A Labyrinth' opens with sci-fi samples and warped basslines, trippy arps and silky pads that leave long tails in their wake. 'Humans & Robots' hits harder with hunched, thudding drum and more tightly looped synth phrases and 'Timewalk' has broken beats and swilling astral synths for mind, body and soul.
Review: We were blown away by Albeit Records' first release, a killer EP of previously unheard archive cuts from long serving machine abusers Activ-Analog. For release number two, the Bristol-based label has decided to flip the script, offering up a three-track salvo from up-and-coming producer Ismael Zouaoui. The Berlin artist goes straight for the jugular with "No Mercy", wrapping chilling melodies, booming sub-bass and drunken deep space chords around a kick-drum dominated rhythm track, before successfully breaking up the beats on the wonderfully deep-but-punchy "Cheaper". Arguably best of all, though, is B-side "Point Reyes", an impeccable exercise in intergalactic IDM that's blessed with some deliciously jazzy hybrid electro/broken techno beats.
Review: Originally from France and now based in Berlin, Isolated Material has dropped a steady run of heavy hitting releases on labels including; Brokntoys, Haws, Ukonx, 909 Connection and Mind Controlled Rectifier before joining us for his debut EP on 20/20 Vision.
'Hidden Node' kicks off the wax with a jarring excursion of futuristic breaks and abrasive sound design firing on all cylinders with complex drum patterns, bleeps and glitches. 'Asynchronous Funk' sees Isolated Material serve up an abstract slice of electro funk with a solid broken beat groove peppered with unexpected moments of off-kilter magic.
On the flip side - title track 'Hidden Node' offers up a dose of Drexciyan inspired funk primed for a set on the dark side of the moon with; high octane breaks, quick fire drum programming, intricate synth patterns and ominous undertones. Wrapping up the EP 'Unmarked Sequence' is an equally potent chaser for the wide eyed deep space traveller in need of body jerking breaks.
Review: Isolee will always be a favourite of many simply because of his classic 'Beau Mot Plage' tune on Playhouse some 20_ years ago. The same quirkiness and interesting sound design that resonated in that tune feature in these four cuts on the young but impressive Resort Island label. 'Chopstick!' is deep, dubby, swaying tech house with bubbling synth work and 'Love Algorithm' is another deep, paired back sound with musical bass and swirling pad work. 'OMG So Random' pairs melancholic chords with signature barely-there beats and wispy, nostalgic melodies and finally a 3rd Paces Dub of 'Love Algorithm' is a grainy, quietly intense roller to close.
Review: German house abstractionist Isolee makes a welcome return, surfacing on Pampa with his first new material since dropping his album Well Spent Youth on Koze's label back in 2011. Creative batteries recharged, Isolee is in familiar form on the three track Allowance 12"; the title track adopts his trademark bare bone approach with soothing lines of melodic intoxicants gently pulsing with intent over the soft edged house groove. This hypnotic opener hogs the A Side, leaving the chiming minimalist rhythmics of "You Could Do Your Memories" to duel for your attentions with the far too playful "Wobble".
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