ALTERLEO レコード& CD

Review: The last we heard from Kinfolk was on the excellent "Mirage" by Kalidasa, but now the adventurous and chug-friendly label is back with this killer EP from Alterleo. "Cabriodelic" will have hips swinging at an easy tempo, not least thanks to the nagging throb of the bassline and the swaying drums shaking over the top of the track. "On The Way" takes things in a freakier direction, using ample samples and channeling a little industrial noir, while "Tour De L'afrique" focuses on craftily programmed drums and captivating melodic subtleties. "In Sands" finishes the set with a wigged out acid-trance rumination that should appeal to those who love the sound of European freak-beats before dance music got compartmentalized.

Review: New to Claremont but certainly not new to composing; Denis Leonvich has been writing for screen for over a decade and has amassed an impressive collection of heavier floor friendly cuts on the likes of National Techno. If these two rather warm and woozy Balearic debuts are anything to go by, his future cosmic output will be just as impressive; "Sunset Sparks" sways with a balmy mysticism with folk singing, an alluring hang drum and hazy pads while "Boma" takes a slightly darker route with psych sinewy arpeggios and a subtle but unforgettable brassy bass texture and sleazy guitar plucks. We look forward to Alterleo's next adventures...

Review: The XXX crew are on a mission to celebrate the adventurous and utterly well-informed dance music scene of Amsterdam, and they move to the fourth release on their label with a strong cast of characters that all have something different to say. Alterleo opens up the 12" with the low-throbbing psyche out of "Train To..." before Al Gobi takes over with the aqueous hardware house bubbles of "Rule Of Three". On the B side, Jack Pattern & John Parsley work together to lay down a fierce blend of industrial and disco that will send shivers down your spine. Roger Van Lunteren meanwhile revels in the squelchiest kind of esoteric acid with a new age mystique thrown in for good measure, and then Phil Gerus provides a soothing soliloquy to finish this distinctive record off.