AREA レコード& CD

Review: The headspace Area's Kimochi Sound label inhabits is very much compatible with that of Rough House Rosie, and both labels have similar legacies of championing unsung talents. Now Area appears on Rough House Rosie with some of his beguiling abstractions on the deep, smoked out techno blueprint, and it's a match made in heaven. "Sweated" courses through a mysterious landscape of blown out low end riffs and distant textures, while "Still Moving Away" locks into a steadfast techno roll that complements the lingering notes hovering overhead. "Vicious Like A Koala" is a minimal workout based around an unusual drum set and a looming one-note bassline, and "Tessellated Rhubarb" finishes the EP off with some haunting ambient musings.

Review: The amount of new records being pressed up on high quality, heavyweight vinyl is nice to see. This 12" from Area on freshly minted imprint Until My Heart Stops is one such piece of wax. Musically, it's an equally attractive proposition, delivering glitchy, atmospheric deep house with a twist. Opener "Not Waiting Any More" is the brightest - and arguably dancefloor-friendly - of the bunch, building a twinkling groove around a superb cut-up vocal sample and some distant atmospherics. "Until My Heart Stops" if cracklier and murkier, pushing distorted samples to the limit in pursuit of wonky thrills. "Brazil", meanwhile, is starry IDM with a twist.

Review: After a period of dormancy, Uncharted Audio signalled their return in triumphant style with a superb long player from electronica crew Octavcat and the London label show they mean business with the launch of a new vinyl only various artists 12" series. As the title suggests, the Dots series seeks to join the dots between the international house and techno community and features contributions from Chicago, New Zealand, Italy and the UK. The perennially under rated Luv Jam reps home soil with the excellent exercise in dubbed out house that is "Crickets & Bats" whilst Area goes abstract on "DJ Tool House". On the B Side, "Fernhill Loop" from New Zealander Plas Vegas is a oven warm piece of ambient techno that has set opener written into it's DNA whilst Rio Padice ends proceedings on a typically raw note with "Houze Leizure" under his Mystic Jungle alias.