BALDO レコード& CD

Review: There's no doubt that ASOK - AKA Liverpool-based producer Stu Robinson - has been one of the success stories of 2014. Following knockout releases on M/O/S Deep and his Scenery imprint, he pops up on Good Ratio Music with two more far-sighted and fuzzy sci-fi-tinged jams. There's a delicious shuffle to "The Fifth Book" - all bubbling Motor City electronics and foreboding chords - while "Probability Drive" joins the dots between vintage techno and sparse, otherworldly deep house. Flip for two tracks from Barcelona-based Good Ratio regular Baldo, who impresses with the fizzing analogue rhythms, Larry heard chords and subtle acid of "Axel Nebulae". His other contribution, "Seventh Dimension", comes on like the soundtrack to a drunken late night jog through desolate, post-industrial landscapes.

Review: Barcelona mainstay Baldo originally released 'Ride The Night' as part of digital single Saturdays Come And Gone on Permanent Vacation in 2022. As a fierce and fabulous homage to Hi-NRG, it showed the most muscular, nocturnal side of Baldo's sound and the track took on a life of its own. Now the label have decided to give the track more prominence with this heavyweight vinyl remix package, which kicks off in style with a suitably throbbing workout from Red Axes before switching to the strutting big room style of Alex Neri. Jennifer Loveless zeroes in to the sensual heart of the track with a thrumming low end and a powerful command of the tension in the track, leaving it to Baldo's original to close the EP out in style.

Review: Baldo is the Barcelona-based tech house producer who helms labels like Neovinyl, BLD Tape, Curated By Time and Physical Education. It's the latter he returns to with this latest drop, the springy, bouncy Groove Radiance 12". 'Hotplay' leads the way with synths that might well take you back to the early days of electro house in the mid 00s, which Paramida then steams up good n' proper with their 'Hotpants' remix. '1998' keeps things juicy and jumping on the flip, slipping tiny slithers of breakbeat and acid into the mix for Liquid Earth to have a lot of fun remixing into a rolling trip monster.

Review: Running Back presents the fourth edition of the Swallow This various artists series, featuring five tracks by five different producers, all straddling the line between 'remodeled deep house techniques and floor mechanics.' On the first side we have the deep, down and dirty retro house shenanigans of Yungruzt's 'Starlight' (feat Eluize) followed by strobed-out rave energy of Baldo's 'Human Connection'. Over on the flip, 9th House delivers the EP standout on the glassy-eyed and bittersweet 'Ara', while Delphi gets a vibe reminiscent of Sueno Latino on the epic '7_11 House'.