COTTAM レコード& CD

Review: After the success of his release on Versatile and a string of top productions on his own Ruff Draft label, Ferox is proud to welcome Cottam to the roster with this two tracker. 180g vinyl only release.

Review: Ruff Daft returns, and after a various artist EP for number 7, number 8 on the label goes back to the founder, with three new tracks from Cottam
'Washed Out' kicks things off, at the cross roads between Mood Hut & Basic Channel where dub techno sensibilities meet dreamy chords for a delectable deep house track.
'Horns' harks back to Cottam's earliest releases, with an afro-ish horn loop teased out over four minutes until the full loop and bass kick in to devastating effect.
'A Ruff Draft' sees Cottam look back towards his techno roots, with a killer kick drum and raw acid lending an abrasive edge to a well rounded EP of varied styles.

Review: Cottam is proud to present the first release on his new label, Ruff Draft. Paul Cottam came to wider attention with a series of limited edition blank-label 12s released from 2009 onwards, showcasing his production talents by re-working afro-beat, neo-soul, funk & hip-hop into deep house burners, but Ruff Draft is all about original tracks, and the first release sees three tracks from the man himself. 'Lost In My Brain Fog' comes in two versions, the super deep original is an ethereal trip of shimmering strings and delayed percussion, but with a kicking distorted thump at the bottom end to still work the floor - a real trip. The Medicated Mix has a mystery vocalist mixing with dub techno chords and jacking percussion for a late night trip to the back room of a dark warehouse. The EP is completed with 'A Variation on a Theme', a gem of a deep house groover with beautiful chords and acid that creeps up and sidles its way behind and around you before pinching your wallet and necking your drink. The first release on Ruff Draft sets a high standard, pressed on 180 gram vinyl and cut loud. Keep a look out for further transmissions in the near future, from Cottam and other artists as they keep it deep and keep it Ruff.

Review: Last seen going on a Dawn Walk for the Audio Parallax label, Preston's finest exponent of pitched down house hypnosis Cottam continues a busy 2013 with The Long Walk 12" for the lesser spotted South Coast based Ample Art Recordings. There's no real deviation from the Cottam template on the title track, as ever it's the way the becapped producer teases out the oozing underbelly of acid textures and orchestral swoops over an extended period so that you don't feel the full weight until they are in full flight and smack you square in the face. Flip over and Cottam changes it up with the Afrobeat blessed jam "The Other World" which the mode adventurous DJs out there will find a joy to spin at +8.

Review: Preston's favourite hat wearing deep house producer returns with the fourth instalment of his eponymous vinyl serious. As with all previous excursions onto wax, Cottam does not disappoint, here offering two very different but equally vital club grooves. "Track 1" is characterised by a pulsating acid line which swirls around menacingly as vocal snatches drop in and out like swooping bats, while "Track 2" on the flipside is a Latin-tinged sample based roller, replete with those beefy club drums that have endeared Cottam to the dancefloor since day nought. Unmissable.

Review: The man behind the End Of Level Boss label, Cyclonix, delivers 2 club tracks just the way we like them. Already tried and tested in the clubs by our man Cottam, who fell in love with the tracks on first listen. They demand to be played in the early hours of the morning in dark basements from Nottingham to Leyland and beyond.
Label boss Cottam takes over the B side with a leisurely walk back from the supermarket taking the scenic route for no apparent reason.

Review: Lohouse returns to his own TownHouse Music label alongside Aus Music's Cottam, and the pair are in full house mode. Lohouse comes through with the Detroit piano-led gem ""KIS", followed by the more disco-leaning "Hopeulikeit", a gentle house head-nodder with warm keys and a fuzzy little bassline in its underbelly. On the B side, Cottam is all dust and grit on "All About A Groove Thang", a tune that will surely get rinsed from here to Berlin and one that must sound particularly heavy on the ol' Funktion One.

Review: For 07 Ruff Draft enlists Twins who turns in a dark, dystopian, club sound scape that hits all the right spots. Hayworth is another alias of a well known producer to us Ruff Drafters, here he creates a track with an intro that teases and teases you before the beat drops and things get all sweaty. Cottam digs out some acid from the hard drive, an old forgotten about track that finally gets a release.