ELIPHINO レコード& CD

Review: The tireless Hypercolour label rolls out another tasty one here with Eliphino at the controls. The UK mainstay has been a key part of the underground bass scene for a decade now and uses all his know how to cook up four killers here. The title track is built on bubbling broken rhythms with cosmic synth work that tugs you in the opposite direction. 'Bubbling Glass' is a playful one with old school jungle brass, nice airy wooden hits and rave yelps that bring the energy. 'Eddy' is a more spacious melodic workout and 'One Day' then gets back to business with a heads down sound and tight, kinetic rhythms.

Review: You have to go back two summers to the last time Eliphino was spotted on a 12" slab of vinyl, sharing space with Seven Davis Jr and Rekchampa for some daring reworks as part of the Love Below series. This Joy In Repetition 12" sees Eliphino return, brandishing a quartet of tracks the producer laid down whilst on a year break from London in Berlin, and arriving on the label of the same name founded by him and Dimensions Festival man Andy Lemay. If you picked up Jackmaster's recent DJ Kicks effort, you'll be familiar with the rich house shuffle of opening track "Isabella Road" but this 12" sees Eliphino offer a wider demonstration of his production palette. A sense of warmth is apparent throughout as subsequent tracks touch on a more off-kilter approach to production with "April Baby" and "Piano Day" featuring some fine abstracted beat patterns and fluttering synth lines. Closer "LinkLater" sees Eliphino return to lush house sounds in a triumphant fashion.

Review: Continuing to bring serious crossover heat to Somethinksounds, Eliphino is pulling no punches on his latest emission for the fledgling label. "Vrybdy" rides on a chunky, swaggering stomp that's just broken enough to move beyond being straight house music, while the samples come looping in with a barrel-load of hip-hop attitude. It's a thoroughly functional belter that will slot ably in between all manner of contemporary electronics. "Don't Make Sense" meanwhile gets all raggamuffin in its disposition, busting out the soca break and some cheeky MC licks for a steaming slice of summertime rowdiness.

Review: A third round of edits from The Love Below stable arrives and is perhaps the best thus far in the prospering series, with contributions from Eliphino, Seven Davis Jr and Rekchampa. Londoner Eliphino is first up and digs into the archives of Will I Am, drawing on a highlight from his underrated 2001 BBE LP Lost Change. In original form, "Lost Change" was a hazy number blessed by seductive vocals from Terry Dexter and it's to Eliphino's credit that his rework retains much of the charm, whilst upping the tempo and implementing some nice rhythmic edits. Many comparisons have been made between Seven Davis Jr and Prince (not least thanks to a great cover of "Controversy") and the former's excellent broken version of "Purple Music" will only serve to strengthen such a flattering viewpoint. Don't sleep on Rekchampa's killer rerub of Jimmy Bo Horn's funk standard either!

Review: Charitable acts carry more significance than ever right now, and Needs are on hand with another instalment in their brilliantly curated series to give something to those in need while also presenting some wonderful, exclusive music. This one leads in with a truly uplifting blast of sunshine from Telephones before dropping into the edgy, swinging tech-funk of Ciel's "Faye Wong Plays The Strings". Al Wootton is on point with another of his fresh and dynamic twists on the soundsystem blueprint, with a dubby, percussive vibe that should appeal to those who miss proper dubstep. Eliphino completes the set with a squashed and feverish garage thumper that sounds like it has an iconic vocalist chopped up somewhere in the signal chain.