IO (MULEN) レコード& CD

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks, otherwise in perfect working order ***


Ukraine's tech house champ per excellence iO (Mulen) is back in action, following up on last year's first instalment of Oldivibes with some more chunky, playful workouts for the floor. Given the title of the release, it's no surprise to hear some trancey flavours threaded through lead track 'Join Me', but they're framed by a tough, pumped up house backbone to get you jacking with approval. 'What I Want' is a dirtier affair, but the spirit is very much the same. 'Hey Hey!' takes things in a trippier direction without dipping the energy and then 'Outgoing Song' completes the set with the standout track - a seductive and spooky groover with the perfect slithers of female vocal to draw the crowd into the palm of your hand.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Ukrainian artist iO is the next to make his mark on One Records with
'Mir', including two intricate and sophisticated, rolling dance floor
tracks of the highest quality. On remix duty, the profoundly talented
Cab Drivers showcase their unique production style, as they too are
warmly welcomed to the label.
Part of the game for a number of years now, iO's successful releases
can be found on imprints such as Rejected, Noir Music, Area Remote,
Leftroom, VIVa, Highway Records and his own Mulen Records which he
started in 2012 and released his stunning debut album with on in 2013.
Aside from his skills in the studio, iO's talents as a DJ also see him play
regularly at the likes of Arma17 (Moscow), Studio 80 (Amsterdam) and
Boom Boom Room (Kiev), also appearing at events such as ADE, WMC,
Exit and Kazantip.
Hugely respected Berlin residents Cab Drivers aka ZKY & Daniel Paul are
well known for their distinguished productions and live showcases. Their
well established record label Cabinet Records holds an extensive
catalogue of quality music and places them even further within the
real elite of electronic music.

Review: He's back! We really don't know how Alexandr Voznichenko finds the time to sleep when he's releasing a couple of absolute killers every month, not to mention running the hugely successful Mulen Records, Mulen People and MOi imprints. This time it's for Overall Music run by spanish artists Javier Carballo and Hanfry Martinez as part of the Overall Limited Series. On the A side, the absolutely infectious stomp and roll of "For My Dreamz" has all the energy and winning power of his recent hit "Stick Out" and will equally destroy dancefloors for the remainder of the year. On the flip "Open Mind" has all the dreamy and hypnotic layers of pads working gloriously throughout the track, his other trademark and perfect to play as the first beams of sunlight hit the crowd at a Romanian open air.

Review: The star of Ukrainian iO (Mulen) continues to rise in steadfast fashion with his funky minimal grooves fast becoming the choice for many tastemakers. So much so, that massive Parisian house label Apollonia have tapped him for a release; not bad at all! "To The Unknown" is ten minutes of funked up, minimal house bliss for freaks that you could imagine a crowd full of hedonists at Sunwaves festival going absolutely mental to. The remix by Amsterdam's Malin Genie (Vigenere/Oscillat) is pretty sweet too, giving it a smooth deep house vibe that doesn't get as abstract as the original.

Review: Sascha iO from Kiev has been releasing steadily since 2009, starting out big on labels such as Diynamic, Leftroom and Rejected. In the last few years he kept a fairly low profile until a recent release on Adam Shelton and Subb-an's One Records; so it seems his star is on the rise again. Propaganda Records is a vinyl only label from the Ukraine and they've taken it upon themselves to showcase his dreamy and breaks driven tech house. It's all about "Le Song" on the A side with its driving funky bassline and swirling synths. On the flip "Hindsight" packs just as much funk and that rhythm is totally tight, backing some splashes of Ry Cooder style guitars and mesmerising melody.

Review: Parisian house and techno outpost Politics Of Dancing steps up with the second installment in its celebration of three years rolling out impeccable dancefloor tackle for the minimally minded generation. iO (Mulen) strides into the fray with the playful bounce of "Prater", all swirling synthesizer ripples and sharp, snagging drums. Chris Carrier meanwhile whips up an inventive twist on dub techno dynamics with some shimmering chords that rub up against subby bass and micro samples. John Jastszebski goes for a moodier effect with "Combo", aiming straight at the heads down crowd, while by way of contrast Tommi Vicari Jnr takes a beautiful, delicate approach to minimal house with the refined EP closer "Take 8".