NEIK レコード& CD

Review: Neik's debut came only a few months back, when the minimal-minded producer stepped onto our charts with a quirky little 12" for the fledgling Fun Records. A quick follow-up to cement his name was essential, and that's exactly what he's gone and done with this new EP for the Vara label's fifth outing. "Hacia Ningun Lado" and "Dresdener Strasse" proudly dominate the A-side as if it were a shooting ground, pushing forwards with two solid, tech-minded grooves that spew cerebral harmonics from all corners. On the flip, TC80 has the entire span of the vinyl to offer his version of the latter, and the results are one mean minimal punch with a subtle taste of Chicago house funk. Solid.

Review: The next entry in Tresydos' tenth release series features another four sterling slices of contemporary minimal tech house trance fusions, leading in with B Love's 'Video Soul', which samples a television interview with legendary talk box funker Roger Troutman. Arnic follows that with the brooding synth construction of 'I'm Into You' before Neik's 'New Age' cools things down with a rolling, warm-up-friendly groove. Atree's 'Augmented Reality' is a spikier affair to end the record on an uptempo note, maintaining the playful energy which binds the whole record together in a burst of catchy baselines and cheeky samples.