POSTHUMAN レコード& CD

Review: Horn Wax is always a trusted outpost for intriguing, often haunting forays into the world of machine powered house and techno, and so it goes on edition 11 as Perseus Traxx and Posthuman take a side each to extol the virtues of electronic exploration. Perseus Traxx is in an especially romantic mood with the blown out tones of "Manque" straining through a fog of reverb and dust, creating a truly mesmerizing jacker in the process. Posthuman by way of contrast keeps things clear and concise, preferring a sinsister, sleazy approach to acid that rides a slower tempo and sounds all the more alluring for it.

Review: When it comes to exploring the full potential of Roland's iconic TB-303 bass synthesizer, few are quite as capable of I Love Acid and Balkan Vinyl chiefs Posthuman. Here the long-serving duo pops up on X-Kalay with a particularly robust and club-friendly three-tracker. For straight-up heaviness you can't beat "King Rat", a muscular and sweaty fusion of booming beats, clanking drum fills, outer-space effects and energy-packed acid lines. Arguably more exciting, though, is A-side "Airwave Uranium", an acid-electro bubbler rich in psychedelic TB-303 lines, moody chords and bleeping electronics. X-Kalay artist Lou Karsh provides the accompanying remix, giddily emphasizing Posthuman's razor-sharp acid lines while subtly beefing up the beats.

Review: The speed in which the I Love Acid EPs sell out tells you all you need to know about their quality. Predictably, this latest EP from label bosses Posthuman is another doozy. They begin with the gloriously sweaty thrust of "Bringin' The News", where clattering, jack-track era beats and wayward 303 lines are joined by cut-up hip-hop vocal samples and "This Is Acid" style rave stabs. The '89 warehouse feel is intensified on the similarly ace "Ending It", before the London duo dives deep into the late night jacking zone on "New Jack". They naturally go out on a high with "You Belong (In Chicago)", where their usual 303 lines are joined by dreamy, saucer-eyed chord progressions and hazy, cut-up female vocal samples.

Review: London duo Posthuman step up for the latest release on their own Balkan Vinyl imprint and doing what they do best; serious throwback acid sound! "It's A House Thing" is a dark, deep house affair with pitch shifted vocals singing the said refrain over an epic 303 bassline. Then comes the remix by the legendary Mark Archer aka Trackman/Altern8 who as you would expect; shows us how it's all done! On the flip is "Try Again" which is yet another wicked retro acid house jam executed brilliantly while "B-Loop" lays off the resonance knob of the 303 and lets the breakbeat over the 4/4 and stuttered vocals do all the work.

Review: Fifth release in the I Love Acid series. 303 copies only, hand numbered & stamped. Heavyweight vinyl, no digital, no represses. Three tracks of 303 action from label bosses & I Love Acid residents Posthuman - opener 'Beat Down' is pure dancefloor bassline business, with 'Inside You' taking it down a notch on a house angle. Flipside 'We Are the City' is a ten minute DJ tool, stripped beats building up with layers of acid. Proper gear.

Review: RSI is a new label affiliated to the Tusk Wax empire, and for their first release they look to the unexpected choice of the Posthuman duo of Rich Bevan and Josh Doherty. "Hecatism" sees the pair wander into deeper corners than their music is usually known for, trading electro breakbeats for a mid tempo production filled with resonant textures and vocal chunks that could nominally be described as house, while "Helioshock" sees them break out the 303 for some heady acid grooves. The remixes of the title track come expertly chosen also, with Disco Bloodbath resident Damon Martin taking the track even deeper into something approaching Balearic groove, and PORK INTL, who adds a distinctly more interstellar flavour to the original with its Danny Wolfers-style analogue house chords.

Review: 500 12" 180g, hand stamped, individually numbered records, single press only.

Review: Polybius Trax is the subsidiary label of Clasicos Del Ruido, both part of a conglomerate that've taken the last few years by storm. Whether it's malicious acid, electro-driven house, or even industrial techno, there is little that this imprint has done wrong since its first records began to appear on our shelves. The Polybius chapter is best known for the Moog Your Body series but, as of recent, new, collaborative 12"s have begun to surface from its underbelly. East London's Posthuman brothers appear alongside Romania's The Model, and the results are bountiful. The former's "Feel The Heat" is a dirty, no nonsense club destroyer backed by a powerful infusion of gargling bass tones, while the latter's "Get Up" brings us back to '89 - a rave-fuelled house bomb for the heads.

Review: Just as the new football season settles into it's groove, the fourth edition of the highly collectable Rothmans arrives sporting some high profile signings! Leading the way on The Claudio Gentile Release is a Foolish Felix dub of Cage & Aviary's "Lean On Me" whose deranged acid gurglings provide a nice contrast to the thrusting Escape From East London stylings of Posthuman's "Make More Men". On the flip Ali Renault returns for Rothmans duty with the Weatherall worthy "The Black Heart" whilst Iron Blu is loaned from Flight Recorder for the synthy swamp of orchestral drama that is "Oiche Shamhna"

Review: We're Going Deep started life as a popular Facebook group dedicated to deep, dancefloor-focused electronic music. Now its founder, I Love Acid mainstay Paul Wise AKA Placid, has decided to grab tracks from some of his pals and launch a related record label. Tin Man kicks things off in fine style via the bouncy, undulating acid-house bustle of 'Jerkin Acid', before Mr Melodious himself Derek Carr offers up the immersive deep space shuffle of 'The Highlander'. Posthuman's 'Going Deep' strikes a near perfect balance between immersive, life-affirming electronics and analogue deep house drums, while Dircsen's EP closer ('Last Spare') is the best - and most emotive - slow acid cut we've heard in some time.