VELVET VELOUR レコード& CD

Review: Your latest acid extraterrestrial jive comes in the form of this four-track EP V/A from Planet Orange. With tracks by Velvet Velour, Mitch Wellings, Tom Frankel, and Planet Orange boss Pete Melba, this second release retains all major aspects of the label's signature sound. Bursts of alien percussion pepper luminous beats, textured by light and shade as fleeting melodies wax and wane.

Review: Proper scratch-itching 12" business via Portuguese minimal outfit Cloudbeats. Velvet Velour (Liam Dodds) serves as visiting dance tutor, topping up a fortuitous four years so far under the moniker, and buoyed by such disc dissenters as Butter Side Up, Sonido Chido and Nuances De Nuit. 'Tempo' is a record-scratching, hi speed garage satisfier, the title track for which flaunts a rather brave early tempo slowdown to die for. As the record goes on we hear various love bugging, paralinguistic vocal sounds - hums, breaths, giggles, "uh-huh" and"yes" samples - as though to mirror what we were already thinking about the record. We hear extra convective sound bubbles blown on the B1 'What Is That?', locking down a bathtime garage sound universe that is entirely its own.

Review: The label at the helm of the Minimal ship, Mindhelmet, is back with another dazzling release. Never has an artist's name so well reflected their sound - Velvet Velour's production is exactly as you might expect: smooth, effortless, yet party ready. The first track, 'The Waltzer' has an undeniable zero-gravity quality, zooming through the cosmos, encountering meteoric fields and spacious, star-studded vistas. 'Khaosan Rodeo' rushes through aqueous landscapes, embellished with water-muffled vocals, and oxygenated bubbles, this is a buoyant track for flowy, dancefloor moments. 'Wave Wizard' offers a broken, breaksy view into the Velvet Velour sound world. An excellent example of restraint from the producer - this track holds the perfect balance between substantial percussion and airy atmospheres. A mind-melting release from a standout label in the minimal scene.

Review: Small Hours from the Berlin-based Brit Youandewan is a young and already cult label that does things well, if not fast. Yet here we get a second EP in quick succession with the sixth outing again offering up four vital names from the house and tech underground. Velvet Velour opens up with squelchy, funky bass on 'Show You The Door' before Liquid Earth melts the mind with impossibly bendy synths and stiff drums on 'Gummo Hardrive.' Flip this 12" over and you'll find some cosmic tech in the form of The Honda Boys's 'Funghi Pie' and gurgling, gritty, metallic deep space house from Dreaming Mind who offers up 'Mid-Bozz.' Top tackle for sure.