Review: The Distorsion camp offers up its first sampler as a way of teasing you with the sort of quality sounds and artists it has on its roster. First up is a three-way collab between Citybox, Hankook & Orebeat whose 'Dangerous Changes' is an intense breakbeat workout for the peak time. Orebeat & Alex Clubbers keep the energy levels high and inject early 00s video-game style synths, Orebeat & Citybox keep it dark and raw with 'Gangsta' and Orebeat & JottaFrank laced up their thrilling breaks with acid lines and sleazy vocals on "Noche De Paris.' This is potent stuff for strobe-lit floors.
Review: Scott Hallam has been an acid devotee since the early days, and he's largely put out his music on his own Axia label. While most of that is digital-only, now Cartulis have picked up on the considerable talents of this hardware lifer and presented five of his finest works on wax. The vibe veers tremendously, touching on dark and sinewy dungeon acid, boxy electro workouts, strangely psychedelic hardcore and plenty more besides. Hallam's style feels betrothed to the outboard approach - it's all synths and drum machines to these ears, and its immediacy is a big part of the charm. That, and the playful personality he works into those wigged out acid lines and pinging FX.
Review: 'Loose Fit' isn't always the first song name that springs to mind when thinking about the Happy Mondays, but the immediately identifiable opiate guitar riff is up there with the band's most memorable and infectious. A highlight of the group's third album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, the track was already dancefloor ready before this pack of re-dos arrived on the scene. We're glad it did, though. Greg Wilson and Che Wilson open the scoring, keeping things thoroughly Manchester and acid-tinged, it's a trip through the blue lights and sweat of a warehouse at 2AM. The Grid's EOE Edit and subsequent Remix take the tempo down and the atmosphere deeper, almost druggier if that could humanly be possible given the wider context here. Topped off with a post-club overture in the form of the epic downbeat Perfecto version, and you might want to stick it in the shopping cart now.
Review: Club Night Club is a new Brooklyn label born out of an event series, and they're positioning themselves squarely in the leftfield of the contemporary techno scene with a wild EP from the lesser-spotted Herron. The Manchester-based artist has slipped out a few scattered releases over the past six years, from EPs on the meandyou label he helps run, and one big drop for Peder Mannerfelt's label. This fierce return to the fray shows the producer pushing a tough yet supple strain of mutant, stepped techno with soundsystem blood pumping in its veins. It's ludicrously high-end, swimming in needlepoint sound design and yet still rough as hell, and it comes very highly recommended.
Review: Organic Analogue makes it to double figures with a sublime new split EP from HVL and Gacha Bakradze. The A-side is opened up with 'Infinitesimal', a stripped back and icy bit of minimal dub techno, then 'AgneffC01' gets more rhythmically physical with scattered beats and hits and 'Collective Genius' is tense, kinetic techno with a real sense of paranoia. 'Routes' is the first B-side joint with Gacha Bakradze bringing some direct but economical drum machine grooves under meticulous percussion and then 'Chain' layers smeared cosmic pads with twitchy details and 'Widow' ends with a heavy heart. No wonder, then, that a host of eminent DJs like Ben UFO are all over it.
Review: Swung Selections is back with a second volume of club ready tech house bangers. There is a great blend of retro nostalgia and fresh and forward-facing sound designs across the four-track selection. Soulfreq's 'Holiday Break' begins with twisted old shock bass and slapping hits. Retrospect then keeps it smooth with the nice cool tech bubbler 'Pickled Moose,' No Results Found wigs out the floor with the wriggling synth madness and electro rhythms of 'Tackle Maestro' then Harrison BDP shuts down with the thumping house of 'Buggin Out.'
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