DJS: MOST CHARTED - MINIMAL / TECH - MOST CHARTED IN APRIL 2014

Review: Pampa has called in the big guns for on this second installment of the DJ Koze Amygdala Remixes series, with Roman Flugel and Robag Wruhme providing two typically intoxicating revisions. Flugel steps up first, delivering a dreamy, lucid and melodic take on "Amygdala" built around restless cymbals and liquid house rhythms. While hardly tropical, the melodies and chords certainly doff a cap to classic 1980s new age recordings. Wruhme reworks "Nices Wolkchen", delivering a typically loose, atmospheric and engaging tech-house interpretation that seems to float from the speakers. It makes an already beautiful track almost implausibly wide-eyed.

Review: Under the Petre Inspirescu guise, Bucharest based DJ and producer Radu Dumitru Bodiu has built a reputation for intricate, minimal house across numerous 12" releases over the past few years. It was little surprise when fabric invited him to contribute to their long running mix series last year with the resultant fifteen track set filled with unreleased material, adding further credence to the notion that Inspirescu is a bit of a demon at production. Surfacing on mule musiq is pleasantly surprising - the label claim to be massive fans of the Romanian - and the Talking Waters 12" is likely to introduce Inspirescu's typically understated, hypnotic minimal house to a wider audience.

Review: Continuing to bring a refreshing dose of oddball behaviour to the minimal house game, Birdsmakingmachine are back with their collective series and they're as unhinged as ever. "Ahora Vengo" features all kinds of strange samples drifting around a sharp dry beat, while "Ash But Not Arthur" takes a deeper path into melancholic chords via a rattling set of percussion. "Oscar's Critical Jack" gets into a moody tryst with a rotund bassline and some delicate rhythms of a more micro nature, while "Bonfume" lets whispers of melody create a friendly if somewhat eerie atmosphere around a crisp rim shot for yet another highly usable and distinctive cut for the more subliminal dancefloor.

Review: The latest course in the current banquet of Delicacies from Simian Mobile Disco may yet be the sweetest, no mean feat when previous editions have featured collaborations with Bicep and Cosmin TRG. Mainlining into Frankfurt's rich house and techno heritage, Jas and James have teamed up with the don Roman Flugel for the exquisite double A 12" Hachinoko/Ikizukuri. Yes the titular theme for strange food remains (Google them!) and yes the high standard of music quality remains. Lead cut "Hachinoko" keeps the rhythms minimal, allowing the ear bending glowing synths prominence until a final third where the pressure is ramped up. "Ikizukuri" begins a bit grubbier and weirder, but the trio gradually tease out some wonderfully colourful tones - you can imagine this one causing smiles on the dancefloor for sure.

Review: Taking their time to issue out carefully chosen gems from the world of minimal house music, Lick My Deck are back once again with a fine pair of stripped down floor workers from the ever-trusty Ion Ludwig. Both sides share the same kind of shuffled house groove, naturally played out on slender drum hits over un-ending stretches of repetition. Of the two "Polarized Color" lets the most freakiness in amongst its bones, as shapeless wraiths of fuzzy melodic tone drift into earshot intermittently. "No Man Can Be One Way You Should See" meanwhile stays more purely devoted to the beat with just the odd moment of distorted vocal lingering in the background.

Review: The Cubo Rhythm Trax 12? sees the Versatile stalwart end nearly two years of radio silence in style, with inspiration coming from Jive Rhythm Trax's Volume 2, an eight-track tape of electro first released in 1989. Named after their BPMs like the original, I:Cube's techno-take on these retro productions also come with a throbbing Pilooski edit of "Makossa Suspens" taken from the producer's "M" Megamix album from 2012, which although unrelated to Jive, provides a complimenting bonus to two jangly, metallic, tribal drum tracks.

Review: My Own Jupiter is the newly minted label, or Multidisciplinary Art Platform as it's being presented from Nicholas Lutz, Edurne and Birdsmakingmachine founder Ricardo de Azcuenaga. The honour of the debut release for the platform falls on Little Nobody, aka Tokyo-based Melbourne ex-pat Andrez Bergen who has a storied production career across various aliases and genres for almost two decades. It's little surprise then, that The Knock Off is filled with a sense of subtle diversity across the five tracks that keeps you coming back for more. Commencing with the chunky house groove "Bat Rastard" (wait for the vocal sample) Little Nobody draws for a more minimal sound on "Weltschmerz" and "Sense & Senility" whilst "Nobody's Driving" hints at Bergen's hip hop past. Final track "Robota" sounds like The Dust Brothers making house music.

Review: Nomadic London events crew Half Baked settled nicely into life as a record label last year, issuing 12"s from Birdsmakingmachine and Mike Shannon after launching with a split release featuring Le Loup , Yakine and Seuil. There's a sense of expectation surrounding the label then, and it's nice to see standards maintained on their first release of 2014, with Italian DJ and producer Enrico Mantini behind the buttons. There's a sense of pedigree that comes with Mantini, who has been producing since the early '90s and his class shines through on the three productions on Overflowing, with "Low End Walker" a considered highlight.

Review: Following on from his 2010 "Dickens Tracks" EP
for London's PAL SL, OCH drops the eagerly awaited 2nd edition to the
series. As a producer his sound stands out through fusing stripped-back,
jackin' drums with sharp, swinging hats always adding an injection of
analog warmth through sparse, synth arrangements. A1's "Cross Check"
stays true to the labels early roots by using the bare essentials of
house music to create a hypnotic, highly effective floor-mover. On the
flip, "Star Of Hope" is an interlude, set-starter or vinyl DJ tool. B2's
"The Magic Flute" has a relaxed, sunny Chicago feeling teasing with
lush samples, driving bass and rock-solid beats. Mastered at D&M.

Review: If you're digging the wave of minimal breakbeat styles that have been emanating from places such as Romania lately, you're sure to get into this fresh release from Dilated Pupils. With one other double pack notched up for Fear Of Flying, this new 12" kicks off the Mode Of Expression imprint with a strong mission statement in fringe dancefloor wares perfect for the early part of the night or the bright and gentle part of the morning. "Mad Drummer" has its fair share of melancholy chords that loom around the live drum break, making for a hypnotic but eminently funky end result. "For Those Who Believe" is a more wriggly affair with some bubbling techno synths and a scattershot beat played out on the softest of drums, leaving it to "Stay Inside" to deliver the more straight-up house rhythms on the record in amongst more of that intoxicating blue-hued chord work.

Review: In the same week that Dominick Martin graces The Nothing Special with some fine Calibre produce, Craig Richards label demonstrate the diversity of their approach with a record from Mr Neville Watson. If you have invested any time with house music over the past few years, there should be little in the way of encouragement needed to spend some time with this Red Light Fever 12", which displays the depth of Watson's production palette across three certified jams. The title track is doused in hardware quirkiness, operating with a feel and tempo that will suit warm up sets, especially with the laser precision expansive synth lines. "The Raw Fruit" continues in the same techno focused direction Watson explored on last year's DBA Special Editions release, whilst the emotionally loaded "Heartstring" is a perfect example of the adage "saving the best til last"

Review: Apollonia continue to welcome some legendary names into their prospering discography, but whilst Kerri Chandler's recent contribution took the form of a much needed reissue of Sunday Sunlight this appearance from Jovonn offers the NY house icon the chance to demonstrate how his production renaissance is faring with some all new material. Apparently an inspirational figure to the Apollonia trio of Shonky, Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Sondorom, Jovonn really needs no introduction for anyone who has a keen awareness of house music history and The EP demonstrates he still knows how to put together a dancefloor bomb. Specifically "Trippin Body 'N' Deep Vox (mix)" which in original and dub version offer a masterclass in rolling house music, whilst sandwiched in-between is "The March" which is Jovonn in a deeper mood.

Review: Over the course of eight years, Bristol party Just Jack have showcased the best in house and techno so you wonder why it's taken them so long to decide to expand operations and launch their own label. Regardless of the reasons, Just Jack show they mean business here in handing duties for the inaugural release to Dutch pair Beesmunt Soundsystem. David Van Der Leeuw and Luigi Vittorio Jansen made all the right noises with the pair of 12" released on Soweso a few years back, but The Baby Maker EP shows they've stepped up their productions a notch or two. Lead track "Close To Me" is an opulent blend of course and forceful drums, sultry vocals and irresistibly effective bass grooves, whilst "How I Wish" shows off their more soulful side. Do not sleep on the self styled Body To Body Deep Dark Excursion remix from Amir Alexander that grips the B Side!

Review: You can always count on Dirtybird to bring the nastiness back to tech house with their bassy taste in tunes, no more so than on this EP which celebrates the annual day time hoedown that is their summer barbeque. Shiba San steps up first with the punchy tones of "Okay", where the bottom end is well placed to knock you off your feet, before Secondcity and Tyler Rowe jump off the top turnbuckle with the leaden sub pressure of their own "I Enter". Catz N Dogz are comparatively skippy with the tripped out layers at work in "Drop It", but no less focused on getting bootys bouncing. Ghostea finishes the EP off with a more steady tempered cut that channels the Dirtybird sound into a more staccato framework.

Review: French veteran Chris Carrier first released material on Adult Only way back in 2000, and has made regular appearances on the label ever since. Here, he delivers his 11th EP for the imprint, offering up a pair of impressive collaborations in his trademark hazy, intoxicated, tech-tinged deep house style. There's a toasty warmth and impressive swing to the bouncing Hector Moralez hook-up "Galactical Dance Mate", which makes great use of sampled clarinets, far-sighted chords and barely audible vocal samples. Djebali provides the obligatory remix, turning the original into a Rbsoul style tech-house roller. Arguably even better is Carrier and Djebali's "BattleStar", a formidably percussive sprint into heavily percussive late night tech-house territory.

Review: Still trucking with his swinging house sound that remains unshakable through the trips and trends of electronic music, Kerri Chandler makes the move to Watergate to offer up a fresh release with a little help from an old friend. Jerome Sydenham guests on lead track "Mama", which has no trouble getting into a slinky groove despite the clanging timbre of the beats, making for a refreshing alternative to overused drum sounds, while a hooky chord sequence runs through the middle of the track. "Think Of Something" brings a more familiar kind of Chandler swagger, resplendent with a bouncy acidic bassline, some choice vocal licks and a razor-sharp beat. The pair of remixes of "Mama" come from Voyeur and LaFleur, with the former getting into a slick main room tech house roll and the latter laying down a more fluid and brooding version.

Review: With over a year having passed since his debut album Changing Days was released to massive acclaim, Mano Le Tough returns with more emotive, melody-laden deep house for the Berlin-based Maeve Records. The title track of Tempus is a glittering combination of twitchy arpeggio, Four Tet-like chimes and no-nonsense rhythms, while "Return To Yoz" is considerably darker, pairing a churning bass and elastic with a techy structure that will set fire to any peak time dancefloor. "Sorry Is A Useless Word" finishes off with something a little more experimental, as the kind of melodious keys you might find on a Dial release are interspersed with a loose limbed house beat that is definitely not of the ordinary.

Review: Always a man with his hand on the swing button, Stephen Brown knows a thing or two about funk in a techno world, but on this single for Technorama there's a distinctly house finish to the track. That's helped in no small part by the soulful vocal lick that runs through the middle of the track, even if the beats still bump with the roughness that he has made his name on. Don Williams ups the ante on his remix by slicing the remix up into fine slithers and fattening up the drums to make for a big room beast of the highest calibre.

Review: Always a sure fire hit for restrained and slender house music, this release on Aspect Music actually finds Thomas Melchior in something of a wistful mood as he lays down some heavy pads and chords over the top of a trademark beat on "The Blessing". It's a drifting affair far removed from his concise style, until of course the record is flipped and you can find him digging into a linear shuffle of highest-grade micro house. Even then, there is more at work in the mix from sassy synth moves to busy percussion sounds that suggests Melchior is fattening out his sound a little these days, and he's not sounding any poorer for it.