Compilation Recommendations June 2013

Review: Last year's Magic Cyrcles, Psychemagik's willy-waving exercise in psychedelic disco and rock crate digging, was something of a triumph. It's little surprise, then, that this follow-up is every bit as essential. If anything, the selections are even more obscure, while the vibe is slightly more Balearic - whilst, of course, retaining the acid-fried oddness of its predecessor. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the woozy synths and wide-eyed, feelgood grooves of Fox's "The Juggler", and Steve and Theresa's folksy "Catching A Wave", to the horizontal pop of former porn acrtress Susana Estrada, and Joey Newman's Roxy Music-ish "The One You Love". Recommended.

Review: There was a time, sometime around the mid 2000s, that the Balance series was a byword for quality DJ mixes. While recent volumes haven't been quite so revelatory, this latest instalment from Radio Slave man Matt Edwards is excellent. As you'd expect, it flows brilliantly, with the first disc - the more club-friendly of the two - flitting between melodic deepness, late nights shufflers (see the odd synth solos of Timeline's "Ghosts of Graystone"), hypnotic grooves (an excellent Fred P remix of Nina Kraviz) and afro-centric oddities (No Smoke, Brotherhood, Joe Clausell remixing Edwards project The Machine). Really, though, it's the second CD - a fantastic downtempo exploration featuring modern classical, bubbling ambience and stoned hip-hop - that really stands out.

Review: With the sun attempting to peep through the clouds and treat British festival-goers to some much-needed warmth, the time is right for Hospital to drop the latest installment in their annual Summer Drum & Bass series. By now, we should all know what to expect, namely festival-friendly anthems, simmering rollers and the sort of heavyweight jams that should tickle the fancy of all but the most restrained of ravers. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the grandiose builds of Fred V and Garalix's "Basilik", and touchy-feely chords and smashing beats of Danny Byrd's Roni Size hook-up "Grit", to the old skool jungle rhythms and glittering melodies of High Contrast's "Some Things Never Change".

Review: Arguably the most recognisable of Panorama Bar's resident DJs, Steffi follows Cassy, Tama Sumo, Prosumer and Nick Hoppner in cooking up the fifth batch of tracks to make the Panorama Bar mix series. Exclusive material comes from Big Strick, Fred P, Dexter, Juju & Jordash and Steffi herself, while other house cuts come from former drum and bass staples Endian (Commix) and Trevino (Marcus Intalex). Other veterans to feature in the mix include DJ Skull with his original '93 pressing "Don't Stop The Beat", while Steven Tang's Obsolete Music Technology chips in with "Latency". Newer sounds come from Fear Of Flying's BLM, US-based deep house producer Chris Mitchell, DJ Fett Burger and Will Martin collaboration with John Barera; one half of Boston outfit B-Tracks.

Review: On this 22nd installment in the Rinse mix series, Hyperdub boss man Kode 9 gives a no-holds-barred lesson in the joys of percussion. Packing in some 37 tracks along the way, the London producer impeccably joins the dots between the multitude of beat patterns and micro-genres that make up today's thriving bass music scene. There's dubstep (obviously), post-dubstep, footwork (Rustie's mental "Triaddz", a dash of DJ Rashaad, Sam Binga and Addison Groove), ragga-influenced heaviness (The Bug), UK funky, wonky hip-hop (S-Type), synth-laden madness (his own "Kan"), 4/4 bangers (Joy O) and even a touch of Theo Parrish (the excellent "Kites on Pluto"). That it flows brilliantly and all makes sense is testament to his impressive DJ skills.