DJs: Most Charted - April 2011

Review: Bomb Strikes drop their first twelve of the year filled with all the weaponry a house party needs on one handy twelve inch. Pimpsoul commences proceedings with the chunky mid tempo electro bounce of "This Time" which craftily utilises a well known vocal hook, twisting it around the speaker worrying crunch. Bomb Strike regular Parker occupies similar territory on "Hear Ya Say" opting for a classic psychedelic rock staple to base his multi-layered sampledelic sound around. Antipodean talent Slynk opens the B Side with the Tom Drummond featuring "Woah Now" an expert uptempo melding of p-funk, boogie and filtered breaks whilst the excellently monikered Neon Steve goes all schizoid analogue freakout on the punchy dubstepper "I Got The".

Review: ** JOY O REPRESS ** Ray Keith's nephew tries out the latest variant on Joy Orbison with a return to Hotflush that demonstrates just how far he's progressed since the HYPH MNGO days. If "Ladywell/BB" signalled his intentions to take a house-centric turn, then "Jels" & "Wade In" is O/Orb/Orbison tackling Chicago and Detroit in his own inimitable style. "Jels" arrives with a synth wash swagger, dropping into crisp 808 rhythms and future Detroit synths that build towards an emotive drop into the throbbing main. Craftily switching between snarling acid leads and elegant piano flourishes, it's a bold dancefloor statement. "Wade In" looks to the emotive deepness of Chicago, adding some glorious tropical touches to the thudding rhythmic thrust with uplifting results. There's a point where the pads are stretched right out in unison with the subaqueous vocal harmony which is truly blissful. You don't really need us to point this out for you, but this is gonna be huge.

Review: Juan Mendez, a key part of the cultish techno crew Sandwell District under his Silent Servant alias, continues his voracious appetite for musical surprise with the second Tropic Of Cancer release in collaboration with Camella Lobo. Again released via the Downwards imprint, "Be Brave" stands alongside early Factory Floor releases in ploughing a droney, minimalist, synth wave sound. It would be easy to draw comparisons with the likes of Joy Division, but "Be Brave" retains its own contemporary identity, not least the dead eyed sonic menace that drapes over your senses as the track progresses. Strengthening the bridge between the past and present, Downwards have scored a real coup in securing a remix of the track from Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk, who lifts the track out of the mist of sonic depravity somewhat and twists it into a relentless, ever building industrial groove. Luxuriously presented on a clear ten inch and housed in a sumptuous sleeve, this is an eminently collectable record that rightfully won't last very long on the shelves.

Review: After treating us to no less than three varying but equally brilliant remixes of "Post Traumatic Son" from Ben The Vest Klock, Blueprint further flex their impressive contacts credentials by enlisting Robert Hood to tackle the Ruskin and Regis mind melter. Typically, the Detroit legend does not disappoint with a rattling industrial version that's all jagged rhythmic textures and schizophrenic machine funk flourishes underpinned by welterweight drum punches that group into off kilter sections intermittently. The overwhelming sensation is disorientating, whilst the final bass drum throb proves to be quite menacing. On the flip US producer DVS1 offers two varying takes on the track; the Pessimist mix is characterised by dream-like textures that form the backdrop to an undulating dub techno groove that ripples with metallic intent. Naturally, the Optimist mix offers a contrastingly upbeat, if somewhat glacial throbber of a version.

Review: Lovers of the golden era of Chicago House and attractive vinyl packages will be adding Rush Hour to their Christmas card list very soon thanks to this luxurious 5 x vinyl box set version of previously unreleased Virgo Four material. Our friends from Amsterdam have truly excelled in all respects here, lovingly presenting twice as many tracks as the CD version of Resurrection. Rescued from dusty shoeboxes full of DAT tapes, the 30 tracks showcased here could be considered long-lost house classics. Certainly, the mix of early deep house, slinky vocal numbers, next-level acid experimentation and raw, midtempo dreamscapes is the equal of anything that emerged from the Windy city in that productive period from 1986-1990. If you're a confirmed house head, you need this in your life.

Review: Round three of Skudge remixes and it's the most impressive line-up to date with Underground Resistance don Rolando and Dutchman 2562 sharing space. Rolando steps up first, going deep into the core of "Ontic", adding his own 'not everyone understands' vocal refrain which twists brilliantly around the slightly more urgent throb that grows into a thrilling rattle as the track progresses. Flipping the sonic script 2562 moulds "Convolution" aka THE THEME FROM SKUDGE into his own distinct template, retaining the fractured diva utterings but carving out a jagged metallic rhythm that's driven by shards of evil bass insurgency. This third volume of Skudge remixes is essentially a dual exercise in the art of the perfect remix; retaining what makes the original so special but stamping your own sonic identity to deliver something new!