Review: Rawbeats offer up yet another addition to their sub-catalogue Extrasensorial, which aims to, in their words, "soothe your soul and ignite your senses". While that might sound contradictory to the point of impossible, the label prove this to be not so. First up on the witness stand comes Stefano Adriezzi with 'Sintomas', whose centrally choppy Reese-scape both excites and incites the listener, causing vestigial reflexes to move either voluntarily or involuntarily. Then Lo-lo's 'The Last Domain' and Anna Wall's 'Mercury Retrograde' do similar, the former's mistral melodic trance and the latter's more rancorous murk-offs offering up convincing ancillary proofs to Adriezzi's initial sonic testimony. Finally, though, Dream World's 'Alice Ghost' delivers the smoking gun of Rawbeats' soothing excitement; snippy electro, whorlingly high up-down pads and sampled musings on a mystical higher power, building to a minimal but effectively purgatory sequential cascade.
Age of Rage aka the studio powerhouse pairing that is Dubbyman and Dan Piu is back on Sole Aspect with a third outing. The title of this one, Credo, is from the Latin word for a "firm set of beliefs and principles." It finds the duo serving up deeply soulful spirits and romantic atmospheres with dusty house beats as the vehicle. 'Open to Close' is balmy and gentle, with the dub even more warm for you to sink into. 'Fake Action' brings shuffling grooves and lush cosmic designs and 'Lover' is a smoochy closer that echoes Sade. Lovely stuff as always from this accomplished partnership.
Mutul & David Read - "Breath" (Pablo Bolivar Remake) (7:02)
Review: Cult German club Bar 25 had a great spot down by the river and an organic, boho vibe. It has long since carried that over into its label which deals in contemporary minimal from a wide range of producers. The rather incredible 200th release is now here and is a various artists affair that starts with Aiwaska's 'Tip' which is dark and driving. Elsewhere an Omeria remix of Kaiser Waldon is more deep and Fake Mood & Dibidabo's 'Coconan' gets a textured and chugging Nicone Acid Disco Nana remix. Last but not least is a Pablo Bolivar Remake with dubbed-out deepness.
Mutul & David Read - "Breathe" (Pablo Bolivar Remake) (7:02)
Review: German label and once-cult club Bar 25 is making its 200th release with a series of remixes. The EP comes in different formats with this being a limited edition purple marbled 12" with a special postcard included. Aiwaska's 'Tip' delivers a dark and driving energy, setting a fine tone for the release from the off. Meanwhile, Omeria's remix of Kaiser Waldon takes a deeper approach, creating a rich and immersive soundscape. Fake Mood & Dibidabo's 'Coconan' receives a textured and chugging transformation with Nicone's Acid Disco Nana remix. Finally, Pablo Bolivar's remake brings a dubbed-out sense of deepness and rounds out the collection with his signature touch.
Review: Despite the awful situation in Ukraine, the country continues to turn out some superb underground electronics and Tacindo is one such young but already bright label doing the business. Its fourth transmission is a various artists affair that kicks off with UK don Darren Allen kicks off with some sleazy and warped bass-driven mid-tempo madness. Deiv kicks on with some industrial tech house on 'New Standard' and O'fortyfour that steps up for both B-sides cuts. 'Pan Perehvat' is nicely tripped out and wonky, and 'Stoned & Filthy' layers up some dirty drums and bass with smudged, party synths for a brilliantly fresh sound.
Review: The fledgling WEorUS label rolls out more stylish, minimal and tech here from a trio of artists. Andrade goes first with 'Kubernetes,' a driving minimal house cut packed with hefty groove. It is followed by 'Content Security Policy' which is a slick, rhythm-forward roller that locks you into its flow. Flip to side-B and get swept into Dragosh's 'One Way,' a deep, hypnotic workout that's all tension and release and rounding off the trip is Fabrizio Siano's 'Control Your Emotions,' a poignant, late-night burner that delivers introspection through rhythm.
Review: The only known diplomatic dance musical dialogue between Leeds and Barcelona can be found in the cross-national collective MASS, whose principal aim is to connect the two cities as identified hubs of the next-gen dance musical underground. Here the personae grata in question are a crack team of trusted delegates, known by the respective codenames AS Groove, Driahn, Monile and Nikon; each artist-negotiator delivers their own firebrand sonic missive in quick, electrific unison, appeasing the collective ear through a four-point transmissive treaty. Either breaks-laden or bleep-laden sound is stipulated depending on which fine-print line you read and/or which finely-etched groove you play; only track four, 'Seismic', trigger the break(beats) clause.
Review: "Right, OK!" Worm Records offer up their second various artists release for 2024, coming just a neat two months after September's inaugural release featuring Ruf Dug, Wallace, The Mole and Gallegos. Now the label turn their hand to a completely different league of artists, convoking Boulderhead, Wooka, DMX Krew and Jorg Kuning for yet another star-studded audio-strudel, spanning both chilled and heated ends of the spectrum. Boulderhead's A1 is the ludic highlight among the four, a charming Valley Girl voice peppering the vocal track with exceptional backhandedness; we hear talk of floating on clouds and an affect of casual acceptance behind the glitch-science, suggesting vibes of bounciness and breeze. Wooka goes sillier speed garage on 'Make Yourself Comfortable', a challenging charge given the track's otherwise rather jagged jam; Krew and Koenig close things off on a comparatively calm note, the former's B1 opting for a set of bruk-en beats and wet synth yaps, and the latter's 'Imbolc' quiescing with clement Rhodeses and homely drum machines.
Review: Latvian label Micronica is back in action with another round of its various artists series, shining a light on some emergent talent from the minimal tech house scene. First up on Volume 3 is Daniel Broesecke with 'Black Matter', a swirling, hypnotic joint draped in exquisite synth work. DIN follows that up with the tricky percussive wrangling of 'In Mind' - a quintessential minimal workout if ever we heard one. JNJS brings a little more uptempo funk to 'Thinking About Money' with some playful speech samples woven into the mix and Electricano & Adroit follow a similar approach with their slinky workout 'Space Adrift'.
Review: After a blistering first 'Hot Creations Sampler' EP heard an inaugural black-gold palm tree get blown down, with everyone to hear it, now comes a gratifyingly quick follow-up, this time with Steve Bug, Denney, Joshwa, Vintage Culture, Vinter and Hot Since 82 all in tow. No-one misses a kick, with Bug & Denney's opening gambit 'That Beat' locking down a morse bassline against stereo planed beat axis; Hot Since 82 contrasts with the incredibo 'Sonedo', which relays pop dance saxophony a-la Alexandra Stan through a believably ecstatic deep house filter. Second's the best!
Review: The Fruit Medley series has been hella juicy so far so we're glad another edition is ripe and ready for picking to kick off the label's 2025 season. This one features all newcomers starting with Cromie's 'Timereite', a chubby and clubby tech pumper with full throttle rhythms. Wilba's 'New Recipes' has lush synth smears over grinding low ends that echo early West Coast tech, and Darren Roach then gets a little deeper on the percolating 'Brettski Colectski'. Lazer Man's 'Time Of Ghosts' closes down with a mid-tempo, off-kilter house cut with steely drums and distant alien activity.
Review: D'Julz is one of those producers who you can always rely on to do the business. His sounds are made for DJs and dancers - they establish a raw groove then keep you locked without any fads or cheap drops. This latest outing on Chiwax is another gem from the Frenchman with the stripped-back and lo-fi chunky of 'Murky' kicking off before 'Ruff' brings scuffed-up and well-swung drums. 'Jackie' is an old-school sound that nods in the direction of original Chicago house and 'Raw' keeps it deep and tight with a moody bassline and plenty of eerie melodic touches.
Review: The great Frenchman D'Julz has always served up bass-heavy house and tech (hence the name of his label, Bass Culture) and the quality of his sounds always remains high. That is true again here with a new 12" on his own label that opens up with 'Nu Bass'. It has garage percussion and rolling low ends that soon get you going. 'Spooky Electric' is another stylish sound with a curious little melodic refrain floating up above the atmospheric low ends and prying bass. 'Money, Honey, Monday' then brings more garage infelicitous with choppy snares and grinding bass while 'Triperie' shuts down with a darker and more menacing cosmic edge.
Review: Analog Concept present the second volume of their dynamic various artists series, offering up four tracks of proper electronic class made to last. Aiming at moods of outernational escapism and determined space-braving, all four tracks here - from D5, Rekab, Amorsinfronteras and Ross Alexander - scratch at different spacio-tempaural regions of the universal surface. 'Round & Round' establishes things on a watery note, while Rekab's 'On The Move' contrasts this with a mixture of exploratory, deep-padded electro wonderment and a sense of measured, stoic drive: the ideal affect of most astronauts, according to NASA. 'FORM' assumes a polylateral shape, blending janky electro offcuts with paddy pensees, while Ross Alexander rounds things off on a similar note of determination to before, melding hard garage house with blissy piano-stabs.
Review: Uruguay has been a rich source of minimal goodness for a number of years now. This label has been one of them since 2022 and despite only being up to a third EP here has already become trusted by those who know. Juan Daireschsion (Harry Styles, is that you?) kicks this one off with a mix of warped bass and more precision-tooled drums on 'Hijo Del Rigor.' 'Billy Bond' is a wonky one for the afters, 'Medeski' has serene widescreen synth spaces underpinned by tinny drums and 'Santa Isabel Dub Company' is more heavy dub tech.
Review: Dan Piu is a master of minimal sounds whether leaning more towards house or techno. For this latest one on Birds out of Chile, he opens up with some nice balmy pads and hip-swinging claps under tiny 80s keyboards. It's whimsical and dreamy then 'Late Night Beef' picks up things a little with some more driven drums but plenty of celestial synths and 'Ganas De Verte (feat Natalia)' is another balmy and spaced-out minimal house sound for hi-fidelity systems. 'Kammgarn' shuts down with the most direct sound of the lot and some nice dub undercurrents.
Review: Midge Thompson branches out with his own new label, Dance Protocol, named after his latest alias. He has made some killer jams before as TMS but now steps things up with a quartet of sounds that delicate baleen minimal, dub, tech and garage. 'Under The Bridge' is a blend of warbling synth lines and airy pads that keeps you afloat in a world of gooey sound. 'Inbound' has a little more kick to it and slows things down so the drum sounds and synths really shine, then 'Up North Down South' gets more raw and punchy with some swirling synths softening the razor sharp drums. 'Full Fat' is another mysterious and intriguing late night tech sound full of class.
New York City native Darand Land is one of many dons of deep house to come from the Big Apple and its environs. He sits right at the top of the pile alongside the likes of Fred P for his smoky, low-lit basement sounds as he once again shows with this new EP on regular label Downbeat. 'Melanin Vegan' is a gorgeously bottomless and smooth as you can imagine with wispy pads and vocals off in the distance. It's gorgeously melancholic and is backed up by the heads down 'Deep4life Retrograde', more upbeat and airy 'Wonder Seven', and final gem 'Dug Deep'. What a doozy.
Review: Two underground artists with many years in the scene behind them in Darwin Chamber and DJ Spun come together for the second in their Episode series on Rong Music. Once again they dig into the sounds of their formative years while also looking to the future as they blend dub, trance and techno into lithe new forms. 'The Revolution' is a mid-tempo and atmospheric roller with hypnotic vocals, while 'The Playa' is a deft bit of electronic minimalism with a deep space feel and ticking 808 sounds. Things get more loose with the warped synths and dusty tech beats of 'Dysfunction' while 'Acid Tounge' closes with trippy designs, a skeletal rhythm and a sense of late-night melodic and afterparty mischief.
Review: To mark its 20th anniversary, Dave DK has decided to reissue his Spin That Wheel EP which first came on Television Records. It is one that will cost you around about three figures these days for an original so a reissue is long overdue. The title cut opens up with some high speed minimal designs and compelling tech beats then 'Outer Limits' gets more freaky with intricate pads swirling round one another. 'Alien Ballet' and 'Spin That Wheel' are the flispide cuts that deliver ever deeper in the cosmos for some mind altering tech house high on design and indelible in impact.
Review: Four technical scratches from Joe Davies, who asks us forgiveness for his "late response"; he's been toiling away in the studio since at least his last EP for Smallville, 'Shields In Full Sunlight', and now returns to the fore for yet another punchy and arresting new EP. 'Errol Dub' and 'Unknown' provide the first intersonic tension, the former track building low chord pulses and nautical beats around an encircling "what'd I do?" sample, and the latter proving swangier, more acidic and low-slung. Thereafter come the two latter, more pisciform trax, with '1234' bringing a submersive Drexciyan steeze to a metallic pulse, and the latter 'Hi Life' moving more waterboarded breaks and minimal, providing a ruinous undersea vision of the German city of Frankfurt, post sea-level rise.
Review: The Kolony Gorky label hits release number four just a year after debuting last summer. This one again comes from DDrhode and opens with 'Ghoroob' which is a super nice and icy deep dub roller with smeared pads and heady ambient vibes. The dub slows things down and adds even more bottomless dub depths. 'DD2' (Sohrab dub) is a warm, peaker number but still very much a late-night and backroom jam and the Down The Rhode version of the A1 is a conscious classic with deep meaning and deeper rhythms.
Review: ***B-STOCK:Missing outer sleeves but otherwise in excellent condition***
Kolony Gorky launches a new self-titled label with a special hand-stamped 12" that is mad limited. It features Ddrhode's 'Ghoroob' (Conversation) - another version of which has been previously released digitally on a Dial compilation. It's a loose jumble of drums and hits with a dusty deep house feel that makes you want to shake your bones. Gorky then steps up on the flip with the subtly joyous chords of 'Orange Sky' which dance in a trance-like fashion over organic house drums. A very tasteful way to kick off a new label, that's for sure.
Review: Kolony Gorky is back with a third EP in less than a year that once again offers some stylish and artful rhythmic interpretations. DDrhode & Sohrab are behind this one and it opens with the airy percussive pattern and suspensory loops of deep and deft jam 'Ghoroob' (Kryptic Rhythm) which becomes dusty downbeat and late-night jaunt when served up as the 'Haleeteh?' version. 'Azadi' has the feel of a sixties spy thriller with its mysterious leads and 'Distant Sun' shuts down with some zoned out and loved-up deep house romance. Another hard-to-define but easy-to-love EP from the already vital Kolony Gorky.
Review: The third installment of the Split EP series brings together the talents of Dutchman Michel De Hey and DJ Steaw, offering four dynamic tracks ready to ignite the dancefloor. The A-side kicks off with 'Hot Like That,' delivering thumping warehouse house music infused with serious 90s house sounds. 'Pressure You' follows with a more upbeat vibe, blending high-energy house elements with deepness and a tracky vibe, ensuring a fun experience. Flipping over to the B-side, 'Northern Line' introduces deep bass, fun house music, and a hypnotic groove, accentuated by chords of beauty that mesmerise the senses. 'Don't Care' rounds off the EP with deeper house vibes, boasting addictive smoothness that keeps listeners hooked. Together, De Hey and DJ Steaw masterfully fuse nostalgic elements with vibrant synths and buoyant house rhythms, crafting four musings that are primed for the clubs. Four groove-inducing tracks that will undoubtedly captivate audiences on any dancefloor.
Review: In case you didn't know, Reliance is yet another label from man like Burnski, the UK powerhouse who is almost single-handedly spearheading a sound that fuses garage, house and tech into something irresistible for the club. He invites Job de Jong to step up for the label's second outing and 'Dub House' is a great opener with just the right amount of bounce, melody and heart. Kepler remixes it into a percussive stomper with siren stabs and dusty perc. 'Emergency' is a trippy melodic workout that bends space and time and 'Don't Wanna Stop, Dub Stop' chucks a killer vocal into the mix over sleazy drums and garage drums that are always going to get big reactions.
Review: Job De Jong's latest release for PIV Records delivers a four-track exploration of deep, groovy house with a touch of underground flair. 'Move' opens with a driving bassline and crisp percussion, setting the tone for what follows. 'Undercurrent' takes a slightly darker turn, with layered synths and a hypnotic rhythm, while 'Wonky' introduces an experimental edge, pushing the boundaries of the deep house sound. Closing with 'Our Sound,' the EP rounds off with a warm, soulful vibe that's both refined and captivating. Throughout, De Jong showcases a masterful understanding of the genre, crafting a release that'll appeal to house heads and underground enthusiasts alike.
Manuel De Lorenzi & Freddie Wall - "Sun-Rise" (6:15)
Fichs - "Find Yourself" (6:35)
Manuel De Lorenzi - "You Already Know It" (7:08)
Manuel De Lorenzi & Giacomo Silvestri - "The Big Apple Community" (7:09)
Review: Monday Morning is back to roll out some more lush house depths with a second EP, this one featuring founder Manuel De Lorenzi in the company of his pals Giacomo Silvestri, Freddie Wall and Fichs. 'Sun-Rise' is a nice gritty but vibey opener with percussive skip and dry hits. Fichs's solo cut is a loopy workout with nice bulbous synths and a pared-back rhythm that gets ever more inescapable while De Lorenzi then offers up the radiant synth warmth and dubby undercurrents of minimal house shuffler 'You Already Know It.' With Giacomo Silvestri he then closes on the more percussive loops of soft house soother 'The Big Apple Community.'
Review: Deadbeat, the Montreal-based dub techno maestro, returns to Echocord with a trio of immersive and hypnotic tracks. 'Pressure Double Down' showcases Deadbeat's signature sound, a blend of dub-infused techno and minimal aesthetics that has captivated listeners for over two decades. 'Too Much Pressure' is a 15-minute odyssey through intricate percussion, dubbed-out stabs and psychedelic vocals, its subtly unfurling layers and nuanced dynamism creating a captivating sonic experience. 'Double Bubble' follows with a delicate interplay of chord melodies, sub-bass tones and a crunchy analogue rhythm section, its hypnotic groove drawing the listener into a world of sonic exploration. 'Rattle The Roof Down' closes out the EP with a heavy dose of dub reggae bass, its spacey delays and murky swells adding a layer of hypnotic depth.
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