Seven Hills レコード& CD

Review: It's time to head back to Seven Hills for more rolling minimal landscapes, this time thanks to the efforts of David Agrella. The Brixton-based artist has dropped plenty of heat recently on labels like RFXN and AGR and keeps up the fine run of form with this one. 'Deseo' is a tight and dark bumper with warped chords and mysterious pads, then 'Kom Dansen' keeps it deep and moody with heavy and cubby drums and 'Sabotage Signals' layers up glitchy FX, sonorous bells and thudding techno drums which Comp remixes into a nice steady and heads down tech house march.

Review: For their latest must-have release, Steel City imprint Seven Hills has decided to explore the slim but uniformly impressive back catalogue of Airgoose, a short-lived project from Different Drummer co-founder Glyn Bush (AKA Biggabush, Lightning Head etc) and fellow Original Rockers/Rockers Hi-Fi member Richard Whittingham. First released way back in 1994, "Outernational Wah" is a slamming chunk of acid-laden, bass-heavy techno/house fusion laden with sweaty vocal samples, floor-shaking percussion and lo-fi, post-Bleep electronics. It comes accompanied by a cracking drum track ("Wah Beats") and the electro-influenced late night heaviness of 1995's "Programmable Rhythmer (Top Gear Mix)".

Review: Grenoble-based producer Binary Digit previously plied his trade on Seven Hills offshoot Zeitnot, so it's little surprise to see him popping up on its parent label. "Never Owned A 303" is the Frenchman's most expansive EP to date, with the six included tracks varying in tempo and intensity while making extensive use of razor-sharp synth riffs and mind-altering, TB-303 style acid lines. Highlights include the metallic, Syclops-goes-techno clatter of "ZE7U II", the "Braindance" influenced dancefloor madness of "Virtual Modular 2 Tape", the sprightly acid-electro bounce of opener "Acid Racing Head" and the DJ Funk style ghetto-acid rush of "I Never Owned A 303".

Review: After acrimoniously parting company with Warp Records - a label they helped to establish - in early 1990, Forgemasters (Rob Gordon, Winston Hazel and Sean Maher) continued recording music, most of which has remained unissued ever since. 'Skies Over Sheffield', which Hazel rediscovered on a DAT tape last year, is one such cut. Featuring typically skittish, electro-influenced drums, weighty sub-bass and a mixture of rave-igniting stabs and picturesque organ motifs, it's a genuine lost classic. The must-have original mix comes backed with a trio of 2020 reworks by Sheffield-based producers: a hardcore influenced breakbeat interpretation by Luca Lozano, a bleeping electro revision by 96 Back, and a rolling, futurist house remix from John Shima.

Review: Back in 2020, Seven Hills took a deep dive into the back catalogue of Isle of White producer Andy Jones, offering up tracks he recorded as Makers of Movement. Here they return to White's vaults to explore his cult Governed By Rhythm project, initially designed as an outlet for his faster, trance-influenced productions. On disc one, we're treated to a trio of previously unreleased gems recorded between 1994 and 97: constantly building, 16-minute ambient acid trip 'ANWAM', hypnotic tech-trance treat 'Kick The Can' (whose warped female vocalisations and psychedelic noises are undeniably Goa-friendly), and 'Bedroom', which doffs a cap to early 90s Italian techno productions. Disc two features selected highlights from the two hard-to-find EPs he released under the alias in the 90s, with the breathless 'Synergy' and breathless, bass-heavy 'Toltec Chants' standing out.

Review: Those who keep tabs on these things tell us that Andy Jones' first 12" as Makers Of Movement, 1997's "The Moving House E.P", now fetches silly money online. Seven Hills spotted this too, so have bundled a licensed reissue of that EP (record one of this essential double-pack) with a disc containing previously unreleased tunes recorded during the same period (1994-98). It's a great collection of overlooked UK techno all told, with highlights including the sub-heavy, Bleep-meets-futurist tech-house brilliance of "Make A Move", the pulsating, similarly Bleep-influenced thrust of "D-Cyfer" and the bombastic, up-and-at-'em bustle of "Sonoluminescence". In other words, it's packed to the rafters with timeless club cuts from one of the UK's lesser-known techno producers.

Review: Legendary UK dub techno pioneers Glyn 'Bigga' Bush and Richard Whittingham aka Rockers Hi-Fi, originally formed in 1992 in Birmingham. Rockers Hi-Fi gained a cult following in the early years of dub-techno and soundsystem culture with their psychedelic, bass-heavy blend of dub, house, techno, beats and drum & bass. We're pleased to present a selection of tracks from their formative years, mainly encompassing the club ready, dancefloor centred part of their discography. This reissue LP includes a mixture of sought after bangers, as well as some lesser known tracks which people may not have heard.

Review: Now here's a great one: London based label Seven Hills (founded in Sheffield) presents their second release - a fierce various artists EP showcasing the dimensions of their sound. Referencing the proud musical legacy of the "Steel City" is duo Space Cadets with the hypnotising bleep energy of "Skill Shot" before the group goes solo for a track each: Adam Pits (Holding Hands) with the frantic and hyperaware tribal energy of "Attack Bumper" and Lisene (day by day) goes dark and dystopian on the electro-bass thriller "Re-Entry". Tip!

Review: Dealing with grief can be very tough. Many find that having a creative outlet proves useful. That's certainly the case for Seven Hills Records' regular Thee J Johanz, who wrote this EP while coming to terms with the death of his mother. Interestingly, it's not a particularly melancholic affair - it's too dancefloor-focused for that - but there's certainly a lot of emotion to be found amongst the chords, melodies and motifs. The standout, for us at least, is opener 'Where Goes Your Soul', where sharp, rising and falling electronic motifs ride a surging acid bassline and bustling machine drums. 'Two C Bee' sees him wrap wild, high-pitch acid sounds and bubbly, sequenced synth sounds around a chunky house beat, while 'Analex' is a formidably psychedelic slab of beat-free ambient exploration.

Review: Cheeky ambient tech house (or shall we say, just straight-up 'dance'?) from the Seven Hills camp. This time they welcome Young Adults (Timo Faber and Jeffrey Baardolf), a Hollandaise production duo who have made the temporary transition across the channel and evidently know how to make a sonic splash in the UK. Anglo-Dutch pulsers permeate this nice wax 12", from the mad sampled mutterings of 'Anxiety Bar' to the propulsive, surface-tense, conspiratorial acid of 'Integrated Lizard People' - if he heard it, the latter'd surely be David Icke's favourite tech house tune!